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This weekend, the Western Art Association hosts its 36th annual Ellensburg National Art Show & Auction.

Held at the Kittitas Valley Event Center at the fairgrounds in Ellensburg, the popular juried show draws about 4,000 to 5,000 people over its three days. It features Western art -- often focusing on rodeo, the cowboy way of life, nature, wildlife and family -- by more than 100 artists and includes paintings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery and woodcarving.

There are also artist demonstrations, quick-draw contests, live auctions (with everyone's favorite local auctioneer, Paul Newman) and autograph sessions with the artists whose work has been featured on posters for such events as the Ellensburg Rodeo and Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering. Mike Wise, an avid outdoorsman and landscape painter, is the artist behind this year's poster for the art show, an oil painting of St. Mary Lake in Montana's Glacier National Park.

New to this year's show is wine tasting, from 2-5 p.m. today and 2-6 p.m. Saturday. Wine tasting scrips will be available for purchase; all funds raised benefit Ellensburg's Clymer Museum of Art.

Here's the full schedule for the art show and auction:

TODAY (FREE):

* 10 a.m.-9 p.m. -- Artists exhibit booths open.

* 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. -- Auction preview room open.

* 1-2 p.m. -- Poster artists signing Ellensburg National Art Show, Ellensburg Rodeo, Kittitas County Fair and Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering posters.

* 5-6 p.m. -- Quick-draw contest with 20 artists.

* 6 p.m. -- Introduction and presentation of "Best of Show" awards.

* 6:30 p.m. -- Quick-draw and demonstration art auction.

SATURDAY (FREE):

* 10 a.m.-10 p.m. -- Artists exhibit booths open.

* 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. -- Auction preview room open.

* 11 a.m.-noon -- Poster artists signing Ellensburg National Art Show, Ellensburg Rodeo, Kittitas County Fair and Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering posters.

SATURDAY (TICKETS REQUIRED)

* 5 p.m. -- Quick-draw contest.

* 6 p.m. -- Introduction and presentation of "People's Choice Award," followed by an auction of 114 pieces of original fine art plus the quick draws and demonstration pieces.

SUNDAY (FREE):

* 10 a.m.-3 p.m. -- Artists exhibit booths open.

* 11 a.m. -- Auction of 45 pieces of original fine art.

For more information or to download a catalog, visit www.westernartassociation.org. For tickets to Saturday's events -- $40 per person or $70 per couple -- call the Western Art Association at 962-2934.