Artists will be putting themselves on display tomorrow at Paint Annapolis, an outdoor painting event organized by the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association.

Lee Boyton, a founding member of the 7-month-old association, wanted to try Paint Annapolis after he heard about similar events in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

"We are very excited to do something like this in Annapolis," he said, noting that there was such interest and support that Paint Annapolis 2003 has already been planned.

Organizers hope tomorrow's event will help promote the art of outdoor painting.

Twenty-two professional landscape painters will be stationed along Main Street, Maryland Avenue and around the City Dock to paint two scenes each of Annapolis.

Spectators will get to see the process from start to finish and also will get a chance to talk with the artists about their work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The artists, who were invited by the association, have been told not to do any preliminary sketching.

Several of the participants teach at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis and can often be seen leading their students outside to paint.

"Annapolis is a beautiful city," Boyton said. "Let's put ourselves out there doing what we love and what we do best."

The finished, but still wet, works of art can be seen at a free reception at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Prizes for the best marine painting and the best cityscape painting will be awarded.

A prize will also be given for the People's Choice Award. Voting for the award will take place at the reception until 7:45 p.m.

The exhibit will continue at Maryland Hall until Oct. 25.

A rain date is scheduled for Sept. 28.