On Saturday 10 members visited Chalk Church for our annual outing there and enjoyed drawing and painting together in the gardens around the pond and Monet bridge. It was cloudy but dry so the artists stayed outside during the day.
Most members painted the view in front of them but others chose to continue with their artwork from previous sessions or their own theme. Several mediums were used to great effect.
Everyone one had an enjoyable and productive day, well done!
Next month’s newsletter is due on 1st August with the next session on Wednesday 13th August 7-9pm back at the hall in Chalk as usual.
A date for your diary is Saturday 23rd August when we will be returning to the private gardens behind Rochester Cathedral. There are 5 Saturdays in August this year but we meet on the 4th Saturday, which is also bank holiday weekend. Tracy will be taking names soon so please check your calendar and ‘save the date’.
Tracy saw a handmade ceramic plate online of a boat and colourful, curving waves. She painted something similar using watercolours in many shades of blue, green and purple, then outlined all the shapes in gold watercolour paint. The boat’s hull is currently white but she might paint it orange or red or maybe vermillion, as the colour in between the two. Decisions, decisions!
Last year we had a session on drawing and painting on printed paper, including dictionary pages. One of Tracy’s daughters loves capybaras so that page in the dictionary was cut out and finally used this year. Tracy used coloured pencils and very dry watercolours for the capybara and left the dictionary entry of capybara free of colour. Once framed the page was given as a present.
For the last Wednesday session the theme was the Live Aid concert of 1985. Tracy drew Freddie Mercury singing under a spotlight in white coloured pencil on black craft paper. She’s pleased as the effect is what she was aiming for.
If you complete pictures from previous sessions please send them to Tracy or Steve. We’d love to see them finished!
Angela drew Bob Geldof’s portrait for the recent Live Aid 1985 session and completed it at home. Beautifully drawn it captures Bob and his intense stare at the viewer. Good work, Angela!
Thirteen members attended the session on a muggy summer’s evening, but the aircon kept us cool. Some artists painted the theme of Live Aid, the dual concerts held in London and Philadelphia in July 1985. Freddie Mercury and Bob Geldof were the most popular subjects to draw and paint.
Chris W’s painting of an animal carcass in a barren landscape and an RAF C-130 aeroplane carrying food and supplies is a sombre reminder of the concerts’ aim to raise money for the 1983-5 famine in Ethiopia. £40 million was raised on the day, equivalent to £100 million today.
Most pictures are works in progress to be finished at home or another session.
Other artists drew and painted to their own theme, including a finished picture from Peta of the Angelina Tea Room in Paris which she visited last year.
Lovely work everyone, well done!
Our next session will be on Saturday 26th July at St.Mary’s Church in Chalk, from 10am to just before 3pm, not at the Parish Hall.
40 years ago on Saturday 13th July 1985 the Live Aid concert took place simultaneously at Wembley Stadium, London and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. 70 artists and bands played over 16 hours of live music to a 1.9 billion audience across 150 countries. This was nearly 40% of the world’s population and one of the largest satellite link-up and broadcasts of all time. Considered the greatest live performance in the history of rock in an industry poll, the concert raised £40 million (£100million today) in just one day, with all proceeds going towards famine relief in Ethiopia.
In any medium draw or paint your favourite singer or band from the concert, either their close-up portrait or wider view including the audience.
Saturday 26th from 10am-3pm – ‘Do your own thing’ at Chalk Church
We return to our summer venue at St.Mary’s Church in Chalk. Please arrive from 10am and no earlier as the gates have to be unlocked by the churchwarden.
The church, ‘Monet’ bridge over the pond and the gardens are popular subjects to paint, but you don’t have to.
Many of us have painted these several times, so instead start any project for our Open Day(Saturday 22nd November), continue or start any Live Aid pictureor your own theme.
It’s a day to enjoy painting en plein air, but if it’s raining we still meet at the church as there’s an indoor room in the barn with tables and chairs for us to use, though we may have to move boxes around, and a sheltered area outside the barn with benches. If it’s really sunny there are plenty of trees with shade to sit under. There’s a large car park, toilet, and tea, coffee and biscuits as usual.
Please bring along a folding chair or stool if you intend to paint outside in the gardens and a packed lunch too. If you can only make the morning or afternoon, please come along and join us for a couple of hours. We pack up a little before 3pm as the church warden locks the gates then.
The church doesn’t charge us to use the barn or gardens, so any donations to the Church Fund on the day are appreciated, thank you :o)
Chalk Art Group 