Dear Member
A Happy Christmas to all our members
We had a good turnout of members at this year’s AGM to hear our reports on the year’s events, and to hear our visiting speaker. This year Pam Cullinane has retired from the Committee and we thanked her for her many years of service to the club with the presentation of Life Membership and a gift of flowers. Two new members were welcomed onto the committee, Karen Comber and Amanda Purrington, who have both been helping with various tasks for some time now. If you would like to read the full minutes of the AGM you will find them on our website, in the newsletter section.
We welcomed Ann Danks as our speaker after the AGM. Her theme was ‘The women in Stanley Spencer’s life’. Ann is an excellent speaker and it was good to hear an expert who is so knowledgeable about her topic. Many thanks to Ann for an enjoyable talk.
Membership Renewal
We do hope that you will decide to remain a member of Cookham Arts Club, and many thanks if you have already renewed. Details of how to renew follow:
Your membership renewal will be due on 1st January, 2026. 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 unchanged, £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 us know and we will make sure you are sent the necessary details. Please remember that if you joined only recently (i.e. during or since the Summer Exhibition) your membership runs until Dec 31st 2026.
Recent Club Events
Workshop
In November we had the pleasure to welcome Brian Smith RI to run a watercolour workshop for us, and indeed a pleasure it turned out to be.
Brian was the most informative tutor that we have ever had. He went through the basics of watercolour painting, tonal values, perspective, depth, how to use the brush etc. Brian had multiple samples of his own works and we were encouraged to use/copy them to learn (see Brian’s example on right and Tip of the Month).
In the afternoon people either continued with the small sketches or tried a bigger landscape, and as you can see from the photos, the results were fantastic. At a modest estimate we must have produced 75 or 80 paintings between us!
It was a very enjoyable day and we’ll certainly ask Brian to come again in the future.
Events in January
Monthly Meeting
Thursday 15th January, 2 – 4pm at the Parish Centre. Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP
Our first event in 2026 is a Critique with Stewart Beckett AROI. Stewart is a seasoned visual artist with a wide range of painting interests including figurative, portraits and landscapes. You may have seen him in Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape AOTY. He has exhibited in the Mall Galleries with the Royal Portrait Society and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
Critiques are always enjoyable events, with the opportunity to hear what our visiting artist has to say about our art. Do come along and bring one painting which we haven’t seen before. Please also bring a reserve painting which we may ask Stewart to review if we have time. It can be interesting to bring an unfinished work, or one which you have specific questions about.
Coming Soon
Club Workshop Day
Saturday February 21st 10am – 4 pm in the Parish Centre. Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP. Granulating watercolours in a landscape with Linda Saul RWS (www.lindasaul.co.uk)
Our February workshop has usually been an economically priced one, run by a club member. This year we have asked professional artist Linda Saul, who specialises in wonderfully textured and unique landscapes, to run the workshop. We have kept the price low, and with one look at the examples of her work here, and on her website, you will realise what a terrific artist she is. I am sure this will be a popular workshop and encourage you to get your request for a place in soon.
To join the workshop, please contact us requesting how many places you will require by 1st February. Numbers will be limited so book early to be sure of a place. Cost: £30.
We will then email your confirmation and outline your payment options. No payment will be required until you receive an email and your place is confirmed.
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 |
| January 6th: Birds | January 13th: Paint what you like |
| January 20th: Exploring perspective in a street scene. Perhaps take an unusual, high or low viewpoint, especially if you are already fairly confident about perspective. | January 27th: Paint what you like |
TIPS OF THE MONTH
Improving your watercolour art requires a lot of practise. At our recent workshop Brian Smith encouraged us to prepare a large sheet of w/c paper by fixing it to the board all around the edges with framing tape and then dividing it into 5 or 6 areas by using Scotch Magic Tape (which peels off easily, if you are careful, to leave good clean edges). At least 140lb / 300gsm, good quality paper should be used – there is no need to stretch it. You are then ready to paint half a dozen 10- or 20-minute paintings, with no fuss about finding a new sheet of paper and no fuss about producing a ‘perfect’ work of art. The complete sheet of ‘w/c sketches’ will give a good record of your progress – and you could turn it over and do more on the back!
Yours sincerely
Robert Jones
Newsletter Editor