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Paint the Mansion

Brenda Ahearn photos/Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 3 months AGO

<p>Shelbie Miller, an interior designer from Granbury, Texas, begins a sketch of the Conrad Manion Tuesday morning in Kalispell. Miller was one of 25 professional and amateur artists to take part in Paint the Mansion, a competition to create the best rendering of the mansion or grounds with the winners having their work displayed at the mansion for the month of September. Miller comes to Montana regularly and said she loves the mansion and visits it every time she comes to Kalispell. “I wasn’t exactly prepared for this,” she says. “I didn’t bring much with me, s…

<p>A watercolor board with the beginnings of mixed colors sits beside Lorraine Wight of Bigfork. Wight has painted in the past but thought the Paint the Mansion event would be the perfect opportunity to get back into it.</p><p></p>

<p>Jane Latus Emmert of Happy Valley works on a painting of the path around the south side of the Conrad Mansion on Tuesday at Paint the Mansion in Kalspell. Emmert took second place in the professional category in the compeition.</p>

<p>Rochelle Hartman, a teacher from Eureka, settles into the shade of the porch on the north side of the Conrad Mansion as she works on a sketch of the interlacing vines and ivy on Tuesday at Paint the Mansion in Kalispell.</p>

<p>From left, judges Liz Moss of the Hockaday Museum and board members Gini Ogle and Mark Norley sort through the amateur entries as they make their decisions on Tuesday afternoon at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell.</p>

<p>Amy Kumler of Kalispell and her daughters, Acacia, 9, top, and Anwen, 7, participate in Paint the Mansion on Tuesday at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell.</p>

<p>This watercolor painting by local artist Karen Leigh took first place in the professional category of the Paint the Mansion event on Tuesday in Kalispell. First place in the amateur category was won by Mary Miers for her pencil sketch of the mansion.</p>

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by Brenda Ahearn photos/Daily Inter Lake
| August 27, 2011 6:45 PM

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&lt;p&gt;A watercolor board with the beginnings of mixed colors sits beside Lorraine Wight of Bigfork. Wight has painted in the past but thought the Paint the Mansion event would be the perfect opportunity to get back into it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Jane Latus Emmert of Happy Valley works on a painting of the path around the south side of the Conrad Mansion on Tuesday at Paint the Mansion in Kalspell. Emmert took second place in the professional category in the compeition.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Rochelle Hartman, a teacher from Eureka, settles into the shade of the porch on the north side of the Conrad Mansion as she works on a sketch of the interlacing vines and ivy on Tuesday at Paint the Mansion in Kalispell.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;From left, judges Liz Moss of the Hockaday Museum and board members Gini Ogle and Mark Norley sort through the amateur entries as they make their decisions on Tuesday afternoon at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Amy Kumler of Kalispell and her daughters, Acacia, 9, top, and Anwen, 7, participate in Paint the Mansion on Tuesday at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;This watercolor painting by local artist Karen Leigh took first place in the professional category of the Paint the Mansion event on Tuesday in Kalispell. First place in the amateur category was won by Mary Miers for her pencil sketch of the mansion.&lt;/p&gt;

The event was the brainchild of museum Director Mike Kofford. Kofford said he got the idea from watching a museum visitor working on a painting. He asked if the painter would be interested in coming back for an event that invited area artists to the mansion for a competition. When the painter said yes, Kofford decided to create Paint the Mansion. He promises to bring the competition back next year if the event is a success. He chose this time of year for the competition because the gardens are at their peak.

ARTICLES BY BRENDA AHEARN PHOTOS/DAILY INTER LAKE

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