I was invited by Caroline of Culture Spark to ‘facilitate’ at 3 beautiful venues in our district for ‘Plein Air Painting’.
I didn’t know what to expect, as this wasn’t a teaching or workshop situation and I’d no idea who would turn up and what they might need from me. Fabulous experienced plein air painters with much more experience than me? First timers who wouldn’t know where to start? Friends who just wanted a day out in a gorgeous setting? All of the above, and more!
The sense of camaraderie was palpable and with encouragement where needed, I and my two ‘assistants’ soon found ourselves dashing between work stations as everyone found their favourite spot. Bishops Palace Garden is quite contained and therefore easy to get round; Woolbeding Gardens had more options so we had to walk much further to find people and the weather was hot, hot, hot!; Petworth Park is huge, but we were restricted to certain areas. Still, some artists were easier to find than others - perhaps they didn’t want to be found!
The work produced over the three dates was amazing and very varied. I hope everyone was encouraged in their own practice by looking at each others work and seeing so many different styles and interpretations.
‘When are you doing this again’ I was asked many times. I do hope that some of the artists will stay in touch and possibly share other similar days out together. Myself and 2 friends went back to Woolbeding last week to have a painting day of our own, as we had found it such an inspirational place.
There is no doubt that being outdoors, being in a beautiful natural environment AND exploring your own creativity with like minded people is beneficial in so many ways. Well done to all who took part and it was a pleasure to be involved in such a joyous event.
Blog post written by Sue England
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