Harbor Fest 2017's “A Stroke of Art” began on Tuesday, Sept. 5 with the first art reception and sale of the week-long plein air art extravaganza. The reception was held at the Boothbay Harbor Inn and featured a cash bar and hors d'oeuvres. All of it was open to the public.

“Artists come from all over the country,” said Lori Reynolds, producer of Harbor Fest. “Some are local and some are from far away. They paint for the entire week, here, on our peninsula and then every day, their works are displayed so that the public can view them, buy them if they wish.”

Reynolds said that because the 22 artists will be painting non-stop, by the end of the seven-day event there will be upwards of 100 paintings. “It's very different from your typical art event because it combines the artists with the community. It's a really neat event because each show we just keep accumulating more and more art that's never been seen before because it is brand new. Sometimes it's still wet.”

At least four artists were occupied by their brushes at the reception — Jessica Fligg from Ashland, New Hampshire sat at the head of the dock at the inn, painting a boat and its surroundings in the distance.

“The thing I love about this event is that every single piece of art is from our home. It's special to some people,” said Reynolds as she pointed to one painting, then another. “That one is of the Catholic church and the one over there is of the footbridge, so it's meaningful to us because we're from here.”

“A Stroke of Art” features 22 artists from across the country:

Hai-Ou Hou, Stevensville, Maryland; Susan Renee Lammers, Bucksport; Ed Buonvecchio, Manchester, Maine; Stephan Giannini, Rockland; Brad Betts, East Boothbay; Sandra Garrigan, Sundown, New Hampshire; Bruce McDonald, Boothbay; John Butke, Boothbay; Roger Milinowski, Boothbay Harbor; George Van Hook, Cambridge, New York; Sharon Allen, Derry, New Hampshire; Penny Markley, Winthrop; Diane Dubreuil, New Milford, Connecticut; Olena Babak, Hartland, Maine; Jessica Fligg, Ashland, New Hampshire; Paul Bonneau, Cape Porpoise; Robert Williams, Bedford, Massachusetts; Rollande Rousselle, Manchester, New Hampshire; Lisa Kyle, Waldoboro; Jodie Maurer, Ballwin, Missouri; Roberta Goschke, Waldoboro; and Janet Brennan, Boothbay.