The Wellsboro Wilds Plein Air Festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13 and 14 on the Green.

The festival is organized by the Wellsboro Art Club, a storied local institution that celebrated its 75th anniversary last year.

A plein air festival was the brainchild of Art Club member Larry Harris. After proposing the idea, Harris stepped back from organizing the event for personal reasons.

“The art club decided to make it happen,” said Colleen Krise, an Art Club member.

For the uninitiated, plein air festivals are events where artists create in the open air. Hundreds such festivals are held nationwide each year. Passersby can observe the creative process, ask questions and also have an opportunity to purchase an artist’s work.

“We will have a main event, which is several hours where participants go anywhere they choose in Tioga County,” said Krise. “And we will have a Quick Draw competition, where artists get a set amount of time to create a work.”

Artists will fan out county-wide. They can pick their own location, and Krise is hoping to compile a map of suggested scenic vistas well.

Perhaps surprisingly, nice weather is not a requirement for a plein air festival. Artists create in rain, snow and all kinds of weather.

“People will bring a tent, and paint under that if it’s rainy,” said Krise. “Or they’ll bring their van and paint off the back of the van so they’re covered.”

The Wellsboro Wilds Plein Art Festival is open to beginner, professional artists and everyone in between. Artists are asked to limit themselves to two-dimensional art; painters are the majority of participants in plain air events, but fabric artists are welcome as well, said Krise.

For more information visit the Wellsboro Art Club Facebook page.