Eye Arts Guild
  • Home
  • Gallery
    • Gallery view
    • Frances Beasley
    • John Blake
    • Harriet Bowes
    • Les Bragg
    • Lesley Buckwell
    • Ian Cotgrove
    • Noreen Couch
    • Sue Downie
    • June Drummond
    • Carolyn Clark
    • Joan Henriques
    • Jackie Johnson
    • Josie Jones
    • Richard Kite
    • Sally Ladbrooke
    • Angela Lee
    • Anne Lowe
    • Cynthia May
    • Hannah Muskett
    • Tom Oakley
    • Emily Procner
    • Sally Procner
    • Maggie-Anne Reardon
    • John Ridger
    • Rachel Ritchie
    • Diana Simmons
    • Sally Tyley
    • Eileen Walsh
    • Tribute to John Ridger
    • A Tribute to Tony
  • Stop Press
  • Events
    • Winter Programme 2022
    • Summer Programme 2022
    • Winter Programme 2020-2021
    • Coach Trip to Cambridge
    • EXHIBITIONS
    • Bressingham Art Competition 2018
  • Blog
  • Chairman's Messages
  • Messages from members
  • Contact us
  • Links
  • History
  • PATCHWORK PICTURES
  • SELF PORTRAITS

31st March 2022

31/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Well, I think this is definitely March going out like a lion!  If you look back at Noreen's entry last week, when all was springlike, and compare it to the snow and hail today!  As I write there is a swirl of white outside my window, and the wind is raging (as I hope you can see here).  And it seems as though the weather (amongst other things) put off all but three hardy souls from convening at the Bowls Club this morning,
Picture
The mini-workshop that Josie put together involved construction in cardboard, worked up from drawings of objects, that are then, in turn made into drawings themselves.  Here are some examples of artists working in this way that she provided... and some that she prepared herself.
It looks as though they had a very interesting morning.  Here are the pieces created by Avril (top 4) and Sally P. (bottom 3)
Diana wasn't able to make it today for a number of reasons, so has sent some photos.  She will be providing the still life next week, and will be asking for volunteer models, as she cannot sit still for too long.
Unfortunately Harriet has Covid, and so could not attend this morning.  She has been working at home instead.  She says, 'These are some wind damaged daffs. I don't usually pick so many as I like to see them outside but they had fallen over and were lying on the ground. I'll probably do a bit more on it later.'
Get well soon, Harriet!
Picture
Picture
Frances was not able to attend either, but has completed this painting. 'At the end of February I was walking down Drury Lane in Mellis and saw a group of hares chasing along while roe deer were nearby. Returned to do a quick sketch of setting….'  She says.
Meanwhile, Carolyn has used Les's still life from a couple of weeks back to produce a drawing in pencil.   She has also attempted the bergenia that is flowering well in her garden. She started outside, and then completed it indoors when it became too cold. She used watercolour pencils, but only partially wet them.
Noreen has been getting back into painting, having rearranged her painting space to give herself more room.  This acrylic is of a local view she has seen while out walking.
Picture
Ian has not been able to get to the Bowls Club for a second week running.  He has been busy setting up his exhibition at the Malcolm Charnley rooms in Haughley. This is to run for the whole of April.

I have spent most of the week assembling flatpack bathroom furniture - not very creative!  But I have got on somewhat with the Chairman's project - which you will remember is due to be presented at the last meeting at the Bowls Club on 28th April.  The summer programme is also published on the Events page, thanks to Lesley for sending it to me, and to her, Sally T, Jackie and Sally P. for the work that has gone into it.
Send your contributions to Noreen next week, and have a good week until then.
0 Comments

Thursday 24 March

24/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Hello again.  What a tonic this beautiful spring weather is!  Inspiring if you want to paint, or just healing if you are beset by any of today’s many problems.  I hope lots of you have been able to get outside to enjoy it.
18 members at the session today.
​Hannah gave us two poses to draw today.  Sally, who took the photos, wonders how she managed to keep her arm up tor the hour!  Included is Sally's own drawing of Hannah. She says she arrived late and is leaving early to see the musical Chicago this afternoon. She adds that it comes under the heading of 'Art' so doesn't feel too guilty!


​Below are some of the other resulting portraits.
1-5
6-10
11-13
John submitted two works, a nice charcoal sketch of Hannah and his first attempt at interpreting this photo of King George V's last visit to the East End - a very lively interpretation.
Frances's first her portrait of Hannah with pencil. She said the second done with Conté  was very quick because, like Sally, she had to leave early. 
Rachel had a problem sending her portrait of Les last week and it reached Hannah too late to be included.  So here it is now.
Picture

​I can just picture Carolyn sitting in her lovely garden on a warm spring day drawing these beautiful daffodils.  She has used her Inktense pencils and applied some moisture to bring out more depth.
Picture
This is Lesley’s take on Hannah’s still life, in watercolour.

​
Picture
​Here is Harriet's picture for this week, and see below her attempt at textile work that she did with Avril.
Picture
Diana today showed us in stages how she built up her watercolour painting - very helpful to see how others work.


​
​Diana is also to thank for the last photo, of the whole room hard at work.
These are some updates on the TEXTILE COLLAGES from Lesley and Avril's workshop.
Lesley finished the fabric collage of Queen Charlotte Sound in New Zealand that she created as a demonstration piece for the workshop. She says, “It doesn’t look very different from the image I sent to you a fortnight ago, but I have stitched down the island and done some free machine embroidery to give the forested shore in the foreground some texture.”
Diana did a bit more work on her fabric from the workshop.
Picture
This is an image from Harriet showing her attempt at textile drawing / embroidery that she did with Avril.

Picture
Angela worked at home on her textile collage from 2 weeks ago and has now sent us her finished work.
She says she has been painting landscape and this one is from a sketch and the fabric collage at EAG. Here is the finished work:  “Always looking for a path”, Burthallan Lane overlooking St.Ives Bay in Cornwall.
​Angela has been really busy lately as she tells me that during lockdown she was drawing a model in Bristol via Zoom, with different poses on different days. This February an exhibition was held at a gallery in Bath for the artists’  completed works.  Angela showed three (herewith) and found it fascinating to meet the model face to face at the exhibition.
Finally about next week's session:  Josie will be doing a morning of CARDBOARD SCULPTURE  based around small tools and equipment like corkscrews. There won’t be a still life or model, but anyone who wants to bring their own work is welcome.  Items to bring:
​Cutting mat
Cardboard/cereal boxes

Scalpel
Scissors
Glue/pave/hot glue gun
Masking tape
Ruler, T-square
Acrylic paint, markers
Pencils
Postscript: I have been asked to include this notice
Picture
0 Comments

17th March 2022

17/3/2022

0 Comments

 
What a glorious Spring day - with hopefully more to come as we go into the weekend!  And after yesterday's shower of Saharan sand... How lucky we are to be here in such a beautiful landscape, safe from strife.  How wonderful to hear that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is finally home with her family - a bright spot in the endlessly gloomy news. 
I am sure that most of you are enjoying the colour returning to gardens and the blossom in the trees, with all the opportunities for sketching and painting that brings.  some of us made it to the Bowls Club this morning (unfortunately, not me) for Les Bragg's stint as a model and for a varied still life, as you can see below.
Picture
First, Jane's beautiful rendition in crayon of a bowl of apples.
 And now two drawings from Carolyn, the first an atmospheric drawing with emphasis on the shadows from these conifers, the second harks back to winter with a view of her neighbour's barn, using waterolour pencils.
And here are two from Frances,
First, done in small sketchbook...Art Graf and pen.
Second, unfinished on Yupo paper...Art Graf and ink.
Just having fun!
Diana says of her contribution this week: 'Carried on with fabric during week loved doing it and have next idea in head.When sewing it’s not a good idea to do it on ironing board (cover)! At group this morning tried to finish a few old watercolours.'
Here is the first of the portraits of Les from this morning.  This one is from Rachel.
Picture
These portraits are from Avril...
And these from Sally P...
Finally, Harriet's still life from this morning.
Picture
Below you can see details of how to enter work for an upcoming exhibition in Stradbroke.  You can also download these forms below.
stradbroke_ex_1.pdf
File Size: 1350 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

stradbroke_ex_2.pdf
File Size: 977 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Next week Noreen will be in charge of the blog, and I will be swapping with Josie to take my turn at the still life and modelling for the week - so see you then!
0 Comments

P.S. to Thursday's blog

12/3/2022

0 Comments

 
I hear that Angela sent me an email with her more finished version of her textile collage, which unfortunately disappeared into cyber space.  It occurred to me that as so many people said they were going to finish their artwork at home, we could include a gallery of them on my next blog.  So if you would like to send a photo of yours to me sometime before 24th March, I will put it on. Noreen
Picture
Angela's textile collage
0 Comments

Thursday 10th March

10/3/2022

4 Comments

 
What a beautiful sunny morning it is!  Makes you feel all’s right with the world.  But of course it isn’t. While artists try to be creative and positive, elsewhere others seek power over their fellow humans causing fear and destruction. Let’s hope our artwork at least helps to keep us sane in these trying times. 
This morning’s enjoyable session was masterminded by Lesley and Avril and was all about Textile Collage. Here are a couple of photos of members at work, sent in by Diana, and some more received from Lesley


We also have some of Diana’s own work.  She says, “Really enjoyed this morning.  Based on Zennor sketch, playing around with denim and ticking, which I will finish at home with stitching.”


​Jane
has come up with this pleasing image.  She says, “Great fun this morning.”


Picture
​Frances also says it was great fun today and that Lesley and Avril gave excellent encouragement and instructions. She says she began her peice at home using her embellisher, which she hadn’t touched for ages, and she then embroidered and wonder webbed it this morning. This is her beautiful result.
Picture
Embellishing (in this context) and wonder webbing are a mystery to me.  N.


​In sending her work in, Sally P says it was a very interesting and different EAG meeting today. She anticipated some great work on the blog.  She was right - lots of interesting results.  Her unfinished picture was taken from a photo of Ayers Rock.  She says, “I didn’t get time to do any machine stitching on it.  If there was a complicated way to approach this, I managed to do it.
Picture
Here are more pictures of members at work, all sent in by Avril and Lesley  Good on you Les and Ian for joining in.  Lesley says, "there were 9 collagers present. See Ian hard at work on his wife’s sewing machine. Sadly 3 others who wanted to participate were unable to. Harriet also came - see below..  Ian said today was a very good session. It was his first effort at sewing of any sort - well done, Ian! - and he will finish it sometime. Unfortunately they ran out of time (there were requests for a whole day another time), so the images show unfinished work. However, everyone seemed to be enjoying the process and intended to complete the sewing stage at home.
Lesley also sent us Angela’s landscape using upholstery samples,  Les’s, showing excellent drawing with the needle and Ian's brave effort.
Jackie also found it an interesting morning, creating fabric collage accompanied by the whirring of many sewing machines.  She has included her sketch of Sandra from last week, now painted.

​

This is Lesley’s demonstration piece, unfinished.

Picture
Harriet said she was late arriving to the session this morning, so gave the textiles a miss and had a go at part of the still life.

​
Picture
First off the blocks this morning, though not present at the workshop,  was Carolyn, with her portrayal of a plant in a pot with some lovely leaf shapes.

​
Picture
Ian also contributed two non-collage pieces of work, the result of a day’s workshop with Hashim Akib. The seascape is unfinished.
I wasn't at the session today, but I would like to have been as it sounds a lot of fun. I certainly wouldn't have been able to bring my sewing machine, as it is very heavy, on four legs, and made in the early 30's. Moreover, the drive belt is broken.  
​Apologies if I have got any pics the wrong way up. Let me know and I'll correct it.
Have a good week and remember to send your entries to Hannah next week.
​Cheers, Noreen
4 Comments

3rd March 2022

3/3/2022

0 Comments

 
What a terrible week for news this has been!  It is strange to think that only two or three weeks ago people in Ukraine were going about their business much as we still are, and now their whole world has been turned upside down, while we are able to continue our lives in the normal way, despite Covid.  Good to hear this morning that the government will match donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee.   There but for the grace of God...
14 of us convened at the Bowls Club this morning for John's still life and poses augmented by a hat, scarf and very fine walking stick, and a book.  And I have just realised that I have failed to photograph the whole still life - this is simply the fish that I was drawing - you can see some of the rest of the still life in the background.
Picture
Carolyn sent me this picture for this week's blog, primroses making a promise of spring in her garden (which we can all have the pleasure of visiting during the summer).
Here are a couple of Avril's portraits from this morning, together with a poster for an upcoming exhibition she is participating in.
Diana added the Aeonium plant in John's still life (another view of which is above) to the ingredients she brought with her, to produce this watercolour.
Jackie said,  'John was our excellent model today presenting us with three differently attired poses. Capturing his studious character was challenging but most enjoyable.'
These are Rachel's portraits from this morning.
Picture
And Ian's...
Picture
And Sally P's...
Picture
Picture
I peeked over both Elizabeth and Ian's shoulders as they worked...
And here are Elizabeth's finished works.
Picture
Picture
And these are Frances' finished portraits...
Picture
Picture
Next, a picture of blossom from Les Bragg.
Picture
Picture
Josie was working on a drawing of a bottle opener for something to do with her session, later in March. 
And this is my ink and pencil drawing of the brass koi fish.
Picture
A number of points to draw to your attention this week:
Next week is Lesley and Avril's textile workshop.  You will find details of what to bring on the Stop Press page, and Lesley wanted to add that if you don't want to add machine stitchwork, you are welcome to add paint or hand stitching.  There will also hopefully be a still life for those who would like to do that instead.  Sally P. has started the organising of the trip to Cambridge in May, more detail shortly.
Don't forget to send your work to Noreen next week.
And finally,  a sad note to end on.  We have been told of the death of Therese Powell.  Her ashes are planned to be scattered behind her home, in Castle Meadow, and we will be notified of the date for that, and will let you know.
Look after yourselves.  Have a good week.
0 Comments

    feedback

    Your committee strives to organise programmes and events to interest and challenge you and help you to develop your skills.  It would assist them to know what you have liked or not liked, or if you have any new ideas or suggestions to put forward.  Do let us know, either by speaking to committee members direct or by using the "Comments" facility on this page.  ​Just click on Comments and a reply form will pop up.  If there are previous comments, again just click to read them.

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

- Site created by RWJames.