THE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN OF WALES will be hosting its own ‘Watercolour Challenge’ this summer.
The celebration will coincide with the biggest project in the Garden’s history, a £6.7 million restoration project that aims to restore the site to its former glory. With falls, cascades, lakes and weirs, the Gardens will resemble the way the site looked 2 centuries ago.
The competition marks 200 years since Thomas Hornor was commissioned by Sir William Paxton of Middleton in Llanarthe to paint “one of the finest water parks in Britain.” The National Botanic Gardens are now situated in this place.
To celebrate the anniversary, the Garden is challenging artists from across the country to attend the attraction and capture the beauty of it.
The best of the artworks will feature in an exhibition in the Garden’s gallery. There will be prizes in each of the three categories; the winner of the under 12s contest will receive £250, the winner in the 12-18 category will win £500 and the winner of the adult’s competition will take home £1,250.
“The 5 year plan to restore our Regency landscape began in January,” said organiser Rob Thomas, “and the main source material for the project in the Hornor watercolour collection. So it is very fitting that, two centuries after Hornor created his brilliant body of work, we try and capture what we have here today.”
The competition, however, is not restricted to watercolours only. All mediums are welcome. Thomas commented that it will “in time, prove as compelling a record of the estate as Thomas Hornor created all those years ago.”
The ‘Watercolour Challenge’ runs from May 23 to August 15. All ages and abilities are welcome, and half price entry is available for all entrants. Entries from a range of age categories will be displayed in the Garden’s gallery in the Autumn.
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