Sneak peek: ART 64 painting competition returns to Wauwatosa this weekend

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The village of Wauwatosa will become a lot more colorful this weekend, and visitors will have the chance to see art come to life.

The ART 64 painting tournament will return to Wauwatosa on June 9 for its second year.

Sixty-four artists will take over the village of Wauwatosa's streets Friday and Saturday, competing head-to-head.

"It's an opportunity to interact with artists, to see paintings created right before your eyes," said Beth Gleesing, tourism specialist for the city of Wauwatosa.

The event is unique to Wauwatosa and brings in dozens of artists from across the country.

"We have artists coming from 11 different states to participate in this event." Gleesing said.

The tournament is bracket-style, with four rounds. Each artist must complete a themed painting in the allotted time.

"After each round of painting, the public that attends the event votes for their favorite artist, and the artist with the most votes in each pair-up advances to the next round," Gleesing explained.

The final round is between eight artists, with a grand prize of $20,000.

Last year's winner was watercolor artist Ben Otten, from Oconomowoc. He'll be competing again this year.

"Gotta come back and defend my title, right?" Otten said Thursday.

Otten said ART 64 experience unlike any other and taught him a lot about fast-paced painting, with public interaction along the way.

"A lot of people see the final piece, but they don't see all the work that goes into it. So, the really cool thing about ART 64 is you get to see a glimpse of the whole process," Otten said.

The public can purchase art made during the event. There will also be food trucks, live music, and a kids area.

"There's going to be a lot of really creative and talented people here this weekend," Otten said.

Parts of State Street, Underwood, and Harwood will be closed to traffic during the tournament.

For more information about ART 64, click here.