The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society (CPAPS) is planning “Capturing Connecticut’s Beauty,” a two-day art show and sale planned in and around the barn behind the Budd House, 50 Main Street.

The exhibition will be presented Friday, June 18, 1-5 pm; and Saturday, June 19, noon-4 pm.

CPAPS is a nonprofit organization of artists who gather regularly for “paint outs” throughout the state. The group was founded in 1995 by four artists. A quarter of a century later, the group now has more than 100 members from Connecticut and surrounding states.

Twelve plein air painters will be participating in the show in the historic barn behind the Budd House, opposite Edmond Town Hall. Free parking will be available on the street and behind the former town hall building.

The Budd House (aka the Glover House) was built in 1869 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

En plein air is a French expression that means “in the open air.” It is used by artists to describe the act of painting outdoors, capturing the landscape and natural light.

The invention of the collapsible metal paint tube, in 1841 by the American artist John Goffe Rand, made oil paints transportable for artists and led to the growth of plein air painting. Artists such as Manet, Renoir, Pissaro, and Monet — the French Impressionists — headed outdoors with their paints and easels to capture and record the effects of light in nature.

At the turn of the 20th Century, American Impressionist painters including John Twachtman, Theodore Robinson, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, and many others traveled to Connecticut to paint flowing rivers, unspoiled shoreline, bucolic countryside, and rural Connecticut villages. Connecticut became home to art colonies such Cos Cob in Greenwich and the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme.

The public is invited to enjoy an afternoon perusing the backyard barn with beautiful local scenes created in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Guests will also be able to watch artists create new works on site.

All artwork will be for sale and can be purchased directly from the artists. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local charity.

For additional information contact CPAPS President Linda Marino at linda@cpaps.org. More information about CPAPS can be found at cpaps.org.