Mousehold Heath filled with 100 Artists

A fantastic turnout of well over 90 people, by some counts 100+, amassed on Mousehold Heath yesterday. Not a reenactment of the 1549 Kett’s Rebellion but a mass art event with dozens of artists painting side by side the skyline views of Norwich before a beautiful sunset descended.

The light changed frequently adding to the en plein air challenge of painting a changing scene with the distraction of public gaze, press filming, bemused dog-walkers, and kids either rolling on the green hillside or picking up crayons to draw their own young masterpieces.  The attraction of the varied views and inspiration of so many fellow artists of all ages and abilities made the event a resounding success, and one we will no doubt repeat.

One of the judges for Paint Out‘s core and nocturne event prize awards, David Curtis, also took up his easel and palette to paint. Renowned local ‘pop artist’ Colin Self was also about the Heath planning to do a brass rubbing.

The Big Draw

The event proved to be a big draw, bringing people not just from Norfolk but several driving 3-4 hours from Kent and Yorkshire just to take part in the public spectacle. October is also the month of the world’s biggest drawing competition – The Big Draw, with events taking place all month, so it was appropriate for art in all its forms from pens to paint, brass-rubbing to mixed media collage, to be taking place on the Heath.

Art for All Ages and Abilities

Unlike our juried entry main Plein Air competition this event was open to all-comers by prior registration and nearly 60 signed up to join around 40 Paint Out artists. Many just showed up on the day and braved the initially ominous but turning-out-to-be beautiful weather. All ages from 5 to 85 were represented including whole families treating art on the Heath as a creative day out. Picnic blankets filled with pens and paints, rather food and fizz, filled the undulating slopes as people sought the best positions to paint the landscape.

Three generations of one family took part – from grandmother to mother and daughters. The artistic East Anglian Sendall family also included a mother and daughter pairing, Jennifer and Susannah Sendall, taking part in the main competition as well.

Media Frenzy

Both uses of the word media were in evidence as most forms of media were represented. Artists using oils, paints, pastels, pens, papier mache, glue, grass, and even a beer can, meant mixed media was much in evidence in the creation of art works. Meanwhile, radio, TV, photographers and videographers grabbed footage of the rolling hills and heath filled with artists and families on a fun day out for all.

Mustard TV report: Masterpieces on Mousehold: 100 budding artists gather to ‘Paint Out Norwich’

Cass Art Sponsorship

Cass Art were our sponsors for the event, their mission being to “fill this town with artists”, the hills were indeed filled with artists of all ages and who gratefully received Cass Art discount vouchers and later next week will also be awarded Cass Art prizes to spend online or at Cass Art stores.

Several artists had clearly shopped there before as some Cass Art bags were in evidence on the heath alongside the Paint Out bags.

The public Mousehold works were displayed at OPEN and the main competition artists paintings are on display at various venues across Norwich throughout October and November.

Café Britannia

The Paint Out artists were well fed courtesy of Café Britannia and quite a number of artists turned their backs on Norwich, which at times became contre-jour and instead chose to paint the Victorian Prison or Barracks turned café. The former home of the Royal Norfolk Regiment barracks is an imposing red brick building almost matching the Autumnal colours of the trees in seasonal change.

“Café Britannia is a shabby chic café offering freshly cooked British cuisine. Open 7 days a week, the café is staffed by category D low risk prisoners, that have volunteered to learn new skills, improve their lives and make a fresh start. All tips and profits generated from the café go to rehabilitating prisoners and charitable causes.”

Public Art Exhibition at OPEN

The Paint Out competition artworks will be displayed alongside the core and nocturne painting events of the last few days at the Cathedral Hostry gallery exhibition show of nearly 200 artworks from Saturday 24-30th October. The Mousehold public artworks will be displayed from Tuesday 27th till Saturday 31st October at the OPEN venue (20 Bank Plain, top of London Street, Norwich NR2 4SF).