"Paint-Out/Sculpt-Out" at the Autry

As the California Art Club closes its 101st Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition at the Autry in Griffith Park on April 22, nearly 100 painters and sculptors affiliated with the 102-year-old organization will set up their easels and sculpting wheels on the museum grounds for a “Paint-Out/Sculpt-Out” of vignettes of life in the Wild West during the late 19th century.

     More than a dozen models donning authentic period costumes will pose in a series of scenes that artists will capture on canvas and in clay, utilizing traditional fine art techniques associated with working “en plein air” (in the open air).  Vignettes to be recreated include “High Stakes” in which two gamblers vie for the winning poker hand and “Burro Bob,” based on the famed frontiersman popularized in dime novels.

     As part of this free event, the Club will also have art materials for children to use to create their own plein air sketches of the costumed models.

     Following the Paint-Out/Sculpt-Out, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Club will host a closing reception from 3 to 5 p.m. during which exhibiting artists will lead tours of the Gold Medal Exhibition.  The closing tour is free with museum admission.