The Friday Painters, a well-know group of local artists will hold their sixth annual art exhibit as an integral part of Shepherdstown’s Back Alley Tour and Tea Party (BATT) this weekend. Their work will be displayed on the first floor of the War Memorial Building from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday May 19.

Participating artists use a wide variety of medium and styles ranging from bold abstract work in acrylic and oil to detailed water colors and pen and ink drawings. Friday Painters displaying their work include: Pat Donohoe, Monica Wilkins, Neil Martineau, Nancy Kautz, Dave Hutchins, Mary Wirick, Joanna Morrison, Ellen Burgoyne, Patricia Perry and Mike Austin.

Several pieces of work that relate to the “garden fairy” theme of the Back Alley Tea will be included in the decorations of the upper floor. There they will supplement a wide variety of intriguing “fairy houses” conjured up by imaginative Potomac- Mecklenburg Garden Club members and other fairyland volunteers helping with the BATT.

The artists meet each week to share the creative experience, exchange information about their world of art, and enjoy a mid-day meal in one of Shepherdstown’s many cafes and restaurants. When weather permits they do plein aire work searching the Eastern Panhandle for interesting scenes and subject matter. When Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church (SPC) provides them a convenient place to gather. Mike Austin, one of the regular painters comments that: “This nurturing of the area’s art community by the SPC and the Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC) is one of the defining attributes that enriches the quality of life here.”