By Finley Timon EDITORIAL INTERN
Artists from across the country have set up their easels in the Big Sky area for the third annual Paint Under the Big Sky event, and organizers say this year marks a turning point.
“It was fairly local the first year,” said Maggie Shane, president of the Big Sky Artists’ Collective and director of the Big Sky Artists’ Studio and Gallery. “We had about the same number of professional artists then as we do this year, 28. But last year, we added the kids program, and 25 kids painted and sold their pieces. That was a big step forward.”
The multi-week event invites professional PleinAir painters, those who paint landscapes outdoors, to capture the scenery between Spanish Creek and Taylor Fork. Their finished works will be displayed and sold at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio and Gallery through July 31, with an opening reception set for Saturday, June 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. Awards will be announced at 6 p.m.
But the event’s biggest growth, Shane said, is in reach.
“This year, we had funding to put an ad in a magazine called PleinAir Magazine,” she said. “Their January issue basically lists all the PleinAir events all over the country, and PleinAir artists usually in January start to decide where they want to go, how they’re going to plan their painting for the year.”
That listing paid off. Shane said the exposure drew “quite a few people from out of the area” who are now discovering Big Sky as “a phenomenal place to paint.”
The event’s mission is twofold: support professional artists and expand fine art opportunities in the community. This year, that meant adding a free kids’ clinic earlier in June, as well as a new adult workshop in oil and pastels.
“We also had a workshop this year for adults in oil and pastels,” Shane said. “We had nine people, three of them are in the PleinAir show… but the others were just interested in PleinAir and now they’re hooked. And they want to come back and paint all the fabulous places they found here.”
Young artists will display their work Friday, June 27 during the Plein Air Kids show at the Arts Council of Big Sky’s new arts center from 4 to 6 p.m. Awards will be announced at 5 p.m.
Still, hosting a growing event in a small community comes with challenges. Local programming sometimes overlaps.
“Sometimes it’s just hard to get information around Big Sky,” Shane said.
With a busy summer season and so many community events happening at once, Shane noted that scheduling conflicts are common
Despite the competition, Shane said Paint Under the Big Sky is carving out a niche for those who see Big Sky as more than just a mountain town.
“Part of that is expanding our fine art offerings, which is part of our mission statement,” she said. “And the rest is getting more people to discover a different aspect of Big Sky.”
