Calling established, aspiring painters for day of fun

WESTFIELD — Portage Hill Art Gallery is sponsoring its annual Portage Trail Paint-Out on Saturday, July 30. The rain date is July 31. The gallery first sponsored this event 15 years ago and, since then, Paint-Out events have draw plein air painters from as far away as New York City. Artists are asked to sign into Portage Hill Gallery anytime after 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 30 before heading out to paint anywhere along Route 394, the historic Portage Trail. This route, which includes both the Mayville Beach and Harbor on Chautauqua Lake as well as Barcelona Beach and Harbor on Lake Erie, is both beautiful and historically significant.

The Portage Trail was first developed and used by Native Americans as a portage route between Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. French explorers discovered it, and a French military unit worked to turn it into a military road just prior to the French and Indian War.

In addition to the harbors, artists can now find inspiration in rolling farmers’ fields complete with farm animals, Mayville and Westfield historic houses, the Westfield Arts and Crafts Fair and Farmer’s Market, two train/trolley stations, grape industry processing factories, beautiful gardens, vineyards and the Chautauqua Gorge along this route.

During the Paint-Out, artists create until 2 p.m., when they will return to the Portage Hill Art Gallery and set up their finished pieces for a Wet Paint sale that the public is invited to attend. All these events are free and sponsored by the gallery as a way of celebrating the growing art awareness and art community along the Route 394 Art Corridor. All interested people are invited to participate as artists or as spectators.

For more information, contact Audrey or Donald Dowling at Portage Hill Gallery. The Gallery is located on Route 394 midway between Mayville and Westfield. For additional information about the gallery, please go to www.portagehillgallery.com or call the Dowlings at 326-4478.