A new art competition is aiming to showcase the heritage and beauty of Thames, through live, outdoor painting.
Participating artists will create their work “en plein air” – outdoors – in what organiser Laurie Spera thinks might be the first competition of its kind in New Zealand.
“This kind of format exists in other countries,” she said.
“I’m French and I remember participating in one of them as a teenager – it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had as an artist.”
Laurie’s aim is to bring attention to the thriving art scene in Thames, as well as introducing the public to the joy of plein air painting.
“It is shaped as a competition, but I’m trying to create more of an atmosphere of fun.
“The point is to create an event to get people together, get people creating together, [with] something interesting for non-artists to come and observe.”
The event will take place on a Saturday, providing artists with plenty of inspirational locations to choose from, including Grahamstown, the main street, the Thames Markets, and the waterfront. Artists will meet at Vessel Art Gallery in the morning to retrieve their entry packs, before dispersing around the town.
They can create their works from any medium they choose – acrylic, oils, watercolour, dry mediums like pastel or pencil, or mixed media. Stamped canvasses and watercolour paper will be provided, and must be used for the entry piece.
“I’m trying not to restrict people’s process on how they want to do this. Especially for the kids, I’ve opened that because they might just want to use crayons and pastels, and they might not know how to use watercolor well, or acrylics, and I want them to be able to come and draw, if they want to.”
Throughout the day, passersby will be encouraged to walk around and observe the artists at work.
The works must be finished on the day – artists will return their finished piece to Grahamstown Hall, where they will be immediately placed on display for judging and a silent auction. Pieces will also be up for sale, with 80 per cent of profits going to the artist and the remaining 20 per cent going to Laurie to cover costs and prepare for next year’s competition.
Interest in the competition has been high, with a dozen people already signed up.
“Hopefully I’m going to get a few teenagers in – it’s an amazing experience to go through as a teenager,” Laurie said.
“When you show a sketch or a finished drawing, people say, ‘that’s nice’. But they see you in the street, actually painting, it changes the way they look at you. And that’s what I remember being transformative for me. Before, I was just splashing paint around. And after, I was an artist, I was exhibiting alongside professionals in this little competition.”
Laurie, who runs the Creativity Room in Thames and also tutors art at the Hauraki Lifestyle Trust, said there was still plenty of space for entrants and encouraged everyone to give it a try.
“It is free – you just need to have a bit of paint at home. You don’t have to be a professional,” Laurie said.
“I am very much hoping to create a little bit of a bond between artists around Thames. I would like to see some beautiful paintings of the beautiful Thames, I want to place Thames on the map in the art world.”
DETAILS: Register by February 20 at the-creativity-room.com/paint-out.
