Kay’s latest pebble picture was a gift to her sister on her 60th birthday. Her sister is a detectorist, which you’ll gather from the picture!
If you’re a keen painter or crafter at home or at another art group, please send photos and a little information about your work to Tracy or Steve and we’d be happy to pop it on the blog for you.
Thirteen members spent the evening reminiscing about BBC programmes from their childhood to the modern day. Andy Pandy was the favourite character to draw and paint, along with Bill and Ben, Bagpuss, The Teletubbies and John Noakes and Shep from Blue Peter. Also featured are the black chair from Mastermind, a classic scene from Only Fools and Horses with Del Boy and Trigger, a work in progress of female presenters on the BBC, the comedy show The Mighty Boosh and an amazing portrait of Sir Patrick Moore.
Well done everyone who came along, it was a very enjoyable evening of chatting and painting!
The next session is on Saturday 22nd October from 10am-3pm and will be the coloured pencil workshop with Amber Halsall. All places are taken but contact Tracy to join the waiting list or come along to ‘do your own thing’ as tables will be set up at the other end of the hall from the workshop,
Kay has been busy again creating another golf pebble picture. You can see the depth of the pebbles so it’s mounted in a box frame.
Kay also creates pictures and plaques using a pyrography tool to burn letters and images onto wood.
Here is a plaque for her boss’s mum who died last year. It’s now on the greenhouse at Rochester Cathedral.
The Muppets feature here in detail. Well done, Kay, it’s really interesting to see another form of creativity!
Our annual Open Day is only eight weeks away on Saturday 26th November, with the hanging evening the day before on Friday 25th November from 7pm. Please note both dates in your diary/calendar/on-line reminder. Hopefully you’ll be getting organised now and have a few paintings to exhibit either mounted or framed. We’ll be asking for the names, media and prices of your paintings in November.
Our Christmas Party will be only a couple of weeks after the Open Day on Wednesday 14th December from 6.30pm. It is hoped to have a lucky dip for a painted wood slice Christmas decoration, which will be available soon for painting. If you want to take part in painting them with acrylics (watercolours, oils, pastels and pencils won’t work on them) then Tracy will be giving them out at the next couple of sessions, with the aim to have them all back by the Open Day. She won’t be able to paint the number needed, so hopefully everyone will be able to paint one or two :o)
Wednesday 12th October – 7-9pm – 100th Anniversary of the BBC
Draw or paint a portrait of your favourite BBC broadcaster, actor, radio personality or character. You could paint the whole cast of a programme either from the BBC’s early days, from a programme being broadcast at the moment or any time in between. Mastermind has been around for 50 years and University Challenge since 1962. Sir Patrick Moore holds the record as the most prolific presenter, hosting all but one episode of The Sky at Night between 1957 and 2013.
If you don’t fancy a portrait then paint a scene from your favourite programme. There have been so many people and programmes it will be difficult to choose one to paint!
Saturday 22nd October – 10am – 3pm – Botanical Coloured Pencil Workshop with Amber Halsall
Amber is a new artist for us but is well known for her plant and flower pictures, having exhibited at many places including Florum and at The Mall Gallery, which many of you have visited. Today she will be giving a botanical workshop in coloured pencils and more details will be emailed shortly.
Her website is here… https://amberhalsallartist.com
Amber prefers a small number of people to teach so her workshop will be for 20. Please EMAIL Tracy asap for a place but check the date first to see if you are available. If there are more people than places then a there will be a waiting list.
***** Do not use the comments box to request a place on this workshop as messages can take days/weeks to get through. Email Tracy directly on her usual email address *****
Please don’t book a place then realise the day before that you won’t be able to come. Unfortunately, in the past we have had people cancelling on the day or just not turning up. This means that people on the waiting list miss a place and we also lose the person’s fee, costing the group money.
The cost for this workshop will be £10 towards Amber’s fee, the hall hire already paid for by your regular subs.
As you have already paid for the hall in your recent subs we aim to make the hall accessible for everyone on the day, even if you’re not taking part in the workshop. We’ll have the workshop at the big window end of the hall and a few tables at the kitchen end of the hall available if you wish to come and ‘do your own thing’ on the day, but please work quietly, thank you!
Steve has completed a coloured pencil portrait of Raymond Briggs.
Raymond’s most famous works were The Snowman, Father Christmas, Fungus the Bogeyman and When the Wind Blows. Steve created the portrait in coloured pencils as that is the medium Raymond chose to illustrate his books with. The texture achieved is very similar to the original illustrations.
Well done, Steve, super work!
Eighteen members tackled the subject of eyes in many different mediums. The subject was just one word but with so many interpretations it was amazing to see all the creations of the day.
Here are human eyes and faces including eyes.
Members drew and painted animal eyes too, with cats and owls being popular choices. The last image in this section is a reminder that Tracy must check her kitchen cupboards more often! ;o)
Some members painted to their own theme and finished pictures from previous sessions about the Queen, Clarice Cliff, summer flowers and animals.
Well done everyone, it was very enjoyable watching all your paintings being created throughout the day.
Our next session is on Wednesday 12th October 7-9pm.
Brenda is not just creative with pens, paints and inks, she also loves creating forms with material, beads and embroidery. She has just completed an online course with Fibre Arts Take Two in Australia called ‘Perfectly Imperfect’, tutored by Lorna Crane.
The student exhibition is now available online, with Brenda’s contribution on page 60. Click on the link and flick through the book as there are so many variations of the vessels make. Particularly interesting are the brushes and mark makers made by the students from local found items.
Here’s a screenshot of Brenda’s vessels, contrasting beautifully with the dried flowers arranged in them. Do look through the whole book though, it’s fascinating .
We were low on numbers with eleven members attending, but we were high on creativity, producing many paintings and drawings on the theme of Clarice Cliff. A gifted designer, Clarice Cliff’s ceramics known as ‘Bizarre’ ware are known worldwide for their bright colours and geometric, sometimes abstract shapes and forms.
Whilst some paintings are works in progress many were completed on the night as their simple shapes allowed fast completion. A special mention goes to Brenda who made a 3-D pencil pot in a classic Clarice Cliff design. Well done everyone, it was a very interesting and productive evening!
Some members completed their paintings from previous sessions about Tutankhamen and Holidays, or worked to their own theme.
Our next session is on Saturday 24th September 10am – 3pm, with the suggested subject of ‘Eyes’.
Kay has created another pebble picture, this time for her friend’s 70th birthday. Using pebbles glued to a plain background Kay has used a black marker to indicate a few shapes, showing her friend’s golfing hobby.
You can see the depth of the pebbles in the second photo with the side-lighting, so Kay mounted the picture in a box frame. Isn’t the little bird sweet? Well done, Kay, it’s a unique and thoughtful present!
After a long, dry, very hot summer there’s definitely a hint of autumn in the air, with cool breezes and plenty of clouds about. Several members have said they found it too hot to paint in the recent scorching weather, so hopefully the cooler weather brings with it some artistic inspiration!
Subs of £25 are due on 1st September to take your membership up to the end of 2022. Please pay online using the bank details Steve has previously sent, or by cash or cheque. If you can’t find his previous emails then look out for another email soon. If the amount is not received by the end of the month then sadly your membership will lapse :o(
Here are the suggested sessions for this month but you’re welcome to paint anything you want to.
Wednesday 14th September – 7-9pm – Clarice Cliff
Clarice Cliff (1899-1972) was a ceramic artist and designer, regarded as one of the most influential ceramicists of the 20th century. Her designs are in museums worldwide and when they appear on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow programme they are much admired.
Paint any of Clarice’s ceramic designs or create and paint your own, inspired by her work. Here’s a website with lots of inspiration… www.claricecliff.com
‘The Colour Room’ film was released this year about Clarice’s early working life in the potteries, to her rise as designer at her own studio. Starring Phoebe Dynevor and Matthew Goode it is interesting to watch. It’s currently free to view on Sky and may also be available elsewhere.
Saturday 24th September – 10am-3pm – “Eyes are the window to the soul”
Draw or paint a close-up of eyes using any medium. Human or any animal, focus on the shape and colour of the eyes to produce an interesting picture.
If you don’t want to paint eyes then carry on or start a Clarice Cliff picture, or choose to paint your own subject, that’s absolutely fine.
Chalk Art Group 