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!
Angela’s drawing
Live Aid 1985 – July 2025 – Wednesday
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.
July 2025
Wednesday 9th 7-9pm – Live Aid 1985
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.
Info from Wiki… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid
BBC archive with list of performers… https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/thelive8event/liveaid/history.shtml
Further article… https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/feature/live-aid-85-and-the-day-music-changed-the-world-62966/
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 picture or 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)
“Summer”- Annual Competition – June 2025 – Saturday
Twenty members met on Saturday to start or continue drawing and painting for our annual competition, which is a friendly affair, not fiercely contended. There was lots of chat throughout the day and we enjoyed painting with like-minded folk.
At the end of the session nineteen pictures were entered and after studying all the pictures we voted for our favourite one. After counting there was a clear winner and runner-up, with the rest of the votes evenly spread to other paintings.
These were the entries…
The runner-up was Chris W with her watercolour painting summing up the theme ‘Summer”. Her entry was all about Wimbledon with the winning men’s trophy, tennis rackets, tennis balls, a net and strawberries and cream. Well done Chris, what a fabulous picture!
The winner was Steve with his water mixable oil painting giving summer vibes of drinking wine on the beach in the sun with the blue sea lapping nearby. Congratulations on winning, Steve, we loved your painting!
Other artists drew their own pictures, brought in paintings from previous years with a summer theme or didn’t enter the competition.
Well done everyone, you rose to the challenge with your amazing paintings!
The next newsletter will be published on 1st July, with the next session on Wednesday 9th July from 7-9pm at the hall.
Dot’s portrait
Dot’s portrait of Tina Turner for the different ethnicity theme is ‘Simply the Best’. In soft pastels the portrait captures Tina in full singing mode, vibrant and full of character. Well done, Dot!
Summer – Wednesday 11th June 2025
Nine members attended Wednesday evening’s meeting. The numbers were lower than usual because quite a few members were unwell or away on holiday. In spite of this we had a very pleasant evening with most using the subject for the month ‘Summer’.
The next session will be on Saturday 28th June from 10am to 3pm and will be our annual competition. It’s not compulsory to enter so come along and draw or paint a picture about summer and enjoy painting with friends.
Chris W’s finished painting
Chris W couldn’t make the Saturday session last month on The Diversity of Humanity , so painted her picture at home. It’s in watercolours and is a striking composition with great use of rich colours. Lovely work, Chris, well done!
June 2025
It’s time for our annual competition which is a friendly affair and NOT compulsory. If you don’t want to enter a painting that’s fine, please use the suggested idea as inspiration for a drawing or painting. The competition theme will be on both Wednesday and Saturday sessions, but if you prefer you can come along and ‘do your own thing’ but not enter the competition.
Wednesday 11th 7-9pm – Start painting for the competition
The subject is – SUMMER
There are countless subjects to draw or paint for this broad subject…
People – on the beach, wearing a sunhat and sunglasses, sunbathing in the park, paddling or swimming, sailing on a lake or the sea, making sandcastles, visiting a theme park.
Places – your favourite place to visit in the summer, a beach hut, holiday cottage, walking in the woods.
Flowers – summer blooms in the garden, cut flowers in a vase, a bride’s bouquet or groom’s buttonhole
Animals – your pet lying in the sun, farm animals in a field, heavy horses pulling a cart.
Landscape or seascape – your favourite view of the British countryside or coast in the sun (or rain!), trees in full leaf, boats in a harbour or out at sea.
Food – a cream tea, picnic, barbecue, sandy sandwiches on the beach, trees laden with summer fruits, fruit in a bowl or cornucopia.
Words and pictures – add words or a poem to your summer picture.
Twelve poems about Summer – https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/literary/summer-poems-poetry-solstice-shakespeare-bronte
There’s no right or wrong way to paint this subject…just your way.
Saturday 28th 10am-3pm – Competition continued
Continue with your Summer picture, or paint another. All pictures to be on the display tables by 2.30pm then we all cast one vote for our favourite painting. There will be small a cash prize for the winner and runner-up.
A maximum of two drawings/paintings per member. If you have a picture but can’t attend today please arrange with someone to take and collect your artwork. Or if you come to the Wednesday session but know you can’t make the Saturday session, your picture can be put in our storage cupboard upstairs and brought down for the competition.
If you feel uncomfortable entering the competition that’s fine, you don’t have to. Paint the Summer theme but leave your painting on your own table so it won’t be on the separate tables with the submitted pictures.
Good luck everyone!
Portraits – The Diversity of Humanity – May 2025 – Saturday
Twenty members attended the session with the suggested subject being to draw or paint a portrait of a person of a different ethnicity to themselves. It was a busy session with lots of work being produced, along with cuppas and biscuits and natter as usual.
It was pleasing to see that several people used pastels to create their portrait, using techniques learned at the workshop, as well as watercolours, acrylics and inks. Most are finished but some are works in progress.
Cynthia finished her Lynx from the workshop and it’s absolutely beautiful. The lynx’s coat looks real with the highlights the hairs. Well done!
Other members continued with their wild animals from last month or drew and painted to their own theme.
Great work everyone, it was a good, productive session.
Our next session is on Wednesday 11th June from 7-9pm.
Chris W’s portrait
Chris W has finished an amazing portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. It’s in pastels and she has captured his skin colour tones in such a beautiful way. Well done, Chris, super artwork!
Chalk Art Group 