2026 plein air competitions

- You must start and finish your artwork on the day

 - All works must have a stamp on the back, administered by the team on arrival 

- Original artwork can be in any medium & any size  

- iPad and photography artwork does not qualify 

- We accept no responsibility for loss, damage or injury during the day 

- Any work bought back after 4pm, will not be eligible for judging. 

- You can create more than one piece on the day, but  you  can submit only one item for judging, 

- Criteria for judging is that any winning entry agrees to participate in the Rococo group exhibition, in June,  as part of the competition.  Commission on any sales agreed direct with the individual venues.

- Watch This Space accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or injury during the day.

Arrive at the  Garden, having pre-registered, with your blank surface, be that, canvas, paper, board to be stamped on the back and your materials ready. and your name on the back of your piece.

Go and spend the day creating your artwork within  the confines of the Garden. Come back to the registration point  (The Bothy) by 4pm for judging. 

There will be a  30 minute window for visitors to the garden to see the work created from the day.

Judging  is at 4.30pm, winners will be announced by 5.30pm  The garden is open until 6pm.

Prizes:

1.  Overall winner - £250 cash prize 

private sponsor

Plus free  framing by Eight Bells Gallery Tetbury

2.  Contemporary landscape- £100 cash prize  

3.  Painting / Landscape - £100  cash prize

(sponsored by Tetbury Goods Shed). 

4.  Sense of Place and  Location - £50 arts material voucher  plus a free frame of this piece 

sponsored by Pegasus Art and Framing by  RO Frame of Stroud

GROUP EXHIBITION at ROCOCO:

As part of the Stroud Open Studios Dates – 13/14th June and 20/21st June 

Please Note:

- Criteria for judging is that any winning entry agrees to participate in the selected exhibition as part of the competition. Commission on any sales agreed direct with Rococo. 

5. Rococo Artists in Residence

The winners of the above categories will be invited to take part in a residency to paint seasonally within the Garden.

Seasonal Paintings

For those who wish to enter, we are continuing  this hugely successful category in this year's competition.

- Winners and Highly Commended will be offered the opportunity to come and  create four pieces of work over the course of the year, all plein air, within the Garden.

- Entry to the Garden up to four times over the year will be free.

- All four pieces would then be submitted for a separate judging prize in Rococo Plein Air Competition 2027. 

The winner of this 2027 category would receive:

 - An opportunity for their work to be hung at Rococo Garden, for sale with a commission taken by the Garden.

- An opportunity to have cards created of their seasonal work organised directly with Rococo Garden. 

              + 4 Highly Commended prizes

The Plein Air Competition will be part of a collaborative programme of events between Painswick Rococo Garden and Tetbury Goods Shed (TGS) 

We are hugely grateful to all of our sponsors, for supporting this event:

Tetbury Goods Shed  -

 https://shed-arts.co.uk

Pegasus Art - 

https://www.pegasusart.co.uk

Eight Bells Gallery Tetbury - https://www.eightbellsgallery.co.uk

RO Frame of Stroud - https://roframes.com

The Painswick - https://thepainswick.co.uk

Roger Dellar, award winning artist and acclaimed en plein air specialist painter and awarded by the following socities: New English Art Club, The Royal institute of oil Painters and The Royal society of British artists, amongst others.

* Jaynie Tricker, professional artist and prize winning en plein air specialist painter, passionate about the creative process, with a love for the outdoors, colour and painting directly from life.    

Chris Woodcock, Prior Owner and Curator at Spencer House Gallery in Tetbury .
 

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

The competition is open to anyone aged 18 year olds and above.

Do I have to pay to get into the garden?

Entry into the garden forms part of the registration fee

* What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event? 

By car: enter GL6 6TH into your satnav, or follow the brown tourism signs on all major approach routes. Painswick Rococo Garden is 15 minutes’ drive from junction 11a of the M5. Parking is free, of which there is plenty.

By train: The nearest station is Stroud (5 miles). Trainline is a useful website.

By bus: Stagecoach service 66 from Cheltenham to Stroud via Brockworth (Mon-Sat), The nearest stop is Pullens Road. Service 166 on Sundays.

On foot: Rococo are just off the Cotswold Way, in beautiful countryside, and well signposted from the corner of Golf Course Road and Gloucester Road.

By bike: cyclists are very welcome. There are no bike racks but you’re welcome to lock your bike near the café. We’re surrounded by hills so you’ll have earned a slice of homemade cake by the time you reach us!

* What can I bring into the event?

All you need to bring is your blank canvas and all materials ready to paint for the day, including an easel and a chair if you wish. No materials are supplied. Plain background cover only, no preparatory drawings or painting to be on your artwork prior to the day. Please note that your canvas will need to be stamped on the back upon arrival to qualify for the judging process at the end of the day. You will also need to provide your own refreshments for the day. There is a fantastic cafe onsite.

* Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

If you're able to arrive with a print out of your booking confirmation that would help us out immensely on the registration desk, alternatively you can have it on your phone, 

* Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?

If you wish to transfer your booking to another name and it is not within 30 days of the event, then please do email through the details to hello@wtscollective.co.uk and we will endeavour to transfer the details for you. We will not be able to make these changes within 30days of the event and certainly not on the day .

* How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch, via email hello@wtscollective.co.uk , or phone

Niki Whitfield on 07821 098171.

* What's the refund policy?

Refunds are available up to 30 days before the event, however you will still be required to pay the booking fee. We are unable to refund any payments within 30 days of the event. 

- You must start and finish your artwork on the day

 - All works must have a stamp on the back, administered by the team on arrival 

- Original artwork can be in any medium & any size  

- iPad and photography artwork does not qualify 

- We accept no responsibility for loss, damage or injury during the day 

- Any work bought back after 4pm, will not be eligible for judging. 

- You can create more than one piece on the day, but  you  can submit only  one item for judging, 

- Watch This Space accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or injury during the day.

Arrive at the  Garden, just by Gardens Gallery, having pre-registered, with your blank surface, be that, canvas, paper, board to be stamped on the back and your materials ready. and your name on the back of your piece.

Go and spend the day creating your artwork within  the gardens on the day,or within 200 metres from the garden boundaries (to include Montpellier Street) within the time allotted, and is made in direct response to the surroundings. Come back to the registration point  (Gardens Gallery) by 4pm for judging. 

There will be a  30 minute window for visitors to  see the work created from the day.

Judging  is at 4.30 / 5pm, winners will be announced by 5.30pm  

Prizes:

£250 Overall Winner                                                                                                                                                                          

£100 Contemporary Abstract Landscape prize

£100 Drawing and illustration prize 

£100 Urban artwork prize

£50 Youth prize (under 18 years)

4 Highly Commended prizes will also be awarded 

Sponsor websites:

Friends of Montpellier Bandstand and Gardens (FOMBAG) https://www.facebook.com/MontpellierGardens/mentions/

So far our confirmed expert panel are:

 Conrad Clarke, SPRING gallery owner and award winning professional contemporary landscape artist. His work draws inspiration from the natural world around him and often focuses on the interaction between plants and their environment.

Jeremy Duncan who finds inspiration in overlooked old buildings, which provide a bold geometry of shape, colour and texture, exhibited regularly in the past in London, at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the Mall Galleries, and was represented for eight years by a gallery in Mayfair.

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

The competition is open to anyone aged 14 year olds and above.  (Under 14’s are free, but not eligible for judging and 14-18 years tickets are £5 )  Go to the shop to register, and bring id with you on the day.

Do I have to pay to get into the garden?

Entry into the garden is  FREE - you just need to register for the event itself. 

* What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event? 

Montpellier Gardens is situated in the centre of Cheltenham, so there are lots of parking options available in the vicinity, including on-road paid parking and pay and display car parks only a 5-10min walk away. The Montpellier Park is only a short 5 min walk from the centre of town where all public buses drop off and pick up. Cheltenham Railway station is a 20 min walk or a 5min taxi ride away.

* What can I bring into the event?

All you need to bring is your blank canvas and all materials ready to paint for the day, including an easel and a chair if you wish. No materials are supplied. Plain background cover only, no preparatory drawings or painting to be on your artwork prior to the day. Please note that your canvas will need to be stamped on the back upon arrival to qualify for the judging process at the end of the day. You will also need to provide your own refreshments for the day. There is a fantastic cafe onsite.

* Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

If you're able to arrive with a print out of your booking confirmation that would help us out immensely on the registration desk, alternatively you can have it on your phone, 

* Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?

If you wish to transfer your booking to another name and it is not within 30 days of the event, then please do email through the details to hello@wtscollective.co.uk and we will endeavour to transfer the details for you. We will not be able to make these changes within 30days of the event and certainly not on the day .

* How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch, via email hello@wtscollective.co.uk , or phone

Niki Whitfield on 07821 098171.

* What's the refund policy?

Refunds are available up to 30 days before the event, however you will still be required to pay the booking fee. We are unable to refund any payments within 30 days of the event.