Robert Waddell Art Awards

I propose creating an annual Robert Waddell Art Awards Event for excellence in art — something that can be launched jointly by the Municipality of Annapolis County and the Town of Annapolis Royal.

Robert Waddell was an art master at the Gordonstoun School in Scotland. gordonstounSchoolScotland Waddell inspired Prince Charles, then a student at Gordonstoun School, to paint in the 1970s. As a result of that inspiration, Prince Charles has become one of the UK’s most successful living artists, where he paints en plein air (outdoors) and exclusively in watercolours, according to Insider.

With the announced expansion of the Gordonstoun School into North America, and into Nova Scotia, in particular, a fitting tribute to Robert Waddell could excite our Maritime visual art movement. Could Annapolis County and the Town of Annapolis Royal help host/showcase such an event in collaboration with the Gordonstoun School, to celebrate the school’s Nova Scotia roots?

banner_2019_paint-outSEASON The Plein Air Artists Annapolis Valley group, now in its fifth year painting at outdoor locations throughout the Valley, could help organize the launch of such an event alongside ARTsPLACE, Paint The Town, and NSCAD.

Thinking even more inclusively, banner_KingsTheatre connections could be made with performing arts, considering … the rich arts culture in the region, Annapolis Royal’s historical link to “L’Ordre de Bon Temps“, storytelling/plays/music at King’s Theatre, talk of a Liberal Arts University, and workshop/conference facilities such as those at Cornwallis Park. You see, “English master, Eric Anderson—like the art teacher Waddell, also in his 20s … encouraged Charles to act in several of Shakespeare’s dramas” (Vanity Fair).

Maybe this is where our Valley’s cultural history and environment can fuse with the traditions of the Gordonstoun School to make for exciting times.

References

Zoë Ettinger, Insider. Prince Charles is one of the UK’s most successful living artists. Here are 15 of his works, 30 March 2020.
Lawrence Powell, Spectator/Chronicle Herald, Gordonstoun a Go, 17 March 2020.
Plein Air Artists Annapolis Valley. 2020 Paint-out schedule.
Sally Bedell Smith in Vanity Fair. The Lonely Heir. April 2017.

Postscript

It would be excellent if Prince Charles joined Tom Forrestall and Geoff Butler on the inaugural judging panel. (Bob Maher)

Author: Edward Wedler

As an artist, I explore the nooks and crannies of our geography on foot. I interpret and paint our urban and rural landscapes in watercolour, with a splash of ink and a dash of mixed media. I love the left-brain-right-brain dance of watercolour as it mixes with some control yet yields some surprising results, and I savour the spontaneity of plein air art. My dream is to "slow travel" across Canada and Australia, to masterly paint and cavort with like-minded artists and art lovers along the way, and be continually inspired by the contemporary and historic giants of the art world (I patiently seek a benefactor and the support of fine art collectors to fulfil my dream). View All Posts