Susan was contacted via this blog with a request to paint Rochester Cathedral.

Chris saw Susan’s painting of a squirrel in a previous post and e-mailed saying “I was rather fortunate coming across it, looking for a local artist who hopefully would be able to help me on my quest of gifting my fiancée with something beautiful on the day of our wedding!”

Correspondence flowed back and forth with Susan going to Rochester and taking photos of the view suggested. Kay, one of our members, who works for the Dean of Rochester, together with the gardener at the cathedral, helped with research as Susan wanted to know what the cathedral surroundings would look like in May, which was when the wedding was taking place. She also painted the clock at 12.30, the time of the wedding.

Here is a close up of the finished commission and also photos of the framed painting in its new home.

Well done, Susan, Rochester Cathedral is beautifully painted and to paint the clock at the time of the wedding was a brilliant idea. No wonder Chris and Kayleigh love the painting!

There was a lovely atmosphere in the room on Saturday with 24 members attending. With such a broad subject we had a range of paintings from landscapes, Galway Bay and The Rock of Cashel. An Irish dancer, a Leprechaun and a portrait of Brenda’s grandmother. Cillian Murphy a character from Peaky Blinders was sent in by Jane. Some are still works in progress so do send your finished work in, on line or bring it along to the next session.

Some members chose to ‘Do there own thing’

Tracy and Steve brought along their finished pointillism paintings.

Well done all.

Our next session is on Wednesday the 13th July. 7pm to 9pm.

It would be good to see some members, who do not usually come to the evening sessions in the dark winter months , come along and take advantage of the light evenings

Kay’s friends recently refurbished and opened their pub, The Kings Head, in Sutton Valence, just south east of Maidstone.

They redesigned the Kings Head logo and Kay painted and framed the design to hang in the pub. She says the food is delicious and well worth a visit!

It was a quiet session as most members enthusiastically tackled the Pointillism theme with dots and marks in paint, pencils and felt tip pens. There’s no right or wrong way to tackle this theme so everyone relaxed and enjoyed creating their pictures of any subject. Deirdre was especially creative and produced two cloud and sky paintings in under two hours! Some paintings are works in progress and will be finished at home.

Some members worked to their own theme or finished animal and Tutankhamun paintings from previous sessions.

The next session will be on Saturday 25th June from 10am to 3pm.

Here are a few ideas for our sessions this month, but if you want to DYOT (Do Your Own Thing) then that’s absolutely fine. Come along for the company of painting with friends.

Wednesday 8th 7-9pm – Pointillism

Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in the 1880s, branching off from Impressionism. Pointillism relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to blend the different spots of colour into a fuller range of tones. Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix (aka Henri-Edmond Cross) also painted very successfully in this style.

Look up paintings by all three artists and either paint the whole or part of one of their paintings. Or paint your own subject in a Pointillist style. If you are enjoying the Platinum Jubilee celebrations this weekend then paint a jubilee picture. Don’t forget to try and include Very Peri, the Pantone colour of the Year 2022!

Saturday 25th June 10am-3pm – Ireland

The Irish Free State gained its independence in 1922, becoming known as the Republic of Ireland in 1949 and in Gaelic is called Éire. With a long history dating back many millennia, Ireland is a broad subject which you can interpret in many ways. Perhaps you have travelled to Ireland and can use your own photographs?

Initial thoughts – The Emerald Isle, a cèilidh, Dublin, students, St. Patrick’s Day, Guinness, folk music, hurling, pubs, whiskey, leprechauns and faeries in folklore etc.

Famous Irish actors, authors and musicians – Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Evanna Lynch, Bono and U2, Enya, Van Morrison, The Dubliners, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Becket, Seamus Heaney.

Landscapes – the rugged Atlantic coast, rolling green hills, mountains.

History – The Book of Kells, neolithic megaliths, castles.

Use any media to create your picture of anything to do with Ireland. If you like painting portraits then choose a person, if you like landscapes then paint any view of the countryside or if you like urban environments then Dublin is a great choice.

Over twenty members attended Saturday’s session and the day was full of chatter and enjoyment walking around seeing all the pictures that were produced. The theme of ‘animals’ could be interpreted in any way in any medium, so there were many animals that took shape during the day. Mediums used were watercolours, oils, acrylics, graphite pencils, coloured pencils, pastels, collage, felt pens and pen and ink.

Some members brought in paintings they’d finished at home and others painted their own themes.

Well done to all who came on Saturday and produced such a wonderful variety of pictures!

Our next session at the hall will be on Wednesday 8th June from 7-9pm.

Just one word and no suggested ideas for this session’s subject led to many drawings and paintings for ‘red’. In all different mediums members explored the colour red from small paintings of poppies to large abstracts. Brenda painted not a diptych or a triptych but a polyptych of 4 panels.

Word of the evening went to Myrna who use the word ‘scaphognathite’ in reference to the crab painting, meaning ‘a thin leaflike appendage (the exopodite) of the second maxilla of decapod crustaceans’. Every day is a learning day!

Some members tried their hand at the previous Tutankhamun theme or carried on with artwork they had started elsewhere.

It was absolutely brilliant that 32 members came along to Saturday’s session to enjoy some cake to celebrate M&C Art Group’s 30th birthday. Seeing so many people being creative together brings hope that, after two awful years of coronavirus and lockdowns, the group has a promising future for many years to come. Please keep coming to the group to enjoy painting with your art friends!

The day was lively and abuzz with chatter as members walked around to see the pictures being painted for our yearly competition. This year the subject of Tutankhamun proved a popular one with much gold paint being applied to paper and canvases.

Fifteen entries were put forward for the competition which were all viewed closely. We each had one vote to pick our favourite picture. The mediums used were watercolours, acrylics, inks and coloured pencils on paper and canvas, with one entry even being painted on papyrus. It was a very difficult decision as all the pictures had their own merits and were beautifully painted. Well done to all entrants, your work was amazing.

The runner-up was Kay, with her painting of Tutankhamun arising from his golden coffin, painted in acrylic with tiny details on the mask.

The winner was Susan, with her detailed coloured pencil study of one of Tutankhamun’s guardian statues, carved from sycamore wood and covered in resin and gold leaf. She actually saw the original statue at the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in 2019.

Very well done, ladies, your pictures are worthy winners!

During the day some members painted Tutankhamun pictures but didn’t enter them for the competition and other members painted their own theme, one especially being very apt as Saturday was actually St.George’s Day.

The next session at the hall will be on Wednesday 11th May from 7-9pm.

Also, look out for Steve’s email at the beginning of May which will tell you how to pay subs for the next four months.

At recent sessions you may have seen George starting to paint portraits in oils of film and tv actors. He has now finished his latest five portraits. Great work, George!

On a warm Wednesday evening we had 13 members painting, drawing and continuing with collage.

The majority started work on this month’s theme of Tutankhmun, most are still a ‘work in progress’

Tutankhamun theme

Christine continued with a collage work of the seven Sisters, Peta started a view of a town in Portugal, Andrea painted a spray of flowers and George was painting a self portrait which he will send in later.

We are looking forward to seeing the completed Tutankhamun works at our next meeting on Saturday the 23rd of April which as you know is our 30th Anniversary. There will be tea and cakes to celebrate and a competion to find the best Tutankhmun painting on the day.

Do come along