painting

Paint on a pumpkin – October 2026 – Wednesday

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Fourteen members met for an evening painting on pumpkins. Most artists used acrylic paint, one painted the pumpkin then added Virginia creeper leaves and one artist forget her acrylic paints so used watercolours, which surprising worked quite well. It was a very relaxed session and we all enjoyed painting on a different surface which was curved.

We often bemoan that our Wednesday evening sessions are poorly lit with the uplighters so we take our own little lamps. At this session it was good to see that spotlights have been fitted below the uplighters on the high window wall and they really brightened up the session, hurrah!

Many subjects were painted on the pumpkins with Hallowe’en being the most popular, but there were animals, flowers and Zentangle patterns too. Some painted three images on one pumpkin so the photos show all sides.

Well done, everyone, it was an interesting and fun evening.

The next session is on Saturday 24th October from 10am to 3pm. Please note that this will be the fourth Saturday of October, not the last one.

Open Day – Saturday 26th September 2026

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This year we moved our annual Open Day from cold, wet November to September, in the hope of better weather for visitors and it was a warm, sunny day.

17 artists painted in the hall whilst our paintings were on the walls all around or in browsers. We welcomed about 36 friends, family, local residents and people who had seen the Open Day advertised on social media and in the village.

We enjoyed the day drawing and painting and chatting to visitors and many 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…

“Impressed with art as usual – well done.” “Truly wonderful!!!” “Really impressive work. Thank you.” “So interesting to see all the different mediums and styles.” “Lovely work.” “Some really beautiful paintings. Very talented people!!!” “Amazing work here – we love coming every year. Thank you!” “Some lovely pictures . Lovely to see the artists working.” “I am speechless, everything is amazing.”

75 framed paintings were on the walls with 6 sold, 1 each by Vikki and Jane and 2 each by Mary and Susan.

In the browsers were 40 mounted pictures, with 10 sold. 2 each by Dot and Angela D and 6 by Susan. This is an Open Day record, well done, Susan, you paint beautiful pictures!

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

Here are all the framed paintings from the day. (Apologies for the reflections on some paintings from the lights and windows.)

Look out on 1st October for details of the next sessions on Wednesday 14th October 7-9pm and Saturday 24th October 10am-3pm.

Finishing pictures – September 2026 – Wednesday

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At our last session 14 members painted, drew, pastelled, pencilled and inked industriously, in an effort to finish pictures for our Open Day and Exhibition on Saturday 26th September.

It was a busy evening and a very useful time to complete and nearly complete pictures ready to mount and frame. What an interesting selection of subjects.

Our next session is on FRIDAY 25th September 7-9pm when we hang all our paintings on the walls.

On SATURDAY 26th September we meet from 10am to 3pm as normal, with visitors welcome from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Please keep advertising the day by passing the poster to friends, family, neighbours and any groups you belong to. Thank you :o)

Finished pictures from The Friars, Aylesford

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When we visited The Friars at Aylesford, Vikki took a photo of one of the gardeners as she worked in the Rosary Way. Vikki’s finished the watercolour and it’s been painted in great detail with a beautiful use of colour. Good work!

Tracy took lots of photos on the day and also on a previous visit when the wisteria was vibrant in the great court. A tree growing in the gardens behind the shrine also caught her eye. After sketching the subjects Tracy added coloured pencils and will probably paint the door and wisteria in watercolour.

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.

David Hockney – July 2026 – Wednesday

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Our evening session on a blazing hot day saw only 9 artists attend the session, but what we lacked in numbers we made up for with enthusiasm for David Hockney! Also painting with us was Christina’s friend, Sharon, who we hope enjoyed the session and will join us again.

The long life of David Hockney and his thousands of drawings and paintings gave us adequate reference material. Many pictures are works in progress and will be finished at home. Most members drew to this theme apart from the last picture.

We start with Jackie’s super painting. She drew a tree at Shorne Country Park with water soluble graphite pencils then painted the subject in the style of David Hockney, using a couple of reference pictures.

Good work, everyone, it was a very interesting subject and some of us will look further into Hockney’s life and works.

Our next session will be at The Friars, Aylesford on Saturday 25th July from 10am to 3pm.

Peta’s paintings

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At last weekend’s workshop Peta came along too and sat quietly by the big window to paint her own pictures.

She begins by intricately drawing the subjects then adding colourful watercolours for all the details.

Lovely work, Peta!

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.