A palette of experiences: Plein Air Down Under Festival in Mandurah

French for open air, ‘plein air’ painting is all about capturing the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject outdoors. And that’s exactly what the Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival sets out to do.

Plein Air Down Under Festival in Mandurah

Discover a palette of experiences

Love to paint? Why not take it ‘plein air’!
French for open air, ‘plein air’ painting is all about capturing the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject outdoors. And that’s exactly what the Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival sets out to do.

Western Australia’s largest outdoor painting festival returns this year during the September long weekend (23-25 September), providing a unique opportunity for artists to share their love of painting outdoors amongst the magnificent surrounds of Mandurah’s town centre, cultural precinct and the historic town of Pinjarra.

But you don’t have to be a Vincent Van Gogh to enjoy what’s on offer. Whatever your age or level of artistic skills – there’s something for everyone – spectators and art collectors alike.

What’s on at the festival hub

The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre is where it all comes together. It’s where you can view exhibited works, sign up for workshops, watch various painting demonstrations with guest artists and in the evening, switch off and kick back with live music.

On Saturday 23rd September, the Lotterywest Demo Zone on the Eastern Foreshore will also be buzzing with a series of free hands-on painting demonstrations. Never tried painting with watercolours? See how easy it is to get started with award-winning artist Amanda Brett.

Be sure to check out the full line-up of free events across the weekend.

plein air down under mandurah 1

Want to register as an artist?

All artists who register to paint at the Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival can enter two paintings into the exhibition to be held at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. Judges will be awarding artwork across various categories and there’s a prize pool of over $12,000 up for grabs.

Head to the festival website to register.

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There’s artwork to inspire you everywhere you go

Wherever you go in Mandurah, you’ll be immersed in the arts. Continuing outdoors, you’ll stumble upon some of the most creative artworks along Mandurah’s Instagram Trail

3D pelican - Mandurah Instagram Trail
Follow the Mandurah Instagram Trail to find this hungry pelican by artist Jenny McCracken

Thomas Dambo’s famous Giants are still calling Mandurah home, and with the mild weather in play, it’s the perfect opportunity to head further out and explore the Giants of Mandurah

Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone by Thomas Dambo, Coodanup Foreshore
Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone by Thomas Dambo, Coodanup Foreshore

Visit the Mandurah Visitor Centre to get started, choose the Giants you’d like to visit and embark on your self-guided expedition. Don’t forget to check out the amazing ‘Welcome to Country’ mural by artists Peta & Corey Ugle and the 3D Augmented Reality experience that brings the artwork to life by telling the Aboriginal creation story of Mandurah’s vast waterways.

3D Augmented Reality Experience at the Mandurah Visitor Centre
Come to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to enjoy a 3D Augmented Reality experience.

Leave your car at the hotel and hire an e-bike or e-scooter, or jump on a ‘Ride the Giants’ e-bike tour. You can also take a cruise with Soulmate Charters to visit the Giant ‘Seba’s Song’ – which is best viewed from the water. See all Giants of Mandurah tours here.

Seba's Song Giant by Thomas Dambo
Seba's Song Giant by Thomas Dambo

If you need a change of pace, head indoors and visit some of Mandurah’s colourful art spaces and galleries.

Black Stump Art Gallery in Mandurah
Black Stump Gallery by Emma Blyth, Mandurah

Where to venture beyond the festival

When you feel like taking a break from all the action on land, change up the scenery and hit the open water. If you’d like to see dolphins in the wild and up close, jump on a boat tour or cruise through Mandurah’s waterways and estuaries. It’s home to more than 100 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins – the largest population in WA. And if you’re exploring with little feet in tow, the Pirate Ship Mandurah is an absolute must! 

For more ideas on where to go and what to do, check out our top 10 things to do in Mandurah.

CC Boat Cruises in Mandurah
Cruising the Mandurah Canals in Halls Head | image courtesy: Mandurah Cruises

Explore a different kind of palate

When you’ve run your paint palette dry and worked up an appetite, there’s no shortage of places to eat in Mandurah. Our top picks include breakfast at Wood and Stone Café, a relaxing lunch that lingers into the afternoon at Boundary Island Brewery and a dinner to share at Flics Kitchen

Boundary Island Brewery
Boundary Island Brewery

Mandurah’s restaurants are always cooking up great vibes no matter where you go. From popular local haunts Brewvino and The Pen to the iconic flavours of Redmanna on the waterfront – you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are so many great places to eat and drink in Mandurah. Just be sure to book ahead and reserve your table to avoid disappointment!

The Peninsula Bar & Restaurant
The Peninsula Bar & Restaurant

Where to stay in Mandurah

If you like to stay close to all the action of the festival, you’re in luck! Some of the best accommodation in Mandurah is centrally located for your convenience. The Sebel Mandurah and Dolphin Quay Apartments are footsteps away from popular attractions and dining options.

Venture a little further along the coast and Seashells Mandurah and C Mandurah Resort & Serviced Apartments have all the facilities you need for a relaxing stay by the water.

Check out all Mandurah accommodation here.

Seashells Resort Mandurah
Seashells Resort Mandurah

And if you don’t want to leave the pooch behind, there’s plenty of pet-friendly accommodation options and experiences.

Pet friendly experiences Mandurah
Walking along the Mandurah Estuary in Falcon

The Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival kicks off the Mandurah Arts Festival. Check out ‘our guide to Mandurah’ and plan your visit now!

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TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF OUR BEST PICKS

SHELTER by Verity Byth

Shelter is a solo exhibition by Verity Byth that creates an interactive experience to articulate and prioritise the needs for shelter in our personal lives, community and biosphere.
The aim of this project is to engage the community in a discussion about homelessness by exploring the notions and emotions of shelter in a climate-ravaged world.

  • Exhibition Opening: Sunday 6 August, 2.30pm
  • Artist Talk: Sunday 6 August, 1pm-2pm

Visit Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah Facebook Page for updates.

Approaching Landscapes 2023 Art Sale & Exhibition

The not-for profit  community art organisation ‘Mandurah Plein Air Artists Incorporated’ is a group of passionate artists who are diverse in painting styles, mediums and skill level.

The group present their annual sale of original artworks including oils, watercolours, pastels and acrylics.

Come along to the Approaching Landscapes 2023 Art Sale and Exhibition.

If you’d like to paint en plein air (which means ‘outdoors’) yourself, join the group oaf artists who meet every Tuesday to paint en plein air at locations in and around Mandurah and the Peel region.

Spirit of the Landscape Art Exhibition

SPIRIT OF THE LANDSCAPE ART EXHIBITION, presented by Plein Air Down Under

This exhibition celebrates the vast landscapes of rural, regional and remote Australia, through the eyes of exhibiting artists. In telling these stories, artists may choose to reference place, the people of remote communities, the topography of the landscape or the challenges of living and working in remote Australia.

This carefully curated selection of award winning artists will ensure a high standard of work while acknowledging these artists’ continued involvement and support of the Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival.

The Spirit of the Landscape Art Exhibition presents:
Andy Dolphin, Andy Conlin, Brendon Darby, Constance Conroy Paul, D’hange Yammanee, Hilly Coufreur, James Walker, Jos Coufreur, Leanne Pearson, Leon Holmes, Matt Ryder, Natasha Ruschka, Pip Phelps, Robyn Lowry, Samuel Swadling, Shane van Rensburg, Tiffany Forster, Val Brooks.

 

Exhibition Opening

  • Saturday 9 September 2023, at 2.30 pm (following the World Wide Paint Out in Mandjar Square)
  • Everyone welcome

 

About Plein Air Down Under…

Leading Australian outdoor painting festival Plein Air Down Under is held annually in Mandurah and the Peel Region over the September long weekend and follows in the footsteps of international plein air festivals held in Ireland, the Netherlands, mainland USA and Hawaii. The festival attracts artists of all levels to paint en plein air and features world-class tutors accessible to the general public through free demonstrations, artist talks and special events.

Find out more here.

Pinjarra Festival presented by Fuel to Go & Play

The Shire of Murray’s biggest public event of the year, the Pinjarra Festival presented by Fuel to Go & Play is back for 2023.

The Pinjarra Festival returns to the beautiful grounds of the iconic Edenvale Heritage Precinct on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of June during the WA Day long weekend.

This year, there will be a stellar line-up of live music, 100+ market stalls, free kids’ activities, displays, workshops, amusements and more.

For further event information, visit www.pinjarrafestival.com.au or follow @PinjarraFestival on Facebook and Instagram.

This event is proudly supported by Healthway, Lotterywest, Alcoa, Doral, Tourism WA, Bendigo Bank Community Branch Pinjarra, Act Belong Commit, Cleanaway, and the Shire of Murray.

All Consumed Exhibition at CASM

ALL CONSUMED exhibition is an exploration into a broader world of consumerism, with the intent to draw awareness back to the prevalence of advertising and marketing that encompasses the world in which we live.

From a light-hearted perspective, Elisha has created a collection of vibrant acrylic paintings capturing everyday urban-scapes and landscapes depicting our world filled with advertising. In addition, a glimpse of supermarket shelves and pop art inspired still life paintings will have the audience sharing stories of nostalgia.

  • Exhibition Dates: Saturday 17 June – Sunday 16 July 2023
  • Launch date: Sunday 18 June at 2pm
  • Guest speaker: Paula Silbert, Art Consultant
  • Artist Talk: Sunday 25 June at 11am
  • CASM Gallery hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm

PEEL OPEN STUDIOS 2023

Peel Open Studios is an annual event that welcomes thousands of visitors from across Western Australia, as local visual artists and art collectives open the doors to their private studio spaces. Visitors are able to immerse themselves in a vibrant atmosphere, as they explore the creative process during this unique opportunity to see works of art in progress and learn about the artist.

Peel Open Studios 2023 will take place from 15 – 23 April 2023.

Peel Open Studios is a free event.

Download the event guide here or visit http://www.peelopenstudios.com for more info.

Peel Open Studios: Origins ’23 exhibition
In partnership with Mandurah Performing Arts Centre

Featuring an eclectic collection of artworks, Origins ’23 provides a small taste of the diverse mediums and creative talent of artists participating in the Peel Open Studios 2023 event.

  • Where: ALCOA Mandurah Gallery, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
  • Exhibition dates: 31 March – 28 April
  • Opening night: 31 March, from 6 – 7 pm

Dark Corners

Presented by Ross Vegas. Experience Mandurah’s beautiful Eastern Foreshore from a new perspective, in this spooky heritage walking tour.
As the dusk fades, follow an illuminated ghost ship on a voyage through history, as it reveals the stories of Mandurah’s past residents. Shimmering figures emerge from the ship’s lantern, painting pictures on the walls with light, before dissolving into the night.

Dark Corners illuminates the past, using new technologies of projection-mapping and augmented reality to enhance the oldest of art forms; the ghost story. Featuring local stories, collected from local archives and the Mandurah community, Dark Corners is a beautiful and immersive experience uncovering the historic tales that haunt us still.

Dark Corners includes themes of horror and the supernatural, and is suitable for a mature audience. Viewer discretion is advised. Children under 15 years must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Meting/ Finishing Location:
Kwillena Gabi Estuary Pool, Eastern Foreshore Reserve