International Festival of Watercolour Art in Gdansk
The International Festival of Watercolour Art was held in Gdansk on August 22-25 and was dedicated to the awards ceremony of the fourth season of the International Watercolour Project Step by Step.
The festival program was very eventful and became a real fireworks event for all participants and guests of the festival.
Every day, “Watercolour Points” were available in the festival halls - participants could sit in a comfortable place and paint with the help of materials prepared for this. Everything was taken into account, from tablets, paper, paints and brushes, to a container of water and napkins.
Also, every day in the festival halls there were prize draws among festival participants. Each participant had their own unique identification number and, through a lottery, each had a chance to win one of 5-8 prizes every day. Among the prizes were paints, brushes, a variety of materials and accessories, books and catalogues for the Step by Step project.
Of course, there was a translator in the festival halls every day to facilitate communication with participants and artists. If necessary, translation was provided into four languages, depending on the composition of the group at the workshop, and translation into English for general activities. Thus, we have created the most comfortable conditions for participants who came from other countries to Poland.
In the halls of the festival, during all four days there was a registration point where you could get any information regarding the festival.
In parallel with the main festival program, workshops for festival participants were held in a separate cozy hall. All participants upon completion of the workshops received personalized certificates signed by the master. All materials were provided by the organizers.
First Day - August 22
The first day began with the registration of participants. For convenience and familiarization with the festival program, all participants were given a printed version of the program and name badges with identifiers, which became a kind of passes for participants to all events, the designations on the badges allowed for high-quality systematization of information and each participant took part in all the activities for which he was registered.
The festival program was opened by a magnificent master and talented artist, the wonderful Anastasiya Mouchan. She demonstrated her skills and painted a portrait of her daughter live from life. Festival guests were able to enjoy an amazing demo in a comfortable hall, and watch the demo on a large screen, after the end, Anastasia introduced the audience to her work and presented her watercolors.
Then the program was supplemented by a series of lectures from invited watercolour masters:
Samira Yanushkova "National symbolism in watercolour art"
Angus McEwan "The Artist's Way. Unique Style»
Vicente García «Plein air its - my lifestyle! »
Interesting, interactive lectures with video presentations and active communication with amazing masters became a wonderful discovery for the festival and inspired the participants before the general plein air.
After a short break, the general plein air of all festival participants started, which was held under the guidance of watercolor master Sergiy Lysyy on the territory of the hotel complex "Dvor Uphagena". Everyone could take part in the plein air, the organizers provided lightweight plein air stands, tablets, paper and containers for water for the participants, and it was also possible to get palettes and paints. For three hours, the hotel territory was absorbed by an atmosphere of creativity and inspiration. Dozens of artists painted simultaneously and all together, each with their own unique plot and their own amazing work.
All works were presented in the festival halls the next day, and during the festival everyone could present their plein air works in the hall. Based on the results of this plein air, three winners were selected at the end of the festival, who received prizes from the hotel administration, including a certificate for accommodation in a suite for two persons for the winner. Also, on the initiative of the ART partners of the project, four awards were presented to the participants of the plein airs and demonstrations of skill, whose works conquered our ART partners. And also from the organizers, five more prizes were presented - special awards. The choice of winners was made based on the voting of the invited masters of the festival and the organizers.
In parallel, during all the described activities, workshops from invited masters were held in a cozy hall in the historical part of the hotel complex. On the first day, the incredible and amazing master Prafull Sawant and the magnificent and unique Olga Novitskaya held their workshop. The materials for the workshop were provided by the organizers, and thanks to the active support of the ART partners, all participants in the workshops were able to work with the highest quality materials. And the climax of the first day was the award ceremony and opening of the festival and exhibition of Watercolor Art in Gdansk.
And the climax of the first day was the award ceremony and opening of the festival and exhibition of Watercolor Art in Gdansk.
An exhibition of works by the winners and masters of the Step by Step project was opened in the halls of the historical part of the hotel complex. A magnificent exhibition and a cozy atmosphere with stunning authentic interiors awaited all guests of the exhibition.
Many Step by Step winners were present at the festival, and they all received prize packages, awards, catalogs and certificates. Also, each participant in the Step by Step project received a package of prizes from the organizers. After the award ceremony there was a magnificent buffet, the guests were finally able to relax with a glass of wine and delicious snacks.