Proud to sponsor Painswick Plein Air at the Rococo Gardens
Painting Outdoors, or Plein Air as it’s known, is making a comeback. We’ve noticed plein air communities and competitions springing up everywhere of late….and we couldn’t be happier!
So when the organisers of the inaugural Painswick Plein Air at the Rococo Gardens in the pretty, nearby village of Painswick – we jumped at the chance! Open to both amateurs and professionals, this was a superb opportunity to enter a competition and take on the challenge of painting outdoors. ( it’s harder than it looks!)
The growing resurgence could be attributed to the pandemic, which saw a greater number of artists venturing outside to paint, rather than sticking to their usual studio-based routine. People in general are seeking communities more than ever, as a respite from isolating environments or working from home. This includes wild swimming clubs, running clubs, walking groups and painting groups.
Painting Outdoors is good for you
We know that being outdoors has so many health benefits and it’s a welcome challenge for most artists. It harks back to a more simplistic – or should we say purist? – approach to life, rather than being stuck to a screen 24 hours a day. Painting outdoors requires your complete focus, overcoming both practical and physical challenges.
Luckily, the sun was high in the sky on Saturday 11th May as eager artists arrived carrying canvases under their arms. In such beautiful surroundings, it really was hard to select a painting location ….but we forced ourselves and set up camp for the day. A day of focused painting flew by (see below my own attempt to capture The Red House) and pretty soon it was time to hand in our offerings.
As my first-ever painting competition, what struck me was the sense of camaraderie, goodwill and support from other artists. It’s such a lovely community, where just ‘having a go’ is a win for everyone. I delighted at sharing painting tips and techniques with other artists and watching paintings come together – the standard of work was surprisingly high. There was no hierarchy or categorisation, other than a junior prize – we were all in it together. Finding support for these events is critical in making it run, with experienced judges and high-quality prizes encouraging entrants. We were delighted to sponsor the Youth Prize for under 25’s, awarded to Sofia Kashoo who won a £50 Pegasus Art voucher so she can invest in artist quality materials.
The event was judged by Roger Dellar, a professional working artist and also a guest tutor teaching plein air at Pegasus Art, Jaynie Tricker and Chris Woodcock from Spencer House Gallery in Tetbury. What a team! The event was superbly well orchestrated by Niki Whitfield at WTS Collective.
Prizes
1. Overall winner – £250 cash prize
sponsored by CGT Lettings and a private sponsor
2. Contemporary landscape- £100 cash prize
sponsored by Rupert Aker and Spencer House Gallery
3. Drawing/illustration – £100 cash prize
(sponsored by Tetbury Goods Shed)
Plus the top three prize winners will be included as part of the Spencer House Gallery exhibition from 21 June – 30 August 2024.
4. Youth prize, (under 25s) – £50 arts material voucher sponsored by Pegasus Art
5. Painswick Rococo Garden – this winning entry will be selected to have their image used as part of the PRG greeting card series and will be printed by the garden team and will be for sale in the Rococo shop. Commission on all sales made will be shared with the artist.
+ 4 Highly Commended who will also win inclusion in the Tetbury Goods Shed exhibition Nature’s Garden, running from end of June to mid-August
The Plein Air Competition will be the start of a collaborative programme of events between Painswick Rococo Garden, Tetbury Goods Shed (TGS) and Spencer House Gallery (SHG).
The SHG exhibition will be entitled Everything in the Garden and will feature garden-themed work by Angie Spencer (Rococo artist in residence) and other artists. The winners of the overall Plein Air Competition, the contemporary landscape and drawing and illustration prize will be hung as part of this. The TGS exhibition Nature’s Garden will feature a range of other work by Angie Spencer, plus the work of the 4 highly commended from the Plein Air.
We feel very honoured to be part of this creative community.
Plein Air Workshops at Pegasus Art
If you are interested in learning how to paint plein air, you will find all sorts of Day Workshops in our large programme of classes CLICK HERE. Watch this space for Pegasus Plein Air workshops at the Rococo gardens in 2025.
Our aim is to bring you the best tutors in the region teaching at lovely locations, to help you progress in your journey as an artist. We continue to add new workshops throughout the year, so please subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear.