Apr 18 - May 3
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River Towns Plein Air is now in its 6th consecutive year! This juried art show scheduled to coincide with Marietta’s famous cherry blossoms, offers $5,000 in prizes, draws artists from multiple states and viewers from far and wide. During the four day run of the exhibit art fans come to see how artists interpret both familiar and unfamiliar local scenes in and around Wrightsville, Marietta and Columbia. This year the exhibit returns to the spacious Studio 264 behind the Marietta Community House where potential collectors traditionally line up at the opening to be the first to find that special piece that speaks to them. The exhibit follows a ten day “paint-out” when participants capture anything observed while standing within the confines of the Paint-Out boundaries set by the organizers. Besides the river, artists are encouraged to paint the architecture, street scenes, wildlife, AND people that can be found in this area. All work must be completed “en plein air” defined as painting in the open air directly from the scene as it appears at that moment.
Beth Bathe Juror Exhibit
MH Art Gallery
42 W Market St, Marietta PA
Apr 18 - May 3
Sat/Sun 11-3
MH Art Gallery is thrilled to host an exhibit of works by Beth Bathe, this year's River Towns Plein Air Juror of Awards. A Strasburg based painter, Beth primarily paints en plein air. She participates in over ten high profile competitions from Maine to Washington state each year. Her work has won numerous honors. She was recently a featured artist in the 2025 Aug/Sept issue of Plein Air Magazine and in a 2020 issue published an article on water mixable oils. Beth is represented by several galleries up and down the East Coast and in the midwest. She teaches classes and leads workshops all over the country and abroad. She also leads workshops at her Short Dog Studio near Ephrata. She has participated in River Towns Plein Air event since its inception. Memberships include Salmagundi Club, Signature Member American Marine Atists,Sig member Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters, Oil Painters of America , National Oil and Acrylic Painters. In our Juror's Words: Accepting the juror's role was a natural progression for me. Having participated as an artist for four years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the festival's mission and the community it fosters. It’s an honor to contribute to a local event that has been pivotal in my own artistic journey. As a juror, I can now support fellow artists by recognizing their talents and encouraging their growth. Some memorable plein air experiences as told by Beth: In this busy world we live in, actually slowing down and really looking at a subject for often three or more hours, a plein air artist can often see things that others might never experience. Once while painting along a peaceful river scene a bald eagle swept down right in front of me several times before it caught a fish. Another time I was painting a covered bridge right here in Lancaster County when I turned around to see a whole Amish Family who had come through the field to watch me paint. I was invited to have lemonade with them on the porch of their house. This past September while I was painting a bridge in Inveraray Scotland I met up with two couples from the US who were traveling to hold a memorial moment for their late father on that exact bridge They purchased the painting right off the easel as a remembrance of their journey and as they rode away a rainbow appeared over the bridge. This stuff really happens, sometimes a small moment like a glass of lemonade and sometimes a grand rainbow. https:/www.bethbathe.com
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