KAY’S PAINTING OF BUNCLODY BOUTIQUE WINS PLEIN AIR PRIZE
A PAINTING by visiting American artist Kay Lewis of the Berkley Boutique in Bunclody won the overall prize in the 11th Art in the Open Festival in Wexford, capturing the gold medal Mayoral Award.
In second and silver medal place was Keiko Tanabe, a Japanese artist living in the US, for her painting Duncannon Ireland IV, which won the prize sponsored by Plein Air Magazine.
Silver prizes were also won by Paul D’Arcy with a painting of the Water Tower in Rosslare Harbour (sponsored by Bolands Hyundai) and Antonin Passemard from France with Wexford at Night (sponsored by the Maryland Federation of Art). Bronze went to Frances Murray of Kilkenny for her picture The River Flows Trough It (sponsored by the National Gallery of Ireland), Alberto Valentini from the Netherlands with The Long and Windy Road (sponsored by T.Morris); Steve Browning from the UK with a painting of Wexford Harbour (sponsored by Windsor and Newton); Kate Kos of Gorey with Purple and Gold (sponsored by Daler Rowney); Maria Levinge of Bunclody with Between Estuary and Sea (sponsored by Kelly’s Resort Hotel, and Margaret Kent of Wexford with Duncannon Harbour (sponsored by Whites Hotel).
The Welsh-born artist Dave West who now lives in Ireland was the winner of the Charity Quick Draw based around the Bullring, Wexford which saw artists painting street scenes in a two-hour time frame, with the registration fee and 20% from sales going to Cottage Autism Network which also benefited from the sale of catalogues at the Art in the Open exhibition in Green Acres Gallery.
The quick-draw judge was the American artist and president of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Association in Maryland Bruno Barron who brought a painting with him to donate to the festival – the artwork valued at €500 was raffled over the weekend in aid of CAN and was won by Mary Mulligan of Mayglass.
Several of the quick-draw paintings were purchased off-easel on the spot by appreciative spectators.
The exhibition in Green Acres was officially opened by the Deputy County Council chairman George Lawlor and a special guest was Sabina Higgins, wife of the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, who was on a family visit to Wexford, where her sister Eileen McKiernan lives.
Wexford woman Sinéad Rice, head of education in the National Gallery of Ireland, who is facilitating the gallery’s ongoing collaboration with the Plein Air Festival, also attended.