Art, Drawing, Painting, Workshops, Demos & Talks in Norfolk

Paint Out provides an excellent opportunity for aspiring and seasoned artists to acquire and refresh core skills. Themes include painting and drawingcolour theory, blocking inperspective, and best en plein air practice in oilswatercolour and other media, both as practical workshops and at events. Our education programme is taught by experienced professionals and covers everything you need to take your art to the next level, with a particular emphasis on Plein Air essentials.

In addition, we sometimes have entrepreneurial advice about growing your art business alongside your art practice covering bloggingsocial media, photographyframing, pitching to galleries, and selling. Finally, we put things in context with cultural and historical talks and tours.

  • 2023 Plein Air Oil Painting Demo+Tutored Workshop with Rob Nelmes: 14 July 10-4, Norwich
  • 2023 Plein Air Painting Demo with Haidee-Jo Summers: 17 July 10-12, Morston Creek
  • 2023 Plein Air Painting Demo+Tutored Workshop with Roger Dellar: 18 July 10-4, Great Yarmouth

More details below. Join our mailing list or register interest in our events to stay informed.

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Plein Air Painting WorkshopOil Painting – Demo & Tutored Workshop with Rob Nelmes

Friday 14 July 2023, 10:00 – 4:00pm Oil Painting with Rob Nelmes, £40 for PON23 participants, £60 otherwise

Award-winning four-time first prize winner at Paint Out, Rob will fire up your enthusiasm with an oil painting demo followed by instruction in composition, drawing, blocking in, value and colour mixing, whilst artists paint around the bustling environs of the colourful and historic Norwich Market. Rob loves plein air because of “the sense of urgency, promoting a more instinctive reaction and vibrant result.” Open to all levels, probably beginning at Whitlingham Park and then heading to Norwich Market.

Plein Air Painting WorkshopOil Painting – Demonstration with Haidee-Jo Summers

Monday 17 July 2023, 10:00 – 12:00pm Oil Painting with Haidee-Jo Summers, £20 for PON23 participants, £30 otherwise

Watch and learn from Paint Out’s first ever winning artist (2014), internationally acclaimed plein air painter and author of “Plein Air Painting with Oils”. Haidee will talk you through her plein air process with Q&A in the surroundings of the coastal scene that is Morston Creek. Open to all levels. “My work is a celebration of light-filled moments revealed in rich and vibrant oil paint using my personal visual language of fresh and direct brushmarks.”

Plein Air Painting WorkshopOil Painting – Demo & Tutored Workshop with Roger Dellar

Tuesday 18 July 2023, 10:00 – 4:00pm Oil Painting with Roger Dellar, £40 for PON23 participants, £60 otherwise

Enjoy a day at the seaside where seasoned professional Roger will commence with a short demo, followed by instruction in composition, how to block in and build up your painting and successfully introduce figures from those fleeting plein air moments. Colour, values, and brushwork tips and skills throughout. Roger “is fascinated by the way the play of light transforms a subject.” Open to all levels.

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Paint Out Cambridge 2019 Artist Awards & Prizewinning Paintings

Judge James Horton and James Colman presenting Watercolour and Mixed Media winner Susanna Field with her first prize

The inaugural Paint Out Cambridge took place this week and saw over 140 paintings created, each in under 3 hours, across the days and early evenings of 13-15 May. Some 30 plein air artists took to the streets of Cambridge painting its classic colleges, beautiful bridges, meandering River Cam and idyllic meadows with cows, geese and swans, the bustling Market Square, canal boats, punts and of course, bicycles, everywhere.

Andrew Horrod with his First Prize in Acrylics painting of Portugal Street at Paint Out Cambrideg 2019
Andrew Horrod with his First Prize in Acrylics painting of Portugal Street at Paint Out Cambridge

The successful outdoor art event, run in Norfolk since 2014, finally arrived in Cambridge – aided by partnering with Cheffins Fine Art, whose head of paintings, Sarah Flynn, acted as one of the event judges.

Cass Art donated art vouchers for all participants and the three category winners took home £350 each as well as a box of Cass Art supplies. Artist Robert Nelmes won in Oils, Andrew Horrod in Acrylics, and Susanna Field in Watercolours and Mixed Media.

Artist Sarah Allbrook winning a judge's commendation at Paint Out Cambridge 2019
Artist Sarah Allbrook winning a judge’s commendation at Paint Out Cambridge 2019

Judge’s honourable mentions and £100 each went to Stephen Johnston, David Wood, and Sarah Allbrook who also sold 5 paintings at the Private View. Dan Llywelyn Hall was noted in dispatches for his imaginative artworks and titling, and the Spirit of Cambridge and £100 went to Alice Thomson for the energy and vibrancy of her illustrative works which also sold well. The paintings were shown at Cheffins Fine Art on Clifton Road until 17 May and a number will be available online at Paint Out Cambridge 2019 gallery.

The artists painted around Cambridge at some of the many locations on this map, taking in ‘town and gown’, the city market and spires, colleges, and countryside on your doorstep that exists along the Backs, greens, ‘pieces’, meadows and fens.

James Colman presenting First Prize in Oils to artist Robert Nelmes
James Colman presenting First Prize in Oils to Robert Nelmes

The winning paintings featured Gonville and Caius College (Robert Nelmes), twilight on King’s Parade (Susanna Field), and Portugal Street from Jesus Green (Andrew Horrod).

The judges were allowed their own personal commendations with London artist Alice Hall choosing Stephen Johnston’s ‘View from the Master’s Garden’ at Trinity looking towards Kitchen Bridge, St John’s College. Local artist and writer James Horton selected local Cambridge artist David Wood’s classic watercolour of Westcott House on Jesus Lane. Head of paintings at Cheffins Fine Art, Sarah Flynn – who also judged at the long-running Paint Out Norwich competition last year, chose Cambridge-based artist Sarah Allbrook’s view south on the River Cam from Garret Hostel Bridge.

Artist Alice Thomson being presented with the Spirit of Cambridge Prize at POC2019
Artist Alice Thomson being presented with the Spirit of Cambridge Prize at POC2019

The Spirit of Cambridge award won by Girton-based artist Alice Thomson featured Magdalene Bridge with its punts, bicycles and the views towards Magdalene College and St Giles (Parish of the Ascension) on the slight hill on the horizon – our hospitable hub for the week of painting.

Paint Out is grateful for the packed turnout at the Private View on Thursday 16 May and warm welcome received in the city of Cambridge, particularly from the council when our artists were massed around the Market on Wednesday. Hopefully, Paint Out Cambridge 2019 will just be our first foray into this fascinating city and see us return, perhaps next year.

We have other art events beginning 26 May through to October scheduled in Norfolk historic gardens, at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, and at the Holt Festival. Artists can enter any or all of these to continue to push and present their plein air practice to interested art lovers with a growing interest in and respect of the plein air painting tradition.

Artist Sarah Allbrook

Artist Sarah Allbrook painting Norwich Market, Paint Out Norwich 2018. Photo © Katy Jon Went
Artist Sarah Allbrook painting at Anglia Square, Paint Out Norwich 2018. Photo © Katy Jon Went

Sarah Allbrook studied for a Fine Art Painting degree at Norwich University of the Arts and have been painting landscapes around East Anglia since graduating in 2009.

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“I predominantly paint in oils as I love the creamy texture, consistency and variety of marks that can be made, from washes and thinly scraped back brushstrokes to thick impasto.”

Sarah began painting en plein air in 2017 and joined Norwich Outdoor Painting group in 2018. Paint Out Norwich was the first time she had entered a painting competition and she proceeded to scoop the Third Prize in Oils and People’s Choice Exhibition Vote, and sell extremely well during the PV and Exhibition. One to watch!

“I love the thrill of painting on location, reacting directly to the light, movement and atmosphere of the scene in a limited time period.”

Paint Out History

Paint Out CambridgeJudge’s Commendation (2019)

Paint Out NorwichOils Third Prize & Exhibition People’s Vote (2018)

“I am absolutely thrilled to have won two awards at my first Paint Out Norwich. Doing the competition was such a valuable and unforgettable experience and I learnt a great deal through painting so intensely for four days in the company of other artists, and working on a larger scale than I am used to. During my time studying in Norwich I was never brave enough to get outside to paint and so I particularly loved trying to capture the city at night for the first time!”

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