Oxfordshire landscape artist unable to travel because of coronavirus lockdown invites public to send her photos of local meadows to paint.
What do you do if you’re a landscape artist who can’t get out into the landscape?
That’s the problem facing Oxfordshire artist Elaine Kazimierczuk, who normally spends her summers visiting stunning local meadows, taking photos to take back to her studio and turning them into works of art.
Elaine, from Osney Island, Oxford, is well-known for her colourful abstract landscapes inspired by Oxford Botanic Gardens and summer wildflower hotspots, including Iffley Meadows, Bishop’s Sutton, Minster Lovell and Burford.
But this year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic causing chaos — including the cancellation of her much-anticipated Fresh Work exhibition at Oxford’s North Wall Gallery — Elaine has had to apply some abstract thinking to ensure she’ll have continued inspiration over the coming months.
The Mary Moser Award-winning artist is inviting residents of Oxfordshire and further afield to take photos of their own meadows and share them on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #paintmymeadow. She plans to paint the images that most inspire her, and hopes to hold an exhibition featuring the works once the coronavirus lockdown is over.
“My summers usually involve getting out into wild places, being inspired by the chaotic array of vegetation – the wild beauty, deep shadows and the play of light. But like everyone else I’m having to adapt how I work, to accommodate the new rules on social distancing and essential travel,” Elaine said.
“Knowing I can’t get out to see my favourite meadows and flowers is frustrating, but I thought many people live near or have beautiful meadows of their own, which perhaps they visit on their daily exercise, and I hoped they might be kind enough to share some photos of them with me. I also hope others will be inspired to paint their own meadows this summer, while so many people are trying new things, and share those images on social media, too,” Elaine said.
