2012 Riverfront Paint Off Brings Artists to Town

During the past week, artists painting en plein air dotted the St. Charles riverfront. 

On Saturday, many paintings showing scenes from the city were hung in and  for the final day of the Riverfront Paint Off competition. 

About 28 people participated in the first year of the plein air painting competition, organized by local artist Rebecca McGuire. 

McGuire used to participate in the St. Charles Plein Air Competition, which wasn't held last year. She decided to organize a contest to bring back the plein air art to the city. 

McGuire said the event brought some people from out of state. 

"It went really well," she said. "People showed up, and people were very giving and very sweet."

The final submissions will be on display at Picasso's and Remington's for a month. The paintings are for sale. 

McGuire said the winning piece was done by 17-year-old Silviann Schilling. 

She said next year she'd like to involve more local organizations like the .