Looking back to the NOORDHOEK PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL

Saturday, 10 days ago, Andew Hart and Roger Melvill, two Noordhoek residents and keen artists, organised the first Plein Air Festival in the valley.

Exceedingly professional, highly organised and great fun, it turned out to be a major success with painters, buyers and the interested public: one that perhaps may become an annual event. The organisers managed to get some fabulous sponsorship from local companies and the assistance of Fish Hoek scouts.
















If you recall from the blog poster, artists were invited to subscribe and to take part in a day paint out anywhere - public or private, with permission - in the Noordhoek Valley.

The works were to be sold by auction in the evening and 30 percent of the sales were destined towards security measures in the valley. Franck Dangereux organised Noordhoek Village with a huge tent, and kiosks selling food and drink.

With mixed weather conditions the day started with participants indicating on a big map where they planned to paint.

A number of painters from FHAS went along to paint in the morning, and again to come back for the social events at the Farm Village in the afternoon.

Maureen didn't spend the whole day on the beach but she turned out a beautiful watercolour.

Karen Davel (above right) brought her sewing machine and did this much-discussed beautiful work of art combining sewing and painting.

The idea was that you could go and visit artists and see them at work, be it in a field, the Farm Village, Cape Point Vineyards, someone's garden or down on the beach. Then as of 4pm the works were displayed back at the Farm Village.

Andrew Hart proved to be an excellent auctioneer and brought a degree of professionalism (and success - he managed to auction some 55 of the 60 works) to the proceedings that no one had anticipated. He held the audience spellbound as he brought the bids higher and higher.

     

His back up team kept tabs on the whole day.

Derric Van Rensburg was the artist whose work fetched the highest price:  R30,000. He had also produced two works that day. Fast worker Derric!!! Andrew Cooper came in second in high sales with a work that went for R25,000.

All the works were on display on easels (thanks to Chapman's Hardware sponsorship and Andrew Hart's prowess in making all those easels) while visitors were able to drink, eat and chat nearby.

Should this event prove a regular one, Fish Hoek Art Society could surely take a role in helping and participating.