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What began in a tulip garden and traveled to the Mississippi River, the bluffs surrounding it, the farms down tranquil
valley roads, and festivals in La Crosse? Are you guessing the answer is pollen? That may be so, but the real answer is
the La Crosse Area Plein Air Artists.
On May 10, 2003, ten artists got together in the yard of artist Dolores Marusarz to paint, draw, photograph, and do collage
while visitors to the First Annual Holy Trinity Tulip Tour came through the garden. The artists were inspired by the flowers,
the weather, and each other. Around 300 delighted onlookers got to see how art is produced first hand; some asked questions
and some asked for business cards. All were highly impressed and delighted by the artistic atmosphere. Since that day,when
several of the artists in the garden discussed getting together again to paint, a great deal has happened. The group is now
well-known and well-established in a community that shows its ever-increasing support of artists.
We have been featured numerous times on a local television talk show called Coulee Conversations. In addition, we've been
featured on news broadcasts on ABC and CBS, and newspaper and magazine articles. We paint together twice a month during clement
weather at various scenic locations in and around La Crosse.
We hold an annual pot-luck picnic during our last paintout every year.
In October, 2003, we had a showing at Main Street Gallery in Onalaska, which raised over $1,400 for the ALS Foundation
in Wisconsin.
We regularly post our group information on Portal Wisconsin, which can be accessed at http://www.portalwisconsin.org/.
Our membership is 55 as of March 2006.
We hold our own art fair, with no entry fee, the day before Mother's Day every year as part of the events that take place
at the annual Tulip Tour at Holy Trinity Church.
We have a yearly members-only artists' retreat in the North Woods.
You may find details on some of these events on additional pages. If any artist in the area is interested in joining the
paint outs of the La Crosse Area Plein Air Artists, please see the bi-monthly events posted on http://www.portalwisconsin.org
or on the "Events" page on this web site. For more information, email d47d49@aol.com and put "Plein Air Artists"
as the subject.
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