En Plein Sight

Every spring, plein-air artists from across the country head to Marble Falls for Paint the Town, a weeklong celebration of open-air painting in the Hill Country. This year’s event, which runs April 24-30, features exhibits, gallery sales, live demonstrations, a judged artist competition, and a student competition. Thousands of spectators will watch the 37 artists paint scenes in a variety of signature styles during the 15th annual event. “They can pick anywhere along Lake LBJ and in the area to paint,” says Erin Hinzmann, Paint the Town co-chair. “They go up on Main Street, along the lake, all over town, really.”

Monday is Free Paint Day, where artists choose a spot along Lake LBJ and paint a scene of their choosing, and Wednesday is Student Art Day at Lakeside Pavilion on Lake Marble Falls, where 8th-12th graders paint with the artists on Main Street. The gallery, where artists display and sell their paintings, opens Thursday and runs for the rest of the week. On Friday night, the winners are announced, and winning paintings are auctioned off. This year’s judge is nationally recognized art collector Tim Newton.

In Saturday’s Quick Draw challenge, student and professional artists have 80 minutes to paint a scene of their choice within a mapped area of Marble Falls. “Typically, they use an air horn to