2025 Paint the Town Labor Day Show

A bit of background about the Montgomery Art Association’s Annual Show [by Gerald Sharp]

Over the Labor Day weekend, Kensington again hosted this year’s Paint the Town art show and sale, sponsored by the Montgomery Art Association. In the mid-1980’s “Art in the Park” was first started, displaying paintings in the gardens. In 1987 the show was renamed “Paint the Town” with cash prizes, and it became part of Kensington’s Labor Day festivities. In 1995, some 30 years ago, the show was expanded to its present three-day format from Saturday through Labor Day on Monday, and the show was moved indoors to the Kensington Armory.

This year, works of art in several categories (Abstract, Kensington, Portrait, Sculpture, Still Life, Landscape, and Photography) were exhibited and sold over the three-day holiday. Plein Air paintings, usually landscapes, that must be fully painted outdoors without photographs to take into account outdoor lighting, were completed and were also presented (often still wet) and sold during the show

Dozens of works by many artists are shown. The largest prize each year is the Bertha Clum award for the best in the Kensington Category, paintings that are limited to Kensington landscapes. The winning painting of the Clum award is shown below, along with two honorable mentions. A visit to the show is always a worthwhile and enriching experience. Put it on your calendar for next year so you can see all the works exhibited.

Clum Award winners [photos by Jeff Griffith with apologies to the artists]