For our second outdoor session of the summer fifteen members met at Chalk Church for a few hours. The weather was very pleasant with a sunny blue sky and a few clouds. We drew and painted under the trees and with a steady breeze some members wore cardigans and light jackets as it was lovely and cool in the shade.

We enjoyed each other’s company and chatted away for hours. With the recent heatwaves the grass was brown in the gardens and orchard and the pond water low, but with enough water for pond-dwelling creatures. Thank you for donations of nearly £50 for church funds :o)

Most artists sketched the view in front of them and two members painted to their own theme.

Good work everyone, it was a very enjoyable day with good company!

Look out for next month’s sessions published on 1st September with all the details for hanging evening on Friday 25th and Open Day on Saturday 26th September.

The next session is back at Chalk Parish Hall on Wednesday 9th September from 7-9pm.

On a very warm evening 9 members attended after a slightly later start. We all took advantage of some Solar Eclipse glasses to watch, from a perfect vantage point, the partial eclipse of the sun. It was super to share that moment together.

The subject for the evening was Cacti

Some members chose to ‘do their own thing’

Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help set up and clear away the tables and chairs. Also thanks to the members who were unable to attend but let me know beforehand, it enabled us to put out the correct number of tables.

Well done all.

Our next meeting is on the 22nd August in the grounds of Chalk Church between 10am and 3pm but if you just want to come along for just a few hours that is fine. There will be tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits as usual. We usually have a collection to give to the Church as a little thank you for the use of the grounds and facilities. We will still meet even if it is raining as there is ample cover on site.

Here’s what we’ll be working on in August, but come along to draw and paint to your own subject if you’d prefer.

Wednesday 12th – 7-9pm – Cacti

The weather is hotter than usual at the moment and so dry with parched grass and dehydrated flowers everywhere. Thinking of plants that thrive in hot conditions, cacti are the most obvious. There are 1750 species, so lots to choose from.

Draw or paint cactuses in pots or in their native habitat of the Americas. Paint them in a botanical way, loosely or in silhouette with a sunset behind them.

Saturday 22nd –  from 10am-3pm –  ‘Do your own thing’ at Chalk Church

We return to Chalk, this time to 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 many times, so instead start any project for our Open Day (only next month on Saturday 26th September!),  continue a cactus picture or finish a view at The Friars at Aylesford from last month.

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, free 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)

No need to let Tracy know you are coming, just turn up on the day. Hope you can come to the session!

If you’re new to the art group, here’s a map of where Chalk Church is in relation to Chalk Parish Hall.

Wednesday 8th – 7-9pm – David Hockney

The recent death of one of the most significant and influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, British artist David Hockney, resulted in many articles about him online, in newspapers, magazines, on the news and several programmes on tv.

One article said that David grew up during WWII and post war years and he originally painted with oils, but found them and his birthplace, Bradford, very dreary. He moved to the US in his 20s and his world exploded with bright colours in permanent sunlight and his love of radiant acrylics and California began. In his later years he returned to Yorkshire and embraced photography and painting digitally on his iPad.

Many of the group have seen his paintings in galleries and exhibitions.

– Use any of David’s paintings as a reference and recreate it.

– Use any painting as reference and design your own picture but in his style.

– If you prefer portraits then draw or paint David at any time of his life.

– Use your iPad or tablet to paint digitally.

Here is his official website with many paintings and info… www.hockney.com/home

Wiki page… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hockney

Saturday 25th July – 10am to 3pm – The Friars, Aylesford

We don’t meet at the hall two Saturdays a year in the summer. This year we will try one different place to meet not too far from Chalk and see if there’s a good response.

Many of you have probably visited the priory to attend a service or walk around the grounds, but this time come and enjoy the peaceful surroundings to draw and paint what you see.

The Friars is free to visit with a suggested car parking donation of £2. There’s a tea room and shop, toilets, a large pond, the great courtyard, the main shrine with lots of seating, a rosary walk and rooms to go in if they’re not in use. You’re asked to be quiet at the shrine and rosary walk as they are places for prayer and contemplation and there will be a mass at noon. There may be pilgrims visiting so please be aware of them.

There are benches all around the grounds but take a folding chair if you want to sit elsewhere and there are a few places to shelter if it rains.

We need to inform the office how many artists will be visiting, so please email Tracy asap if you’d like to put your name down.

If you can’t make it all day, come for a couple of hours, or if you don’t drive, bribe your other half to take you for part of the session while they have a walk around and have a coffee in the tea room!

The Friars website… www.thefriars.org.uk/home

Map of the grounds… www.thefriars.org.uk/Plan+your+visit/Map+of+the+Grounds

There will be a theatre production in a field there in the afternoon, but as we’re arriving in the morning there should be plenty of parking for us.