{"id":799873,"date":"2026-10-12T05:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T05:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799873\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T05:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T05:41:11","slug":"putney-bridge-sat-for-its-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799873\/","title":{"rendered":"Putney Bridge sat for its portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Painters lined Putney Embankment on Saturday, their easels pushed up against the railings, painting the bridge, the pier and the river at low tide.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter in an apron at a tripod easel on the Embankment railings, looking out over the river at low tide\" class=\"wp-image-44891\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-10-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter in a straw hat at an easel on the Embankment railings, with Putney Bridge and the pier gangway behind\" class=\"wp-image-44900\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44901\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-11-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter seated on a stool at the railings, with the riverside path and Putney Bridge beyond\" class=\"wp-image-44901\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"44899\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-9-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painter at an easel by the railings, painting Putney Bridge and a passing boat\" class=\"wp-image-44899\"  \/><br \/>\nAt the railings on Putney Embankment<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One set up down on the foreshore. Others turned their backs to the water and painted the tree-lined path, a back street and the Star &amp; Garter.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-5-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A lone painter on the foreshore below the Embankment slipway, rowers on the river\" class=\"wp-image-44895\"  \/>Down on the foreshore<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-6-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The same painter at a small easel on the shingle at low tide, a moored cruiser behind\" class=\"wp-image-44896\"  \/>Closer<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-7-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The same painter seen close up from behind, a small canvas on the easel\" class=\"wp-image-44897\"  \/>Closer still<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44902\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-12-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter working on a canvas of the Star &amp; Garter while drinkers sit at tables outside\" class=\"wp-image-44902\"  \/>Painting the Star &amp; Garter<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"44912\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-22-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of the Star &amp; Garter with tables outside\" class=\"wp-image-44912\"  \/>The finished Star &amp; Garter painting<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"44911\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-21-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of the tree-lined riverside path, propped against the railings\" class=\"wp-image-44911\"  \/>The path<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"44905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-15-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of a back street with yellow road markings and a parking sign\" class=\"wp-image-44905\"  \/>A back street<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They are London Plein Air Painters, a group that meets on one Saturday a month at a different spot in London. \u201cPlein air\u201d is French for \u201cin the open air\u201d, and the group is free to join.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tushar Sabale, who runs the group with Carol Owen, picks the place. \u201cEverybody just turns up,\u201d he said. On a nice day, he reckons, about a hundred of them are out painting on the street.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-27-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Carol Owen and Tushar Sabale in matching London Plein Air Artists T-shirts on Putney Embankment\" class=\"wp-image-44917\"  \/>Carol Owen and Tushar Sabale, who run London Plein Air Painters<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo we are running out of places where we actually can come,\u201d he said. Tushar has painted in Putney for some time, and the group used to set up on the bridge or on the other side. This time most of them worked along the Embankment towards the rowing clubs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo we\u2019re all just a bunch of artists,\u201d he said. \u201cSome are professionals. I\u2019m a professional, but many others are just doing it as a hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44898\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-8-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter in a wide-brimmed hat at the railings, rowers and boats on the river below\" class=\"wp-image-44898\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44894\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-4-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"An easel at the railings with a palette of mixed paints and brushes in a mug\" class=\"wp-image-44894\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44892\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painter's easel and palette on the Embankment, with passers-by walking along the path\" class=\"wp-image-44892\"  \/><br \/>\nEasels all along the Embankment<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sheri Gee is one of the professionals, and has been coming for a little over four years. \u201cBut it\u2019s more than a hobby. It\u2019s a career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m a fair-weather participant,\u201d she added. \u201cIf it\u2019s raining, I\u2019m not coming. Some people do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They start in the morning. At 2pm they prop the paintings in a long row against the railings, Putney Bridge behind them, for a group photo.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-14-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Paintings propped in a row against the Embankment railings with Putney Bridge in the background\" class=\"wp-image-44904\"  \/>The day\u2019s paintings along the railings, with Putney Bridge behind<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-16-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of the Embankment with rowers on the river\" class=\"wp-image-44906\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-17-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of Putney Bridge's arches with a red bus crossing\" class=\"wp-image-44907\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"44909\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-19-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of the Putney pier gangway in bright colours\" class=\"wp-image-44909\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44903\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-13-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A small painting of a cruiser on an easel, with the real boat on the river behind\" class=\"wp-image-44903\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-18-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A small framed painting of a moored cruiser\" class=\"wp-image-44908\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44910\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-20-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Two watercolours of a boat and the riverside laid on the ground at the railings\" class=\"wp-image-44910\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44913\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-23-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A watercolour of riverside buildings and a tree\" class=\"wp-image-44913\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"44914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-24-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of a small cruiser with bunting\" class=\"wp-image-44914\"  \/><br \/>\nSome of the paintings in the 2pm line-up<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing on the railings carried a price. \u201cWe are all on our own, so there\u2019s no kind of selling exhibition,\u201d Tushar said. Anyone who likes a painting gets in touch with the artist directly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tushar managed just one small picture, looking from the rowing club end. Organising, he said, keeps distracting him.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-26-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Tushar Sabale holding a small painting of the river on Putney Embankment\" class=\"wp-image-44916\"  \/>Tushar Sabale on the Embankment on Saturday<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce a month we come together, paint, go for a pint after this, and people just paint whatever they fancy, and some sell,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/lond-plein-air-artists-25-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Painters gathering on the riverside plaza for a group photograph\" class=\"wp-image-44915\"  \/>The 2pm group photo<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tushar and Carol, who comes up from the Isle of Wight, started the group in 2021, the group says. Once a year it goes further afield. Tushar listed the Lake District, Stoke-on-Trent and the Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n<p>How to join<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It costs nothing and there is no commitment. The group describes itself on Instagram as welcoming anyone who wants to bring their gear and paint, and it posts the day\u2019s work there, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/londonpleinairpainters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">@londonpleinairpainters<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next stop, Tushar said, is Nine Elms.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Painters lined Putney Embankment on Saturday, their easels pushed up against the railings, painting the bridge, the pier&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-799873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}