Norfolk

Paint Out‘s plein air art events and exhibitions in Norfolk, UK, including Great Yarmouth, Holt, Ludham, Wells-next-the-Sea and other North Norfolk coastal towns, Norfolk Broads, seaports, market towns, country houses and gardens. We’ve stretched far and wide across the coast from Hunstanton to Wells and Mundesley down to Happisburgh, Waxham, Horsey and Winterton. Inland, we’ve explored Gooderstone Water Gardens, Gunton Park, Blickling Hall, Wolterton Park, Norwich and Whitlingham. Visit the online gallery of the events (2020, 2021, 2022). 

If you are a participating artist use the Logging, Location and Logistics pages for Event information and the password previously sent you (contact info@paintout.org or 07432 608015 if you have not received this).

Paint Out Norfolk, 13-22 July 2023

Our outdoor painting programme builds upon 9 years of plein air art events across of Norfolk and Norwich with an open-air exhibition that sees dozens of artwork sales. We expect to welcome over 100 artists from UK, Europe & USA, do sign up early to join the UK’s most innovative plein air art event – the July 2023 event is open for entries with over 100 artists entering via the early bird pricing (save up to £150). Come and capture the height of summer in county, city, coast and countryside locations including Norwich, Norfolk seaside, inland Broads, market towns, and historic houses, gardens and parks, allotments and cemeteries, and forays into Constable country in Suffolk!

Paint Out Norfolk 2023   Plein Air Painting Workshops & Demos   Join Our Mailing List   Paint Out Register interest   

Paint Out Norfolk PV, Awards & Exhibition, July 2023

You can be among the first to see the judging, awards, prizes and scoop up some amazing paintings. 

Paint Out Norwich 2022 & Norfolk 2023 Awards & Exhibition   Paint Out Norfolk 2022 Gallery 

Past Events

Paint Out Norwich Nocturnes27-29 October 2022

This autumn, we are revisiting Norwich and its contrasting medieval streets and modern shops with a specific emphasis on a Nocturne painting festival running Thursday evening through to a Saturday Private View and Sunday exhibition in Cathedral Close, Tombland.

Paint Out has showcased Nocturne painting since we began in 2014. This year’s October event will be primarily focused on the plein air skill of painting as the sun disappears and evening lights appear, perhaps reflecting off damp cobbles the neon glows of shops and yellowed street lamps.

Paint Out Norwich Nocturnes 2022 Gallery 

Paint Out Norfolk, 15-24 July 2022

8-day tour of Norfolk saw some 75 artists attending, despite the cost of living crisis and hottest weather on record. Check out the painting locations Google map here. View the gallery of some of the finished artworks and Exhibition Catalogue. Well over 600 paintings were created and judged by: art critic and curator Hugh PilkingtonDr Sally Anne Huxtable (National Trust Chief Curator) and artist Michael Richardson.

Paint Out Norwich Exhibition Catalogue   Paint Out Norfolk 2022 Gallery    

Paint Out Ludham26 June 2022

In June we painted 16 open gardens and a 14th-century church based in the beautiful Ludham, on the Norfolk Broads. Home to Edward Seago and Kieron Williamson, this event will also see classic cars, heritage boats, and the village life of a summer festival celebration in full swing.

Paint Out Ludham 2022 Gallery 

Paint Out Norfolk Churches** postponed ** 2022

This year sees two warm-up events ahead of July’s art festival and competition. In May we will paint a historic 1000-year-old church in order to help fund its preservation and also paint the sweeping views to the East Coast, lakes and arboretum belonging to James Colman nearby.

Paint Out Norfolk Churches 2022   Join Our Mailing List   Paint Out Register interest   

Paint Out Norfolk16-24 July 2021

An 8-day tour of Norfolk and Norwich, coast and countryside which saw over 70 artists participate and paint from Hunstanton to Winterton, Gooderstone Water Gardens to Gunton Park, and across Norwich and the Norfolk Broads.

Judges included artists Maggi Hambling and Rob Adams, and curator/art historian Giorgia Bottinelli.

(See our 2020 Covid update for how we handled safety with a socially distant safe practice event and exhibition)

Paint Out Norfolk Galleries   Paint Out Norfolk 2020 Gallery  

Paint Out Norfolk16-23 July 2020

Visit the online gallery of the event attended by 50 artists over 8 days creating over 400 paintings. See the locations painting Google map here.

Paint Out Norfolk 2020 Gallery  

Paint Out Norfolk Gardens, May-Oct 2019

Throughout the year we will also be exploring Norfolk’s great gardens through one-day events including:

Paint Out Norwich, 14-15 Oct 2019

This year, Paint Out Norwich will provide a finale paintout in the Plantation Garden to the Paint Out Norfolk Gardens series which will have taken place May-October, through the year’s changing seasons, light, and colour. We are now painting Norwich Bishop’s Garden (14 Oct) as well as Plantation Garden (15 Oct) and hope to have sessions exploring other urban parks and gardens in and around Norwich. 

Paint Out Holt, 19-20 July 2019

The Holt Festival (21-27 July), now in its eleventh year, has invited Paint Out to open this year’s Festival with a two-day Paint Out and Private View (19-20 July) around the charming North Norfolk town. Robert Upstone a Tate curator will be judging at Paint Out Holt.

Home to 500-year-old Gresham’s School (alumni include WH Auden, Olivia Colman, Benjamin Britten, James Dyson, and the artist Ben Nicholson), this two-session Paint Out will be backed up by a ten-day exhibition in Picturecraft of Holt, a gallery and Art material supplier with the winners exhibiting alongside the now well established Holt Art Prize

Join Our Mailing List   Paint Out Register interest   Paint Out Holt 2019 Gallery

Paint Out Norfolk, 1-7 July 2019

Paint Out Norfolk takes place in conjunction with The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts 1-7 July (painting days 1st-5th, PV 5th, Exhibition 6th-7th) based around the Sainsbury Centre/UEA campus site and painting further afield including Wells-next-the-Sea, the Broads, and Houghton Hall park. 

Join Our Mailing List   Paint Out Register interest   Paint Out Norfolk 2019 Gallery 

Paint Out Norwich, 13-17 Oct 2018

Premier plein air juried art competition since 2014, workshops and talks, public paint out, private view & awards, Hostry exhibition – more information

Paint Out Wells-next-the-Sea, 8 Sep 2018

North Norfolk coast plein air painting competition. Since 2015 this event has seen workshops, demos, beach public paint outs at sunrise, Buttlands exhibition, day trips to neighbouring towns such as Blakeney, Burnham Market, Brancaster Staithe etcApply here or more information about our long-running Wells events.

Paint Out Great Yarmouth, 1 Sep 2018

A new one-day event is taking place – Paint Out Great Yarmouth on 1 September, from Seaside to Quayside, in collaboration with Norfolk Museums Service and particularly the Time and Tide Museum’s event â€˜Drawn to the Coast: Turner, Constable, Cotman‘ which explores the identity of Great Yarmouth and its surrounding landscape through the artwork it has inspired. Apply here.

Paint Out at the RNS 28-29 June 2017

Paint Out 2017 featured a select group of invited artists painting the UK’s largest two-day agricultural fair – the Royal Norfolk Show. With up to 100,000 visitors it is the premier event of its kind.

Public Paint Outs & other One-Day Paint Outs

More of these to follow…

Artist Mary Blue

Artist Mary Blue Brady painting Winterton Beach during Paint Out Norfolk 2020. Photo © Katy Jon Went
Artist Mary Blue Brady painting on Mousehold Heath, Paint Out Norwich 2017
Artist Mary Blue painting on Mousehold Heath, Paint Out Norwich 2017. Photo © Katy Jon Went

Mary Blue is an American artist, currently living on the North Norfolk Coast, in the UK. She is a lover of the coast and large open landscape countryside views typically painting wide boards to show the flow of hills, trees, rivers, coastline, sand or sea. In 2019, she also focused on a series of small square individual flower forms. Her art is represented not only in the paint she applies to board but also the poetry she often inscribes within a painting.

“My painterly work weaves in written words with layers of jewel-toned colours and reflects upon the impermanence of life and the powerful forces of nature. I paint the cultural imprint history leaves on the landscape, echoing the sound of ancient footsteps from centuries ago, of fishermen collecting cockles in the creeks, of farmers bringing in the harvest.”

Awards | Art Gallery | Purchase

Paint Out Awards

Paint Out Norfolk – Second Prize (2020)
Paint Out Norfolk – Participated (2019)
Paint Out Gardens – Participated (2019)
Paint Out Holt – Third Prize (2019)
Paint Out Wells-next-the-Sea – Participated (2018)
Paint Out Great Yarmouth – Participated (2018)
Paint Out Sudbury – Participated (2018)
Paint Out Norwich – Participated (2017)
Paint Out Wells-next-the-Sea – Participated (2017)

Sample Gallery & Works for Sale

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