Peter Pettegrew

With spring in the air, it was time once again for the third annual Wekiva Invitational Plein Air Paint Out. www.wekivapaintout.com This gathering of artists and patrons is held in conjunction with the 4th annual Wekiva Riverfest. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Wekiva River, a non-profit organization that works to preserve and restore the natural beauty of the Wekiva River system, designated as one of the seven jewels of Central Florida. This year, two dozen artists converged on the park and surrounding areas to spend the week putting the beauty of the river to canvas.

Hosting the event was the Wekiva Island, a green and unique carbon neutral riverside oasis www.wekivaisland.com which provided free use of their canoes and kayaks to any of the participating artists, as well as a captained river boat to take them wherever they might like.

It was a chilly but beautiful week of painting which culminated in a Friday night opening attended by many collectors and nearby residents. Many works sold that night and even more the following day during the Riverfest celebration.

For the third year in a row, Florida Impressionist Landscape painter Peter Pettegrew was one of the participating artists in what he describes as “one of the highlights of my year” with good company and endless motifs to explore on canvas.