Open competition 2023

Leisure Painter Award Romila Datta Early Morning Light on the Island, oil, 13¾x10in. (35x25cm). ‘I am thrilled to receive the Leisure Painter Award at TALP Open 2023. This is the first ever time I decided to enter TALP, so I am delighted.
‘I am passionate about and look for strong interplay of light and shadow in my subjects, which was the inspiration behind this painting. I noticed the subject during our early morning walk near a farm in Zakynthos. The glowing delicate rim of light around the goats attracted me. In my view, it’s not only the technique of the painting but the feeling connected to the subject matter that makes a painting come alive.’

This year’s exhibition and competition featured some of the best paintings we’ve seen in the long history of this popular event. Held at Patchings Art Centre, our sparkling exhibition featured some 70 drawings and paintings of subjects ranging from landscapes, portraits and animals to still lifes, flowers and more. Although a wide range of subjects and media were seen, the prizewinners all had in common a genuine personal response to their subject, whether it was a granddaughter resting in the shade in Every Picture Tells a Story by Russell Edwards (page 7), or the brilliant early morning light on the island of Zakynthos in Romila Datta’s Early Morning Light on the Island (below left), which won the Leisure Painter award.

I would like to thank everyone who entered this year’s competition. Congratulations to those who made it to the highly commended category and to the exhibition itself, and a huge well done to everyone seen here, who won the prizes. Thanks must also go to my esteemed co-judges – David Curtis, Haidee-Jo Summers, Liz Wood and Sally Bulgin; to the team at Patchings Art Centre for all their hard work in organising and hanging this terrific exhibition; and to our sponsors, who made Leisure Painter Open Competition 2023 such an exciting celebration of amateur painting.

TALP Open 2024 competition will be launched in the January issue of Leisure Painter, but see pages 12 and 19 for previews of next year’s competition, including a new award for young artists. LP

Batsford Award Ian Sparham Self-portrait on Video Call, oil, 15¾x19¾in. (40x50cm). ‘I am a self-taught amateur artist, living in Walthamstow, East London. I paint in both oils and acrylic around full-time work and family life, and I’ve been painting for 15 years.
‘I aim for a bold and impression