Blog Archives

Thursday 30th April

30/4/2020

I noticed that today is the last week of our Winter Programme. If we’d been at the Bowls Club we would have been viewing our pictures for the Chairman’s Project on The Pleasures of Life. Our ideas of these might have changed quite a bit in recent weeks!
Today’s theme, suggested by Sally P, was My … Window Sill and we’ve had quite a few pictures on that subject, including the one from Sally herself incorporating topical notes. A great collection of work of all kinds this week.
On behalf of all members, thank you to contributors for sharing your thoughts and work and so keeping the Guild going. Next week’s optional subject is Shopping, which I think gives scope for imagination or simple still life.

By the way, Frances tells me the Art Graf is based on the old tailor’s chalk shape and is great fun to use.
That's all for now. Any further contributions will be added later. Noreen

PS FRIDAY See right for contribution of a photo from Richard, who is gradually feeling better, he says.

Seen in Malcolm's Garden

0 Comments

Thursday 23rd April

23/4/2020

4 Comments

A big Thank You to everyone for sending in artwork and comments for our weekly update. I’m sure that many appreciate seeing what you have been working on and sharing any thoughts you have about it, even if they don’t have the facility themselves for sending in photos of their work. Occasionally it has been possible to photograph work for others - as Sally P has done this week for Tom. Cynthia was all set for a photo session, but hasn’t actually completed anything this week.
Sally’s suggested subject for next week is: “On my (name of room) Window Sill”. This could be a simple still life or it might include some window frame or view outside. Or, as usual, just do your own thing.
Note: I have just reinstated the text (above), which mysteriously disappeared before publishing the blog. My apologies. N.

Hannah has hardly done any art work this week, but she has emailed: "Too busy with gardening as all the weeds have been shouting at me from the flowerbeds for too long, and the veg seeds needed planting to get going for the summer. I went out looking for the meteor shower very late on Tuesday night, but saw nothing but helicopters that flew so low they set off the parking lights in the church car park opposite! There was also a flock of buzzards in the sky here on Sunday, seven of them, which was amazing. This afternoon I am having a go at the still life I set up two weeks ago, so I hope I will have something for you next week … it’s good to hear how everyone who contributes is doing."

I will add any more contributions that come in. I hope you all have been enjoying the lovely sunshine as well as beavering away at your projects. N.

PS Another excellent one just in, from Sally L. Aren't the colours great!
And from Richard, who hasn't got a painting to show but sends a photo (a recent shot of the moon); he has been a bit off colour the last few days with a stomach upset, but is bearing up.

4 Comments

Friday 17th April

17/4/2020

0 Comments

Sally L has passed on a link for a bit of LIGHT RELIEF: click here

BANKSY IN LOCKDOWN - about Banksy and other artists. The file below is from Sally P. Click to download it.

banksy_in_lockdown.docx
File Size:	141 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

0 Comments

April 16th, socialising digitally

16/4/2020

1 Comment

“Enjoying the Weather” was a suggested theme for this week and we certainly had weather to enjoy. A wonderful opportunity for early season plein air painting? - Except that we are limited to our gardens. Click to enlarge groups of pictures.

Jackie sent in a very accomplished painting of her kitchen cupboard - before engaging herself in some spring cleaning.
Jane shows some illustrated correspondence with her niece. Isn't that super and inspiring!

Sally writes: "Hope you are all well.Haven't we been having some wonderful weather. Things could be worse, we could be in lockdown during the winter months, how awful would that have been! Sunny weather does lift the spirits.
This week's suggestion (for next week’s painting) is "Keeping healthy, staying safe".

"I will continue with my series of paintings on newspapers. I must admit I have it planned already......on a roll.... This lockdown has been good for my art!
Good health and keep safe, Sal"

"May I pass on my tip of the week, - when faced with a previously unloved and unfinished churchyard scenario, bung in a flowering cherry tree, thus finishing the picture and at the same time making use of that languishing tube of Opera Pink! Win,win!" says Sally L.

Before

Cynthia's note says: "Rough sketch of my nearest neighbour - a ring dove who sits on her twiggy nest outside my window, watching me watching her."
Ian has found little time for art as he has been doing a lot in the garden and in his shed, but he has managed to finish a 24"x16" oil painting started a while back, which brings back to him memories of the Yorkshire Dales.
Avril has expanded her conga by adding Ric the Vic teddy bear, made by Avril herself and famed apparently for abseiling off the church spire, with parachute, to raise funds.

We met Carolyn's cycling friend when he modelled during last year's visit to her garden. The squirrel came close to a window, perhaps collecting moss for a drey.
Sally T completed her oil still life painting and began an idea for silk screening.
Noreen did not find pastel working very well on her multi-purpose Paint On paper.

Frances's oil painting is based on a sketch and photo from a recent walk. She has been enjoying doing this while listening to her Bob Dylan CDs!!! She was not happy with the hare lino print, to which she added ink, but preferred the one used on a newspaper photo.

I heard from June that she felt very frustrated after two goes at trying to do a self-portrait in charcoal from the mirror and not achieving anything like a likeness. She may Google for help on her iPad.

That's all for now, folks. Will add any more that come in.
Keep healthy, keep safe (that's the suggested topic for next week)!
Noreen

And here's another one, from Hannah, who has abandoned her Chinese lanterns for the moment, as they had become tight and unpainterly. She has started something new, from a photo of spider lilies in Borneo last year - wonderful patterns and great contrasts of light and colour. It seems to be going rather better than the lanterns, she says.

Hannah, you have the sense to abandon something that isn't going as you wish. I must take a leaf ..... Noreen

PS Frances has just added a comment, click below.

1 Comment

Friday, 10th April

10/4/2020

0 Comments

continuation from Thursday 9th

From Cynthia today: “For one of our Thursday mornings which had to be cancelled (19 March), we were invited to bring a favourite object, and I have just thought of my favourite of all - my new great grandson Henry. I made two rather tentative pencil sketches of him (time was limited).
"Since Henry is hardly portable(!) I would have brought my sunglasses as a favourite. Not much of a subject to paint, but what would other people have brought?”

0 Comments

Thursday, 9th April, still home

9/4/2020

1 Comment

Many of you have been out tackling big projects in your gardens this week, or doing sewing, reading or working on some other issues …. or in my case sorting out the so-called potting shed (very little potting gets done in there). It’s really lovely to have been able to get out in the garden, even tiny ones like mine, and feel the sun. Cynthia has been enjoying hers too, she tells me, and is thinking about her next painting. She hasn’t produced one yet this week, but said how much she has enjoyed seeing others’ work on this website. Freda too has said she logs in, feeling the need to be with our supportive group. She sketches most days but is unable to show them. (Full message on last week’s “Comments’ section.)
Many of you have been busy sketching and painting and sent in some very interesting work. I, and I’m sure all of us, would like to learn what some of the rest of you have been up to, so do email me if you can. (Noreen). Click groups of images to enlarge them.

JUST IN (7pm), Sally T's picture above right.
I'll add any more pictures that come in.
Meanwhile, note that Sally's suggested subject for next week is "Enjoying the weather" - or do your own thing.
Noreen
PS Click on Comment to see Sally P's comment today.

1 Comment

Saturday, 3rd April

3/4/2020

2 Comments

Two late entries for this week's blog, from June and Sally L. Better late than never! In fact it's great to see them whenever.
1. June's - she says she only noticed it's a big wonky when seeing the photo. But not very - it's still a very good painting in pastel pencils. Just look at those flowers!
2. Sally's: two down, four to go. She says she's calling it finished as it's in danger of being overworked. Seems to me just right now. Also she says, "Sorry it's late, in mitigation my woodpile is looking immaculate!" (What has she been doing to it?)

1. June's

2. Sally's before

2. Sally's after

2 Comments

Thursday 2nd April, staying home

2/4/2020

0 Comments

Frances has reminded me that this is our third week of remote EAG-working. I have been looking forward to hearing how you are all getting on and what great art or humble sketches you are producing. Some excellent work is coming in and hopefully there will be lots more still to come. And not only from the regulars, but also it would be good to hear from the not-so-regular members. You can send a message by email to me (Noreen) or using the comments section attached to the blog, even if you have not completed a piece of work to send.

From Sally P (where are T and L today?): Signs of Spring AND Something Fruity. "Had great fun. It's good to have this challenge even though the daffy isn't brilliant. For next week's subject (if you wish) how about 'The Kitchen'."

PS A painting in progress from Sally T has been added at the end.
There is also a further stage from Diana and three paintings from Harriet below.

From Carolyn two pictures: The blue pot is from Harriet’s still life session. The amaryllis stem is part of her series on this plant (watercolour / watercolour pencils on top). which just keeps growing, producing more stems and flowers.

Sally P's

June has been busy again with this celebration of spring and Mother’s Day.
Lesley’s piece was finished only yesterday. It is a landscape of the west coast of New Zealand from a photo she took on her trip there in 2016. It’s mixed media: acrylic painted on Egyptian cotton, then machine stitched, then collaged. She is gifting it (framed) to her travelling companion for her 70th birthday

Frances has returned to hares, having seen so many on recent walks. She cut out this little one and printed it over an exisitng print of a lupin. The second photo is of a work in progress …
Cynthia cannot send photos to us, but she put her work out in the garden on a chair for me to photograph and we had a brief 6ft distant chat.

Diana pulled out half a drawer-ful of half-finished paintings, then put them away again and decided instead on something small and simpler in oil.
You don’t need to be told the other one is Jane’s! It is almost finished - pen & ink (was originally on her calendar). So much detail, without losing the whole effect.

True to her word, Avril has added another item to her previous set-up, so now we have chicken, teddy and dolly in the conga. As it grows week by week the conga leaders will just have to disappear off into the distance, she says. She found painting the doll’s face in pastel was hard.

Another view of Noreen's garden in acrylics (she gave up trying to make it loose) and, above it, a watercolour sketch of just a small patch of the garden done yesterday.

The Blog is not closed if anyone wishes to send any more work or messages.

PS Just in: another stage in Diana's painting, although still not finished.
And on the right one from Sally T, a work in progress.

Another welcome contribution, from Harriet. She has a lot of old tubes of oils, which she has been using up - and getting in a bit of a mess in the process, she says! She hasn't finished her picture of the hellebore yet as they have been busy with a veg. patch which will eventually be rabbit and dog proof.

0 Comments

Thursday 30th April

Thursday 23rd April

Friday 17th April

April 16th, socialising digitally

Friday, 10th April

continuation from Thursday 9th

Thursday, 9th April, still home

Saturday, 3rd April

Thursday 2nd April, staying home

feedback

Archives

Categories