Paint Out Norfolk 2021
This year I took part in Paint Out Norfolk, “the UK’s premier and only fully juried en plein air art competition, celebrating the talents of national and international artists before a wide and growing audience in the heart of medieval and iconic Norwich, as well as around beautiful Norfolk’s towns, countryside, broads and coast.” This year over 75 artists took part, including me, and the resulting exhibition was fabulous. Congratulations to the winners!
It was such a fun experience with everyone involved being super friendly. The atmosphere was lighthearted and filled with jokes which took away the expected stress of an exhibition (I’m guessing not from the organisers, but at least from the artists). The price for entry is fair and if you manage to grab one of the early bird tickets you can get a session from only £15. The artists involved are fantastic and so are the judges (there are prizes!). I was speechless at seeing Maggi Hambling, whom I studied at GCSE, show up and give out one of the prizes. seeing the legend in person was one of the highlights for me.
The locations I visited over my three days of Paint Out were stunning. I live in Norfolk and I still explored new, beautiful places thanks to this event. I chose Mousehold Heath, Burnham Overy Staithe and the gorgeous Gooderstone Water Gardens. In total, I created 7 paintings which I am quite proud of. I noticed that I picked up some new techniques from other artists and overall learned quite a bit in a short period of time. This was my first time painting outdoors, in public, with strangers coming up to me asking questions or watching me paint. It was uncomfortable. By the last day, I got used to it and now I cannot wait to take part in Paint Out Norfolk 2022!
Purchase a Painting
If you’re interested in purchasing paintings made at this year’s Paint Out head over to the official website paintout.org/gallery/paint-out-norfolk-2021. You can also enquire about purchasing one of my paintings. 10% of the proceeds go to the Young Norfolk Arts. The charity “provides opportunities for children and young people to create and engage with creativity and culture across Norfolk.”