CASSOPOLIS — Despite gloomy clouds and light rain, the outdoor pavilion at the Cass County Council on Aging in Cassopolis was filled Saturday with people from all over looking at artwork ranging from colorful paintings to precise metal work to wooden sculptures.

Local artist group, the Cass Area Artists, hosted its fourth annual art show Saturday in Cassopolis. Despite the weather, organizers said the event drew its biggest crowd ever in its history and provided an outlet for local artists to showcase their work and grow as artists.

“This is probably the best we have done in terms of attendance,” said Cass Area Artists Director Tom Rose, adding that with other art shows happening in southwest Michigan this weekend, he was surprised by the turnout. “It has been great. We’ve had a lot of positive comments by people saying that it is their first time coming here and that they are really pleased.”

Rose added that having an art show and an art presence in Cass County is important for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important part of the show is that it benefits local artists by giving them an outlet to showcase their work and give them exposure.

“This allows the artists to test out their work and see what people respond to,” Rose said. “We love to highlight local artists and give them the chance to show.”

The artists who participated in the art show agreed.

Irina Tikhonova, of St. Joseph, won first place during a judging at the art show for her watercolor paintings. Though she is not a member of the Cass Area Artists, she said she would like to become one after having a positive experience showing at the art show.

“It’s nice to be out here with other artists and promoting local art,” she said. “I think that is very important to artists.”

Darlene Troyer, a long-time member of the Cass Area Artists and third place winner for her jewelry work, echoed Tikhonova’s statement.

“I think it is so important to have an arts community here in Cass County. It is important to any community,” Troyer said. “I think it is great that we have this here and have this opportunity as artists to show the community that art is alive and something we can do here.”

With the success of this year’s art show, the Cass Area Artists are optimistic about the future of the arts community in Cass County.

“I think this shows great hope for the us and the fact that we are getting the word out there. The artists are pleased and the people buying paintings are pleased,” Rose said. “In the future, we hope to have even more artists and even more attendance to give the artists more exposure and allow us to grow.”