THE GREAT PAIGNTON PAINT OUT | LEGACY EXHIBITION LAUNCH

THE GREAT PAIGNTON PAINT OUT

LEGACY EXHIBITION LAUNCH

SATURDAY MARCH 23RD, 18:00-20:00

ARTIZAN, FLEET WALK

The Great Paignton Paint Out took place at the end of September 2023 a weekend of outdoor art inspired by plein air tradition, that with the help of ten professional artists, took over the streets and seafront to show off Paignton as a creative town like you’d never seen it before!

Now, we’re bringing together the first legacy exhibition from this incredible community event and showcasing some of the art that was created by you all. Open to artists of all backgrounds and abilities, through the exhibition we’re continuing to celebrate Paignton with works that were captured before, during, and since the weekend, of the town, its environment, and its people.

"Plein air” is French for “out of doors” so the tradition literally means leaving the studio to directly observe the landscape and paint outside. It’s a centuries old practice but was popularised by the French Impressionist movement and the desire to capture ephemeral qualities of light.

But the event was about plein air with a difference, and whilst we celebrated the work this painting tradition is synonymous with, we also welcomed a range of incredible artists with unique, contemporary outdoor practice. 

Spread over two days, the event celebrated Paignton’s built heritage and started conversations about the creativity of the town, as well as creative expression more generally. Day 1 saw our artists take over the streets, creating live outside some of Paignton’s historic landmarks, and sharing a bit about the heritage of the scenes they were capturing. Then on Day 2, you all joined us us on a very blustery Paignton seafront to help us “Paint Paignton”. We brought together artists of all backgrounds, ages and abilities, and with the support of Foster’s Fund, were able to give away free art packs on the day whilst our artists shared tips and gave guidance on how to get creative outdoors.

Thousands of you participated and witnessed the event across the weekend, and many of you contributed works of art. Now with this legacy exhibition, we’re continuing to celebrate Paignton as a creative town as we show the record of what was created on the day and keep inspiring audiences to get outside and paint the town!

Join us for the launch evening!

Our Artist Previews are a great chance to meet the artists, experience our exhibitions and enjoy a relaxed social evening in our venues. The events are free and open to all with the option to make a voluntary donation to support our work if you wish.