FIRST ANNUAL PAINT THE CAPE AT CAPE HARBOUR

January 8th, 2010

See artists at work outdoors capturing the beautiful scenery of the Cape as "Paint the Cape," a week-long artist competition, exhibition, reception and art sale gets underway Sunday, January 3rd -10th.

The "en plein air" event - which literally translates into "open air" and is defined as painting outdoors in the open air -  will see some of the area's finest artists take their paint tubes and easels outdoors to create, using only natural light and the colors of the Cape.  The public will have a rare opportunity to watch as the artists work to complete their paintings over a period of several days.

This exciting multi-day event begins Sunday, January 3rd with an artists registration at the Pavilion in beautiful Cape Harbour, followed by open air painting at designated sites around the Cape. A schedule of sites from which to choose the location and artist will be made available to the public.

The event continues on Friday, January 8th from 5-8 pm, when the public is invited to attend the awards ceremony and preview reception at the Pavilion at Cape Harbour.  Rumrunners restaurant will provide a variety of food items.  All the while, finished artwork will be on display and judged by well known plein air artist Val Sandell of Sarasota.  Monetary prizes will be awarded to winners and the artists' paintings will be put up for sale to the public.  Tickets for the ceremony and reception may be purchased on line at www.paintthecape.com or by calling the Cape Coral Community Foundation at 239-542-5594.

The exhibition continues on Saturday afternoon, January 9th, from noon to 4pm, with a free wine tasting of premium wines hosted by Wine Styles.   Artwork will continue to be on display for viewing and purchase.

Pre-registered artists and student artists will also be participating in the "Quick Draw" paint out event to be held Saturday, January 9th from noon -
3 pm.  Participants must supply their own easel for displaying their finished artwork.   There is no restriction on sizes or medium, with the exception of photography.  The artwork created during this event will be the highlight of an auction with sale prices determined by the highest bidder.  Artwork not sold will be placed on display for sale in the Pavilion until the close of the exhibit on Sunday, January 10th.

There is still time to register for the "Quick Draw" event.  Interested artists may register on line or by requesting a form for mailing.  Registration fee for artists is $20; and student registration fee is $15.  Late registrations will be accepted on site from 10 am - 4 pm on Friday, January 8th.  Fees will be $25 and $20 respectively.

This first annual event has been made possible by a partnership of the Cape Coral Community Foundation, Realmark Development LLC, Alliance for the Arts, the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts, and Harbour View Gallery, LLC.  The event will benefit the Cape Coral