GLEN ARBOR, MI (August 7, 2015) — David Westerfield, designer for Covenant Communications, was featured in a news segment that previewed a “speed painting” competition with more than 75 artists who traveled here to capture the great outdoors in paint last weekend. The competition concluded the day before the community was slammed by devastating winds.

Companion Art Director David Westerfield Paints at Sunrise

Artists picked out spots in town where they would paint on Friday afternoon. They had to complete their painting within two hours. They spent the serene Saturday painting around Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes as part of the seventh annual Plein Air Weekend.

The segment on Westerfield begins at the three-minute mark. He did the interview at 5:30 a.m. while working on a painting.

Westerfield, a past winner of the competition, talked about the joys of painting the beauty of nature as well as its challenges—such as when the wind blew his easel over.

Had the competition taken place two days later easels would have been the least of his worries. Winds reaching more than 100 mph uprooted large trees, and debris blocked roads so it was impossible to drive downtown.

It still will be days before power is restored to some residents, officials have said.