Dear Member
As this is the first Newsletter you will receive actually in 2024, may we wish you a Happy New Year. Quite a few members have not renewed their membership yet, but we do hope you will decide to stay with us.
Membership Renewal
Your membership renewal was due on 1st January, 2024. To renew, simply send your fee by bank transfer to our HSBC account (payee: Cookham Arts Club, sort code 40-42-09, a/c number 41157671) with your name followed by the word SUBS as reference. Fees are £20 for single membership and £34 for a couple at the same address.
If you can do this as soon as possible it will be very helpful. We are not asking members to submit a renewal form this year so if any of your details have changed, please do remember to let us know. If you wish to pay by cheque, let me know and I will make sure you are sent the necessary details.
If you decide not to renew your membership, this will be the last newsletter you receive.
Amendment to planned events: Please note that our April 18th demonstration will be by Keith Hornblower, a watercolour artist, and not Mic McNicholas. Details will be in your April newsletter.
Events in February
Monthly Meeting
In February our monthly meeting is a demonstration by Tushar Sabale of a landscape with buildings, painted in oils. It is on 15th February, 2 – 4pm at The Parish Centre, Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP.
Tushar Sabale is an award-winning artist based in London. Tushar mainly paints from life in oil colours and has transitioned from painting portraits to landscapes in recent years.
He places his work between Impressionism and Realism with some Luminist touches.
He is an elected member of the prestigious Wapping Group of Artists.
Club Workshop Day
Saturday February 17th is our Club Workshop Day with Gill Griffith; a resist technique with gouache and Indian Ink as detailed in the January newsletter. It runs from 10am – 4pm in the Parish Centre, Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP. If you have booked you will have been sent an email with all the details of what to bring. Please arrive at 9.30 for a prompt start.
The workshop is fully booked, but if you would like to be added to the ‘reserve’ list, in case someone cannot attend, please get in touch.
Coming Soon
Spring Art Exhibition and Sale
You are invited to take part in our annual Spring Art Exhibition and Sale, 1st – 3rd March 2024
This will be held in Pinder Hall, Cookham Rise, SL6 9EH and is for club members only.
Brief details as follows:
- To exhibit your paintings screens will be available for hire. £8.00 for a 4ft x 4ft screen and £12.00 for a 6ft x 4ft screen. 2 artists may share a screen.
- Members may exhibit single paintings on a ‘mixed artist’ screen for £5 per painting if they do not want a whole screen.
- To exhibit craft items a few tables are available at £12.00 per table.
- If you hire a screen, you may offer greetings cards for sale.
- On the screens we will only hang original artwork, not reproductions/prints.
- If you hire a screen, you may, in addition, put a maximum of 3 unframed pictures for sale in racks – originals or prints are acceptable – prints must be of ‘archive’ quality (probably ‘professionally’ printed Giclee prints). Digitally created artwork (not photographs or digitally modified photographs) may be entered as unframed prints.
- Artwork in the racks, whether prints or originals, should not be priced too low – as a guide; approx. A4 sized, £20 minimum; approx. A3 sized or larger, £30 minimum.
Please look on our website at the Spring art sale exhibition page.
All the detailed information you need for the Spring sale can be found in the FAQ’s.
Fill in the screen/table request form (found in ‘How do I book a screen/table’) if you would like to exhibit. There is a short cut to this form on the ‘slider’ on the home page.
Once we receive your request you will be sent the Entry form and details of how to pay by bank transfer.
It will really help with our planning if you send your request form as soon as possible.
Closing date for your Request is Monday 19th February 2024
Tuesday Painting Workshops
At Cookham Dean Village Hall, Church Road, Cookham Dean, Berks SL6 9PY, from 2 to 5pm.
| Tuesday Painting: cost £2 A topic, appraisal, tea and cake | Tuesday Extra: cost £2 Painting, tea and biscuits |
| January 30th: Still life | February 6th: Paint what you like |
| February 13th: A snow scene | February 20th: Paint what you like |
| February 27th: Use a coloured ground – allow the colour to show through the composition to promote unity. (JMW Turner used a favourite blue ground) | March 5th: Paint what you like |
TIP OF THE MONTH
Looking for inspiration for a new project? How about hand-painted bookmarks? These could make lovely gifts – or even be entered for sale at one of our exhibitions.
Member Jan brought some beautiful watercolour examples to a Tuesday painting session, and her starting point was a neat little pad of watercolour paper, shaped especially for bookmarks (hers was by Hahnemuhle, as shown).
The bookmarks could be made more durable by laminating them or protecting them with a matt varnish – apparently there are special varnishes for watercolour work, but other varnishes you already have may be perfectly suitable. (A bit of research on the internet needed?).
Yours sincerely
Robert Jones
Newsletter Editor