En Plein Air competition returns to Ardare Village

En Plein Air – The annual Draíocht ‘En Plein Air’ art competition returned to Ardare on Sunday, August 15.

En Plein Air competition returns to Ardare Village

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Ann Mc Donald

The sites chosen in advance for the competition were picked by Andrew Timoney and his team and were then assigned to the artist, who could choose their own vista.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

The annual Draíocht ‘En Plein Air’ art competition returned to Ardare on Sunday, August 15.

The return of the competition brought a welcome sense of normality to the village and inspired painters to get back and active in the art community.

It was the fourth open-air art competition, as the competition couldn’t run last year due to Covid-19.

The medical devices company Regeneron was the main sponsor and the winner of this year’s En Plein Air, Jane Hilliard, received €1,000.

Runner-up Hugh McMahon, Limerick, received €300 and third place winner Katarzyna Boron, Caherconlish received €200.

Brigid O’Shea, who came in fourth, was awarded a framing voucher from Sebastian Stacpoole.

Organiser Andrew Timoney of the Draíocht Gallery was very happy with the response to the event and was prepared for the last-minute rush of registrations. While past events had attracted up to 50 competitors, he cut off entries at around 40 this year due to Covid-19.

“We couldn’t do it last year and this year we are much more aware of the safety guidelines, and we are accommodating all of that,” he said.

Scene from en Plein Air Adare 2021. Competitors and enthusiastic passers by mingle in Adare Park. pic.twitter.com/k1HLDbCqo9

— Draíocht Art (@DraiochtAdare) August 18, 2021

He welcomed the positive reaction from the locals and was pleased to see new faces at this years competition.

Competitors had to register online or in person, and their canvases had to be stamped and validated in advance of the competition.

The sites chosen in advance for the competition were picked by Andrew and his team and were then assigned to the artist, who could choose their own vista.

While artists had no definitive start time, they had to be in place between mid-day and 2.30pm when the judges did their walk-through.

The public were free to wander through the sites where the artists were working but had to maintain social distancing.

Judging took place at 3.30pm at Draíocht by Henry Morgan and Eleanor Swan. Unlike previous years, there was no gathering at the gallery to announce the winners. They were instead invited contacted to come to the gallery where social distancing and mask-wearing were in place.

The competition is open to all levels of expertise, with prizes and sponsorship kindly donated by their long-term supporter, Regeneron.

For more information on En Plein Air go HERE 

For more stories on Ardare go HERE