NEWS

Local artists ready to Paint the Town on Friday

Jeff Barron
Reporter

LANCASTER — Downtown will become an open-air art studio as local artists paint in front of 16 businesses as part of Destination Downtown Lancaster’s First Friday festivities.

Called Paint the Town, the event will feature about 20 artists who will will plop their easels on the sidewalk and go to work. People visiting downtown are encouraged to interact with the artists as they paint.

The event will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and is dependent on the weather.

“The point of the event is kind of two-pronged,” DDL program coordinator Leslee Hanson said. “We thought it would be fun for the artists and visitors to add something to downtown. And also to highlight all of the great shops and restaurants that we have downtown.”

Hanson said in similar events elsewhere that artists can only paint the scenes in front of them. But she said since this is the initial Paint the Town event locally, they can paint whatever they like. They also can keep or sell their paintings when the evening is over, and the artists are not competing with each other.

“We are really excited to get such a great response from the artists,” Hanson said. “And the businesses were all very excited to have the artists in front of their shops. So we are encouraged by the feedback that we’ve gotten.”

She said it’s hard to say how many visitors the event will attract, but she said at least 100 would be good.

Local artist Ed Kitchen will be one of the artists participating. He said he doesn’t paint outside much because he uses watercolors, which dry quickly. But he said he is looking forward to participating.

“It should be fun since it’s kind of new for me,” Kitchen said. “I think this is an excellent thing for downtown. Maybe this is something that could blossom and we could do more of in the future.”

Kitchen will be in front of AleHouse 1890.

The other businesses participating in Paint the Town are Diamond Jim’s Pizza, Shaw’s Restaurant & Inn, Signature Restaurant and Sports Bar, Square Seven Coffee House, Table 1, A Season in Time, AOG Gallery, Art and Clay on Main, Blank Slate Artisans, Bodenheimer-Mayer House, Ohio Glass Museum, Paperback Exchange, Ruby Magnolia Boutique, Sparkle and Rust, and Tracie Lynn’s Collection.

Some of the businesses also will feature live musical entertainment.

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron