POLSON — Artists from around the valley descended on the Sandpiper Gallery Friday evening to celebrate the cooperatives closing of the first ever “Plein Aire Paint-Out” exhibition.

Meaning “In the open air” in French, artists were given three days, typical of a “paint out”, to produce a rendering of a scene from around the Flathead Reservation. From June 24 to 27, artists did just that, with no two people painting the same object or panorama. Instead, artistes turned in a variety of paintings, from views of the Mission Mountains to alleyways and trucks, to buildings and wildlife. Time of day painted by the artists varied as well. It seemed, almost, that no aspect of the Reservation was untouched, something that paint out organizer Kelly Apgar had hoped for when the idea surfaced.

“I am thrilled with the amount of variety we got,” Apgar said. “People painted outside, and it had to be somewhere on the Flathead Reservation.”

This was the first time the Sandpiper had hosted such an event, but organizer Mary Kelley only hopes the event will grow as people realize the beauty of painting the area.

“It’s our first plein air paint out, but we hope to do it on a yearly basis,” she said. “We had 32 artists who signed up, and the only criteria were that they had to paint on the Flathead Reservation during the given time period. On that Sunday [June 27] they brought their work in and that Monday we set up the show.”

Some had experience in a paint out while for others, it was a first time affair.

“It’s kind of unique for me because I’m not a native of Montana and I’ve only been here six or seven years,” Cathey Briles, of Kalispell, said. “It’s the first time I’ve done a paint out. I usually work in watercolors but this time I worked in oils. Outside you’ve got to work faster than in studio because the light changes and when you have live things, they move, but it was fun.”

The quick turnaround posed a difficulty to some, as it created a rush to churn out works. Artists could enter a maximum of two pieces to the exhibit, which ran from June 28 to July 9, but some painted as many as nine distinct works. During the closing ceremony, awards from businesses in the area were given to artists whose works were chosen as each businesses favorite. An artist’s choice award, people’s choice award and the Gallery’s own choice award were handed out to deserving painters.

“It’s our shortest show but one our more special ones,” photographer Jay Cross said of the event.

The quick turnaround time and unique setup of the event created a distinct feeling to the exhibit, which many attendees at the reception found appealing.

“You can really tell the style of the artists just by looking at their two pieces,” Joanne Simpson, an exhibiting artist herself, said.

Those distinct styles earned some artists awards. Rusti Warner won the People’s Choice Award, voted on by visitors to the exhibit, for her “Evening Splendor” painting. Marie Stockhill and her painting “Alley view from True Value” won the Artist’s Choice Award and Jared Shear’s “Busted Down” won the Sandpiper Select Award.

“He’s not here because he’s at another paint out,” Apgar said of Shear, whose passion was typical of those involved in the event.