There were 21 members at the Bowls club today and a happy buzz went around the room as we all got to grips with Jane's super still life, she sat very still for us so the results were good. Members busy with the still life pictures Jane sitting sedately with two father Christmases for company The likenesses are great, now for the still life pictures Diana sent this one by email. 'Good shapes in plant and added apples and coffee pot from my old watercolour which I had photo of.' A reminder from Lesley to send in your Christmas greetings into Hannah for the website. Have a look under Messages from Members for the greetings that are already there. See you next week at the Christmas party.
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Helen Ball from the cafe gallery in Botesdale visited this morning to see a wide variety of members work on display. *** see note below Sally reprised her still life setting as last week, a useful opportunity to continue and explore further. And a ‘live’ game of bridge Work inspired by the bridge players Pictures inspired by the still life challenge
Hints and tips from Diana…a useful way to decide where to place the lemons on her picture And a picture she completed during lock down in her kitchen. And Finally…
*If you have a Patchwork picture piece to complete, bring it to the Christmas party on Dec 14th. If you are unable to come to the party send Sally P your completed segment preferably by next week by first class post. **If you are coming to the party please let a committee member know, so that they have some idea of numbers. *** a note from Frances, Helen Ball seems more interested in displaying work from individuals, and possibly cards and other craft work. Frances will be in touch with her again after Christmas. On this bright sunny morning 17 members attended. Sally Procner made a splendid still life with lemons and glass, she also did the first portrait sitting. While people were working, you could hear a pin drop due to the concentration. Three different views of Sally, including a very good likeness from Jackie. Elizabeth used her pastels to good effect. Work produced using Avril as model. John was pleased with the smile and faraway look in his drawing. Still life photos: Hannah's creation from the iPad. Carolyn drew a picture of Avril and Richard's dog Sam Diana sent these. Lovely colour in the garden. Son Charlie's art on old piece of tin. Lesley says, "Here are my efforts from this morning from Sally P's arrangement, both in acrylic. First, hydrangeas painted thickly on canvas board. Second, sea hollies and grasses on cartridge paper using acrylic heavily diluted to give watercolour effect." Please can members remember to bring a couple of finished small paintings/drawings next week to show Helen Ball of the Cafe Gallery at Botesdale. She is coming at 10-am so it may be a good idea to try to get to the Bowls Club a few minutes before, so we are settled when she arrives.
Avril Hello everyone, this is Hannah, back from holiday. A productive morning at the Bowls Club today. twenty industrious members (as you can see from the last photo below) worked on John's eclectic still life - different from every angle, and the man himself as model. I had to leave before the 'Show and Tell', so thanks to Avril for sending me photos of everyone's work. So here are the first batch: - Josie, jackie, Frances and Avril... Next, Ian J, Sally L, Sally T, Maggie-Anne and Harriet... And now, Angela’s, Harriet’s, Jenny’s, Elizabeth's, and Sally L... and Hannah (at the end!) As a caution, just to be on the safe side, I shall say, for all of the above, all the right names but not necessarily in the right order!
Frances alerted all present and those who could not make it this morning, that Helen Ball of Santiago's Cafe in Botesdale will be visiting us at the Bowls Club on 30th November to get some idea of members' art for display in the cafe. If you are interested in your work being included, please bring an example in on that morning for her to see.
I thought I would just add at the bottom here two sketches I did while away, on my iPad. The first is a scene in Thorndon, the second is the view from our balcony, then there are two photos, the first showing the same scene with a calmer sea. The second is a West Indian Whistling duck, who visited us, completely tame, and begging (in vain) for food. Hope to see you all next week, when it looks as though Sally P is in charge. Avril will be doing the blog, so any artworks you want included should be sent to her.
Workshop galleryThree pieces from Josie that she has been working on from homeCarolyn has sent this lovely seasonal image of a sprig of hollyAnd finally… two reminders from Lesley
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A wet and windy day but some 12 intrepid members braved the forecast primed their creative juices and headed for the bowls club. Liz had set up a harvest themed still life, and Jackie was appropriately modelling a poppy themed outfit. |
A quick sketch and an acrylic still life from Lesley beautiful bold colours perfectly set off by the dark background |
Two pictures from Harriet, both in pastel and charcoal? She says that she found the study of the tricky angle of Jackie’s hands very difficult and i can see why, but i can also see exactly how the hand was placed, well observed.
Some final images from this week, i apologise for not knowing the artists names, and hope that i have included you all.
Stop Press please check the Stop Press section of the website for a list of materials for Lesley’s workshop next week




Two other ink sketches done locally here in Brittany.
Here are the pictures of this morning’s work at the Bowls Club. Quite a few very good likenesses, I thought. I did ask for identification on the picture, but I think most people forgot. While in the summer it is easy enough to know who did what, because they send it it, in the winter it would be helpful if you either wrote your name on your work, or on a piece of paper to be displayed on or near it. It seems unfair on those I don’t remember, not to be able to say… What I will say is that I hope John will keep us updated with the progress of his canvas - love Avril's squared-off Maggie-Anne, is this AI art? - thanks to Freda for drawing all her fellow portraitist's feet! - thanks to Irene for allowing me to take a photo of her roses before she went, and it was very good to have the show and tell back in full flow. My squiggle on the end is my take on Jackie's exercise from last week, with the saddle as subject matter.
[I find it very interesting when people show the progress of a work, and we can follow it, week on week. Ed]
First, a reminder of the Christmas Chairman's project 'Where on Earth are we Going To?' 2D work please, ready for presentation at the Christmas party on 14 December.
Second, the Exhibitions Working Party have put together a submission to the Halesworth Gallery, who have put out a call for artists for exhibitions next year. To accompany the submission, they would like members to email Sally L an image or two (or three) of your best work in the next week, please sally.ladbrooke889@googlemail.com, with some idea of medium used. These may also be used for submission to other possible venues.
Third, Sally L's workshop next week has a list of materials on the Stop Press page. Have a look before next week. It is also just possible that the workshop may have to be postponed, in which case that is also where you will find that information.
I am going to be on holiday for the next couple of weeks. If you have work to send in for the blog, it should go to Avril or Sally L (I'm not sure yet who will be doing the blog. Look at Stop Press before sending).
Jackie and Liz combined forces today, and will so again, but the other way round! This time Jackie was responsible for the still life and Liz was the model (sorry Liz, I completely failed to photograph you, but the drawings below will give a very good idea of the poses). We were a good number for the first week of the winter programme, and Jackie provided an excellent still life, with lots of produce and autumn colour, as well as some of her felted animals. She suggested a method of approach that I have pictured the instructions for, right - if you were not able to come this morning, you might want to give it a try at home with some objects of your own. |
Have a productive week!
There have been some changes to the committee, as Ian C has stepped back after 5 years as Treasurer, and will be replaced by Ian J, making it easy to remember who is Treasurer! Noreen, having given many sterling years to the Website, is going to be taking it rather easier, and I will be taking over from her, with help from Avril and Sally L, who will be learning over the next few weeks how to add to this page. Many thanks to both Ian and Noreen for their years of service.
There was discussion too, about the exhibition held in July in Diss and the way forward for exhibiting. A sub committee has been set up, comprising Angela, Frances and Sally L, who will be looking at the subject over the coming months.
There will be some interesting mornings ahead of us - both workshops and themed mornings. A new Chairman's Project was set, to be presented at the Christmas party, as it was felt that everyone had enjoyed doing this last year. The subject this time is 'Where On Earth are We Going?'. Use your imaginations, but keep in mind that it would be nice to add the resultant work to an exhibition, so conceptual pieces requiring explanation are probably out.
The Show and Tell will be back at the end of each session. Yours truly will find this a help in compiling the blog each week, as it gives me an opportunity to take photos of all the work produced in a morning.
So first, work by Judith (who is a new member, but has been a summer host for some years) a narrative piece: what IS going on?, Maggie-Anne (x2), Richard and Ian J.
I too was unable to come to Eye, as I had to get a Covid booster, and they only seem to be doing Thursdays. I have done a preliminary oil sketch for a landscape. The original image came into view behind the actors in a scene on TV, which I found intriguing, the landscape not the programme. I think I want the painting to be quite abstract, so I have to be careful not to get too literal... |
With the gales yesterday and the number of leaves blowing about, autumn is definitely here, and we will soon be convening each week at the Bowls Club, rather than braving the elements out and about. Today though, the weather was much better than forecast, and Wetheringsett was the destination, one that is included regularly in the summer programme. Also included below are two photos from Sally P, from last week, showing the glorious sky and sparkling sea.
And Lesley is on a course at West Dean “Still Life to Abstraction” course. Here is work in progress! 'After two days of charcoal drawings we are now working on a series of ten 20cm square acrylic paintings; we have to keep ranking them and working on the worst, which then goes up the hierarchy. Top left is the tutor’s favourite, but not mine.' What an interesting group of images! |
I have been asked by my daughter to paint a picture of her two cats Summer and Winter so I can send you my effort so far as a means of keeping in touch.
Acrylic picture of cats and photo of Bob feeling sorry for himself
'I forgot to send my couple of sketches from Germany… looking at a typical barn of the region in Lowe Saxony. Then two from today.
'Just liked the bucket and then enjoyed doing the second of the front end of the wagon but structure so complicated I did wonder why I chose the subject!!!!'
Started off quite sunny but ended up cool.'
Enough of my waffling to hide the fact that I didn't go there today... Thanks very much to Jackie for the photos.
Based on the seawall at Slaughden,I took my landscape sketchbook, watercolours and a fine (0.1) pen to produce the three sketches below:
1. Looking north towards the Brudenell and Thorpeness in the distance
2. Looking inland across the River Alde
3. Looking south towards the Martello tower - minus the parked cars on the sea wall!'
The weather was gorgeous.... although it did dry the paints up rather quickly
First drawing in pen. Second picture is watercolour. It needs some more work on it as I ran out of time. We then finished the afternoon at The Brudenell again before heading off home.
Next week is the Mid Suffolk Light Railway. Have a good week until then.
Thanks to Jackie for the photo below - of those who made it to tea time. Altogether I am told, about eight made it to Park Farm yesterday. A very hot day, so well done for surviving.
I just loved the old tack room, delightfully crammed with stuff, dark corners and a subtle palette of browns, gold's and purple- grey.'
This from Angela, at the last minute - 'It was a good, if a bit hot, day at Park Farm which offered lots of shade thankfully. The tea at Jackie’s was very welcome and her garden was delightful. I did this study of the pond with a few chalk and oil pastels and a graphite stick. Lots of patterns on the water and the shadows were a deep Prussian blue which I didn’t have and the greens were so bright. Anyway I had fun!' |
This year we do seem to have been lucky with the weather, though there was a definite drop in temperature this morning, at least in Norfolk. A good turn out today, I think ten in total, eight for tea. Battesby garden stunning as usual. Lesley tells me the turn out today was a considerable improvement on last week, with about ten members making it to Wortham Ling. Here are those who made it to tea, minus Angela and Frances. |
Next week is at Park Farm Hoxne, I won’t be there as I’ll be hanging my textile group, Chain Reaction’s annual exhibition at Snape Maltings.' She described the garden as 'stunning, as usual.' Also included here is the flyer for her show, with all the details so you can visit.
lovely tea and cake provided by the hosts for the day.
Finally, a postcard from Greece, from Sally L - hope she's enjoying her holiday! Not much painting for me this week - hope to get down to it next week. the venue next Thursday is Park Farm, Hoxne. Let's hope the weather continues fine (at least by day). don't forget to send work in to me for the blog. It would be helpful if you all looked at any pictures by you on the website, as we have been experiencing a problem with file names that changes the images. I know about those on Jackie, Sally L and Maggie-Anne's Gallery pages, and those will be dealt with - any others? |
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