The event is sponsored by the Midway Art Association.
"We have artists coming from all over to Midway," said Jerry Watterworth, the association’s president. "We have actually 130 artists who have registered and shown up here to paint new paintings that will be submitted for a competition."
The paintings will be judged and prizes awarded Friday evening with additional competitions over the weekend. On July 4, artists can join in a "quick draw" challenge to finish a painting in 2.5 hours. Those paintings will then be sold at auction.
In all, the public can view — and buy — about 700 paintings. Watterworth said they range in price from $125 to $13,500. Most would cost between $200 and $500. They’ll be on display at the Midway Town Hall Friday to Tuesday.
In its 16th year, Watterworth said a record number of artists signed up for the event.
"The feedback I'm getting from the painters is, 'Wow, there's something to paint in every direction you look.' So that makes it fun," he said.
Watterworth said while the Wasatch Back provides an easy source of inspiration for the artists; the painters, in turn, inspire the residents who get to enjoy the landscape every day.
"It gives us, I think, a new appreciation for the scenery that's around us, and makes us really see it in a different way," he said.
