Dear Member
Recent Club Events
Monthly Meeting
In February we had the pleasure to welcome Mick McNicholas to demonstrate how to use charcoal in portraiture. One of our members, Amanda, agreed to be the model and it was fascinating to see how her face suddenly appeared on the paper.
Mick started by applying soft charcoal onto sandpaper which he then scraped on the surface with one swift movement. That was repeated five times and then suddenly we could see the shape of the head and an eye socket. Mick used a large, dry paintbrush to dust off surplus charcoal, a putty rubber and a harder piece of charcoal to sculpt the nose and the rest of the face. We had a nice cup of tea and biscuits (thank you Rachel) after which Mick finished the portrait.
Many thanks to Mick for a very interesting and informative afternoon and to Amanda for being our sitter.
Club Workshop Day
Later in February, we enjoyed a workshop day Pouring Acrylics. This involved mixing PVA glue, acrylic paint and a little water to a consistency of single cream, and then pouring it onto a canvas. Colours could be poured on singly, or, for example several colours were put in a small cup, not mixed up, and then inverted onto the canvas. The fun came as we watched the colours spread, quite randomly, into intricate patterns. Various other techniques (top secret! You should have been there) were applied and some of the results are here.
Many thanks are due to Wendy for bringing such a variety of materials and ideas to make it a very enjoyable and, as promised, very messy workshop.
Spring Exhibition
Our Spring Exhibition took place in early March. It was very well supported by our artists who put on a superb display. The weekend was blessed with sunny weather and we had nearly twice as many visitors as last year, which was reflected in good sales.
Well done and thank you to everyone who exhibited, worked on the sales desk, and helped put up and dismantle the show.
A few memories are in the pictures, here.
Events in April
Sunday Painting
Outdoor Painting Sunday 6th April, 10.30 – 4pm. Hambleden Village, Chilterns.
Do join us in this picturesque village with church, cottages etc to paint. Meet in the car park by Stag & Huntsman Inn, cost eg £1 – 1hr, up to £4 – 6hrs.
We suggest car share to minimise cost and congestion (do not leave anything visible in your car, the car park has a sign up, warning of car break-ins). Facilities and refreshments in pub or possibly the village shop.
No pre booking arrangements needed.
Workshop
Workshop – Sunday April 13th, 10am – 4pm, in Cookham Dean Village Hall, SL6 9PY. Jo Harris – mixed media: abstracting florals.
Jo runs the Henley School of Art, teaching most of the Classes and Workshops there, and when she manages to carve out the time, she’s a busy and successful practising Artist too.
To join the workshop, please contact us requesting how many places you will require by Friday 4th April. Numbers will be limited to 15. Cost: £40.
Sue will then email your confirmation and outline your payment options. No payment will be required until Sue has emailed you and confirmed your place.
Check out www.thehenleyschoolofart.com for more about Jo.
Monthly Meeting
The Monthly Meeting on April 17th is also on the topic of flowers, when Nicky Hunter will give us a demo of a watercolour of flowers. Time: 2-4pm Venue: Parish Centre, Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP.
Nicky creates paintings that radiate with colour and light, capturing the essence of the bloom, bird, landscape or other subject matter. She is particularly well known for her flamboyant, lively floral paintings; the foundation of her skill and passion for this subject developed through working as a textile designer for 2 decades in both the fashion and interior sectors where florals were a staple theme in her paintings, illustrations and design work.
See www.nickyhunterart.com for more about Nicky.
Tuesday Painting Workshops
At Cookham Dean Village Hall, Church Road, Cookham Dean, Berks SL6 9PY, from 1.40pm to 5pm.
| Tuesday Painting: cost £2 A topic, appraisal, tea and cake |
Tuesday Extra: cost £2 Painting, tea and biscuits |
| April 1st: Illustrate an advert in the style of an Art Deco railway poster (1930’s). | April 8th: Paint what you like |
| April 15th: Design a gargoyle: to chase away evil spirits and to allow for rain to run off the roof. | April 22nd: Paint what you like |
TIP OF THE MONTH
Here’s an idea of how to protect your paintings from scratching the frames on others, (for example when you pack them for transport or when they are stacked in racks, waiting to be hung):
[a] cover the D-ring screws with easily removable tape
[b] cover the D-ring screws with noodles!! [okay, polystyrene packing pieces, as in this picture].
Obituary
Many of our long-time members will remember a lovely lady called Heather Bagnoli. Sad to say, she passed away last December at the age of 97.
Heather studied art at the Royal Academy and at the Ecole des Beaux-arts in Paris where she met her Italian artist husband Guido. Heather and her husband started exhibiting with CAC in 1961. In those days the price of paintings was expressed in the catalogue as Guineas. Heathers were 5 or 10 guineas whilst Guidos were 40 guineas. Their daughter, Teresa, started exhibiting with CAC in 1976 and for a few years all three exhibited together which must be a record.
Guido died in 1978 but Heather carried on exhibiting until 2014 which means she exhibited for 53 years! This must be another record.
Heather mainly painted in oil but she also did watercolour and some etching.
Heather and Teresa regularly came on the en plein air painting days. I remember having tea afterwards at her cottage in Shurlock Row once and she showed us some of Guido’s paintings.
Our sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Yours sincerely
Robert Jones
Newsletter Editor