Roving Artists Out to Paint the Town

Armed with brushes, palettes and canvases, 44 invited artists are painting the town this week, vying for cash and prizes valued at more than $10,000.

It's the 13th annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, which kicked off Sunday with a "quick draw" contest.

Artists were stationed in Heisler Park and given only two hours to complete a landscape painting. The finished works will be up for bid during a weeklong silent auction.

Dozens of spectators strolled up and down Heisler Park, observing the artists at work. Upon seeing Jeff Horn's canvas, 6-year-old Laguna Beach resident Griffin Naess said, "Whoa!"

Griffin's mother, Janelle, said, "We thought we'd come zip over here and watch the artists. I think it's great to expose children to art."

The competition moves to Laguna Canyon on Tuesday, returns to Heisler Park on Wednesday and then heads to Crystal Cove on Thursday. A children's painting workshop was held Monday.

On Saturday evening, art enthusiasts can pay to attend a Collectors' Soiree. And, on Sunday, the public is invited to view a week's worth of entries at the Laguna Art Museum. 

Related events include an environmental awareness panel discussion Monday evening, a fine-art lecture Tuesday night and artist demonstrations Friday morning. For the full rundown, CLICK HERE.