The eighth annual Weston Paint-Out brought 20 artists to town Oct. 17-18, offering a weekend to paint local scenes, meet the public and share their work without registration fees or competition.

Two artists were new to the event, and one participant had recently begun painting and attending art events, said Chris Chavez, owner of Weston Coffee Roastery, which hosted the event.

“The artists enjoy the stress-free environment and the freedom to just enjoy painting,” Chavez said. He said many art events in the Kansas City area have strict requirements and time limits, while Weston’s event lets artists work at their own pace.

The Paint-Out grew from a 2017 gathering organized by Alex Hamil and then-Weston artist David Cooper. Ten artists participated that year, Hamil said. In 2018, it became an annual event, with then-coffee shop owners Roger Gascoigne and Laura Landon offering to display the work. The event is now organized in conjunction with Brush Creek Art Walk.

Weston’s historic architecture and rural views make it an appealing place to paint, Hamil said. The October timing also gives artists a chance to capture changing fall colors. Artists painted around town and at nearby locations, including the Historic Weston Orchard and Vineyard and Green Dirt Farm Creamery. Some homeowners and businesses have commissioned paintings of their properties.

For Dylan McKee, the end of Main Street offered a view of the old river valley and a composition he wanted to explore.

“The way the trees in the foreground framed the objects in the background was very pleasing to me,” McKee said. He looks for scenes with strong foreground, middle ground and background elements that he can connect in unexpected ways.

McKee said painting alongside other artists made the weekend especially enjoyable. Painting can be a solitary hobby, he said, so he liked taking breaks to see how other participants’ work was progressing. With no fee and complete creative freedom, he said, artists could take risks more comfortably.

The artwork is displayed at the roastery and remains for sale until it sells or the following year’s Paint-Out. Chavez said four paintings sold Saturday, including one that sold as he was hanging it. Artists sold 20 paintings during last year’s event. Hamil said he had a painting from this year’s show sell just a week before the event.

The year-round display gives visitors time to connect with the work, Chavez said. Buyers sometimes choose a painting because it brings back a memory of a place they visited; paintings have also been purchased as wedding gifts depicting the venue where a couple married. The roastery handles sales for a 30% commission.

Hamil said paintings can preserve scenes that may not outlast the artwork itself. “We are visual historians,” he said, describing artists’ work as interpreting familiar landmarks and landscapes for the people who live nearby.

Chavez said the Paint-Out has become a calm way to end the season of art events, and organizers welcome suggestions for places to paint while keeping the weekend relaxed. The ninth annual event is expected to take place in October 2027, with a date to be announced after organizers submit it to the Weston Chamber of Commerce.