Time to Swing from the Chandeliers!

Time for a wee celebration, time to swing from the chandeliers! Yey, remember I mentioned I'd entered a competition well, I was selected for the finals and here is my photo from opening night of  the Finalists Exhibition of the Marktheidenfeld Art prize in drawing 2023. 

The prestigious prize is offered every two years and this year for drawing, my entry Bacchus and Ariadne is 70 x 100, and features two vines. 

As the competition was themed ''Prima, Klima!? (Translates to Super Climate!?) I chose to focus on the challenges facing the wineries and vines in the Franconia where I live. Four arid years have stressed the vines and lack of water has presented the wine makers with a lot of problems. I walk through the vines growing on the local hills frequently and as prep for these drawings, sketched, photographed the vines and talked to the local vintners about the challenges they face, some see  the chance to try new types of grapes, some see irrigation problems as the end of the road for their production. Franconia lives and breathes its Frankenwein, tourists come to hike, bike and taste the wines, the landscape is dominated by the vineyards, jobs depend upon wine production and for locals their social life takes place at wine fests and the small local eateries that serve local wines and specialities. Bacchus the god of wine and Ariadne symbolise all those who have toiled for centuries in the vineyards, they are buckled, bent, scarred and have experienced climate change at first hand. 

Here’s the official poster for the exhibition, it was so interesting to see other artists interpretation of the subject, in his opening speech the Mayor of Marktheidenfeld mentioned each artist setting their own priorities….. I had to laugh …. Mine was definitely wine, and to calm my first night nerves, I certainly enjoyed a glass or two of the local wine ….. you could say that it is vital research, remember you can only paint well what you see, feel, touch and in this case taste! Prost!