Jane was commissioned to paint a dog in oils and she has finished the picture. The brindle patterned fur was a challenge to paint but she mastered the colours well and is happy with the picture. Well done, Jane, the owner will be so pleased!
Eleven members met on Wednesday evening and most drew and painted to the theme of Spring Flowers.
It was a very colourful session with beautiful flowers painted in watercolours, acrylics and also with coloured pencils. The black backgrounds work well don’t they? Good to see a couple of vases with flowers for a still life approach. The last two photos are paintings from previous sessions and other art groups.
Other artists created picture to their own theme. Vikki’s super black dog picture in coloured pencils is finished and for a friend.
Lovely work, everyone, do finish your paintings at home!
The next session is the ink/watercolour workshop on Saturday 25th April from 10am to 3 pm.
All twenty spaces are taken and two people are on the waiting list. If you’re booked in and your plans change, please let Tracy know ASAP and your place can be taken by someone on the waiting list. Thanks.
Wednesday 8th – 7-9pm – Spring Flowers
Flowers are always a popular subject and here are a few ways to tackle the subject as suggested by members…
Flowers are always a popular subject and here are a few ways to tackle the subject, suggested by members…
Saturday 25th April – 10am-3pm – Ink and watercolour workshop with Victoria Wainwright
This workshop will be an introduction to inks for members and should be an interesting workshop even if you have a little experience with inks. We will start with inks in the morning and segue to watercolours in the afternoon.
Victoria is a former tutor at Kent Adult Education and now teaches at other settings including the WI. Her website is… www.victoriawainwright.com
You will need to bring – your watercolours, 1 or 2 water pots, watercolour paper (at least A4 size or larger, 300gsm, NOT/cold pressed or rough paper), tissue paper, a table cover, pencil for sketching.
Victoria will bring – inks, palettes, pens, cocktail sticks, images.
The cost will be £20 each to cover Victoria’s fee, the hall hire fee already covered by your subs. She is booked for 5 hours from 10am to 3pm so that’s only £4 an hour for her tutoring.
Please turn up promptly to start at 10am so we don’t waste any time. If you arrive late (we appreciate parking can be difficult at times) please find a free seat quickly and unpack quietly.
Check the date first to see if you are available.
If you are free and want to attend then EMAIL Tracy on her usual email address, or text or send an individual WhatsApp to message her, but not the group’s WhatsApp or phones will be pinging away.
*** PLEASE DO NOT USE the comments box on the blog as messages can take days to get through! ***
There are 20 places available and if we reach that number then a waiting list will be introduced. Some people do drop out so you have a chance of attending the workshop.
Once Tracy has confirmed your place please pay the £20 by bank transfer (preferred) to the usual account, or cash. If you pay first it won’t guarantee your place, they will be allocated in the order that messages are received.
Please don’t book a place then realise the day before that you won’t be able to come. Unfortunately in the past we have had members cancelling on the day or just not turning up. This is awkward as others could have come from the waiting list. If you can’t come please let Tracy know in good time.
As you have already paid for the hall in your subs we aim to make the hall accessible for everyone on the day, even if you’re not taking part in the workshop. We’ll have the workshop set up towards the big window end of the hall and a couple of tables at the kitchen end of the hall available if you wish to come and ‘do your own thing’ on the day, but please work quietly. Thank you!
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.
Graham started this watercolour picture during a recent session and had fun painting it. Whilst rain teems down and the background is London Bridge on a dull, wet day, the colourfully dressed, exuberant dancers enjoy the rain whilst others rush past with their brollies. It’s called ‘Summer Rain’.
Beautifully painted, Graham, the bright colours against the muted background work so well!
Jackie has finished three paintings from previous sessions. The Year of the Fire Horse picture was painted in acrylics with several layers of paint being used on black paper, giving a great impression of the heat and brightness of fire.
People in Winter was painted in watercolours, with the colourful sound waves above the people being listened to by the young lad in headphones. What a clever idea!
Jackie sketched this wintery landscape at Shorne Country Park then painted it in watercolours. With a great depth of field, one could walk straight into this landscape and follow the meandering path deeper into the woods.
Well done, Jackie, your pictures are beautifully painted!
Fifteen artists attended the Wednesday evening session, including Denise’s granddaughter, Sophie, who painted with us to see if she’d would like to join the group.
Most members began their portrait drawings and paintings in readiness for our annual competition, to be held at the next session.
Other members drew, painted and cut paper to their own themes.
Our next session will be on Saturday 28th March from 10am to 3pm.
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 okay, please use the suggested idea as inspiration for a drawing or painting.
The competition theme will be on both the Wednesday and Saturday sessions, but if you prefer you can come along and ‘do your own thing’ and not enter the competition.
Wednesday 11th – 7-9pm – Start painting for the competition
The subject is – PORTRAITS
This is a very broad subject but hopefully a popular one as many members like drawing and painting people. A portrait can be a literal, realistic representation or interpretive and symbolic.
The subject can be a self portrait, a family member, a friend or someone famous or infamous, living or dead. Any size, any ground, a single medium or mixed media. A simple black and white sketch in pencil or charcoal, or a colourful multi media picture.
Don’t just plonk someone in a landscape, make the picture of just their head, or head and shoulders or include their whole body or a relevant background if it adds to the portrait.
Info from the National Portrait Gallery in London for schools, but scroll down and there’s info from Curtis Holder, winner of Portrait Artist of the Year in 2020… www.npg.org.uk/schools-hub/art-explainer-what-is-a-portrait
Here are a few people with milestone birthdays in 2026…
Will be 100 years old – Sir David Attenborough, Mel Brooks.
Would have been 100 – HM Queen Elizabeth II, Marlyn Monroe, Eric Morecambe, Kenneth Williams, Bill Pertwee, Lionel Jeffries.
Will be 90 – Brian Blessed, Samia Halaby.
Would have been 90 – Glenda Jackson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Pope Francis.
Will be 80 – Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Sir Barry Gibb.
Would have been 80 – Freddie Mercury, Alan Rickman.
Any person, past or present, at any age in their life, can be your subject.
There is no right or wrong way to create this subject…just your way.
Saturday 28th – 10am-3pm – Competition continued
Continue with your portrait, 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 cash prizes 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, you don’t have to. Paint a portrait but leave it on your own table so it won’t be on the separate tables with the submitted pictures.
Good luck everyone!
The hall was abuzz with chatter and laughter on Saturday with 26 members attending the session. The suggested subject of People in Winter was popular and everyone worked industriously on their pictures.
Some members were inspired by the Winter Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina in Italy. If you enjoyed watching the events, don’t forget to watch the Paralympic Games which start on Friday 6th March
Some paintings are finished and others are works in progress. There are so many interpretations of the subject, it’s interesting to see all the themes.
Some artists drew and painted their own themes. Sandra’s stoat is beautifully drawn in many colours and looks a cheeky chappy.
Paintings from previous sessions on Animals in Winter and the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse were worked on and some completed.
Fantastic artwork, everyone, you did so well this month!
Our next session is on Wednesday 11th March from 7-9pm when we start drawing and painting for our annual competition.
Peta has finished two more of her amazing pictures. The first, of bellringers in Southwark, London, is painted with ink and shows intricate details and has great depth of field.
The second, of a turnip stall in Borough Market, also Southwark, with the vegetables looking real. One could reach out and touch the feathery mushroom caps on and smell the herbs.
Fantastic paintings, Peta, well done!
Chalk Art Group 