The Mendocino Art Center is presenting the Mendocino Open Paint Out (MOPO) Retrospective Exhibition online at MendocinoArtCenter.org, September 4 through October 5, 2020.

The Mendocino Open Paint Out Retrospective Exhibition spotlights the top award-winning paintings from the first seven years of the annual plein air festival. In all, eleven artists’ MOPO paintings will be featured with many also exhibiting new paintings. Artists include Rolando Barrero, Wendy Brayton, Jody Bryan, Rick J. Delanty, Susan Elwart Hall, Ryan Jensen, Carolyn Lord, Alison Leigh Menke, Macario Pascual, Paul Rickard and Dennis Simpson.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mendocino Art Center has reluctantly decided not to hold the in-person Mendocino Open Paint Out event in 2020. Inaugurated in 2013, MOPO has hosted more than 60 participating water media, oil and pastel artists each year from across the country to paint the local environs, from the rugged surrounding landscape, to the bay and beaches, to the quaint Victorian architecture and water towers, to the nearby vineyards and wineries.

In past years, the popular event provided the community with free opportunities to view the artists painting en plein air, shop “wet paint” sales with new paintings hung each day in the Mendocino Art Center’s galleries, watch a Quick Draw Competition and featured artist demonstrations, vote for their favorite painting, and attend a People’s Choice Party and an Awards Ceremony. In 2019, more than 400 works were painted during the week.

A free Facebook live reception (facebook.com/mendocinoartcenter) will be held on Saturday, September 19, at 5:00 p.m., featuring a presentation of the works and appearances by MOPO co-founders John Hewitt and Dale E. Moyer.