The Dutchess County Art Association and the Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie will hold the ninth annual Rhinebeck Paint Out & Art Auction this Saturday, October 16 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Fifty artists will come to the picturesque village to paint the street scenes and surrounding countryside, and then submit their works to be auctioned that same day. Each artist can submit two paintings, one of which may be previously done and one done on-site.

The event draws some great talent to Rhinebeck and generally lends the village a plein air sort of scenario, giving it the feel of a true artists’ colony for a day. Auction viewing is open to the public from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Church of the Messiah Parish Hall at 6436 Montgomery Street, where hors d’oeuvres and libations will be served. Then, at 5 p.m. art historian Harmer Johnson, a professional auctioneer formerly of Sotheby’s, will conduct the sale of these paintings created en plein air in oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastels.

This is the Association’s major fundraiser of the year – one that it has conducted in Millbrook, Pawling and Beacon in the past with great success. It’s an opportunity to see some examples of fine artwork and enjoy scenes of the region at no charge. There is a small fee for a bidding paddle, should you be unable to resist claiming one for yourself. And the sky is the limit as to what you bid.

The Barrett Art Center/Dutchess County Art Association is located at 55 Noxon Street in Poughkeepsie. Contact Laurie Clark, exhibition director, at (845) 471-2550 or visit www.barrettartcenter.org for more information.

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Media mix: Artist Sydney Cash opens Marlboro studio to public this Sunday

The Studio Experience at Mill Street Loft in Poughkeepsie is a new program developed by Todd Poteet, director of the Art Institute (and co-owner of Pen and Ink Creative, a graphic design firm in Red Hook), and program coordinator Arlene Gould that allows people to discover the magic behind the creative process by meeting artists in their own environment. Students, artists and others interested in the process of artmaking are invited into artists’ workspaces to have a conversation with the artist and get a real-world view about what artists do on a day-to-day basis. At on-site studio visits, people have the opportunity to see the artist in action and discuss how they approach their projects, choose their media and develop their ideas.

This month two Studio Experiences are scheduled. This Sunday, October 17 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., visitors can meet Sydney Cash in his studio in Marlboro. Cash works in a variety of media including paint, light and glass, and is a highly respected jewelry creator as well. Currently exhibiting at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, the artist has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His commissions include those from the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Museum of Modern Art, and he has taught at New Jersey City University and Pratt Institute. See his work at www.sydneycash.com.

On Sunday, October 24 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., children’s book illustrator David Soman will open his studio in Rosendale to visitors. Soman has worked with a number of authors to create subtly sophisticated, classically colored pictures for books like Splash! Poems of Our Watery World, Only One Cowry, One More Time, Mama, The Wedding and a long list of other titles. A graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, he has taught courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and is now a full-time illustrator. With his wife Jackie Davis, Soman has created the Ladybug Girl series, a delightful group of picture books featuring Mimi, a character whose boredom turns to fascination with the great outdoors. It’s reported that Soman sometimes creates stories with the students he meets at school and library appearances and draws illustrations for them on the spot. Check out www.ladybuggirl.com.

“We are a multi-arts education organization that reaches out to the community and tries to respond to its needs,” says Gould. “This adds to the repertoire of what we offer. Poteet and I have worked to put many programs together for Mill Street Loft, and the Studio Experience came out of discussions with board members, artists, students and staff.”

Tuition of $35 (members $25) with advance reservations covers administrative costs. Space is limited, so contact (845) 471-7477 for admission and directions to studios. Mill Street Loft is a multi-arts educational center based in downtown Poughkeepsie serving thousands in the Hudson Valley. Now celebrating 30 years, the Loft’s motto “Arts Change Lives” tells it all. See www.millstreetloft.org.

@ Ann Hutton