Flixton is a favoured spot to visit for EAG.  There are probably thousands of interesting items on display, from whole aircraft to memorabilia and engine parts.  Outside the hangars is a fascinating engine 'graveyard' which always provides popular subjects for sketching.  We met in the 'NAAFI' for a welcome coffee or tea, and then spread out, initially inside the hangar complex, to avoid the wet weather outside.  It did clear up, and proved quite warm and sunny.  I left early, but most members stayed for tea at the end of the day.

Avril brought Bob with her, and he behaved beautifully while she sketched just behind me.  Here is a selection of her work, which includes subjects both inside and out.

Now Frances, who said, 'Today I only took charcoal and felt pens which react with water. So a bit of a challenge with the subject!

'First , charcoal pattern created using fronts of the aircraft.
Second using the felt tips and water, a plane that felt looked ready to eat some prey!
Thirdly outside and just using felt tips and no water!'

Diana was working at home, with day lilies her inspiration, but she also sent a sketch done on a previous visit to Flixton.

Sally P.   Pencil one is the Sepecat jaguar in pencil. 
Second a quick 20 min sketch of the damaged propellers in a water soluble twin ended felt tip pen and a bit of watercolor. Done as a semi blind contour.

I’m indebted to Sally P  as I didn’t get to Westhorpe for this very comprehensive report.
​
A cold and wet day, at times at Westhorpe. Well for most of the time actually! There were only 5 hardy artists and Ian C! ( He stayed indoors painting from an upstairs window!)
We started with tea and biscuits in the morning and just as we went outside it started to rain. Jackie stayed in the garden and was luckily positioned under a large sun umbrella whilst painting a scene of a Bistro table and chairs.
Josie, Ian and I wandered over to the church where we met Sally T who had started a picture that had to be abandoned due to the rain. I sat indoors to draw some clangers. I had to position myself away from the leaky roof! 
Ian J. Chose a complicated view of the interior of the church. He made a good job of it too!
Josie sat outside in the porch and produce two pictures.......with some new pens! I particularly like the colour one. 
Sally T also sat outside. She produced one drawing of a window and one of the same view as Josie and I. 
I joined them for my second and third pictures. The third one I was trying out Jo's new pens. ( Rather nice) 
Ian C. Very wisely chose to stay indoors and painted a Sycamore tree and a pine tree in oils.
Then at just gone 2.00 we decided to head back to Ian's house for a cuppa and two lovely cakes. A lemon drizzle and a fat free sponge with strawberries and cream. Jackie and Ian were already indoors and had finished a cup of coffee! 
​

Here are Sally T’s pencil sketches, done very quickly she says.

Three from Sally P some metal ‘clangers’ inside the church. A view of the war memorial, and the third ,’in the style of Josie’ using some of Josie’s pens.

​a view of Ian’s garden from Jackie, you would never know that it was raining!

​an original ‘Josie’ from Josie of the graveyard first in charcoal, and then, using her new pens, and a delicate coloured pencil church interior from Ian J

Two oil paintings of trees from Ian C that he can see from his window at Westhorpe.

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​Carolyn was first off the blocks today, with this picture of a rose currently flowering in her garden.”at it’s best in bud or partly opened” one of her favourites.She sends greetings to you all. 

Hannah has been collaging a lot lately, using Gelli prints and adding some ink. 
she will also be putting something on Messages from Members about an exhibition she is  participating in, so please look there for more information.

Lesley is staying in Boxford and has sent ‘a couple of quick sketches whilst out on a walk before the rain arrived’ 

and Frances has sent three pictures from France, a brilliant blue Agapanthus with Peacock butterflies, the finished version of a previous sketch, the second, while standing in the sea… that’s rather extreme even for a dedicated member of EAG,…maybe this is the beginning of a trend for extreme sketching…and finally an acrylic version .

Harriet was sorry not to get to Ian’s house today, but has sent a lovely drawing of some of her house plants.

​Diana says, ‘I can remember going through the churchyard near Ian’s several years ago these are possibly the sketches.
The third one is what you can do with water on felt tips.Ive seen a lot of water this week,mainly coming through the roof on to my living room floor.’

​and from me a mixed media puddle picture, 

• Our blogger next week  is Hannah, please send pictures to her.
• Don’t forget to check the Members Only section  for details of Hannah’s exhibition, and an invitation to the private view at Holton Barns, part of the Suffolk Open Studios late summer exhibition, where Angela and I are exhibiting.
  

Sally

10 members came today at variously different times. We discussed where we would go and Maggie Anne decided that there was a lovely church and Jackie said there was a good bridge, it turned out that they were thinking of another place altogether and we had a great laugh about a Bridge that wasn't one and a church that was not the right one. The Cowshed was very impressive and we were made welcome.

The views at Thrandeston were spectacular

Ian C was happy to paint at Stuston and found a reservoir with boats on it. He decided to go back to his oils and used quick drying white and burnt umber. The flies kept him company and the oil paint entombed them. 

Sally sketched a wonderful pencil drawing of a house and a watercolour using the scumbling technique. Jackie also did the house on the 3rd photo and along with Ian J were invited to tea from the owner.

Sally L had a good day and had fun mark making with black ink and used a red crayon to draw attention. Sally did the middle one, (the same house as Sally P) from another angle which shows the lake.  It had dark shadows behind which made it stand out. Jo made a super job of the willow trees, very colourful and then did the charcoal thatched roof house that was a very unusual shape.

Ian J worked hard on his pencil drawing and started on the thatched house but it was time to stop before he had finished.

Avril's selection today, the weeping willows did not look right so they were changed into 'Yeti'. 

This was sent from Maggie Anne:  ​I thought the Cow Shed cafe was great.  Not much inspiration for painting in Stuston. Hope tea was fun. 

Lesley had a texture workshop with Lesley Monrose it included college, printing on tissue, brown paper, bubblewrap, textured wallpaper using only black white and two other colours. Lesley chose green and blue this made the samples work with each other, the limited pallet worked really well. 

Harriet said : ​I didn't make it today but I found a bit of time to do two images, one a drawing and the other with soft pastels, both of the petunias which are looking very nice at the moment. 

Diana sent these photos from previous sessions

Next weeks blogger is Sally instead of Avril

'Orford has nearly something for everyone, whether its quaint cottages with wisteria - overgrown and still flowering; wild life and meadows, a castle and golden cornfields ready to harvest; and of course plenty of boats, large sky, long horizons, sparkly water and in the distance Orford Ness, with the testing 'pagodas' just in sight (to visit you have to book ahead - see National Trust web site for further details)
The weather was hot, but there was a breeze which helped although it blew paper about. Here are some images showing Orford's castle and church

There were 11 Eye Art Guild members, most of us stayed by or near the quay, here are some images of the quay and distant views of members in position, followed by artists almost ready to get going.

First we have Sally Procner's work, followed by Lesley's 

Next we have Ian Jones, then Josie, followed by Ian Cotgrove and Sandra's

Here are Angela's, folded sketch and showing her sketch pad, and Sally Ladbrooke's

last of the artists at Orford, Jackie's, Sally T's  and finally mine

Thanks to those who emailed their work for us all to see, first we have Frances;

Bonjour Harriet,

First a sketch of agapanthus in the garden. I did see a peacock butterfly behind it! A painting in the offing.

Second my favourite Romanesque church in this area St. Gildas. A sketch of the exterior of east end.
( A bit tricky!!!)  By the sea where Abelard the lover of Eloise was an abbot, although not very successfully.

Then Diane
Hope Thursday EAG has passed well. My armchair Tour de France has started. Next Brittany , Pyrenees,across the south ,then the Alps.
The sketches are of Morston Quay from 2014. Thank you ,Diana x

Followed by Avril
Sorry I decided not to come today, I stayed with Bob in the shade and played in the paddling pool
But yesterday I did some Lino prints so I thought members might like to see my efforts

Finally Carolyn
I have been busy watching tennis this week, so have only done a quick sketch. The crop of gooseberries was good but they were all rather small. Was that due to the dry spring weather this year? More work to deal with though. Have a good day, not too hot

Next week Sally L is your blogger.  Please send any submissions to her.

Another very hot day, at least to start with, but all nine of us lasted the full day.  Pulham St Mary was very welcoming.  The Pennoyer Cantre staff not only kept us fed and watered, but also took the photo at the end of this group, and seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing.  The landscaping at the front of the building (by a local volunteer!) also offered subject matter for several of us.  This is a pretty little village, with a church and churchyard of a size to tell us that it was once perhaps much bigger and more populous.  The font (in the first picture has a very elaborate lid like an architectural model, with a wire running up to the ceiling to lift it off.  Most of us ended up at the church for at least some of the day.

First today, Avril, who drew in the churchyard and sketched the house across the road, and a few more not shown here of the flowers.  Prolific as usual!

These are Sally P's three sketches from today. She felt the first of the two flower studies was less successful than the second, which she feels is looser and more vibrant.

Frances is in Brittany and said, 'Bonjour Hannah,
'In Brittany and have just done this relatively quick sketch of a lace cap hydrangea. They always inspire me when I am here and the following is an acrylic on a landing here.
'We also found old shutters here during the renovation and I have painted on several. This is my latest, as yet unfinished using passion flowers as the subject.'

Frances has been told about an exhibition in Harleston in September.  The preview is on the 11th September and the exhibition runs from the 12th to the 21st.  I will put the details on Messages from Members tomorrow.  There have been some changes made to the Exhibitions pages of the website, and there will shortly be details of the recent exhibition at the Bank and of the individual Open Studios.  Next week's blogger is Harriet.  Send any contributions to her.