painting

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.

Susan’s paintings

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A couple of months ago Kay asked us to send her images of paintings and drawings done at Rochester Cathedral. A few members emailed their artwork and one painting was chosen for the front cover of the brochure for Rochester Cathedral Trust’s annual dinner.

Susan’s beautiful, softly coloured watercolour of Rochester Cathedral was chosen.

The painting looks fantastic as the front cover and she has been given a brochure to keep.

Here’s the whole brochure if you want to see all of it. Susan is named on page 10.

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/ac/12/D796A57B-3EA9-466B-942B-326C24304E06/Final%20Nave%20Dinner%20Brochure%20-%2020.11.25.pdf

Here’s Rochester Cathedral’s website if you want to visit… https://www.rochestercathedral.org

Susan has also finished her painting of Jane Austen, from a watercolour done by Jane’s sister Cassandra.

Super paintings as usual, Susan, well done!

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.

Jane Austen – November 2025 – Wednesday

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Ten members came along to Wednesday evening’s session and enjoyed painting together and having a chat over biscuits and a cuppa.

The suggested subject was Jane Austen as this year is the 250th anniversary of her birth. Unfortunately it was not a popular subject with only one member having a go. The picture took a long time to draw out so only a little watercolour paint was added at the session and it will be finished at home.

Other artists drew and painting to their own subjects with many themes started or continued in watercolours, acrylics and coloured pencils.

Our next meeting is on Friday 21st November 7-9pm when we hang all the paintings for our Open Day on Saturday 22nd November. It’s a normal timed session from 10am to 3pm, with visitors from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Please email Steve asap with details of all your paintings! Thank you :o)

Railway 200 – October 2025 – Wednesday

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Eleven members met on Wednesday evening to draw and paint together over a cuppa and biscuits. The suggested subject was the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, with artists invited to paint historical or any age locomotives up to modern times.

Some paintings have been photographed with the reference image, to see how the artist was inspired.

Some members created pictures to their own theme or continued artworks from previous sessions.

The next session is on Saturday 25th October from 10am to 3pm. Check the newsletter from 1st October for the subject idea.

Still Life – September 2025 – Saturday

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It was great that the session was well attended with 19 members coming along for a still life session, with plenty of time for a natter over a cuppa and a biscuit. Objects were set up by the artists in front of them, drawings were made and then painted with watercolours and acrylics or further details drawn.

Many of the photos include the still life objects and show the pictures as works in progress. A couple of paintings were done at home of the previous still life theme of fruit and vegetables.

Other artists chose their own subjects.

Super work, everyone, it was an enjoyable day of creativity with good company too!

The next session is on Wednesday 8th October from 7-9pm.

Fruit and vegetable still life – September 2025 – Wednesday

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Eleven members met last Wednesday evening with the suggested subject being to draw and paint a fruit and vegetable still life.

Fruit and veg comes in all shapes, sizes and colours so the resulting sketches and paintings are really colourful.

Other artists started or continued with their own themes.

The next session is on Saturday 27th September from 10am to 3pm. Hope you can make it! :o)

September 2025

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The last payment of subs due for 2025 is due by the end of the month so look out for an email from Steve how to pay. If you don’t get an email from him then you have already paid for the whole year and don’t need to do anything, just keep coming along to the sessions :o)

We’ve not had any still life subjects for a long time so let’s concentrate on that theme for this month.

Wednesday 10th – 7-9pm – Fruit and vegetable still life

As farmers harvest their field crops it’s almost time to celebrate harvest festival. Bring fruit and/or veg to draw and paint in detail. Look at the individual shapes they are and different colours, then cut some open to see the interesting patterns inside. The lighting in the hall is unfortunately very dim, so please remember to bring along a lamp to light your items to see them better!

Saturday 27th September – 10am-3pm – Still Life with objects

Continue with your fruit and veg still life or bring other objects from home and set up a still life in front of you. There are single tables in the store cupboard if you want to place one in front of your painting table to set up a still life with boxes or draped material as a background.

Hobbies – Gardening – flowers, a trug, gardening implements. Walking – a map, compass, walking boots, rucksack. Art – a paint palette, paintbrushes, jar of water, pencil case. Cooking – recipe books, utensils, weighing scales. Driving – a map, gloves, car keys. Photography – a camera, flashgun, tripod, camera bag. Music – musical instruments, sheet music.

About you – bring interesting items from home – jewellery, books, childhood toys, dolls and teddies, a relative’s fob watch, ornaments, vases with or without flowers, your favourite foods, a wine bottle and glasses, plants, statues, a teapot, cups and saucers, shiny objects that reflect other things, glass objects that you can see through, a globe, candles, shells etc.

Group similar objects together or bring a random collection.

Whilst you can draw and paint these items individually, it’s more challenging to set up a still life and create a picture with the objects in relation to each other, looking at the relative shapes, shadows and opposite or analogous colours to think about. Use any media or several in one mixed media picture.

Rochester Cathedral – August 2025 – Saturday

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Thank you to Kay who gained permission for the art group to meet in the King’s Orchard, the private gardens behind Rochester Cathedral. Ten members enjoyed sitting in the gardens drawing and painting the rear view of the cathedral and the stump of a 250 year old sycamore was interesting with insects flying around and into the tiny holes in its trunk. The day was due to be dry but overcast so we were pleased that the sun came out for most of the day and it was lovely and warm. We had a whip round and the cathedral will gain £72.50 including Gift Aid.

A few pictures are finished and others are works in progress to be completed at home. We used pencils, coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, felt tip pens and watercolours. A beautifully drawn squirrel and a hairless cat called Potato join the pictures.

Here are a few views in and around Rochester Cathedral. In the nave is a Short Scion floatplane originally built in 1937 and mini golf with a bridge theme in the garth is free to play. Both are there for another week if you want to visit.

Thank you for a most enjoyable day with arty friends for a good natter whilst drawing and painting en plein air.

The next session is back at the hall on Wednesday 10th September from 7-9pm.