Local artists are encouraged to grab their easel, sketchbook or sidewalk chalk and head out to Hamlet’s Main Street Park on Saturday, Sept. 22, for a special “En Plein Air” experience.
Art in the Park will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park with local artist and Hamlet resident, Linda Martin, who came up with the idea after years of painting the Hamlet scenery.
“I’ve gone down there several times and put up my easel and painted,” Martin said. “My dad loves to volunteer at the Depot, so sometimes when he volunteers, I’ll be at the park painting. It’s just such a great place, I was thinking it’d be good if we could get more artists to come and start doing it. I’m hoping if we can get them interested, they’ll come on other days, too.”
Martin said Art in the Park will be an opportunity for other artists to bring their own materials and express themselves in their own creative fashion.
“I’m also going to take some sidewalk chalk, so if kids want to come and show their artistic ability, they can do that,” she said.
Martin added that she has painted a few of the murals at the Hamlet Library, and is in the process of doing two more for the kid’s department.
“It’s such a wonderful thing to do to express yourself,” Martin said. “I’m hoping we can get people who love to do it and people who have wanted to and haven’t. I think everybody can paint, I don’t think that it’s just something for one or two people.”
Miranda Chavis, museum manager of the Hamlet Depot and Museum and downtown coordinator for the City of Hamlet, has also helped to facilitate the event.
“We’re hoping that, now that the cooler weather has come around and it’s so beautiful, it will be a better time to have people come out and paint, draw and enjoy their downtown scenery,” Chavis said. “It’s not a class — this is just if you have the mood to come paint or draw, bring your paint, pencil, paper, easel … Richmond County has an amazing art community and I don’t think most people realize it.
“There is a lot of talent here locally, and anything that the City of Hamlet can do to facilitate that, we’re always happy to do,” she said.
Chavis said the free event is open to anyone who would like to participate.
“Come paint the Depot, the park, whatever strikes your fancy,” she said. “Even if people just want to come watch, I think that would be fun too.”
For more information about Art in the Park, call 910-417-7791.
— Staff Writer Mallory Brown can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at mallorybrown@heartlandpublications.com.
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