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Friday 11 November 2016

Sky Arts Landscape Painter of the Year 2016

I took part in the competition as a wildcard entry on 22 June at Wray Castle on the banks of Windermere in the Lake District. We met with Storyvault.tv for registration at Waterhead Ambleside and then travelled by boat to Wray Castle.

I positioned myself at the top of the designated painting area to view the Langdale Pikes and the Castle. Nearly all the 50 wildcard entrants painted across the lake to the Fairfield Horseshoe. Eight selected artists were positioned in the pods looking towards the Castle with three judges artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, independent curator Kathleen Soriano and art historian Kate Bryan. .

The four hour painting period started at 9.30 and I started two paintings of the same view to Langdale Pikes- one on Saunders Waterford and one on Bockingford- this was to stop me fiddling with a wet wash.

 Saunders Waterford

Bockingford

After the lunch break I did a collage of the castle using newsprint, coloured tissue paper and acrylic. I even stuck some of the buttercups on to the foreground.
The winner of the wildcards who chosen by Tai Shan Schierenberg was James Cope who I had met while waiting for the boat and he introduced me to his girlfriend during the lunch break who was painting in the pods.
James Cope winning picture show the artists painting with Fairfield Horseshoe as a backdrop.

All three judges passed comments on my work and commentator Joan Bakewell also commented while we saw little of Frank Skinner.


 Kathleen Soriano did a piece to camera with me painting the Langdales- well actually two as the first missed out the bling she had on her wrists.

Weather stayed sunny but cool all day and while waiting for the bus back to Ambleside I did sketched the view to Windermere from the picnic tables at the Castle. Filming was still going on to choose the heat winner when we left.

Back in cottage at Staveley, where we were staying for the week, surveying the days work with the wristband on the fireside tools.

Overall an excellent days painting and I met some interesting painters both amateur and professional.



Sunday 6 November 2016

Chester le Street Autumn Exhibition 2016

Beth Wyer and Peter Robbins

George Levitt and Malcolm Coils

Olive Norwood and Michael McManus

Jan Graham, Maria Harland and Hazel Clark

Exhibition at Chester le Street Library runs from Saturday 5th November to Saturday 12th November showing work from most of our members in watercolour, acrylic, pastel and graphite. The Exhibition is open most days.