Chalk Kent

The Friars, Aylesford, Kent – July 2026 – Saturday

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Last Saturday we didn’t meet at the hall in Chalk, we visited The Friars at Aylesford, Kent for an en plein air drawing and painting day. 20 members came along and Sue’s friend Annick from France also painted with us, using watercolours for the first time, which is quite an achievement.

The Friars is spread over a large area so some sat with a friend and others with a larger group. It was a hot, sunny day but we all found shade under trees by the pond, in the Great Courtyard, the Rosary Way and near the main shrine. When the sun moved and our chosen spots became warmer we changed to a different area and the gentle breeze kept us cool. Most of the photos were taken by Tracy, but thank you to Gloria and Jane who also took photos. Most people had their photos taken but apologies to Pat and Graham as Tracy didn’t find where you were painting during the day!

During the day we drew and painted what was in front of us using watercolours, pen and ink, graphite pencils and coloured pencils. Some pictures are finished and others will be completed at home. Vikki had the brilliant idea of asking a gardener to pose for a photo before starting to paint her. Some members created 3 or more sketches or painted more than one picture so it was a very productive day

The Friars is a peaceful place to visit with beautiful grounds to walk around and quiet areas for prayer and contemplation. They also offer overnight stays if you want a retreat from the chaos of every day life. Some of us were quite tempted to stay for a few days!

It’s free to visit for all faiths or none, with a £2 donation for parking. There’s a good cafe serving hot and cold food and drink.

The Friars website for more info… https://www.thefriars.org.uk/home

Here’s a surfeit of photos because around every corner was another beautiful view.

Thank you for your company, it was a really enjoyable day!

Our whip round raised just over £70 which was taken to the office and more was raised as some members paid their donation to the box in the car park or at the cafe. Thank you all.

Our next session is on Wednesday 12th August 7-9pm back at the hall in Chalk.

Acrylic landscape workshop with Joe Norris – June 2026 – Saturday

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Nineteen members met on a very hot Saturday for an acrylic workshop with trees run by artist and tutor Joe Norris. Workshops in the last few years have been soft pastels, watercolours, and inks, so for those of us not used to acrylics it was great to use them again under tuition. Joe was a very patient tutor, informative on the acrylic colours we used gave us many tips during the day which will be useful for further paintings.

Joe brought along paintings of landscapes with trees that he has painted previously for us to see his style and use of colours.

Here’s his website for further info and contact details if you’d like him to visit another art group… https://joenorrisart.co.uk

We painted one picture before lunch and one afterwards. We started by painting our acrylic paper and boards with raw or burnt sienna then not drawing the image but diving straight in with a mix of indigo and yellow to define the shapes of the trees within the landscape. Joe walked around to give advice as we added lighter greens to our paintings and then the grass area. Most of us hadn’t heard of ‘sky holes’, painted on trees to give reference to the sky, but we tried this technique using white and alizarin crimson or red. We also used palette knives and old credit cards to add texture to the foreground.

Here’s the art group working hard, nicely cooled by the air con. Thank you for the photos, Joe.

We all used the same reference image but every painting created had its own unique feel. Some of us didn’t have time to paint the bluebells but we will paint them at home using a mixture of white, purple and blue.

For the second picture we used the same paint colours to paint trees with a path meandering through them. This time the light was ‘contre-jour’ meaning ‘against daylight’, with the camera/artist facing the primary light source with the sun shining through the trees in front of us. After painting the trees and path we dabbed on white and yellow paint for the sun with a fingertip and then used dampened kitchen roll to lightly spread the paint across the painting for the light effect.

Again it was interesting that we all used the same reference photo but every painting was different. Some could have been painted early morning, midday or in the evening and some were of very mysterious woods.

At the end of the session we put our paintings along one wall and Joe gave us helpful critiques of how we had painted during the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed this workshop with Joe as he patiently taught us with his knowledge. Thank you for coming, Joe, we hope to have you back again!

Well done everyone, you worked very hard for hours and took home two almost-finished paintings.

Look out for the next newsletter on 1st July. Our next session is on Wednesday 8th July from 7-9pm.

Ink & watercolour workshop with Victoria Wainwright – April 2026 – Saturday

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On Saturday twenty one members enjoyed an ink and workshop with artist and tutor Victoria Wainwright. We learned about different types of inks, including acrylic and Indian inks and used several colours in different paintings. It was the first time we have done four paintings at one workshop and we all went home having learned a lot and appreciated her knowledge, inspiration and encouragement.

Victoria’s website is here… https://www.victoriawainwright.com

As art group subs covers the hall hire, members not attending the workshop are welcome to come along and create pictures to their own theme.

We started the workshop by doodling with a pen on a sheet of paper, filling in some or all of the shapes, choosing 3 different coloured inks from a large selection and painting the shapes. After this exercise we placed all the pictures on the floor to view them.

For the next exercise Victoria showed us some examples of paintings of everyday household kitchen items. We chose items from a selection for a little still life. We drew the objects in pencil, used inks to paint outside the lines then drew loose lines in pen for the outlines and details of the objects. Having painted within the lines for many years we were encouraged to paint outside the lines, add splashes of ink and it was quite liberating!

After lunch we moved on to watercolours to paint birch trees with a coloured background. Victoria drew vertical lines for the tree trunks, put clean water between the trees then added watercolours wet in wet to create mixed colours. Whilst the paint was wet we added large salt granules to the colours which made interesting patterns when dry. Once the dry salt was brushed off we used Quink ink in black or blue with a cocktail stick to add the lines and details on the birch trees. By adding more Quink to one side of a tree trunk and using a brush with water to create a darker side it made the trunks become rounded and not flat. We added more paint to the bottom of the picture by using sponges and a bunch of elastic bands loaded with paint. It makes a difference to the atmosphere of the woods by the paint colours used.

The first three birch tree paintings are Victoria’s and the rest are ours.

For the last painting we had a reference photo of a fishing boat. We loosely drew the shape of the boat and used watercolours for the sky, land and boat, emphasising the rusty areas. When the painting was dry we used Quink ink or a black pen to outline the boat and pick out areas of interest.

The first photo is the reference picture, then Victoria’s painting, then ours.

We all really enjoyed the workshop, learning about and trying different types of ink, using cocktail sticks with Quink, drawing with a pen and taking home four paintings. Thank you, Victoria, for a tiring but inspiring day!

Look out for the next newsletter on 1st May and our next session is on Wednesday 13th May from 7-9pm.

‘Portraits’ – Annual Competition – March 2026 – Saturday

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Twenty members met on Saturday to start or continue drawing and painting for our annual competition, this year on ‘Portraits’. Our competitions are friendly affairs and not fiercely contended so there was lots of chatter throughout the day over a cuppa and biscuits.

At the end of the session sixteen portraits were entered and after studying all the pictures we all voted for our favourite one. After counting there was a clear winner with two paintings tied for runner-up. After another round of voting and counting we had the second placed picture.

Here are the portrait entries of family members and famous people…

The runner-up was Susan with her pencil study of Devon based sculptor Peter Randall-Page, RA. The portrait was in pencil with delicate marks and bold strokes defining Peter’s face. Well done, Susan!

The winner was Mary with her portrait of Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones. Painted with energy and positive mark-making the portrait was bold and outstanding. Well done, Mary, we loved your painting!

Other artists painted to their own themes or didn’t enter the portrait competition. Some are works in progress and will be finished at home…

Well done everyone, you rose to the challenge with your amazing paintings!

Look out for the next newsletter on Wednesday 1st April, with the next session on Wednesday 8th April from 7-9pm.

Animals in Winter – January 2026 – Saturday

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Twenty two artists met at the hall last Saturday, whilst one poorly artist painted at home then sent in photos of her pictures. It was a lovely relaxing day with arty friends catching up with each other over a cuppa and biscuits. To all members ill with this sore throat/cough bug, get better soon!

The suggested subject of ‘Animals in Winter’ was a popular one and several artists produced two pictures during the day. There were squirrels, highland cattle, foxes, squirrels, deer, birds, puffins, a snow leopard, hares, butterflies, a rabbit, ladybirds, a dormouse and robins. Several different mediums were used, such as watercolours, soft pastels, graphite pencils, acrylics, coloured pencils and inks. Some pictures are finished and others are works in progress, such as a landscape waiting for the animal to be added. The last 5 pictures were created at another art group but are of the same subject.

Some artists chose their own themes to draw and paint with pencils, pastels and watercolours.

Well done, everyone, it was a very productive day!

Ideas for next month will be published on 1st February and the next session will be on Wednesday 11th February from 7-9pm.

Back to Basics – January 2026 – Wednesday

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On a cold, dark Wednesday evening fifteen artists met for the first session of 2026. There were twelve members and three ladies who came along to experience drawing with the art group. We hope you enjoyed yourselves, Christina, Jackie and Isabelle, and want to come along again and join us!

The suggested session was ‘back to basics’ to draw in monochrome pencils and get used to drawing again after the Christmas and New Year break. Many pictures were produced including some drawn at home and at another art group. If you can’t come to a session you’re welcome to do the suggested subject at home and sent Tracy photos that day or the next for inclusion in the blog post.

Some references have been included so you can see the images and objects that we worked from.

Brenda was very productive sketching with ink and her subjects were other artists at the session. Can you see who she drew?

Good work everyone, it was great to see you being creative as we haven’t had an art session since last November.

Our next session is on Saturday 24th January from 10am to 3pm. This will be on the 4th Saturday of January not the 5th one. Hope to see you there!

January 2026

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Here are suggestions for the two sessions in January, but you’re welcome to come to draw and paint anything you’d like to.

Wednesday 14th – 7-9pm – Back to basics

Let’s start the year going back to basics, using only grades of graphite pencils to sketch and draw in monochrome. Don’t just use an HB pencil, get depth and shading by using several B grade pencils.

If you’re stuck for a subject bring some objects from home to draw or look at the Christmas cards you have to see if there any you are inspired by or start sketching an animal for the Saturday session.

Saturday 24th – 10am-3pm – Animals in Winter

Continue using pencils to draw your animal subjects in monochrome or add a little paint for a splash of colour. Look at your Christmas cards again before recycling as many have animals on the front. Think of…

  • animals that hibernate – bats, hedgehogs, dormice, bears, bees, ladybirds, butterflies and moths, frogs etc, draw them where they hibernate.
  • animals that don’t hibernate – squirrels, badgers, deer, foxes, moles, birds etc.
  • texture – prepare a surface before the session. Add texture medium to watercolour paper or an acrylic surface and paint over the top, or glue white tissue paper down for snowy texture.
  • draw or paint a winter landscape cold and grey in monochrome, then add an animal in colour.
  • use coloured soft or oil pastels to give animals a furry feel or white and light pastels for a landscape under a blanket of snow with, for example, deer or farm animals in a field.
  • If you’ve ever spent the winter in Australia or the Caribbean you may want to paint colourful animals in bright colours!

Hope to see you all in January.

Welcome to 2026

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HAPPY NEW YEAR and THANK YOU to everyone for your continued support for Chalk Art Group during 2025, attending sessions at the hall, Chalk Church and Rochester Cathedral and painting along at home.

Membership

We will finance Chalk Art Group in 2026 with an annual subscription of £90, to cover the hall hire fees for the year.

Alternatively, equal payments of £30 will be due 3 times during the year in January, May and September. If you choose to pay in instalments you are committing to pay for the whole year, not coming for a few months then stopping then starting again. Without this support we will not be able to raise enough funds to hire the hall. Steve emailed everyone on 31st December with details of how to pay by bank transfer, cheque or cash. Please check his email as there is important info about the art group’s name at the bank. If you pay promptly this saves members being emailed and phoned to be reminded to pay.

Please pay your membership fee by the end of January to continue to be a member of the art group. Thank you!

Sessions

Our sessions will continue to be on the second Wednesday evening 7-9pm and the fourth Saturday of the month 10am to 3pm, with session ideas being published on the 1st of that month.

You don’t have to paint the suggested ideas, you’re welcome to come along and paint anything you want to. Or if you come on a Wednesday and want to paint the Saturday idea or vice versa, that’s no problem at all.

Free tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided at all sessions, so if you just want to come and chat with your art friends that’s okay!

Workshops

Any workshops will have the usual ‘first come, first served’ policy of putting your name down, with an additional amount to pay to cover the tutor’s fee. If more artists wish to attend the session than the tutor has room for, we’ll have a waiting list and you have a chance of getting a place as members sometimes pull out at the last minute. 

If you don’t want to attend a workshop you have already paid for the hall hire in your subs. You are therefore welcome to sit and paint quietly at the kitchen end of the hall whilst the workshop session takes place towards the window end of the hall. 

Session dates for 2026

Please print them out or write them in your diary or calendar. Some months have 5 Saturdays but we meet on the 4th one.

Open Day is on Saturday 26th September, with hanging the Friday evening before from 7pm.

  2026 2nd Wednesday    7-9pm4th Saturday   10am-3pm
  January  (subs)     14th      24th
      February       11th       28th
      March       11th       28th
      April       8th      25th
      May (subs)     13th       23rd
      June       10th       27th
      July       8th       25th   (not at hall)
      August       12th     22nd (not at hall)
      September (subs)       9th FRIDAY 25th – hanging evening
SATURDAY 26th – OPEN DAY
      October       14th       24th
      November       11th  28th
      December      9th – Christmas Party  

Christmas Party – December 2025 – Wednesday

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Our Christmas Party was an enjoyable evening with members, partners and family members coming along in Christmassy jumpers, hats and glasses. For those too poorly to join us, we hope you get better very soon.

With a tasty selection of sweet and savoury food, Christmas music, quizzes and Pass the Parcel we all had a fun evening together. A special mention to Cynthia whose ham and cheese flower wraps and Nutella flowers were much admired!

Thank you to Angela, Myrna, Neil, Ron and Tracy for contributing time and effort for Pass the Parcel, the music and the quizzes. And thank you to everyone who helped set up and tidy everything away.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope to see you on Wednesday 14th January 7-9pm for our first session of 2026.

Open Day – Saturday 22nd November 2025

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Our annual Open Day had 23 artists painting at the hall, 22 members and a young friend of one member being creative with us to see if she’d like to join the group. We welcomed about 40 friends, family, local residents and people who had seen the Open Day advertised on social media.

We all enjoyed the day painting and chatting to visitors and several commented that it’s really interesting to see artists at work whilst they enjoyed walking around the exhibition.

Words from visitors in the comments book included…

“Amazing artwork!” “Really enjoyed the exhibition!” “Wonderful work – so many good artists with different styles.” “Brilliant work, very good standard.” “Well done all of you.”

84 framed paintings were on the walls with 4 sold, one each by Sandra and Tracy and two by Patrick. Well done, Patrick, that’s brilliant!

There were browsers with 70 mounted pictures, with 2 sold by Peta and Angela and Dot sold 3 of her greetings cards. Two enquiries about membership were made. The 4 hours seemed to go past very quickly.

Thank you to everyone who helped with hanging on Friday evening and a HUGE thank you to all members who kept tea, coffee and biscuits constantly supplied to visitors on the day. Also for washing up and drying so many cups, saucers and teaspoons. We couldn’t run the day without your help and enthusiasm!

Here are all the paintings from Friday evening’s hanging session. (Apologies for the yellow cast on the photos, that’s the dull lighting at the hall, but the photos have been brightened.)

Our last session of 2025 will be the Christmas Party on Wednesday 10th December from 7-9pm.

Please email Tracy asap if you’d like to come to the party.