MoreCulture!: Paint Off in Mill Valley draws enthusiastic crowd

July 26, 2009

Paint Off in Mill Valley draws enthusiastic crowd

(hover mouse over photo for description, and click to enlarge)

Painter Deanne Kraus (left) is applying paint to her canvas which has been placed on--of all things-- the ground.

"The wind was a problem," Kraus explains, "It caused a lot of other pieces to topple."

It is rather windy as we stand in the middle of the Book Depot plaza on Saturday afternoon, surrounded by artists, easels and onlookers. Thirty-five artists are all competing in the 19th annual Mill Valley Art Commission Paint Off.

The Paint Off pits artist against artist, as they hastily create their masterpiece in the allotted four-hour time limit. The artists just set up their easel at 10:30 a.m., and work in their favorite medium--oil, acrylic, pastel or watercolor--to capture the downtown scene until 2:30 p.m. when time is called.

Today's scene--it seems--was not ideal for outdoor painting, weather-wise.

"It was kind of quiet here at 10:30 a.m." says Kraus, "Because it was windy, and cold!"

But, the public eventually showed up.

After the artists are asked to put down their brushes, the public gets to stroll around and mark their "People's Choice" for the best painting. Then, the artists pick their favorites for "Artists Choice" for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There is also the "Jack Beck Choice", given by the guy--Jack Beck--who created the Paint Off competition in 1990.

"I actually won the competition eight years ago," notes Kraus as she packs her supplies away.

Kraus has been making art "all my life" and works as a professional artist in Marin.

She's noted for her fabric work which has appeared in stores in Tiburon, Mill Valley and Sausalito. Kraus began her fabric painting while living in New York City. She would hand paint vests with famous old Masters works. Now she paints some of those works--Renoir, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec--onto pillows.

The organizer is announcing the winners; People's Choice award to Scott Grabowski (pictured at right) and a tie for first place Artist Choice goes--again to Grabowski and also to Victoria Mimiaga.

The artists troop up to claim their prizes. Deanne and I bid each other goodbye and stroll around for one last look at the art, and notice that the wind has just knocked over another easel.

Time to go.

(More art below)

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The Mill Valley Art Commission will feature all the Paint Off artists in a group show in the Mill Valley City Council Chambers for the month of September.
There will be a reception for the artists on September 1.
For more information, call 415.721.1856