Join the artists capturing the scenes of the village “en plein air” in the seventh annual Wet Paint Padanram hosted by the Dartmouth Cultural Center Saturday, Aug. 23.

The event invites artists of all experience levels to paint outdoors in scenic Padanaram Village. Registration for artists will close on Sunday, Aug. 10. Artists can sign up and find additional information at dartmouthculturalcenterinc.org/events.

This year’s event has been scheduled a month earlier than usual due to unpredictable September weather in years past. 

“The weather was so foul in September every time,” said Gallery Director Jill Law. “I think it’ll be great.”

Law noted that many participants are returning artists familiar with the process. “They know what to expect — all the drills,” she said. 

For newcomers, she advised, “If they can get near somebody who’s been here before, and most of them have painted outside in the past, it’s not that big of a deal.”

As of now, over 20 artists have registered, which Law said is a little over halfway to capacity. She anticipates a wave of last-minute signups closer to the deadline.

The event will culminate in an Art Adoption Party on the same day, at 4:30 p.m., where the public can view and purchase the freshly painted works.

The Dartmouth Cultural Center welcomes Ron Fortier as this year’s juror. Born in New Bedford and raised between there and New York City’s Upper East and West Sides, Fortier holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in painting from Southeastern Massachusetts University and a master’s from the University of Miami.

His career has included owning two advertising agencies, teaching art and art history at Bristol Community College and teaching marketing at UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business. In 2016, Fortier relocated to Figueira da Foz, Portugal.

Fortier is also the co-founder, with Jeffery Wotton, of the SouthCoast Artists Index, a collaborative digital archive documenting artists from the South Coast of Massachusetts.

His expressionist paintings focus on people emerging from obscured histories or personal entrapments. 

“The subjects in his paintings are trapped by circumstances beyond their control or their inability to extract themselves from an entrapment they created,” according to his artist statement. He describes his work as a form of psychoanalysis, inviting viewers to uncover “deeply hidden emotions or forgotten memories.”

Learn more about Fortier at ronfortier.net.