ART IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
THERE WAS AN INFLUX OF EASELS LAST WEEK, WITH ARTISTS COMING FROM AS FAR AWAY AS SINGAPORE. MARIA PEPPER REPORTS
A man from Singapore arrived into an Art in the Open barbecue in T Morris pub in Monck Street, Wexford, one night last week trailing an enormous wheelie suitcase behind him.
Alvin Mark Tan was arriving late with art equipment in tow for the ninth annual plein air festival which opened a few days earlier and had flown into Ireland from Russia where he attended a painting class in St Petersburg.
The anecdote illustrates the international nature of the Wexford event, which has grown organically from the first small but hopeful weekend paint-out organised by plein air enthusiasts Tony Robinson, Neil O’Keeffe and Kevin Freeney in 2007.
Award-winning theatre director Gary Hynes spoke of being highly impressed by the high standard and wide-reaching success of Wexford Art in the Open when she officially opened an exhibition of this year’s paintings in the Old Library in Wellington Place on Sunday afternoon.
The exhibition featuring the work of 177 artists who participated in the 2016 festival, was viewed by hundreds of people during Sunday afternoon and bank holiday Monday.
Ms. Hynes said she was ‘in awe’ of the artistic talent demonstrated by many of the participants who came from 15 countries including Russia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and the US to paint in the diverse locations that Wexford offers with added locations in Kilkenny and Waterford this year.
Some of the artists have returned numerous times over the years because of the friendships they have made and the hospitality they have received in Wexford while enjoying paint-outs in harbour villages, country house gardens and historic castles.
Hawaii-born Marc Delessio who lives in Zagreb, Croatia was at Art in the Open this year with his wife and mother.‘We like to come to Wexford as often as possible. The people are friendly and the locations are diverse and picturesque It’s like a big family of artists, ’ he said.
David Diaz from Annapolis, Maryland who was last year’s overall winner, said he comes to Wexford because the event is ‘a very open, inclusive painting competition where you meet people from Ireland and around the world’, while first time visitor Lena Rivo from Portugal enjoyed the changing light and weather conditions in Wexford.
Visiting American artist Ned Mueller painted an impromptu portrait of Ray D’Arcy as he presented his radio show from Dunbrody House last Thursday.