Words by Laurie Mango
“What the hell is going on? There are all these people painting everywhere!” was heard countless times on Saturday, February 28th. While some passers-by just had a curious peek at the artists in the heart of the Grahamstown market, others were on a mission—tracking 38 artists from the War Monument in the hills down to the waterfront.
The inaugural Thames Paint Out was an amazing success. Artists left their comfortable studios to paint in the streets under real time pressure, with only one stamped canvas and any media they chose. The public feedback was incredible; people were fascinated, visiting the same artists multiple times to watch a piece evolve from a blank surface to a finished work.
The 3:00 PM deadline was a rush. We had to get all the artwork back to the Grahamstown Hall, where walls of easels awaited the fresh pieces. There was a lot of work to do to organize the flow and get everything ready for judging.
But when the doors opened at 5:00 PM, that’s when the magic happened. The reaction from the crowd was something else. It is a powerful thing to see 38 beautiful works that didn’t even exist that morning. By the 6:00 PM awards, the hall was “fizzing” with great food, music by a talented young man named Matt, and a community that really backed the artists. After a final recount, 35 paintings received bids, and 29 found new homes. It was a wonderful way to end a huge day.
List of winners:
Children’s Award: Amelia McKay
Youth Award: Lucy Wong
Spirit of Thames: Reuben Warren
People’s Choice Alice Parminter
Adult’s Award Miyuki Neufeld
Professional Artist Award: Ben Ruskin
