We start the autumn season with a workshop on Saturday 9th September.
Heather Jolliffe will be working with members with oils, palette knife techniques and more. Heather will cover some simple landscape and coastal scene compositions, with an aim that you will make some mini studies, followed by something more substantial.
Drop-in Session
As usual, the Drop-in Session will be on Wednesday morning 14th September, at the Community Hall on Hursley Road. Check here for details.
Life Drawing Session
Having missed a couple of months due to the exhibition, life drawing is back, at the Church Hall on Sunday afternoon, 24th September. Places are limited, usually the season is fully booked. Check with the Treasurer if you are unsure.
Demonstration – Sally Goodden, 27th September
This is our last ‘live’ demonstration of the year – for October and November we switch to Zoom meetings so you don’t have to come out in potentially cold and wet weather.
If (like me) you aren’t familiar with brusho – this is your chance to find out. The demo is in the Church and starts promptly at 7.30. Members free, visitors £5. Refreshments tba.
Curtis Tappenden was our guest artist for the demonstration on June 28th. Or maybe that should be artiste?
Curtis started by explaining his lifelong addiction to the circus, from the days when they would come to town , or the field near his home, where he could lie awake listening to all the sounds at night. I have similar memories of a steam fair, hooting across the fields!
Demonstration started early, with Curtis doing some magic tricks to warm us up, before he skimmed over his own career (art teacher, newspaper artist – I always wondered who did those court sketches), then got onto the main event.
His history of the circus was fascinating – some things I was familiar with, but some not. The European basis which then travelled to the States and worldwide was fascinating. ‘Acceptability’ of various acts has changed, including the issue of danger – it was not uncommon for performers to fall to their deaths in earlier times. And of course, animal acts are now banned in the UK, although still allowed in the US, I believe.
The names of all the big UK circuses were linked not to traditional circus families, on the whole, but to entrepreneurs who loved the circus but loved business more. Gerry Cottle, Billy Smart… all those guys worked out how to make the circus zing in the modern era of sponsorship and television.
Curtis Tappenden showed us not only the life in the ring, but the life outside it, and entertained us with many anecdotes, especially of mishaps when he was sitting in the front row, furiously scribbling away to capture the images in front of him!
He later created two demonstrations of how he works, always at speed, and usually flat (which caused some difficulty for the demo, as he tried an upright approach). It was fascinating to see how some washes on the paper, seemingly at random, could be built into a performer in the spotlight, or the entrance to the Big Top being put up.
If you missed this, you missed a good one (they are all good, of course). At present I’m still hoping for photos.
But the good news is that Curtis will be doing a workshop for us in spring, based on printing techniques. Watch for details.
Don’t forget to get your submissions in for the Summer Exhibition, and your application for space at HOS23, both due by the end of tis month!
We’re flying through the year, halfway through already, and our Summer Exhibition is looming ever larger!
Sat 8 July – Lindsey Cole, Summer Hedgerow Workshop
We start the month with a lovely workshop with New Forester Lindsey Cole. I love the idea of summer hedgerows, and wish I could have gone to this one! I’m sure it will be most enjoyable. 9.30 to 3.30 at the Church Hall.
Wed 12 July – Drop-in Session, Community Large Hall, Hursley Rd
Just £5 to cover hire of facilities, for a friendly morning with other creatives. Work on your own project in a relaxed atmosphere.
Wed 26 July – Soraya French, Mixed Media Demonstration
Soraya will be demonstration a Beach Scene in Mixed Media, from 7.30 to 9.30 at the Church. Her emphasis will be on acrylic inks. Full details here.
Summer Exhibition and HOS23
Watch out for submission information for the Summer Exhibition and instructions to book your place at the Hampshire Open Studios event.
Summer Exhibition submissions close on Sunday 30 July. Don’t be late!
June is here, and how long this lovely weather will continue is anyone’s guess. It’s a great opportunity to get out for some plein air painting, but don’t forget your waterbottle (for drinking!), hat and sunscreen!
Since we’ve already succeeded at having our cream tea event, the month starts with our workshop… although the postcard portraits are still on parade outside the Dovetail Cafe until Saturday 3rd.
Saturday 10th June – Paul Berryman
This ‘Figures and life Drawing in Charcoal‘ is a must for everyone who enjoyed Paul’s Zoom demonstration last winter. You may remember his approach to the ‘terminator’ – the line dividing strong light and darkness, where the contrast is greatest, then shading away from that.
For those that have been trying to apply this in their life drawing (or even when painting figures), this workshop is a must. At time of writing, there were one or two places available, so do sign up, via Roy Brophy or Bev Dunstan (members only). 9.30 to 3.30 in the Church Hall.
Drop-In session
Wednesday 14 June sees our midsummer drop-in session. This is probably the only event that continues month in, month out, so if you want to meet up regularly with some like-minded people and get on with your own project, this is the space for you. Members only, £5 per session, at the Community Large Hall on Hursley Road.
Sunday 18 June – Life session
This gives you a quick opportunity to put that learning from Paul Berryman into practice, but you can do any style you like. 2-4 in the Church Hall (members only).
This will be the last life session until September, due to the Summer Exhibition using the same venue.
Wednesday 28 June – Roll Up, Roll up for our Demonstration
We are delighted to welcome Curtis Tappenden to give our demonstration this month on Circus Art. 7.30 – 9.30 in the Methodist Church. I suspect he has many stories to tell about circus life!
If you enjoy this, watch out for details of the workshop that Curtis has kindly agreed to next year.
We welcome 2023 in with our first Drop-in session of the year, tomorrow 11th Jan, at the Community Centre Hall on Hursley Road.
New calendar
You’ll find the new programme has been updated here, with as much detail as we have until June, then mainly listings. Undoubtedly, like me, you will find the workshop you really, really wanted to do clashes with something else you’re booked for. With me, that is the Paul Berryman workshop, on June 10. I even got some of those charcoal pencils he recommended, as a Christmas present!
I’m also really interested in the Batik demonstration in March, and several other events.
The highlight of the spring must be our Tabletop Exhibition on the last weekend in April (29/30) at the Church Hall. It’ll be eighteen months since our last one! How time flies.
January feast
January has a feast of all your favourites: a workshop with Helen Talbot on Buildings in Pen and Wash; Life Drawing Sunday; a New Year Lunch (sign-ups closed in December), and we finish with a Zoom Demo by Roger Dellar – Demo in Oils – on the last Wednesday of the month.
There must be something for you here, so I look forward to seeing you at one of the events (or online!)
Well, two for the price of one! Fifty people were entertained as Peter painted, from scratch, two very different pictures – in parallel! – during his demonstration on Wednesday evening.
One, a townscape of a shopfront in Bath. Here is the reference he used…
The other, a loose pen/ink/watercolour of an autumn/winter landscape.
Townscape
Peter started with the townscape using a straight edge to set some perspective guidelines and then sketched in the form of the buildings using a 4B pencil.
A wash for the sky was then followed by some details of the buildings in pen. Throughout the demo, Peter explained the different types of pens and materials. (Click here for a link to a list of some of the materials he was using).
Peter using a ruling pen to apply masking fluid
All change
At this point Peter switched to the second painting.
This was started with some very rough pencil sketching – it was difficult to imagine what was coming – it was all in Peter’s imagination. A wash for the sky followed by some very loose brushwork “daubings” for the ground areas.
A little penwork to the foreground to indicate some grasses then all change again – back to the Townscape for some more detail, and then back to the landscape for some more dramatic work to the foreground.
Where on earth is this going?!
The evening progressed, back and forth between the two paintings, with plenty of information from Peter on his techniques and thinking. By the break the images were….
Second Half
The pace quickened in the second half as more and more detail was added to both pictures.
The techniques described and demonstrated by Peter were of value to any artist. Particularly fascinating was watching the leafless trees develop – and then – hey presto! a few splatterings from a brush and just a few remaining winter leaves. The result was very natural looking.
The results …
Still some work to do, but a very interesting two hours.
Technically Difficult
This was a difficult demonstration for our audio/visual technician Richard, as Peter worked one moment on an upright easel, and then the next – flat on a table. Richard’s camera work was brilliant and everyone had an excellent view of the artworks as they came to life. Thank you Richard!
We can often judge how well the demonstration is working for the audience by how many depart at the break. On Wednesday everyone remained, and the audience were almost silent throughout, and (except for a few pertinent questions) – completely enthralled.
A brilliant demo with lots of inspiration, techniques & information, with time to chat to friends and like minded people, in comfortable surroundings, coupled with super AV equipment with everyone able to see the work in progress very clearly. Thank you Peter and all concerned with making it happen – an excellent evening.
Wednesday 28 September sees Paul Arnott start the autumn season of Chandlers Ford Art Group’s monthly demonstrations.
Paul Arnott (from the artist’s website)
Paul’s topic is Digital Art. For many of us this will be an eye-opener, although we know some of the members embrace the medium to a greater or lesser extent.
There is sure to be some discussion of how far this format should be considered alongside established techniques, possibly including issues of plagiarism, as copying is so easy via computer. Should the group allow digital art at its Summer Exhibition? Come along and express your views.
This event is open to both members and non-members (£5 fee on the door, cash or card). Further details here.
Our next live demonstration will take place on Wednesday 22 June, from 7.30-9.30pm at the Methodist Church. Laurence will be giving a two-hour talk and live demonstration entitled ‘The Lane Project’. Refreshments will be available during the break.
Laurence Belbin is a painter of light and atmosphere. He has a fascination with sunlight, especially on water. His paintings of Venice, the beach and the sea are full of light. His landscapes and interiors sparkle and his handling of paint is both sensitive and expressive.
Free to Members, Visitors £5 at the door (cash or card).
