Recent Events

Yet another successful Spring Exhibition for Molesey Art Society. Not only did we attract over 700 visitors but sales of paintings and crafts were very gratifying. 77 artists displayed their work on the screens and in the browsers and there was a diverse range of crafts on show. Congratulations go to the award-winners – Janice Gazetas (Terence Cuneo Award), Gillie Spargo (Landscape Award), Joy Martin (Flora & Fauna Award), Rebecca Hillary-Tong (Portraiture & The Human Figure Award), Francesca Learmount (Creative Use of Colour Award), Jane Bissix (Design & Composition Award), Alexei Yazikov (Digital Art & Printmaking Award) and Bali Edwards (Craft Award). The 'Best in Show' survey was very exceptionally well subscribed and more congratulations go to Jane Bissix for 'Still Waters'. A very satisfying result all round.

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The workshop today experienced a ‘virtual’ excursion to the Winelands of South Africa via photo references taken by Margie on her recent trip. She started with a brief introduction to her working process in acrylics and illustrated this by painting from one of the photos. She returned to this several times during the afternoon to explain various techniques and approaches to capture the essence of the scene. However, most of her time was spent touring the room to offer one-to-one advice and tips to members creating their own paintings rendered in a variety of media. The session concluded with Margie giving all the pictures a brief appraisal which was really appreciated by everyone and there was a warm round of applause for her at the end of an enjoyable and creative afternoon.

After her very successful and enlightening demo, Clare returned to host the follow-up workshop which, again, was really well-attended. After giving a brief resumé of the previous evening for those who did not attend Clare toured the tables to give valuable advice and tips, especially for those not particularly skilled in watercolour. There was a satisfying buzz of creative effort all afternoon and at the end of the session the line up of work was testament to an excellent weekend of painting. The afternoon ended with a warm round of applause for Clare and we hope that she can be persuaded to make a return visit in the not too distant future.

On her debut demo for the Society Clare set out to share her process of painting in watercolour and her subject was buildings in the landscape. Clare admitted that she is a compulsive sketcher and that is usually the starting point for her paintings. That is followed by tonal sketches and usually some photographic references but it is important to her to have experienced the location so that other memories can inform her work. She emphasised the importance of using good quality paper and for the demo she worked on an easel with the surface upright but she would normally work at a shallow angle. After wetting the surface with clean water she then let the magic of pigment, paper and water begin, allowing the image to develop with changes and additions to create an atmospheric rendering of the scene as well as a pleasing arrangement of colour and shapes. Clare worked on 3 images during the demo and this was a really inspiring introduction to the workshop on Saturday.

It was another packed hall for Freda's workshop with many members eager to try their hand at pastels - some for the first time - while others chose to use watercolour, oils and mixed media. Freda opened proceedings with a quick explanation of how to get the best results out of the medium and how to avoid common pitfalls. She then made her way around the very busy hall to give useful tips and advice. There was the usual display of work at the end of the session and Freda gave a brief appraisal of our efforts. A very enjoyable and sometimes challenging afternoon.

Sara returned to host the Saturday workshop and it was almost a full house. On another cold and wet day it was a pleasure to be painting sunlight filtering through the trees. Many members had been so impressed by Sara's demo that they embraced the idea of oils and attempted to emulate her techniques while others tried to capture the same atmospheric effects using acrylics, watercolour and pastels. Sara was on hand to give individual advice and by the end of the afternoon an impressive gallery of work had been created. This has been a really informative and enjoyable weekend and we all hope that Sara will make a return visit in the near future.

A very well-attended demonstration on a miserable, wet evening welcomed Sara to the Society for the first time. Her subject was the effect of light through trees and her starting point was a photo on her mobile phone. She painted in oils and started by applying a thin 'wash' of burnt umber covering the whole canvas and then drew the skeleton of the composition into this with indigo. While the background was still wet she removed areas that were going to be light with a cotton rag and this was going to be one of her principal tools - constantly applying and removing paint to achieve the atmospheric effect she was after. Always using a fairly large, flat brush more areas and shapes were added using colours including indian yellow, cadmium yellow, sap green, pthalo turquoise and burnt sienna. Fingers and thumbs for blending and palette knife for scraping out together with the trusty cotton cloth were also used throughout. At the end of the evening the painting was still a work in progress but very impressive nonetheless and the audience had obviously learned a lot and expressed their appreciation with a warm round of applause. Sara will be hosting the workshop and it will be interesting to see if we can adopt some of her techniques.

The ever-popular Ella returned for another workshop at which she encouraged us to explore the possibilities of working on a black background. She provided lots of references and some members worked from their own material. She started with a basic demonstration using acrylics and suggested that this medium or soft pastels would the most appropriate to get a good result. Ella then circulated around the very busy hall and offered help, advice and encouragement where needed. The display of final work at the end of the session was convincing evidence of a very successful workshop.

After the previous evenings demonstration Ronnie returned to guide us through our attempts to create paintings incorporating a human element. Various photo references were available but some chose to work from their own material or from their imagination. Ronnie was on hand to offer advice and tips on an individual basis and at the end of the afternoon there was a brief review of our efforts. A very enjoyable and creative few hours away from the arctic weather outside.

In spite of the freezing cold temperatures the first demonstration of the year was very well attended. We welcomed back Ronnie for another helpful guide – this time on how to include figures in our landscape paintings. Human presence is often missing from our work for a variety of reasons but they can be really useful in giving a sense of proportion and perhaps hint at a story contained within the picture. Ronnie started by illustrating how to simplify a human figure using only 3 tones and then went about introducing people into a couple of pre-prepared paintings ... one rural scene and one urban. The audience was invited to suggest the kind of human presence to be included which led to a degree of amusement but at the end of the session we had a clearer idea of how to tackle the problem.

Frances returned after the excellent demonstration on Friday evening to host the follow-up workshop. For those who had missed the demo she ran through all the stages again with a new painting and we all took inspiration from her methods to create a wide range of images ranging from realism to abstraction. A really enjoyable afternoon enhanced by mince pies with tea and coffee at the break. This was our last workshop of the year and we all look forward to a new year of challenges in 2025.

For the final demonstration of the year we welcomed back Frances Jordan who created a picture of a waterfall tumbling over rocks through a screen of foliage using various watercolour techniques. Frances had already applied masking fluid to preserve the white of the paper for areas of falling water. Then using the wet into wet method she painted in the areas of foliage using a limited palette of yellows and greens. The paint is allowed to 'do its own thing' – with some encouragement, like splashing with clear water – and this can lead to some interesting effects. The areas of rock were then treated in a similar way but this time cling film was applied to the surface, crinkled up and then left for the paint to almost dry. When removed surface patterns and textures were revealed and these were enhanced with more paint. The masking fluid was then removed in stages with more paint being applied giving a convincing rendering of falling water. A fascinating and instructive evening.

On a really stormy afternoon Sally returned for another life drawing session with model Gaelyn. We started with a series of 10 minute standing poses followed by a seated pose before the refreshment break. That was followed by a long pose for the rest of the afternoon allowing everyone to concentrate on a single drawing or to move round and make several studies. Sally was on hand with lots of advice and tips. An excellent way to spend an afternoon on an otherwise wet and windy day.

There was a really encouraging number of visitors to our annual autumn show and perhaps the display of vibrant artwork and crafts was just the ticket after all the rather grey weather we have been experiencing.

There was a very positive atmosphere throughout the weekend with people complimenting us on the high standard and variety of work on display. A record number of screens made for a diverse collection of framed pictures and the browsers were very popular with visitors this year. The Craft tables were busy selling, among other things, cards, jewellery, woodwork, and Christmas decorations, all handmade.

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

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A really well-attended workshop on a sunny autumn afternoon with Freda encouraging us to use still life as a valuable exercise in composition. There was a wide variety of subject matter on display including plenty of seasonal fruit and veg. and members were free to use whatever medium they preferred. Freda was on hand with lots of advice and tips to improve our efforts from a compositional point of view and at the end of the session the gallery of paintings was evidence of a successful and enjoyable workshop.

On Saturday Max had a full house to teach, and, as well as reprising last night’s demo, he was able to give individual advice to our members. Although many of us were well out of our comfort zones the results at the end of the session were testament to how successful the afternoon had been.

On Friday night Max gave us an exhaustive introduction to water-based oils, explaining how they are made and their advantages over traditional oil paint. He then showed us how he plans his composition and as an aside he revealed that he usually paints from memory and starts with a thin wash in a medium tone. He then went on to demonstrate how he paints with a wide brush to suggest shapes, people, etc rather than trying to depict detail. We had a constant flow of comments and advice which kept us all entertained and enlightened for an enjoyable evening.

For the first workshop after the summer break Margie encouraged us harness the spirit of sunny days in Spain. She provided a variety of images to work from and introduced the workshop with an explanation of her approach to capturing the essence of the Torre del Oro in Seville using acrylics. Then it was over to the members to try their hand with much encouragement and advice from Margie along the way. The assembled work at the end of the afternoon was evidence of an enjoyable and fulfilling few hours.

After heavy rain all day on Bank Holiday Saturday we were blessed by almost perfect weather for our event on Sunday and Monday – warm late summer sunshine with the occasional passing cloud and a bit of a breeze. About 20 members turned up on both days and enjoyed a relaxed an enjoyable time showing their creative efforts to the hundreds of passing strollers, dog-walkers, boaters waiting for the lock gates to open and cyclists - those sensible enough to get off their bikes. There were lots of positive comments from members of the public and quite a few were tempted to buy what they saw. All in all a really enjoyable and worthwhile event.

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On a rather breezy and chilly morning a hardy bunch of our members met at the East Molesey Cricket Club Café and after warming refreshments we went in search of subjects ... out of the wind! Fortunately the rain stayed away for most of the time and inspite of dogs drinking the paint water and other hazards associated with the riverbank a variety of work was produced to record an interesting, challenging and enjoyable morning.