March 2023
Dear Member
We hope you like the new club logo. Thank you so much to all of you who submitted a design. We took the few which received the most votes at our Christmas Party and decided amongst the committee which to use. We all preferred a clear, graphic design and settled on the one you see here.
Frank Cumming is the designer and we are very appreciative of his artistic skills and his patience in incorporating the design tweaks which we asked for – many thanks, Frank.
Last month we had our first critique of the year and welcomed Mick McNicholas who did an excellent job with it. There were about twenty entries and a very nice variety of different styles and mediums. Most of the paintings were landscapes, many created with watercolours, acrylics and even one with pencils. Mick is a portrait artist but gave some very useful tips about composition and perspective.
We held a vote for our favourite painting and the overall winner was Sue Sepehri with this lovely winter landscape, the second was Fred Russell with a wonderful portrait and the third was Satu Vartiainen with her abstracted portrait.
We had tea and biscuits prepared by Sue Carter, thank you, Sue.
Our Spring Exhibition and Sale is on March 3rd – 5th. Do come along and bring family and friends to Pinder Hall, Cookham Rise, SL6 9EH to see the exhibition. We are open from 2 pm to 6 pm on Friday, 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4.30 pm on Sunday.
If you have left it rather late, but would still like to take part in the exhibition, it is worth ringing Wendy Mercer on 07985 343437, as there may well be a few screens available.
Attached to the email which brought you this Newsletter you will find two files advertising the Spring Exhibition. The PDF will print 2 x A5 flyers on an A4 sheet – please print some to display, or give away to advertise the event.
The other file is suitable for posting on social media, or sending by email.
Monthly Meeting, Thursday, March 16th, 2 – 4 pm in the Parish Centre (Church Gate, Cookham, SL6 9SP).
Susan Neale will be demonstrating how to apply a pen and wash technique to the painting of buildings.
This is a technique we have not seen very often in our demos – one to look forward to!
Susan studied art in Brighton and London. She was a commercial artist for over 20 years, specialising in book and magazine work. She works mainly in watercolour and has had two solo shows. She has been an Artist in Residence at Castle Howard and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as well as a demonstrating artist for The National Trust and the RHS.
Tuesday Painting Workshops. At Cookham Dean Village Hall, Church Road, Cookham Dean, Berks SL6 9PY, from 2 to 5 pm.
| Tuesday Painting: cost £2 A topic, appraisal, tea and cake | Tuesday Extra: cost £1.50 Painting, tea and biscuits |
| February 28th: ‘Wild Cookham’ (Workshop follow-up) | March 7th: Paint what you like |
| March 14th: An industrial ruin | March 21st: Paint what you like |
| March 28th: Paint a work from a black-and-white photograph | April 4th: Paint what you like |
Coming Soon
If you have paintings displayed at Elizabeth House, please collect them from there at 2 pm on March 2nd.
Your paintings will then be available for you to display in our Spring exhibition if you have booked a screen.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Abstract painting with a squeegee.
Have you got an old squeegee lying around? Maybe a shower drying blade or a rubber-bladed tile grouting tool? Try painting with it! Yes, really – dribble some acrylic onto the painting surface (a firm surface is best) and spread and scrape in all directions for some fascinating colour blending. Just Google, or search YouTube, for ‘abstract painting with a squeegee’ for examples and inspiration.
Yours sincerely
Robert Jones
Newsletter Editor