Dates – Friday 9th – Sunday 11th September
- Friday 9th September –
- 10am start with coffee and refreshments at Market House. Resident artist for the day, Cecilia Stephens to give a demonstration followed by;
- 11am – 4pm, painting locations, The Square, Ferry Street, Shore Road, Castle Street – Cecilia will visit participants throughout the day.
- Saturday 10th September –
- 10am start with coffee and refreshments at Market House. Resident artist for the day, Sara Brown, to give a demonstration followed by;
- 11am – 4pm, painting locations, The Old Quay and Cook Street – Sara will visit participants throughout the day.
- Sunday 11th September –
- 10am start with coffee and refreshments at Market House. Resident artist for the day, Pandora Butterfield, to give a demonstration followed by;
- 11am – 4pm, 11.15am Loughshore and Nugent’s Wood – Pandora will visit participants throughout the day.
- 4pm. All participants invited to gather at the Market House for concluding reception and to view all works created during the three day festival. Refreshments will be provided and spot prizes will be awarded!
Day one – Friday 9th September.
Cecilia Stephens
“I have been painting en Plein air since childhood.
I am drawn to the play of light across the landscape and the resultant passages of contrasting sunshine and shadow.
Gouache on a coloured ground is my preferred approach, which I find makes any unpainted areas less obvious and eye catching.
I like to paint directly without first drawing out my composition, often laying in the bright and dark against one another simultaneously, using more than one brush alternately.
I enjoy the energy that quick mark making brings to a piece and play with colours, using them straight from the tube but then modifying them with overlays. I also like to use exaggeration to emphasize areas that have attracted my attention on first starting a painting.”
Day two – Saturday 10th September.
Sara brown
“Painting en plein air has been an important part of my painting career from early days. In the 1980s I attended James Watson’s summer painting weeks in Portaferry, so on moving here in the 1990s, I was already familiar with some of the favourite painting spots in the area. I quickly joined Portaferry Art society where I found a strong connection with members who also liked to get outside to paint.
I choose materials which bring an immediacy to my work which allow quick changes according to the light conditions. Painting the landscape in soft pastel has been my main passion and in recent years I have introduced charcoal and acrylic inks which have allowed me to explore working in a more expressive style.
I consider myself fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful place, never stuck for inspiration. Capturing the light and essence of “place” interests me greatly. My work is representational and impressionistic – I paint what I see…”
Looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing my approach on day two!
https://www.sarabrownartist.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Sarabrownfineart/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgTx6WvoBfY/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
Day three – Sunday 11th September
PandoraButterfield MA (Fine Art)
For the last 20 years I have been painting “en plein air” in Suffolk with its wide open skies, rural landscape and warm colour palette. Its gentle undulating vistas allow you to settle in to it and be more considered on the canvas.
My recent relocation to this beautiful coastal area has thrown up even more exciting painterly challenges. In one day you experience dramatic differences in light, wind, weather and tide, so there is a sense of urgency to capture what is in front of you.
On quieter days I use my garden as subject matter orwork in the studio from a still-life of delicate flowers. Here again the response on canvas must be quick as nature is so fleeting.
These challenges of working from life are what makes painting exciting, stimulating and at times frustrating.
Instagram pandora_butterfield
portaferrypleinair.com 