Inaugural Cambridgeshire Plein Air Artist of the Year competition launched

The inaugural Cambridgeshire Plein Air Artist of the Year competition is to be launched – and professionals and amateurs alike are invited to take part.

Founded and organised by Katherine Mann, it will take place at Histon Manor on 14 June, and will be supported by the Cambridge Independent.

All proceeds will go directly to Break – Histon Manor’s Charity of the Year.

More than 50 artists will spend the day painting and trophies and prizes will be awarded.

Katherine, the owner of Histon Manor, said: “We are hoping to establish an annual competition for people painting in the open air.

“‘Plein air’ is linked to the French Impressionist movement, with Monet and others painting outside using natural light.

“We hope that it will really take off and that it will change venue throughout Cambridgeshire each year and become something that artists feel very proud to try and win.

“We’ve got 48 artists booked in so far and they’re a mixture of professional artists and amateurs – and by the time entries close, we’d hope to have about 70, if all comes to fruition.

“So it will hopefully be one of the largest groups of artists together in a while in the Cambridgeshire area.”

The judging panel includes five art experts from across the county. The head judge is Ben MacGregor, winner of this year’s Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year.

“Sky Arts have been running the Portrait Artist of the Year award for years and years,” said Katherine. “It’s a really well-loved programme, and they also have the Landscape Artist of the Year award.

“Watching Landscape Artist of the Year, I thought, ‘This is something that could be really exciting to have in the grounds, because other events that have taken place in Cambridgeshire in recent times, artists go and paint wherever they want and then they submit their artwork after a couple of weeks and then somebody judges it…

“We’re trying to create a day for the artists; they’ve got to paint between 9.30am and 3.30pm. They submit their paintings, and then the judging panel will award the winner on the day.”

The judging panel also includes the associate director of Kettle’s Yard, the head of the fine arts department at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and a painting specialist from Cheffins.

“There’s quite a heavyweight judging panel,” said Katherine, adding: “I think what we’re trying to get across is it’s not a fun charity art day – we want it to be quite a heavyweight award that people are really aiming to get.”

On the day, artists will be able to set up and work anywhere within the 11-acre grounds of Histon Manor, surrounded by nature, architecture, and a variety of different subjects.

This private venue is usually only accessible to the public on a few occasions each year. Other events held there include the Histon Manor Dahlia and Village Show and the Histon Manor Daffodil Day.

Break, which has a shop in Sawston, is a not-for-profit charity working across East Anglia to look after children on either a short-term or long-term basis. For more on it, visit break-charity.org/charity/.

For more information on the Cambridgeshire Plein Air Artist of the Year Award, and to register to take part, go to histonmanor.com/cambridgeshire-plein-air-artist-of-the-year-award.