Open Competition 2018

LP Open

The Leisure Painter exhibition was held from 13 July to 20 August in the Pavilion Gallery of Patchings Art Centre, and showcased the skills and talent of 70 of some the best amateur painters in the UK and abroad.

The following pages show the awardwinning work from the show. Our thanks go to the sponsors of the awards (page 71), who make this competition so exciting every year – and to fellow judges, Sally Bulgin, David Curtis, John Sprakes and Liz Wood, for their unerring judgement and expertise.

David says of this year’s show:

‘I am excited by how the Leisure Painter exhibition has grown in stature over recent years. Until we select the prizewinners a few days before the exhibition opens, we will have only viewed the entries through a digital selection process. It is a delight to see all the successful works hung together in a gallery setting. As we scan the show in its entirety, there will inevitably be certain key exhibits, which catch the eye. All the judges have differing preferences, but I have singled out just a few, all for various individual qualities.’ You will see David’s comments below some of the following paintings. Enjoy the show!

Patchings Award Deborah Bliss Fritillaria, gouache, 12x1512⁄ in. (31x39cm).

‘My husband is an avid gardener and when he opens the garden, visitors have a chance to look at my paintings. For those events I have painted a few flower pictures of blooms that were right there in front of me. I start by standing in the garden with a piece of mountcard and a pen and make a very quick sketch. I then develop it using gouache and a very limited number of colours (mixing white and either yellow ochre or cerulean into each of the primaries). I paint in a variety of media and I’m always striving to make my work more abstract by simplifying shapes. However I struggle, because the simple idea in my head seems to become more figurative as it appears on paper. The process is always enjoyable though.’

David Curtis says of Fritillaria: ‘This semi-abstract has a great sense of design structure with colour and tonal harmony and a worthy addition to the show.’

JOHN SPRAKES’S TOP TIPS

0ose whose pictures were selected are to be congratulated.’

1 Challenge yourself Many of the exhibitors had chosen some challenging subject matter. Consequently the paintings on view offered the spectator a rewarding visual experience.