Saturday Talks

Our new season of Saturday Talks will start on 16th September. The schedule for the next few months is as follows:

We do our best to provide a varied and interesting programme of talks and demonstrations. To help us do this it would be good to hear views from members on the type of talks you would like to see. Are there particular mediums/techniques/subject matter that you would like to see included in the programme? Do you have any feedback on recent demonstrations? If you are aware of an artists who would be of interest as demonstrators that would also be useful. If you have any views please contact either myself at johnsonajpj@gmail.com or Nikki Statit at staitn@hotmail.com.

June

June’s talk featured Cheryl Clayton. Cheryl intended to use pastels to create an animal artwork but the velour paper she uses had not arrived. Instead, she used a variety of different pens to create two images. A jellyfish and bumble bees. Using 250gm weighted paper, she sketched the image in the centre and wet the paper up to the edges of her drawing. She squeezed blobs of two colours of “Sparkle water solvable ink” onto the wet paper, then dribbled over it letting the colours mix, dabbing the excess puddles. Once dry, she outlined her pencil sketch with a “black art liner pen” filling in the image with acrylic pen and shading with a “coloured alcohol pen”.

May

May’s demonstration by Richard Crabtree was a beautiful demonstration on capturing the fur for a husky using pastels. He demonstrated the different strokes to use always in the direction of the fur. Alternating with harsh heavy strokes followed by the blurring and then overlying of a softer colour to provide a depth and richness to the dog’s fur.

As a further treat we also saw the treatment for another dog on different paper with pastel pencils to allow us to appreciate the different effects.

Materials used in the demonstration were Hannemulle velour paper, Clairfontaine paper and Schwan Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils.

Teas

In the last newsletter I reported that Heather and Audrey would be stepping down from providing the teas for our Saturday talks. Since then, no-one has come forward to volunteer taking on this role for the future. Heather has very kindly agreed to do the teas for the September meeting. For future talks the committee have agreed that no refreshments would be provided and that members should bring their own drinks if required. We will still have a break in the middle of the talk to allow members to socialise and discuss with the artist.

We have made an arrangement with Nicky Harvey (who some will remember used to run Strand Arts) to attend future meetings to sell art materials and provide details of art workshops.

Exhibitions

Hidcote

Since the last newsletter we held a very successful exhibition at The National Trust’s Hidcote Manor Gardens. We would like again to recognise Patty’s role in identifying, and with Debby’s help, successfully delivering what proved to be a wonderful opportunity. The operation of the exhibition went very smoothly, the only practical issue being the lack of internet connection for the card reader within the exhibition room. Headline numbers from the exhibition were:

Total sales: £15,300
Footfall:      12,527
Paintings sold: 168

We are obviously delighted at the success of this exhibition and well done to all those who exhibited and help to organise and steward the event.

Bourton

Over 30 members also took part in an exhibition in Bourton on the Water in August. Bourton is obviously a very busy tourist location and although only three weekdays are ever available to hire in August we decided to give it a try. The footfall of around 900 visitors didn’t disappoint, especially considering that the second day was wet and dull. However, it was surprising that so many of the visitors were from overseas and although many complimented the standard of the exhibition sales were disappointing.

Lower Slaughter

Our final exhibition of the year will be at Lower Slaughter Village Hall on 20 – 26^th September.

Updated Club Constitution and Rules

At the last AGM we agreed a couple of changes that required the club rules to be updated. The two main changes were the removal of the role of President and simplification of the membership arrangements. The Constitution and Rules have now been updated and agreed by the Committee and a copy is attached for information.

Website

Barbara Jeffers has recently taken over the Club website and made a number of improvements. Please have a look at the website at www.cotswoldartclub.com.  Members can provide information and have their artists profile published on the website. We are also happy to include relevant information about members art activities.

Social Media

With regard to our presence on social media we currently have 373 Facebook followers and 410 on Instagram.

Exhibitions and Events

Nature in Art Gift & Craft Fair

Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th October 2023

Held for over 20 years, Nature in Art’s Craft Fair is a unique and inspiring experience. Spend a fun day out in a grand Georgian mansion browsing over 45 stalls offering a variety of unique, handmade crafts. Visitors can explore the upstairs galleries filled with 2D & 3D art inspired by nature, visit the artist in residence, Stephen Walton in the art studio, have a wander around the sculpture garden and treat themselves to a drink and slice of cake in the coffee shop.

Also look out for the popular raffle, tombola and nearly-new bookstall.

The event strives to have a large selection of stallholders showcasing a variety of crafts, from woodwork & ceramics to glassware & photography. Some stallholders will be demonstrating.

To see a full list of stallholders, please visit the Nature in Art website. www.natureinart.org.uk/craftfair/ £3 entry on the door. Under 8’s & Friends of Nature in Art free. Free parking. 10am – 5pm each day. Please note that this is a cash only event.