“Every picture tells a story, don't it?” rocker Rod Stewart sang in the mid-1970s. And that’s all I could think of while attending the second annual Plein Air Painters of Maine (PAPME) show opening reception November 8. The show is on exhibit at the Boothbay Region Art Foundation through November 24.

I have to say, that in the case of this show, it was the story behind the story of every picture that rocked as much as the art.

Take Bob Rose’s story, for example. After he talked about the 45-minute painting session spent in a dinghy on a hot July day (“I'm telling you it was hot!”) last summer, I looked at the oil painting.

Yep, the water does look pretty choppy, and I could almost see him in that little boat, applying oils to canvas in rhythmic time to the waves or stabbing the canvas with his brush … batting away the flies and mosquitoes … hey, it's all part of the plein air painting method. Who knew they sometimes risked (potentially) their lives for their art?

Oil painter and BRAF trustee and artist Sally G. Smith's painting of Provence was completed just a few weeks before the show. Smith visited the French countryside to attended a workshop led by East Boothbay watercolorist Tony van Hasselt.

“Only 65 people live in the village of Brantes where this painting was done,” Smith said. “The entire town made lunch for us, set up on rows of long tables. While I was painting this piece, Tony was on the right side of the building, so I painted him into the picture!”

Did including the instructor earn her extra points? van Hasselt wasn't saying, but I guess it never hurts.

Watercolorist Ken Carlson's painting, “Cozy Red Boat” was painted at Cozy Harbor, a location he has painted at many times before with the Wednesday PAPME group. What really stands out in the piece is (no, not the red boat), the boathouse that appears to be leaning into a strong wind.

“I love that spot, but I have painted the same scene — a lot,” Carlson said. “We (PAPME) went out again recently and I just couldn't paint it the same way again. The boat house leaning is more interesting. I also added the boat. And the seagulls ... they don't hang around that long.”

This is one great “light show.” Don't miss it. Who knows? Maybe while you're there one of the artists will stop by. If an artist does stop by, ask him or her about their art. In a plein air world, anything can happen.

In fact, I left the show thinking PAPME ought to put together a book of artist's stories behind the brush.

In the meantime, head on over to the Boothbay Region Art Foundation at 1 Townsend Avenue. Gallery hours for this show are Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 207-633-2703.