Gerard Byrne is pleased to have won 2nd prize in a 'professional artists' category at this year's Pintar Rapido London, the UK's biggest plein air painting festival, competition and exhibition, a weekend celebration of art and the London cityscape. Over 250 professional and non-professional artists enrolled for the challenge of creating a painting in a day. Here are the prize winners: (professional artists category) 1st Kim Whitby, 2nd Gerard Byrne, 3rd Adam Ralston; (amateur artists category) 1st Ceri Jones, 2nd Marc Gooderham, 3rd John Stevens, distinction: Phil Homewood and Michal Golec.
Many thanks to Pintar Rapido lead sponsors: Winsor & Newton, Cassart, Pooky Lights, Heatherley's School of Art and Hampstead School of Art for being so generous with their prizes. A big thank you to the judges: Haidee-Jo Summers, Patrick Cullen and Katie McCabe, Editor of Artists&Illustrators magazine, for getting through hundreds of pictures and awarding these artists.
This was the very first time Gerard participated in an art competition. Therefore the delight from the 2nd prize is even greater. The winning painting is 'Sunny Day at Hammersmith Bridge' 80x100cm framed oil on canvas.
The artist aim was to find an unusual and challenging cityscape to paint and he decided to spend the day capturing the stunning Hammersmith Bridge. The weather could not have been better. It was a very enjoyable day with a lot of fantastic feedback from passers by and support from the local businesses.