Recent Events

This workshop proved to be so popular that we came close to running out of tables and chairs but fortunately everyone found a place. There was a noticeable buzz of creativity in the room and members embraced the ideas demonstrated by Jonathan the previous evening. He tirelessly toured the room offering advice and tips and by the end of the session the gallery of work created was very impressive. A wide range of subjects were rendered In a variety of mediums there were vibrant colour combinations aplenty. A very enjoyable and informative afternoon.

It was 2013 when Jonathan last demonstrated at the Society and his style has changed considerably since then. Oils were his choice of medium and he started by applying a ground of acrylic burnt sienna to kill the white of a piece of oil paper. Using a photographic reference of a lone tree in a rural setting as a starting point he made a very quick drawing using dilute Paynes Grey. He was at pains to point out that from that point on his painting would be an experiment in the use of colour and texture to create an image that was not strictly representational. His palette was limited to Viridian Green, Cadmium Red, Cobalt Blue together with black and white and using these colours and a variety of brushes and palette knives he set about painting his picture. Complementary colours (red and green) were allowed to sit next to one another enhancing the vibrancy of both but blending them was kept to a minimum as this can lead to 'mud' ... not unfamiliar to many of us! By the end of the evening he had conjured up an atmospheric rendering of the original scene ... very interesting and enlightening.

A well-attended workshop arranged around a central display of various objects spent an absorbing afternoon creating a still life, attempting to look beyond mere representation. Sally was on hand with plenty of help and advice and she had also brought collage materials that could be used to enhance our artworks. Comfort zones were challenged but the end results were testament to a really creative couple of hours. This was Sally’s last workshop for the Society for the foreseeable future and we wish her well in her future endeavours.

On another cold January day there was a healthy turnout for Ronnie’s follow-up workshop. For those who hadn’t made it to the demonstration he ran through the key points again with reference to the painting he had produced on the night. Then, with music supplied by Ronnie in the background, it was eyes down and paint brushes out for us to create our own 'still life story'. Many had brought in their own objects or reference photos to work from while other attempted to emulate Ronnie's subject. Advice and help was on hand throughout the afternoon and at the end of the session there was an impressive gallery of work. An excellent way to spend a couple of hours on a winter’s afternoon.

On a cold January evening we welcomed Ronnie who introduced us to 'Still Life Stories'. The first subject to be addressed was - why paint still life? He explained that it is the only opportunity an artist has to control very carefully the content of a picture including it's composition, lighting, etc. He gave us a brief overview of the history of the subject in Western art which brought up the problem of perspective and particularly ellipses which often occur in still life. Then on to the painting ... Ronnie had previously prepared a canvas and applied a background of dark turquoise/jade using water soluble oil paint and this was almost dry. The subject was a collection of 3 objects with a 'loosely-oriental' theme. Using a photo reference and with no preliminary drawing he set about blocking in various areas of shape and colour using water soluble oils, constantly adjusting the composition as necessary. Gradually the objects emerged from the background and by the end of the evening a cohesive image had evolved. Up to us to try and emulate this at the follow-up workshop.

As the festive season approached there was a jolly gathering of members to spend a few hours doing what we love to do ... painting and drawing ... and eating mince pies!

Another well-attended workshop on a cold and wet November afternoon welcomed Mick back after the previous evening’s demonstration. For those who had missed this he ran through what he had done and demonstrated again the basic stages in producing a portrait in charcoal. Mick had brought along photo references for us to work from and had the basic equipment and materials for us to borrow if needed. There was a definite, quiet creative buzz in the room for the rest of the afternoon and at the end of the session it was obvious that we had all learned something new and enjoyed the process. An excellent way of spending a few hours on a very gloomy day of weather.

On a very cold November evening there was an excellent turn out for the debut appearance of Mick at MAS. Amanda Christie had kindly agreed to be the model for his demonstration creating a charcoal portrait from life. After a brief run-down of the materials he would be using Mick started in a distinctive way by applying charcoal dust to areas of shadow with a piece of sandpaper. In this way he creates texture on the paper surface and avoids committing to detail, building up the image in a generalised but considered way, all the time referring to the model to ensure that proportions and alignment of features are correct. Willow charcoal was then used to gradually pin down the features with constant adjustments, adding marks and just as importantly removing them with finger, putty rubber and soft paintbrush. By the end of the session there was a convincing likeness of Amanda rendered in Mick’s signature style and we had all been entertained and enlightened by his commentary throughout. The follow-up workshop should be enjoyable and challenging.

There was great demand for screens and tables this year and unfortunately a few members missed out – such are the problems of being part of a really successful art society. However, the result was an impressive presentation of artwork and crafts filling the hall to overflowing.

There was a very positive atmosphere throughout the weekend with people complimenting us on the high standard and variety of work on display. The number of visitors on both days was very encouraging and sales, particularly on Saturday, were excellent and exceeded last year. All in all a successful weekend when the creative efforts of the membership reached a wide and appreciative audience.

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A well-attended workshop was hosted by Rodney Knigston following on from his demonstration the previous evening. Members had references to work from supplied by Rodney although several chose to use their own and although he had demonstrated using oils members were free to use a medium of their choice. He reprised the basic elements of his practice for the benefit of those who had missed the demo and then it was down to us to create a work based on the theme of 'Cityscape with River'. Rodney toured the hall offering tips and advice and by the end of the afternoon we had all learned something and had a thoroughly absorbing painting session.

Rodney usually paints in oils 'en plein air' and is very familiar with the landscape around the River Thames but, of course, for the demo he had to work from a photo reference. He had prepared a canvas panel with a pale raw umber background and his first stage was to draw in a basic outline of the scene using dilute burnt umber and a fine brush. This was then enhanced with more intense colour to emphasize darker passages in the scene, adjusting the drawing constantly to get it right as a painting not just as a copy of the photo. Blocking in shapes of colour and tone then followed using a fairly limited palette (cadmium yellow, Naples yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red, burnt umber, French ultramarine, cobalt blue and white). Rodney started with the darkest areas of the image and then gradually worked through the mid and light tones around the canvas. This process continued by focusing on smaller and smaller shapes within the image and the end result was an atmospheric interpretation of the original reference. A fascinating and informative evening to be followed by a workshop, also hosted by Rodney.

For this re-arranged workshop the ever-popular Ella returned to oversee a workshop at which she encouraged us to use collage elements to create a still life. With her usual enthusiasm she managed to draw out of the members a really diverse collection of images which were displayed at the end of the afternoon ... and what an interesting assembly they made. Ella's critique of our efforts was really appreciated and she was given a warm vote of thanks at the end of the session.

Our plan to sketch at Garson's Farm Garden Centre was scuppered after receiving an email at the 11th hour advising us that building works and Christmas decorating was taking place this week. The hardy group of well seasoned sketchers decided to meet after all. We quaffed our early morning brew then ventured out to the village green. One or two stayed at the cafe to sketch the lovely displays of eats and flowers. Those that ventured out to the green enjoyed a most pleasant morning of sketching and painting at the lake. The sun was shining but it was rather breezy.

It was another packed hall for our first workshop after the summer break. There was great enthusiasm and excitement over the Klimt workshop.

Margie started with a brief description of Klimt's artistic style and she described how we would be working with images but that we would be working in an abstracted manner. She showed us how to search for shapes within the image and how to flatten these shapes onto our chosen surface. After drawing in the shapes and blocking in colour, she showed us how to create patterns and symbols. We used stencils and gold to create further marks on our work.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon and the members had created diverse interpretations of the style of Klimt.

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There had been some doubt about holding the event this year because of parking difficulties close to the venue but there was an excellent turnout of members on Sunday and nearly as many on Monday. The weather was almost perfect, if a little too hot out of the shade, on both days. The exhibiting members 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 ... glad we did it!

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The 'ever-popular' Chris Forsey returned to run our second summer workshop and it was a full house. Although Chris had supplied some photographic references these were just a starting point and he was keen for us to develop our paintings without slavishly trying to replicate the photo. His demonstration started with the application of a very loose yellow/orange background using acrylic paint mixed with plenty of medium. He then worked in more loose areas of darker colour from a limited palette to delineate the basic structure of the painting. We went away to apply the same process to our blank paper or canvas and returned to see Chris demonstrate a technique to create the effect of mist rising from the water. Basically this is to apply white paint thinned with medium and then to rub this into the painted surface with the flat area of the thumb. All deceptively simple but actually not easy to replicate ... he has had years of practice! He then developed the painting further, introducing more colour but always keeping the basic contrast of yellow and blue/grey, and also using acrylic inks and oil pastels to create a strong foreground. Chris was constantly on hand to offer advice and encourage us to be experimental and above all to have fun with the process. After lunch there was a second demonstration and by the end of the session there was an impressive gallery of work - evidence of a creative and enjoyable workshop.

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On another scorchingly hot day several members gathered at The Pheasantry café in Bushy Park. After a short caffeine fix we scattered to various shady spots around the Woodland Garden for a couple of hours sketching and painting in delightful surroundings. The morning was rounded off by another meet-up for well-earned refreshment and to look at each others efforts ... a great way to spend a morning.

Held in our regular venue, the 2025 Annual General Meeting was well-attended by many familiar faces but also a number of newer members, which was good to see. As members gathered there were refreshments available before the formal proceedings commenced, hosted by Stephen Waxman (Treasurer) and Paul Potter (Chair). The principal items on the agenda were Paul's review of the last year followed by the financial statement given by Stephen. The overall picture was an optimistic one inspite of a small loss caused by slightly lower income from sales at the Spring Exhibition and increased costs associated with the website. There were encouraging sales of both paintings and crafts at all the events although it is noticeable that smaller ticket items did much better than more expensive ones. There then followed the presentation of awards from the spring show and the announcement of promotions to Associateship, Fellowship and Life membership. Paul announced that most existing committee members were willing to stand for re-election and this was proposed and seconded by members from the floor. An exception to this is the retirement for the time being of Ron Smith for health reasons. Under Any Other Business Paul referred to his recent letter to the membership appealing for help in running the Society and although a few members have come forward there is still the need for more 'fresh blood' to take on some of the administrative work and without this the long-term future of the Society remains in doubt. The formal proceedings of the AGM were followed by a very entertaining demonstration by Sara Vertigan in which she created a riverside scene under a dramatic sky in oils.

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After a spell of rather changeable weather a really good turnout for the fourth plein air session was rewarded with a dry and warm-ish morning. After a convivial meet-up at the Coppernose cafe, members headed off to find a subject for their creative efforts. These included the impressive entrance gates, views of Hampton Court Bridge, palace roof-scapes and chimney-scapes and riverside scenes. The sun shone - occasionally - and it was a great way to spend a few hours, rounded off with another meet-up at the cafe at the end of the session.

For our first summer workshop we welcomed a new tutor - Gerri Besgrove, and model Danielle for a morning of life drawing. After an introduction from Gerri we started with a few very short standing poses to loosen up, trying to look only at the model and not taking the drawing medium off the paper. This was followed by a couple of 8 minute standing poses which allowed for a more measured approach and the first session was rounded off with a slightly longer pose with the model in a prone position. After all that we and the model had certainly earned a break for refreshments. In the second session there was a longer pose, giving the opportunity for more considered mark-making, using different surfaces and mediums. Gerri was on hand to give individual advice and tips for improving our drawings throughout the session. At the end of the morning we all felt that it had been a valuable, enjoyable and challenging experience.

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