Recent Events

After last evening’s excellent demonstration, Mark returned to lead the workshop and very well-attended it was too. Some members attempted to interpret the image supplied by Mark and others used their own reference to create an atmospheric seascape. There was plenty of help and advice to hand and at the end of the afternoon the display of work was an impressive testament to time well-spent. A really enjoyable experience.

The hall was packed for the welcome return of Mark Warner demonstrating his approach to creating a seascape. After a brief introduction and an explanation of his working methods he set about painting a deceptively simple subject of sky, sea, foreground rocks and wet sand. Mark used a limited palette of acrylic paint on blue coloured pastel paper. He started off by defining the horizon line and then blocked in the sky, without clouds, using cerulean blue - darker at the top and lighter at the horizon. His fascinating treatment of clouds came later. Mark only used a couple of brushes - synthetic and square ended - in his characteristic energetic style. Sky was followed by sea and then foreground rocks and wet sand all laid down with rapid strokes, maintaining a sense of movement and perspective. After the break the painting was developed with more detail and those all-important clouds. A really entertaining and instructive evening with more to follow at the Saturday workshop.

This year’s Spring Exhibition proved to be one the most successful on record. Not only did we attract almost 850 visitors but sales of paintings were at an all time high and crafts also did extremely well. 40 artists sold their work either from the screens or the browsers. The 'Best in Show' survey was very well subscribed and congratulations go to Susanna Burleigh for 'Clown of the Seas' and Pete Hardwick for 'Whitstable II' who were joint first. A very satisfying result all round.

The hall was full again for this workshop led by Jane Anderson Wood - a watercolour artist and new to the Society. After a brief introduction to her working methods we all gathered around her work-table to see how she set about recreating a river scene from the Scottish Highlands. She had a photographic reference but also a pencil study and a watercolour sketch produced on location. There followed a fascinating demonstration of how to use the medium of watercolour to great effect. With a limited palette the three principle elements of the picture ... darks, mid-tones and lights were quickly blocked in and then over the course of the afternoon Jane developed the picture until a very atmospheric final image was created. At the same time she managed to get round everyone in the hall to offer advice and encouragement - a really interesting and informative afternoon.

After last night’s demonstration Stoney returned to lead the follow-up workshop. She gave a quick resumé of her methods to those who had not attended the demo and for all those who wished to emulate her approach she supplied a photographic reference as a starting point. Comfort zones were certainly breached by many but with satisfying results. We all went away with new knowledge and new possibilities for developing our painting styles. A really enjoyable afternoon.

The Society welcomed a new demonstrator, Stoney Parsons, who gave us a fascinating insight into her working methods. After a career as a stained glass artist Stoney has now become a full-time painter - mainly of landscapes in a semi-abstract style. She explained that what she was attempting to do in her work was to go beyond a representation of what she sees before her and to respond to the subject emotionally using a variety of mark-making implements – conventional brushes, synthetic wedges, straight edges, credit cards and even a kitchen fork. A really interesting and informative evening.

There was an embarrassment of members attending the workshop but we just managed to accommodate everyone. The packed hall was, as usual, infected by Ella's enthusiasm and went on to create a wide variety of images in different media but all on a black background. Ella was kept very busy getting round everyone to offer help and advice and the warmth of the appreciative round of applause at the end was evidence of very enjoyable afternoon.

After Ronnie's masterclass in colour pencil technique on Friday evening a full house turned out for the follow-up workshop. Some brought their own objects to draw from, others referred to items supplied or worked from their imagination. Ronnie was on hand to give additional help and advice and the gallery of our collective efforts was testament to the versatility of this sometimes overlooked medium. A really enjoyable afternoon.

Ronnie came prepared with a selection of recent work using waxy coloured pencils (Polychromos by Faber Castell) which demonstrated the versatility of this medium. He talked us through his working method and emphasised the portability of the medium ... easy to carry about and minimum set up time. He then set about making a drawing of two soft toys, keeping the marks as fluid as possible. By changing the pressure and speed of application of pencil on paper and the weight of line used an amazing variety of marks are possible. Quite quickly a charming rendition of the subject emerged from the tangle of lines on the paper. A really entertaining and informative demonstration which was enjoyed by all.

Sally came prepared with a collection of her own sketchbooks together with a variety of art materials. She also set up a still life arrangement as a subject for studies in our sketchbooks although we were free to use our own references. Sally encouraged us to be experimental in our approach and was on hand to give help and advice throughout the session. This was no small task as the workshop was packed with enthusiastic participants, making for an enjoyable and creative afternoon.

Margie picked up the impasto baton from last night's demo and hosted a full house for the workshop. For those not doing their own thing there were plenty of reference photos to choose from and impasto paste and acrylic medium to help create our own stormy skies. Margie tirelessly toured the hall offering help and advice and at the end of the session the collection of paintings made an impressive gallery. A really good start to the new year of creativity.

For the first demonstration of the new year local artist, Kevin Chapman, took the work of Chris Bushe as his starting point to create a moody seascape in acrylics. The first stage was to lay in a ground of bright crimson on a board prepared with several coats of primer. Then, using a variety of palette knives and brushes Kevin gradually built up layers of colour starting with a relatively fluid mix of paint and medium and progressing to a thicker, more impasto effect and the end result was a vibrant and dramatic painting. The well-attended demonstration was much appreciated and members will attempt to do something similar at the workshop on Saturday.

Following on from the previous evening's demo Ella arrived with a huge collection of references and collage material and encouraged us all to step out of our comfort zone to create an arresting image. Members used whatever medium they preferred - watercolour, acrylic, pastel - and then incorporated elements of collage from a variety of sources including magazines, sheet music, handwritten letters, tissue paper, etc. etc. The sub-zero temperatures outside were soon forgotten as members got down to an afternoon of enjoyable creativity and Ella was on hand to give guidance in her usual helpful way. The afternoon concluded with a constructive critique of our efforts and the very warm round of applause for Ella at the end was evidence of a good time had by all.

On a really cold evening there was a good gathering of members to see Kim create an abstracted acrylic painting of run-down farm buildings in an autumn setting incorporating elements of collage. He started by blocking in areas of the picture in paint and then applied pieces of collage chosen for their autumnal colour values. The painting was gradually developed with further layers of paint, some of which were applied over the collage material. At the end of the evening he had created a cohesive image where the collage played a subdued but important part in the overall effect, much appreciated by his audience.

Sally made a welcome return to host another life drawing session with a clothed model. The workshop was very well-attended and Sally took us through several short warm-up exercises and then there were a couple of longer poses before the break. That was followed by one pose but with the model turning round half-way through so that everyone got both a front and a back view. A challenging but rewarding afternoon - stepping out of our comfort zone is good for us!

Judging by the number of visitors we had over the weekend our Autumn Fair is becoming something of an institution! The weather seemed to have no effect as we had the same number visitors on the sunny Saturday as we did on the wintry Sunday.

There was a very positive atmosphere throughout the weekend with people complimenting us on the high standard and variety of work on display. As well as regular exhibitors we have a new generation of artists whose work, judging by their sales, was appreciated. The Craft tables were busy selling, among other things, cards, jewellery, woodwork, and Christmas decorations, all handmade.

All in all a successful weekend with record sales for our artists.

In spite of a dull rainy day a good number of members turned out for Margie’s Still Life workshop. The display of autumn fruit and foliage was laid out ingeniously so that we had a choice of subjects to choose from, and once the introduction was over the room was silent as we all set to sketching the layout for our paintings. A convivial hum started up when Margie gave individual tuition to each of us, always positive and very helpful. Her enthusiasm for her subject was infectious and was evident in the body of work which we achieved by the end of a very successful and enjoyable afternoon.

Sharon returned on Saturday afternoon after the previous evenings demonstration to host a workshop which was very well-attended. Building on what she had talked about she patiently guided us through the various techniques with a step-by-step approach and one-to-one advice. Some members chose to work on their own ideas while others tried to replicate Sharon’s charming winter scene. A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

For the gathered members - some familiar faces and some new ones - Sharon set about demonstrating the creation of two winter scenes in watercolour. She talked about using gummed tape to attach the paper (Bockingford NOT) to the board to make the wet-into-wet method more practical. She used a limited palette but explained about colour combinations that were good for granulation such as cobalt blue and light red and French ultramarine and burnt umber. She also talked about the creative use of masking fluid and masking tape, table salt and iridescent medium. The demonstration was peppered with amusing anecdotes and the whole evening was an informative and entertaining event. Sharon will be hosting a follow-up workshop on Saturday afternoon.

The opening of the autumn season of workshops was really well-attended and Freda was kept busy answering questions and giving advice. Her patient tutoring obviously paid off as the end result of the afternoon was an impressive collection of portraits.