“Summer”- Annual Competition – June 2025 – Saturday

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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

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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

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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.

June 2025

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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

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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.

Lesley’s painting

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Lesley has called this painting ‘Sheila’s Hounds’ as they are her friends two greyhounds painted for her birthday in July. The background on the original photo is of a radiator but Lesley has changed this to the Scottish Highlands instead. What a great idea!

Lesley has not been able to attend sessions for a while but hopes to be well enough to return in the Autumn. We look forward to your return :o)

Portraits by Angela and Tracy

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Angela started drawing Sepoy Namdeo Jadhao VC at the last session and finished it at home. He won a VC in 1945 at the age of only 23, details of which are from the National Army Museum… https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1966-04-5-1

Lovely work, Angela, with good use of pencil in many tones on Namdeo’s face.

Tracy enjoyed drawing and painting a face she saw online during the recent VE Day commemorations. Dorothea ‘Pixie’ Barron is 100 years old and gave an interview with The Big Issue about her life and joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service after she left school and serving as a Wren during WWII. Last year she celebrated her 100th birthday with a Spitfire flight! Read the interview here… https://www.bigissue.com/life/ve-day-second-world-war-dorothea-barron-interview/

After an accurate drawing was made Tracy used watercolours to capture Dorothea’s beautiful face.

Julia’s painting

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Julia started her painting at the session on Art Deco, with colourful, geometric circles her main focus. She spent a long time drawing the circles then hours painting each one in acrylics. Many of the circles have more circles on them.

Well done, Julia, what a fabulous painting!