Paint & Write The Town

A lot has happened in our 25 years. Here is something about Paint & Write the Town.

HISTORY OF PAINT & WRITE THE TOWN (cir.2023)

Paint The Town was established 25 years ago by Wayne Knowles, a local Salem painter and member of the newly formed non-profit artist group Artists in Action.

Paint The Town is presented by Artists In Action, a local non-profit group of diverse artists. The mission of Paint The Town is to raise awareness of the arts and artists in the Salem area, to present an opportunity for the community to observe artists creating, and to offer artists an organized event where they can create art outdoors with an exhibit and awards opportunity.  

In 2016 we invited the Poets of the Mid-Valley Poetry Society to join in to write poetry inspired by the locations and participate in the exhibit. The poetry and writings are displayed among the artwork. The event is now known as Paint & Write the Town.

Painting “en plein air” is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.  As artists paint outdoors, they develop an understanding of the natural world and how to accurately represent landscapes, street scenes, architecture, gardens, skies, trees and coastlines, etc.

This is our Call to Artists:

Summertime Painting & Writing en Plein Air; Exhibition in the Fall

Paint & Write the Town is our perennial and popular signature summertime event. Artists of all skill levels working in any medium meet to create art that’s interpretive or inspired by one or more of the scheduled locations in historic, scenic and downtown locations in the Salem area. Poets of the Mid-Valley Poetry Society and others may join in to write poetry inspired by the sites. Works can be created “en plein air”, in the studio or a combination. The event culminates in a juried exhibition in October.

For the October Exhibit: Artists may enter up to three works of art until the deadline: Monday, September 04 at 11:00 pm. The resulting artwork will be exhibited at Salem’s Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery, 444 Ferry St SE, and their website during the month of October. The exhibition opens with an Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 6. Complete call details are below.

  • Awards, which will include a ribbon and a monetary reward, will be presented for First, Second and Third Place as well as up to three (3) Honorable Mentions.
  • Additional awards may be presented.
  • Award winners will be announced at the opening reception and posted to the AiA Website and social media.
  • A web page will be created to show the works on display for the exhibition and previous year’s entries are available for viewing.
  • This event will also feature a People’s Choice awards to be determined and announced once the exhibition has concluded.