Veteran broadcaster and keen artist, Andrew Marr, recently launched the ‘Britain in Spring’ art competition in a long form article for The Daily Mail.
As the competition’s Head Judge, Marr explained that the competition is all about capturing any stunning ‘spring-scapes’ currently flourishing in the UK. Quoting artist David Hockney, who recently said under lockdown in France “Do remember they can’t cancel spring”, Marr encouraged all amateur artists to get involved, regardless of whether you’ve ever picked up a pencil before.
Within the article there was a broader discussion of how valuable creativity and art are proving to be for many people in lockdown, who are using it as an escape and a way to entertain their imagination. Marr writes from experience, suggesting that you don’t have to draw from observation and spend many hours outside. Instead, he discusses the way he takes various elements of the natural world and then combines them into abstract works, an approach that anyone could adopt whilst out for some daily exercise.
Alongside Marr will be a panel of judges, including Jane Seymour, Philip Mould, technical judge Mark Bergin and Horatio’s Garden ambassador, Anneka Rice. Each of them offer readers a few beginners tips and share what they’re working on at the moment. In Anneka’s case, this is where she kindly mentioned her new project in support of the charity.
Those of you who follow Anneka on Instagram may know that she recently did a video to introduce her new works, which consist of a series nightingales. She was inspired by the work of the NHS and plans to gift her original artwork to Horatio’s Garden in order for us to create cards bearing her artwork, which will help to raise vital funds. When discussing the key to creativity, she simply says, “don’t hold back!” and that this spirit of letting go will show through on the canvas. This sentiment is something we’ve been trying to capture in our Arty Afternoons series on YouTube too, where various talented artists guide you through creating simple works to capture the beauty of nature.
So, even if you’ve never thought of trying a spot of painting before, it seems that now is as good a time as any to give it a go!
To read the full article and for more details about the competition, please CLICK HERE.
