En Plein Air Session on Exmoor

This event forms part of a series of En Plein Air sessions taking place on Saturdays throughout August to accompany our summer exhibition, Sir Alfred Munnings: Exmoor Through the Seasons.

The lead artist will give a short demo at the start of each session and be on hand to offer guidance throughout.

En Plein Air: Sketch and Paint Outdoors with artist, Sue Proudfoot
Meeting point: Withypool Tea Room, Exmoor
Date: Saturday 22 August
Time: 10am-12.30pm
Cost: £10 (£45 for all five sessions)

Itinerary
Starting at 10am from the Withypool Tea Room, we’ll then explore the local landscape through our sketches before meeting back at the Tearooms for a friendly and informal review of our sketches at 12.15pm.

What to bring
Please bring your own art materials – see below – and dress appropriately for the weather. A hat will be essential for shielding your eyes from the sun. Sessions will take place come rain or shine!

Suggested materials for sketching:
Sketchbook or paper clipped/ taped on to a drawing board
Your choice of sketching materials – pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolour paints/brushes, pen and ink, etc.

Suggested materials for painting in watercolour:
Watercolour palette – with at least a red, blue and yellow
Watercolour paper – loose sheets on a board, or a pad
Water container and water bottle
Watercolour brushes – varying sizes
Tissues
Lightweight Easel (for standing up) or portable canvas chair to sit on
Masking tape
Pencil

Suggested materials for painting in oils or acrylic:
An outdoor suitable easel or tripod set up
A support to paint on – primed panels or canvas boards
Paints
Medium/thinners or water
Brushes
Palette
Rags/kitchen roll

Who are the sessions for?
These sessions are aimed at adults. Those under 18 years old must be accompanied by a fee-paying adult.

No previous experience is necessary – come with curiosity and an open-mind!

About the artist

Sue Proudfoot has been leading three informal painting groups a week at her studio near Bude since last June and an exhibition of their work ‘Everyone Can Paint’ was recently held at The Castle Gallery, Bude.

Prefering to work in oils or charcoal, Sue paints in a loose expressive way, loving the energy and connection with our beautiful natural world.

In explaining how she works, “Tones need to be fairly realistic but colour and mark making are pure fun!  The ethos of what I do is to demo a quick expressiive interpretation. I celebrate all standards and experience and give participants confidence and the courage to have a go and to enjoy themselves”.

Image: River Test © Sue Proudfoot

For further details about the full programme
For the full list of En Plein Air sessions happening in Barnstaple and on Exmoor over the summer, visit our Events page.

These events are run by North Devon Arts as part of the The Big Draw Festival 2026. North Devon Arts is an organisation representing artists and those who appreciate art throughout North Devon. The Big Draw is a global movement campaigning to get everyone drawing. For full details, visit thebigdraw.org