The traditional and the avant-garde will merge in one work of art and the public is invited to attend.

On March 5, two artists — Ginger Gehres and West Virginian Rodman Leisure — will work simultaneously to recreate a single work during a marathon scratchboarding session on the Washington waterfront.

Scratchboard is the art of carving a hardboard panel coated with a layer of clay and another of India ink. Through texture, shade and dimension, a piece is revealed rather than composed using knives and other sharp instruments to scratch away the various surfaces.

Both Gehres and Leisure are two of only 16 master scratchboard artists in the U.S. and decided to collaborate on the project to both challenge themselves and educate the public, Gehres said. Gehres’ daughter, Stephanie Swindell, and videographer Daniel Rode will be filming the March 5 event to create an educational piece about the process — one that will premiere at the International Society of Scratchboard Artists 2016 exhibition in Tucson, Arizona in April, where Gehres will be a presenter.

Two artists with different styles creating a single piece in one outdoor sitting, no matter the medium, is an unusual event. Hers is the more traditional hand, while Leisure has a looser, free style. Gehres is more deliberate and detail-oriented, while he works quickly.

“He’s right-handed; I’m left-handed. We’ll both be all over the board, so our styles will converge. … He’s very fast — I’m the tortoise and he’s the hare,” Gehres laughed.

Starting a 10 a.m. March 5, the two will be working under a tent on Stewart Parkway to capture the schooner Jeanie B, docked on the Washington waterfront.

“We wanted something that is a challenge and I think the Jeanie B is one of the more iconic features of the waterfront,” Gehres said.

The two scratchboarders are also extending invitation to all other plein aire artists to join them in the venture, as well as to the public, to learn the art of scratchboarding by demonstration.