For the next few weeks, don't be surprised to see artists painting at spots all throughout Marietta, Columbia and Wrightsville. They are part of the first River Towns Plein Air event. The event will feature artists painting "en plein air," or outdoors, through Wednesday, April 21. The public is invited to watch the painting, and the final products will be displayed at an art show and competition at Marietta Community House, 264 W. Market St., on Friday, April 23, through Sunday, April 25. The show will run on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m.; on Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

River Towns Plein Air is a project of Marietta Art Alive! (MAA), a group that promotes the enjoyment, creation and awareness of visual arts and has partnered with Rivertownes PA USA for this event. "Plein air is becoming a really big thing with artists across the country," said Marita Hines, a member of MAA. "I've participated in plein air art competitions regionally, and many of the other artists participating in this event have also."

When the members of MAA came up with the idea for the event, they weren't sure how it would be received by the art community. They were pleasantly surprised. "We have 60 artists participating, and we had to cut it off at 60," Hines stated. "We actually have a wait list. We have artists coming from five states - Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania."

The public is invited to watch the artists in action at locations throughout the area. A full map of sites can be found at http://www.mariettaartalive.com/pleinairevent, along with dates when artists will be at featured locations.

"We invite the community to come out and see the art being made and then get excited to see what the result is when they come to the show at the end of the month," Hines said.

Each artist can display up to three works for the art show and can enter two into the competition, which will offer several awards including a People's Choice award. The Juror of Awards for the show will be artist Julie Riker.

Proceeds from sales of artwork will benefit Marietta Community House. The location is the original home of the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, and the school will partner with MAA to offer a free intergenerational plein air drawing session from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 24 outside across the street from the exhibit space. The rain date for the class will be April 25.

Hines said painting en plein air provides artists with a unique way to create their works. "It's a challenging way to paint," she explained. "Factors like the weather and wind can make it challenging. The shadows change, too, so what you're painting may look one way and then an hour later, it looks very different."

For more information on River Towns Plein Air, visit the aforementioned website or http://www.facebook.com/MariettaArtAlive, where updates on artist locations will be posted daily during the event.