A watercolour painting by renowned Manx artist David Byrne was won by one lucky visitor to the Isle of Man Art Society’s Easter Exhibition at the Villa Marina Arcade. Mr Byrne donated his painting of Old Kirk Braddan Church as a raffle prize to raise funds for the Art Society, of which he is Vice-President.

The winner was Aaron Holden, from Douglas, whose family has relatives buried in the churchyard depicted in the watercolour. Damian Ciapelli, from Douglas, won the runners-up raffle prize of ?50. Mr Ciapelli is a member of the Art Society and Chairman of the Sayle Gallery. Both raffle winners were presented with their prizes by David Sayle, Isle of Man Art Society Chairman and Marg McGee, Manx Telecom Marketing Executive. Manx Telecom sponsored the exhibition which featured over 400 paintings by more than 100 artists. Most of the artworks were available to purchase and, for the first time at the event, there was a craft section featuring stunning 3D artworks such as wood carving, ceramics, jewellery and gift cards. Mr Sayle commented:

“We were very pleased with the public response to this year’s exhibition and would like to everyone who contributed to its success, especially Manx Telecom for their sponsorship. Thanks to the generous donation by David Byrne the raffle raised almost ?1,400 for the Art Society. The addition of the craft section this year proved to be very popular and is something we will look to continue and expand as part of the Easter Art Exhibition next year.”

In addition to sponsoring the exhibition, Manx Telecom is also the official communications partner for Island of Culture 2014 which is a celebration of dance, music, theatre, the visual arts and literature, film and digital innovation.

Photo -  Left to right are Damian Ciapelli; David Sayle, Isle of Man Art Society Chairman; Aaron Holden; and Marg McGee, Manx Telecom Marketing Executive.