NEW TERM

Term starts next Monday, we will be drawing, as ever, because straightforward objective drawing is the basis of our understanding of how to assess and process what we see of the world around us.
So please bring A3 ( or bigger ) paper, and a 2b pencil, and maybe a board to rest on. If you are coming to the Portrait class a board, and maybe an easel is a really good idea, and makes life easier, because you can look across at your subject and lay the image on paper at the same angle at which you are actually looking. If you work flat on the table you often get distortion because of transposing your image from the vertical to the horizontal.

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, I certainly did, though it is always a time that I don't really look forward to. This year we spent time with our family and it was great. Then New Year celebrations kicked in and we had fun then, so now getting back to normal.

REITH LECTURES

Looking for this year's Reith Lectures on the BBC website to catch up with those I missed I found last year's lectures by Grayson Perry. I missed most of those but they are all there on I Player so you can listen to them. Don't be beguiled into thinking that you can do something else while listening, as I was, because the ideas he talks of are far too thought provoking to listen to without concentrating completely.
Enjoy, as they say in restaurants.

Turning into Turner!

Well our Turner day went well, and I regret not taking individual photos of the paintings which you did. These are just a few action shots to give a feel of the day. I would like to be able to say that there was lots of grunting and spitting during the course of production but actually it was all very seemly and genteel! Big paintings, A1 size were the order of the day, and everyone engaged in lots of knife technique, scraping and scumbling to make the fabulous feel of light which Turner creates. There was experimentation with a variety of mediums to alter paint consistency including tile grout and coal dust for special effects!  If you missed the day, and would like to have a go let me know and I will put on another special Turner day.

VISIT IT!

Don't forget to visit the Rushlight Gallery in Reepham, an interesting selection of varied art work laid out beautifully for you to enjoy!
It is just along from the Dial House, and there is room to park, free, in the market square.

December 2014

and here is some of the latest work from the Cawston Group, refining the way you can use the imagery of trees and composition and colour to give an overall feel of a definite atmosphere.
Look closely and see whether you can see the gorilla.

Last lesson Portraits....

here are the paintings of Sarah who kindly volunteered to sit on Monday.  If you happen to know anyone who would be willing to sit for our group, (pay is £20), please talk to me. We always need people, as the variety is part of the challenge! All are welcome, old and young, glamorous or otherwise!