1st September 2010

DORCHESTER: Looking at the bigger picture

by Anita Harries

For the second year running Poundbury Garden Centre in Dorchester created an 18 feet piece of artwork and invited local artists to take part.

The project involved 36 artists who simultaneously painted individual canvasses in their own particular style before being joined together to create the “Big Picture”.

James Foster-Pegg, director of the Gardens Group, said: “Last year’s event was a huge success and we had such an amazing amount of support from artists in the area we decided to do it again.

“This year we used acrylics to paint The Village Square by L S Lowry, and the result is quite spectacular.”

Each artist was given a postcard section of the painting which they were asked to paint onto a canvass before the completed pictures were joined together and displayed in the window of The Engine Room Restaurant for passers by and customers to enjoy.

When the masterpiece was revealed on Bank Holiday Monday, it was an incredible work of art which truly reflected the talent of the experienced, enthusiastic, accomplished, and amateur painters who had all come together for an enjoyable day of artistic fun two days earlier.

Cleverly put together by James Foster-Pegg as a mirror image, the picture is a reflection of Poundbury, with some of the architecture present in the picture bearing a remarkable similarity to that of some of the buildings on Poundbury.

Thanking all those who had taken part, James said: “This has once again been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I for one relish the opportunity to get my brushes out and take part.”

And all the artists who attended the reveal agreed they had fun painting in the confines of the garden centre on a beautiful summer’s day.

There followed a celebratory, and well deserved, barbecue in the sunshine serving local food, and the chance to peruse the Open Art Exhibition in the Garden Centre.

PICTURE: James Foster-Pegg with fellow artists below 'The Village Square'

DORCHESTER: Looking at the bigger picture

DORCHESTER: Looking at the bigger picture

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