British artist Emily Powell has taken to the skies to paint live from a hot air balloon basket. The 36-year-old flew at 1,400ft as part of the mass ascent at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on Friday morning.
She took a canvas, a palette with 14 paints, and three brushes up in the basket for the hour-long flight. Her piece features the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Cliftonwood's brightly coloured houses, and hot air balloons.
The Flight
Powell flew from the Ashton Court Estate, where the annual fiesta takes place, to Bedminster Down, a distance of two miles. She was accompanied by five other people in the basket, including balloon pilot Peter De Herdt from Antwerp, who flew an orange and brown balloon for Belgian shoe shop Tim's. The balloon was one of 125 at the fiesta this year.
Speaking after the flight, Powell told the Press Association: "It was my first time in a hot air balloon and it was really, really calm. I thought it would be a bit more jolty but it was so calming, I just felt so at peace up there, which really surprised me."
Challenges and Inspiration
"It didn't feel that high up. I was just really excited to see everything from a different angle, you could see different colours and the way they played on each other," she said. "I'm a really messy painter, so it was quite scary doing it in a basket with lots of other people with very expensive equipment as I didn't want to spill any paint. As soon as I got up there, I was just in the zone and completely forgot about everyone else. There may have been a little bit of turquoise paint left on the basket."
Hundreds of ballooning fans attended Ashton Court Estate for the opening ceremony of the fiesta, which took place just after 6am on Friday. An Albert Goodman balloon with a fiesta flag was the first to set off, followed by dozens of balloons of all shapes and sizes, including a screwdriver, scarecrow, and giant suitcase.
Plein Air Tradition
The free-to-attend event, now in its 48th year, attracts balloonists from across the world, including from the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. Powell, born in Liverpool and now based in Devon, described how she wanted to attend the fiesta to paint as part of her passion for plein air painting.
Working en plein air – a term referring to the practice of painting entire pieces outdoors – follows the approach of landscape artist John Constable, who is said to have pioneered the method in Britain around 1813. Other notable artists who painted outdoors include Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
She added: "The reason I love plein air is that you get all the atmosphere and you're picking up all the colours and shapes and line work. Doing it in a balloon was extra amazing, I was getting a different view I've never had before."
"I haven't been able to paint from above before, you get all the atmosphere and feelings. The painting changes as I did it. At first, the crowds were turning into dots so I did all these multiple spots for people. Then we started going towards Bristol and I did all the beautiful houses as tiny squares. Then I did all the lovely hills in the background, there were balloons everywhere, and then the bridge – I just got it all in. I was completely spoiled."
Powell now plans to paint other mass ascents and other views from the fiesta, which runs until Sunday evening, while based on the ground.
