The Plein Air Prize

Now in its third year, the Plein Air Prize continues to grow. The Prize started as an award at the Paisley Art Institute Annual Exhibition. The Prize is a residency at La Folie des Artistes, a two-bedroom holiday house in the courtyard of our small chateau in the Beaujolais region of south-eastern France. I set up this award to reward, encourage and re-introduce drawing and painting en plein air. Drawing and painting outside is not taken seriously by academic art critics and curators. It is a manner of working practised by some of the greatest artists known in the history of art. In this age of an increasingly screen-bound population it is even more relevant than ever as an art form connected directly to real life. Last year the Prize grew to include an award at the bi-annual Scottish Drawing Competition. In 2010 at the request of the world renowned Glasgow School of Art the Prize grew to include an award at its degree show. Naomi Bourne is the inaugural GSA Plein Air Prize winner and has just finished her residency with a Private View of the paintings made during her residency. We had a great time drawing, painting, mark-making and exploring how to translate direct visual experience into a painted surface.