By now many of us are bunkered in and maintaining a physical distance between us and others. Self isolating is becoming the norm, and social activities like the weekly art class are no longer an option. This doesn’t mean we stop drawing and painting. Remember Matisse, amongst others, was housebound for long periods of time but still continued to produce outstanding work, even when confined to bed. So let’s be inspired and do some ‘art at home’. With this in mind a new webpage is going to be set up so you can share your creations with the wider world. Through the Art Group’s News Blog you can also comment on the pictures. So stay safe and let’s get painting.
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On Friday members of the Art Group welcomed Chrissie Farley, a Trustee Board Member of the Wells Community Hospital Trust and fellow Hospital Supporter Yvonne to view the new Collection . Each year the Art Group sponsor a local charity and last year it was the Wells Community Hospital Trust who work tirelessly to support our community wellbeing needs. John Hill presented Chrissie with a cheque from donations and funds raised by the Art Group during the year. Posh fish and chips along with chicken and chips were kindly provided by The Chequers accompanied by a very nice and welcomed Rum Toddy - thanks again Sarah & Simon. Another enjoyable evening and the Collection will be on display for the next couple of months.
The Art Group welcomed multitalented professional picture framer Sue Potts for an insight into the art of mounting and picture framing. Sue kept the group interested and entertained by sharing many fascinating trade secrets and tips. Some of the highlights include:
As a general guide Sue said in terms of colours for frames, gold are no longer fashionable so try to match the decor where you intend to hang the picture. Current on trend colours are greys, whites and black but not gloss. A great insight into the skilful art of picture framing and very professionally presented. Many thanks Sue for educating us in such an informative way and for more information about Sue’s framing visit www.nesanarts.co.uk Maureen Pakenham's husband John is having a book published, which is soon going to print, describing 1,200 miles trekked with tribesmen and loaded donkeys in the volcanic deserts of East Africa 40 years ago. Along with many stunning photographs are also 53 pen and ink line drawing illustrations by Maureen.
John's publisher Eye Books is currently offering a great deal for pre-orders (only during January) which you will find on their website: eye-books.com. WALKS ON THE WILD SIDE. True stories of blood, sweat and fears! An audience of 25, including fellow artists from Kelling Art Group, enjoyed Ian’s Watercolour Masterclass. These are some of Ian’s tips and comments that he shared with us during his demonstration: Ian emphasises tones, he says he’s not a colourist, the tone values is what really works. He prefers street scenes to trees and fields type landscapes and this is evident in his body of work. Using a scene from Venice, Ian started his demonstration by quickly drawing the skyline and a few key details. When drawing he focuses on shapes and overall composition using a 2B propelling pencil With 2mm thick graphite. His materials were Arches Rough 12 x 16 inch cotton paper, which Ian always uses, having it bone dry and taped to a backing board. His paints were Winsor & Newton professional tubes, which provide the richness of pigment to help make the colours bolder. His brushes were 2 x squirrel mops and an Escoda perla synthetic brush for detail. In terms of technique, Ian’s main approach was leave touches of bare paper otherwise the picture looks flat. At times Ian scalped of paint to reveal clear paper using his finger nail. Paint just using one coat not paint on paint - its all about application says Ian. In terms of colours Ian used Neutral Tint mixed with Windsor Blue and Alizarin Crimson. Neutral Tint was new to many of us and it looks like black out the tube and is ideal for sky washes. Ian hardly ever changes the water. Some very useful pointers. The afternoon workshop was attended by 12 budding artists. A different street scene was the subject and Ian’s approach was to paint the picture in steps which the ‘students’ copied before moving onto the next step. The results and interpretation are always interesting to see. A great day with lots of learning and tips, the Group were really grateful to Ian for sharing his skills and we all really enjoyed the day.
Regarded by many as our best selection yet the Art Group have launched their Autumn collection in The Gallery @ The Chequers. A wide selection of work on a variety of subjects including, landscapes, seascapes, portraits, animals and wildlife, botanical studies and art deco, so a broad range of subjects. As always very many thanks to Simon and Sarah for hosting us on the opening night with scrumptious sausage rolls and cider and apple juice to get us into the Autumn mood. Here's a sample of the works which includes Pauline Taylors oil on board striking portrait called Carnegie (which is featured on our home page as Picture of the Month). enjoy
Selected works by members of the Binham Art Group have been on display in the nave of the Priory Church as part of the cross-arts Concert. The concert, featured the Civitas Ensemble (string quartet), Choir, poetry readings, motets and paintings on the theme of ‘Time to Pause” which reflected the thoughtful mood of the event.
Record numbers attended this years Annual Art Exhibition where 140 pictures were on display and a record number of pictures were sold. Over 170 people attended the preview evening and enjoyed refreshments on a pleasant summers evening. Overall 15 different artists sold paintings, excluding the wonderful seascape by professional artist Gareth Jones which was auctioned and sold for £400 after some brisk bidding.
As is often the case, local watercolour landscapes were popular along with wildlife studies. Feedback from visitors confirmed the overall standard had improved once again. The Art Group Committee would like to thank everyone for their kind donations in support of this years charity the Wells Community Hospital, and thank you too to everyone who purchased a picture, we hope you enjoy them. k here to edit. The Art Group's new display at The Gallery @ The Chequers was launched on 21st June. Simon and Sarah put on a wonderful BarBQ and Pimms for the Group members to enjoy. It was a very pleasant evening away from the easel. A big thank you to Sarah and Simon. It was a lovely solstice evening and here is a picture of the sun setting over the Priory:
21 participants enjoyed a wonderful demonstration on 18th June by Gareth Jones who has lived for many years in North Norfolk. Although he has now moved back to his home ground in North Wales, he has come back to his second home to show us how to execute a sea scape in soft pastel. Step by step he demonstrated the process and gave us many handy tips and information along the way. Gareth talked about only being able to work from his own photos because he needs to feel the energy of the place he’s seen, actually having the experience of it which sets itself in his memory and adds that crucial edge to the finished painting. Gareth said, “The coast and countryside provide my main inspiration and i enjoy a growing reputation for my work, with seascapes in particular becoming a specialty. The discovery of soft pastel has been a revelation for me, the intensity of colour coupled with the immediacy it offers mean i now work almost exclusively in this wonderful medium.” Working from dark to light, Gareth demonstrated wonderful effects of gradations of subtle colour, saving the brightest white highlights till last. Rolling the white pastel towards the end of the painting process on the highlights of the waves would give differing widths of stroke and great effect realism to the wave. Gareth invited all up to have a go! Working from the general to the particular, the scene unfolded magically. Next it was time for some participants to have a go from scratch with the pastels. Despite working from the same photo reference, we discovered that this medium can offer so much wonderful variety and artistic skill. Take a look below. I’m sure we all were pleased and surprised and I am sure many of us will have another dabble. We thank Gareth so much for visiting us again and hopefully once he has got settled into his new studio he will find his way back to our shore again for another demo. |
AuthorHi, welcome to the Binham Art Group Blog. Bookmark us for our latest news and events We meet every Tuesday morning 9.30- 12.30 in the Binham Village Memorial Hall
FUTURE DATES
Annual Art Exhibition in Binham Village Hall Please check back for dates for 2024 Archives
July 2023
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