A display of "plein air" art -- created outdoors, aka "extreme painting" -- wraps up today at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi.

Nearly 70 Utah artists gathered starting Friday for the inaugural Plein Air Art Festival, which features painters and sculptors creating art outdoors.

Creating a work of art isn't an easy task under normal circumstances, says Highland painter Gary Ernest Smith, but painting "en plein air" at Thanksgiving Point will have an advanced set of challenges: All of the art must be thematically linked to the gardens, the artist must work with the public peeking over his or her shoulder -- and the art has to be created outdoors, rain or shine.

"It is extreme painting because you have so many elements you're dealing with," said Smith, who helped organize the event. "You have to work quickly to capture what you want and determine what's going to change the fastest."

The event starts at 10 a.m. The pieces created by the artists will be sold by silent auction from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Waterfall Amphitheatre.

Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, call 768-2300 or go to www.thanksgivingpoint.com.

"Gardens and art go really well together, and this is something we've wanted to do for a long time," said Thanksgiving Point CEO Mike Washburn.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.