Ludlow Art Society

Mixed Media Art Workshop with Brontë Woodruff

2012-02-17T19:50:00.000Z

In case you haven't seen the flyer for this yet, here are the details:

Exploring line and colour with artist Brontë Woodruff, and aiming to 'free yourself and draw the way you can'. Bring inexpensive drawing paper, a drawing board and charcoal or graphite, Brontë will supply other more unusual materials.

Suitable for ages 16+

Oscars. £25 / £20 including all materials.

Saturday 25th Feb 10am - 4pm

To book call 01584 878141

www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk

Brontë presently has an exhibition on at the Assembly Rooms.

2012 AGM - new positions available!

2012-02-14T10:22:00.001Z

At our AGM, on 1st March, the LAS will be looking to fill three positions on its Committee:

1) Pat Innes has stepped down as Membership Secretary, so we'll need someone to take up the post immediately. Many thanks for all the work you've done for us, Pat, and we wish you all the best!

We're also looking for members to take up the posts of 2) organising the Programme and 3) organising the Exhibitions, as Lesley Connolly and Ruth Tune intend to step down from these duties at the end of this year.

If you're interested and would like to help out, you're very welcome to turn up and put your name forward.

As usual at our AGMs, there'll be wine and snacks on offer, and this time we'll also have a quiz!

Short Stone Carving Course

2012-02-13T10:48:00.000Z

In April, there's a 3-day workshop on stone carving being held near Oswestry - not the sort of thing that turns up too often, so if you're curious it's worth taking a look! All details are on the flyer below (click to enlarge):

Pictures from Moira Gibbs' talk

2012-02-03T09:37:00.000Z

Moira gave us a fascinating history of Chinese painting, explaining the materials used and why certain known techniques such as vanishing points and chiaroscuro were most often disregarded. She also brought along some ink and brushes for us to have a go ourselves!

Next month, we have our AGM.

Keith Noble and Joan Baker Exhibition

2012-02-02T09:09:00.001Z

Bishop's Castle is having a 4 day Arts Festival from 16th - 19th February, and Joan Baker and LAS President Keith Noble are showing some paintings in the showroom of a handmade oak furniture company on the Market Square (top of the town).

The link below gives details of the Arts Festival starting on Thursday 16th, and if you follow it and then click each day in the left hand column it has further details of "What’s On" during the Festival. Keith is manning the exhibition on the 16th, and after that he and Joan will be taking it in turns (but it's not fixed which days Keith or Joan will be there on the 17th, 18th and 19th).

http://www.bishopscastleartsfestival.co.uk

I haven't been there myself, but according to Keith, The Three Tuns pub, again at the top of the town, is a good place to have lunch (with the fish and chips with home brewed Three Tuns beer batter coming highly recommended!).

Here's the flyer for the event (click to enlarge):

John Horton's Watercolour Painting Courses

2012-01-30T09:45:00.000Z

John Horton, who gave a watercolour demo for us in July last year (link) is going to be running one-day watercolour workshops at his studio gallery in Worcester (he's aiming for one a month). In case any LAS members are interested, he's sent along a flyer with the relevant details. Click to enlarge:

Spotlight - Figure Quick Sketch

2012-01-30T08:00:00.002Z

Here's something Spotlight hasn't covered yet - the art of short pose and gesture drawing.

Chris Legaspi, the founder of the site, describes it: "The purpose of this site is to advance and bring awareness to the beautiful art of quick sketch drawing. Our mission is to share, teach, encourage and inspire artists through articles, videos, classes, lectures, workshops and events. We want to empower artists and students with the tools and techniques needed to create beautiful figurative art in any situation, whether from live model, out in public or in studio."

Here's the link: http://www.figurequicksketch.com/

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

Upcoming - Moira Gibbs talk

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000Z

On Thursday 2nd February, Moira Gibbs MA is going to give an illustrated talk on "The Magic of Chinese Painting", and she's kindly sent along some examples of her work (click to enlarge):

We hope to see you there!

Sidney Nolan Trust New Year dates

2012-01-19T09:57:00.000Z

Over in Presteigne, the Sidney Nolan Trust has some items on its programme for the first part of 2012 that may be of interest to LAS members - there are sculpture talks from Professor Emeritus Jake Harvey and Peter Randall-Page, a book arts workshop, and several fine art printmaking workshops covering intaglio printmaking, intaglio colour inking, collagraph printmaking and embossed prints.

Full details can be found here: http://www.sidneynolantrust.org/index.php

Promoting Printmakers - Y Lle Print Gwreiddiol, The Original Print Place

2012-01-09T19:29:00.004Z

The Original Print Place / Y Lle Print Gwreiddiol are collating a database of images by printmakers to be sent to curators for potential exhibitions in Wales and beyond. If you would be interested in participating in this, please attach a list with your images stating the following: your name, the title of the work, the process of work, and the price.

You can include up to 6 images, and the fee is £10 - the deadline is January 14th. The images and submission form could be emailed to: ylleprint@gmail.com or posted to: Ty Newydd, Rhosmeirch, Llangefni, LL77 7RZ

There will be a small extra charge for those wishing to participate in National Eisteddfod event to cover the cost of the exhibition space.

For for information about The Original Print Place, you can visit their website: http://www.theoriginalprintplace.co.uk

Open Art Competition extended

2012-01-04T01:22:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

The Ludlow Assembly Rooms' Open Art Competition has had it's deadline extended until 6th January.

This is open to any artist who has not yet had a solo exhibition. You may submit an unlimited number of works, in any medium, for a fee of £5 per entry – all proceeds will go towards developing visual arts at Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

The first prize is £100, and the runner-up prize is art materials.

Details can be found here (although, at the moment, the old deadline of 2nd Jan is still listed): http://www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/index.php?pageid=63

Spotlight - 200 Russian Painters

2011-12-31T08:00:00.002Z

First off - have a great New Year's Eve, and in, advance, Happy New Year!

I ran across this website about a month ago, and was hugely impressed. There aren't too many names you're likely to be familiar with, but the quality and variety of subjects is stunning. Most, if not all, of the paintings are also in very high resolution, so you can get a good look at the detail.

Here's the link: http://en.gallerix.ru/album/200-Russian

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.002Z

Merry Christmas to all LAS members!

Warning - possible scam

2011-12-07T19:17:00.000Z

This email has been sent round by Artists and Illustrators:

"
Dear all,

Thanks to a couple of eagle-eyed Portfolio members, it’s come to our attention that a suspicious character by the name of ‘Steven Caddae’ is contacting our members.

He is offering to buy paintings via PayPal and should NOT be trusted. It is almost certainly a scam.

For your own security, please do not give out your private information to this man.

Kind regards,
Artist & Illustrators
"

Any LAS members contacted by 'Steven Caddae' should follow the same advice. Thanks to Lee Anderson for the heads-up.

LAR Publicity Officer Retiring

2011-12-02T19:55:00.000Z

Dido, the publicity officer at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms, will be retiring this month. She's been a great help to us over the years, and the LAS would like to thank her for her work and wish her all the best for the future.

Val's Watercolour Workshop Revisited

2011-12-01T09:17:00.000Z

Val Alexander kindly sent over some photos of the watercolour workshop she ran in November - here they are:

Thanks, Val!

Spotlight - Handprint: Watercolour and Watercolour Painting

2011-11-29T08:00:00.024Z

This may be the most comprehensive watercolour resource on the web, and since we've just had a couple of watercolour workshops, it seemed an appropriate time to Spotlight it!

It's a massive site, but well worth investing some time in - the Papers, Brushes, Paints, Palettes, Technique and Colour Theory pages may be of particular interest.

Here's the link: http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

The John Ruskin Prize

2011-11-23T15:11:00.000Z

This may be worth looking at (click to enlarge):

There's more information about The Campaign for Drawing on their website: http://campaignfordrawing.org/home/index.aspx

Programme for 2012

2011-11-22T21:54:00.001Z

Our Programme for 2012 is now on the blog, with a button to the right. We've two celebrity talks this year, a day out to a sculpture park, and several illustrated talks / demonstrations lined up, as well as our usual exhibitions, plein air days, workshops and our annual lunch.

We hope you can join us!

Here are the details:

We hold evening meetings in The Studio at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, unless otherwise noted. Meetings begin at 7.30pm, and there's no meeting in January, August or December.

Monthly meetings cost £3 for non-members, £2 for members.

Click to enlarge:

David Bellamy exhibition

2011-11-14T15:04:00.002Z

David Bellamy, who gave our Celebrity Lecture this year back in March, has an exhibition of paintings of Snowdonia, Clwyd & Pembrokeshire on in Siop y Siswrn, 6-8 New Street, Mold, Clwyd CH7 1NZ.

The exhibition runs until the New Year, with opening hours of 9.30am - 4.30pm all days except Thursdays and Sundays.

Don't forget that in addition to his website (which you can find in our links section to the right) both David and his partner, Jenny, run their own art blogs:

David: http://davidbellamyart.blogspot.com/
Jenny: http://jennykealart.blogspot.com/

Val Alexander's workshop

2011-11-13T17:35:00.000Z

Despite a few difficulties getting into the hall to begin with, the workshop was very well received - Val's generosity in sharing her tips and techniques was much appreciated, and there were several requests for the event to be repeated!

We should also soon have the programme for next year ready, with our our usual mix of illustrated talks, demos, plein air days and workshops, so keep an eye out for it!

Top Hat Tours - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

2011-11-07T17:28:00.000Z

Top Hat Tours is organising a coach trip to go to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 24th November, but the last day to sign up is this coming Thursday, 10th November.

Details are at www.tophattours.org.uk

In memoriam - Jean Williams

2011-11-07T17:23:00.004Z

The Committee and members of the Ludlow Art Society would like to express our deep sadness at the passing of Jean Williams, who died on the morning of Saturday 5th November. She had been a true friend to many of us, was a tower of strength, and will be greatly missed.

She will be cremated at the Shrewsbury crematorium on 17th November, and there will be a special service for her at St Lawrence's Church, in Ludlow, on 19th November at 11am.

Pictures from Two Rivers Paper demo and talk

2011-11-04T09:32:00.001Z

Many thanks to Neil Hopkins of Two Rivers Paper, who travelled all the way from Somerset to explain how paper is made, show us the materials involved, actually make some paper, and explain how various media work on different kinds of paper, particularly with regard to the sizing used.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.tworiverspaper.co.uk/

That's it for this year - we're starting again in February with a talk on Chinese brush painting!

Cleobury Mortimer Festival of Art 2011

2011-11-04T09:27:00.001Z

Click the flyer to enlarge:

In case some of the details are a little hard to read on the flyer, here they are:

Admission: £1 (includes light refreshments)
For entry forms, contact S Prentice (tel: 07989 475589, or email: festivalofart@gmail.com)
This is in aid of the Methodist Church and St Mary's Youth Project.

Tomorrow - 4th Sculpture Symposium "In Conversation"

2011-11-03T16:56:00.002Z

This is short notice, but looks very interesting. All the information you need is on the flyer:

Clare Woods Exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery

2011-11-03T16:31:00.002Z

This was just passed on to me by Lee Anderson. Perhaps members would be interested in going?

The Hepworth Wakefield has a major exhibition by Clare Woods, exploring her interest in the power and history of rock formations in the British landscape, and its various manifestations in the works of artists such as Hepworth, Moore, Sutherland, Piper and Nash. Her large-scale paintings (approximately 10 metres in length) use layers of enamel paint on aluminium. Some of you will know Clare who now lives in Kington. An edition of lithographic prints is on sale in the Hepworth shop that Clare made on our litho press here at The Rodd. There will also be time to visit the Collection Galleries showing the breadth of Hepworth’s work as well as the context in which she worked, her peers and predecessors (Moore, Epstein, Brancusi). The Hepworth Wakefield is a beautiful new gallery, winner of the 2011 British Design Awards.

Link: the exhibition's web page.

Coach trip date: Saturday 26^th November

Departure point: Leominster Broad St long stay car park

Departure time: 7.00am – it’s early, but allows us to stop for coffee on the way up and make the most of the day

Hepworth Wakefield : 11.30am-1pm/1.30pm

YSP: 1.30pm/2pm-5pm

Return time: approx 9.30pm

Cost: £ 20 (cheques payable to Sidney Nolan Trust); admission to both galleries is FREE; bring food / drink / money for cafes and shops; limited no. of places for under 18s @ £10

Booking deadline: please let us know asap if you are interested in coming along – lots of interest has been expressed so we could be full! Please confirm by 18^th Nov.

To book please contact Amanda Fitzwilliams by email (afitzwilliams@sidneynolantrust.org) or ring 01544 260149.

Reminder - last evening meeting of the year!

2011-11-02T09:52:00.000Z

Don't forget that tomorrow evening we have our last meeting of 2011, and we welcome Two Rivers Paper to give us a talk on paper making.

Hope to see you there!

Castle Artists' November Exhibition

2011-11-02T09:48:00.000Z

The next exhibition of the "Castle Artists" will take place over the weekend of 25th to 28th November at The Three Tuns Inn, Salop Street, Bishop's Castle.

The exhibition is not just paintings but will include paintings, photographs, textiles, woodworking, jewellery, pottery, prints and sculpture, and will open with a preview evening on Friday 25th November from 6:30 to 8:30pm to which all are invited.

The exhibition will continue on -

Saturday 26th from 11:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday 27th from 11:00am to 7:00pm
Monday 28th from 11:00am to 4:00pm

Contact for the exhibition - Dru Cole.
Tel: 01588 638458
Email: drucole@aol.com

Hallowe'en Spotlight - Dark Classics

2011-10-31T08:00:00.020Z

This seems an appropriate offering for the time of year - the Dark Classics blog, featuring macabre artwork from the past. Burne-Jones, Rackham, Durer, Bosch, Munch and Dore are present, but they're only a small selection of the artists you can find here.

Here's the link: http://darkclassics.blogspot.com/

Happy Hallowe'en!

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

LAS Press Release - SmART club

2011-10-10T14:11:00.000+01:00

From Lee Anderson, LAS Publicity Officer:

It was smiles all round when Alan Hobbs, chairman of the Ludlow Art Society, presented prizes to youngsters from SmART, the Saturday morning art Arts and crafts club run by Tanith Kinton at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

LAS chairman, Alan Hobbs, and society exhibition organiser, Ruth Tune, with the SmART youngsters at the award presentation. From left to right: Joni Howe, Juliette Watkins, Rosie Harding, Rose Gifford, Eryn Lawley, Lana Ambrazas, Martha Baylis, and Emma Gifford.

The youngsters had entered their artwork in a special competition held as part of the LAS 65^th annual summer show, which took place in the Harley Centre in late August.

Broken into two categories – work from those aged under eleven and those eleven and over – the seventeen entries in the competition were judged by artist, Claire Spencer.

Particularly happy with the outcome was ten year-old Rose Gifford, who not only took a “highly commended” award for her “Dancing Flowers” entry, but also sold her “Colour Strands” painting to a buyer from one of the 877 visitors to the summer show during the ten days it was open.

Croft Castle plein air

2011-10-07T09:32:00.001+01:00

We have another plein air day coming up at Croft Castle on the 10th, and we'll meet in the car park at 10.30am.

I hope you can make it!

Pictures from June Forster's talk

2011-10-07T09:30:00.000+01:00

June explained her working methods, the changing nature of her process, and challenged us to match a series of greyscale printed thumbnail brushmarks with the paintings she'd brought in, with the quickest walking away with some of her smaller pieces!

Next month, on the 3rd November, we have a talk on paper making from Two Rivers Paper.

Spotlight - Dick Blick

2011-09-29T08:00:00.001+01:00

Previously, Spotlight has highlighted websites for inspiration and tutorials. This time it's an art supply site, but that's not why it's here.

Dick Blick (a large US art supply company) has a website which provides a picture of the contents of each tube of paint they sell. Given that most of the brands you can get over here in the UK are listed, it's extremely useful to be able to see exactly what the paint looks like. With watercolours, you see heavy and diluted applications; with gouache, you see full application and 50% tint; with acrylic and oil, you see heavy application, medium application and 50% tint. Each paint entry also has details of the pigments used.

Hopefully this will be useful next time you're picking up a new colour!

Here's the link: www.dickblick.com

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

Keith Noble workshop update

2011-09-22T20:13:00.000+01:00

One person has cancelled their place in the Keith Noble watercolour workshop (this Saturday at Culmington Village Hall), so now's your chance to get in!

If you're interested, please contact Jean Simnett on 01584 711877 for details.

Annual Dinner

2011-09-20T09:00:00.001+01:00

Don't forget to get your forms in for our Annual Dinner, if you haven't already! It's being held on 14th October at Broadfield Court, Hereford.

For those interested, there'll be a chance to do some painting in the morning before lunch, and we hope you'll bring along a picture that you either couldn't or wouldn't sell for a 'show and tell' afterwards!

Painting begins at 10am, lunch at 12.30pm

Upcoming - June Forster talk

2011-09-17T15:51:00.002+01:00

On Thursday 6th October we have June Forster giving a talk on "Landscape, Real and Imagined".

June has kindly sent along some samples of her work:

Summer Exhibition favourites

2011-09-04T11:40:00.001+01:00

This year, we asked visitors to our Summer Exhibition to vote for their favourite picture, if they wanted to.

The results are in, and the three most popular pictures were:

1) Keith Noble's "Staithes, A Bird's Eye View"
2) Daphne Willet's "Summer Rose"
3) Val Alexander's "Dinham Weir from the Mill, Ludlow"

However, votes were cast for 152 of the 267 pieces on show, with 132 of them being someone's first choice. The children's section garnered 3 votes, and it was good to see a selection of scultpures, glassworks and digital paintings scoring quite well, too!

Plein air reminder

2011-09-04T11:29:00.000+01:00

Next Saturday (10th) we have our next plein air day, hosted by Ruth Tune. If you haven't gone plein air painting with us before, why not have a go? It's quite challenging, but it's a lot of fun! We usually start at about 10am - 10.30am.

Pictures from Dru Cole's talk

2011-09-02T09:41:00.000+01:00

Dru covered a wide range of printmaking techniques, and brought with her some beautiful example fabrics. Here are some of the pictures:

Next month, on 6th October, we have June Forster giving a talk on real and imaginary landscapes.

Spotlight - Art Renewal Center

2011-08-30T08:00:00.003+01:00

The American spelling is intentional!

This one's a real treat for anybody interested in representational painting - I've lost countless hours gazing at the many masterpieces on view (quite a few at very high resolution, too). Bouguereau? Check. Rembrandt? Present. Canaletto? Featured. Sargent? Zorn? Waterhouse? Alma-Tadema? Repin? Michaelangelo? Gainsborough? Dore? Klimt? Bierstadt? They're there, as are hundreds more, as well as the works of many the ARC regards as 'modern masters', such as Nelson Shanks, Jeremy Lipking, Donato Giancola, Yu-Tang Yang, Han-Wu Shen and Ann Morton.

Here's the link: http://www.artrenewal.org/

If it's a bit overwhelming, try the Museum Search feature, and type the name of your favourite master: http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/search.php

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

Exhibition progressing well

2011-08-26T19:33:00.000+01:00

We've got more press coverage, this time from yesterday's Ludlow Advertiser and today's Shropshire Journal:

Upcoming - Drusilla Cole talk

2011-08-25T19:26:00.000+01:00

Just a reminder that on 1st September we have Drusilla Cole coming to give an illustrated talk on printmaking.

You can see some of Dru's work on her website: http://www.drusillacole.co.uk/

LAS Watercolour Workshop spaces - Update

2011-08-25T19:21:00.002+01:00

The last place for President's Workshop has now been filled!

LAS Watercolour Workshop spaces

2011-08-22T21:20:00.000+01:00

The President's Workshop (Keith Noble, Sat 24th September) has one space left - grab it while you can! I'd have that last place myself, but I'm not a watercolourist...

Also, there are still a few splaces left for the Flower Painting Workshop (Val Alexander, Sat 12th November), so book now if you want to be there!

In the Exhibition post below there are examples of both Keith's and Val's masterful works (go and see the paintings in person!), so you can see why these workshops are worth attending.

Summer Exhibition 2011

2011-08-21T11:55:00.001+01:00

MEMBERS' SUMMER EXHIBITION

20th - 29th August 2011

at The Harley Centre, Castle Square, Ludlow

10.00am to 5.00pm daily.

This year's Summer Exhibition has a high quality of paintings, once again showing a broad range of subject matter and media.

Here's a quick look around:

Alan (left) and Pat (right) were among the many people who helped to prepare the exhibition, which was opened by artist Claire Spencer (bottom):

The kids from the SMArt club had a couple of screens of their work, which Claire judged:

We had an increased number of displays on the craft tables this year, with sculptures and glassworks:

We also displayed some digital paintings, for the first time:


Hydra (left) and Strike (right) - Sam Manley - Photoshop CS5

Emerson St Napier, NZ (left) and Houseplant Study (right) - Bob Kirk - Painter X

Our President, Keith Noble, had a few screens of his work:

Here's a small selection of some of the other works on display:

Dinham Weir from the Mill, Ludlow - Valerie Alexander - watercolour

Mortimer Forest - Lee Anderson - etching

Pride and Prejudice - Peter Bamford - acrylic

Summer Rose - Daphne Willets - watercolour and pen

Young Sparrow on the Fence - Georgina Instone - oil

We hope to see you at our next exhibition in spring 2012!

One week to go...

2011-08-13T10:38:00.001+01:00

More publicity for the Summer Exhibition, this time in the Shropshire Star:

If you're entering anything, don't forget to bring it in on Friday 19th for hanging.

Looming Deadlines!

2011-08-04T18:04:00.001+01:00

You've got your forms in for the Summer Exhibition, haven't you? The deadline's tomorrow!

The online forms will be taken down shortly afterwards.

SmART and Exhibition Press Release

2011-07-31T17:58:00.000+01:00

This has just been released by Lee, our Publicity Officer:

"The Ludlow Art Society is holding its’ 65th Annual Summer Exhibition at The Harley Centre, Ludlow, from 20th to 29th August. This bumper show will include, for the first time, an Exhibition of artwork by youngsters aged 8-14 from SmART. SmART is a Saturday morning arts and crafts club run by Tanith Kinton at the Assembly Rooms, supported by the Art Society.

The nationally renowned artist Claire Spencer will open the 65th Exhibition and judge the SmART show. Prizes will be awarded in 2 categories for the under 11’s and over 11’s. The Society is looking forwarded to tremendous support from local members of the public and our visitors to Ludlow during the Exhibition period. Many original art works will be available to purchase direct from the artists."

SmART kids having fun on a Saturday morning

Spotlight: Temple of the Seven Golden Camels, and Bob Kirk's Tutorials

2011-07-30T08:00:00.028+01:00

In the second "Spotlight" post, we've got two links again! You're spoiled rotten...

First up, the oddly named Temple of the Seven Golden Camels, by Disney artist Mark Kennedy - here you'll find a blog about filmmaking and storyboarding, covering quick sketches, anatomy (animals as well as people), the idea of complex vs detailed, and using as reference everything from classical paintings through to modern comic panels.

Here's the link: http://sevencamels.blogspot.com/

Next up, Bob Kirk, former Chairman of the LAS, has on his website a page of tutorials covering mostly birds and landscapes.

Here's the link: http://robertkirk.co.uk/tutorials-parent.html

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion

We made it in...

2011-07-28T22:05:00.000+01:00

... and a stunning 23 seconds it was!

If you caught it, you can see why we couldn't paint in the exact spot Nicholas Crane's aunt painted her picture.

Nicely done, everyone!

Town with Nicholas Crane

2011-07-28T09:16:00.001+01:00

On tonight, BBC 2, 9pm, the first episode of Town features Ludlow. A few months ago the film crew asked a group of artists from the LAS to come and paint up on Whitcliffe, so you may catch a glimpse of us (hopefully we didn't end up on the cutting room floor)!

In print!

2011-07-24T09:29:00.000+01:00

Our upcoming Summer Exhibition has been mentioned recently in the Shropshire Star and in Artists and Illustrators magazine - many thanks to Lee Anderson, our Publicity Officer. The clippings (click to enlarge):

Don't forget to get your entry forms in by 5th August at the latest!

Maggie Humphry's October Workshops

2011-07-19T20:04:00.001+01:00

Maggy Humphry, who has spoken to us at a previous monthly meeting, and who has exhibited with us before, is running a couple of workshops in October - the first is 'Perspective', and the second 'From Drawing to Painting'. These will be held in Broseley, only about a 25 mile drive from Ludlow.

All details can be found on her website: http://www.maggie-humphry.co.uk/css_site/pages/workshops.html

LAS Watercolour Workshops - places limited!

2011-07-10T13:37:00.000+01:00

Don't forget to submit your forms soon for the President's Workshop (Keith Noble, Sat 24th September) and the Flower Painting Workshop (Val Alexander, Sat 12th November) - places are going quickly!

Secret Hills Art Cafe Summer Festival 2011

2011-07-10T13:18:00.005+01:00

There are a number of workshops being held soon by the Secret Hills Art Cafe -

Aug 1st - Drawing and Painting Angels, with Thelma Ayre BA and Liza Harding BA (hons)
Aug 2nd - Aquarelle Crayon and Watercolours, with Beverly Fry
Aug 3rd - Abstracting the Landscape, with Thelma Ayre BA
Aug 4th - Having Fun with Mixed Media, with Valerie Alexander NDD, SFP, ARBSA
Aug 4th - 3D and Simple Sculpture, with Sue Campbell BA (hons) and Liza Harding BA (hons)
Aug 5th - Crazy Patchwork, with Marietta Alker

Here are the posters (click to enlarge):

They also have an exhibition at the Discovery Centre from 23rd July to September 18th - drop by and take a look!

John Horton's Dordogne Painting Course

2011-07-08T14:24:00.001+01:00

In case you weren't there last night for John's demo, he mentioned that he's running a painting course in the Dordogne and he's passed on the poster with all the details (click to enlarge):

Pictures from John Horton's demo

2011-07-07T23:29:00.001+01:00

John turned up with a huge number of paintings and prints! He gave a talk about the pieces he brought, and then gave a brief demonstration of his technique. Here are some pictures:

Art Inactive :(

2011-07-06T21:36:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately, because of a lack of interest, the trip to Art in Action has been cancelled.

Exhibition Forms

2011-07-02T15:21:00.001+01:00

The Summer 2011 Exhibition forms are now online, on the Membership and Exhibitions Forms page.

The forms must be received by 5th August at the latest, and the Exhibition is 20-29th August. As always, we're looking for volunteer stewards.

Spotlight: James Gurney's Gurney Journey & Janet Echelman - Taking Imagination Seriously

2011-06-29T08:00:00.018+01:00

The first of the "Spotlight" posts is a double feature, firstly about one of the web's best (and most eclectic!) blogs for art - James Gurney's Gurney Journey. The description from the blog:

"This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums. Plus, for you lateral thinkers and pop-culture trekkers, a few bizarre rabbit trails."

Here's the link - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

The second part is a video that Tom Crowe suggested - Janet Echelman: Taking Imagination Seriously. The description from the site:

"Janet Echelman found her true voice as an artist when her paints went missing -- which forced her to look to an unorthodox new art material. Now she makes billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge. A transporting 10 minutes of pure creativity."

Here's the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/janet_echelman.html

If you know any great art websites or articles, why not share them here? Send your suggestions to samsketches@yahoo.co.uk - please note that this isn't for self-promotion!

Top Hat Tours - Art in Action

2011-06-27T14:03:00.001+01:00

Top Hat Tours are planning to run a coach to Art in Action on Thursday 21st July, but they haven't got enough people yet! Details are here - however, there's only a week left (the Tours site states that today is the last day, but this has been extended).

If you're interested in going, (and it looks like a great day out) please call Silk Top Hat on 01584 875363.

Plein air - wash out?

2011-06-25T09:23:00.000+01:00

Today's plein air painting day looks to be undermined by the weather - apparently, at the moment, the garden is just too sodden from last night's rainfall for painting to be practical (the garden has a lot of trees, which, when dripping with water, are not painter-friendly!).

If you do decide to turn up there later on in the day, when conditions may be more conducive to plein air work, drop me an email (samsketches@yahoo.co.uk) and let me know how it went.

Preview - John Horton demo

2011-06-23T08:00:00.001+01:00

John's been good enough to send over a little information ahead of his watercolour demo on July 7th. Here's what he has to say -

"I have been painting and drawing all my life, mostly reflecting my impressions of the natural world around me. I now specialise in depicting large landscapes usually featuring birds to a greater or lesser degree.

I aim to show a number of original paintings describing my inspiration and method of working up to a finished piece, later demonstrating my use of watercolour washes to create the illusion of distance and light.

I am a member of 'The Wildlife Art Society International' and have been awarded 'The Christopher Parsons Award for artistic excellence' in 2003, 2010 and in 2011 this May.

Please visit www.johnhorton.co.uk."

Update on the St John's Art Exhibition

2011-06-21T20:20:00.000+01:00

Where: St John's Church
When: 27th June - 9th July, 11am - 4.30pm
Fee: £4 hanging fee per artist, with a limit of 5 pictures per artist
Commission taken: 20%
Maximum picture size: 36" x 36" include frame

It would be essential that contributors provide a luggage tag with their name, the title of the painting and the sale price together with their personal contact details. Contributors need to deliver their paintings to the church between 2pm and 4pm on Sunday 26th June.

News from the LAS

2011-06-20T23:28:00.002+01:00

There are some watercolour workshops coming up! The first, on 24th September, is with Keith Noble, and the second, on 12th November, is with Val Alexander - both will take place at Culmington Village Hall. Forms for the workshops will be supplied with the next newsletter, out soon. If you don't receive a form, or aren't a member but would like to attend, please contact Susanna Checketts on 01568 770546.

Also, keep an eye out for information on the Teme Valley Youth Project - more details to come...

There's going to be a new monthly feature on this blog - "Spotlight". Each month there'll be a link to a great website or artist that you may not have heard of before, and is going to start on the 29th of this month.

Finally, the following definition of 'digital painting' has been agreed upon for future LAS Exhibitions -

All work must be the original work of the artist;
Photography and photo-manipulation will not be accepted;
For 'medium', state the software used (e.g. Photoshop);
All prints provided must be archival;
All presentation must be to the usual standard expected for paintings;
Works must be entirely digitally created.

St John's Art Exhibition

2011-06-18T17:43:00.000+01:00

From 27th June to 9th July there will be an art exhibition at St. John's Church which will be open from 11am to 4.30pm.

Anybody interested in exhibiting should contact the organiser, Mr Peter Phelps, on 01384 873179 (email: carla_peter2003@yahoo.co.uk) for details (hanging fee, % commission etc).

There will be a need to provide stewards for the event, so exhibitors will need to be prepared to do that at the church.

SmArt work

2011-06-15T10:29:00.001+01:00

The LAS sponsors a children's art club (SmArt club), and there's an exhibition of some of the work done there currently on at the library. Some pictures (courtesy of Bob Kirk):

Watercolour experiments.

Acrylic on PVC tiles - no brushes used.

Well done!

LAS website revamped

2011-06-05T16:16:00.000+01:00

The old LAS website has been given an new look! Bob Kirk, who ran the old site for many years, has been extremely patient with me as I got to grips with how to run something other than a blog!

Here's the link: www.ludlowartsociety.org.uk

Pictures from Georgina Instone's talk

2011-06-03T09:06:00.003+01:00

Many thanks to Georgina Instone, who gave a talk on, and demonstration of, picture framing - something most artists will need at some point! Amongst other things, she covered the effects of coloured mounts, double mounts, frame styles, and how to correctly frame watercolours and prints to prevent deterioration from moisture.

Georgina runs a picture framing business, and is currently offering a 10% discount to members of LAS! You can find her website here - pictureframes-uk.com.

Next month, on 7th July, we have a watercolour demo by John Horton.

Summer Exhibition Poster!

2011-05-27T15:55:00.000+01:00

This year, we'll also have a children’s exhibition of work produced at the SmART sessions on Saturday mornings at the Assembly Rooms.

News from the LAS

2011-05-25T15:40:00.000+01:00

A couple of changes were made to the Society at the last Committee meeting -

First, all art students at Ludlow College are now to be offered FREE membership of LAS;

Second, it has been decided that prints of digital paintings will be accepted into future LAS Exhibitions. The details of exactly what will be accepted as 'digital painting' have yet to be finalised, but watch this space!

Plein air at Brockhampton Hall

2011-05-23T23:48:00.002+01:00

We had a great day, the weather held (even if I did have to keep catching my easel as the wind threatened to blow it away), and the light was fortunately conducive to good painting. Brockhampton Hall is beautiful, with a surprising amount of interesting things to paint for such a small place.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera! Ah... next time, there'll be pictures!

The next plein air day will be on Saturday 25th June, "Susanna's Garden", beginning 10am at 1 Yatton Marsh, nr Aymestrey, HR6 9TP - hope to see you there!

Also, we've got a picture framing demo coming up on Thursday 2nd June with Georgina Instone, 7.30pm, The Studio, Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

Pictures from David Bellamy's Demo

2011-05-05T23:28:00.000+01:00

The Art Society would like to thank David Bellamy for a very entertaining and interesting evening!

After giving a talk and slide presentation on a painting trip to Svalbard, David demonstrated his watercolour technique, creating a landscape in about 45 minutes. Here are a few pictures of his painting as it emerged:

Pictures from the Exhibition

2011-04-28T21:53:00.002+01:00

As always, the recent Exhibition brought together an impressive collection of talent, and a wide variety of styles and media. Here's just a tiny selection of what was on show:

Don't miss our Summer Exhibition, 20th-29th August!

David Bellamy Lecture

2011-03-28T21:10:00.000+01:00

David Bellamy is donating a signed copy of his latest book to be raffled on the night.

Spring Exhibition 2011

2011-03-28T20:51:00.000+01:00

MEMBERS' SPRING EXHIBITION

16th - 25th April 2011

at The Harley Centre, Castle Square, Ludlow.

10.00am to 5.00pm daily.

Welcome!

2011-03-28T20:48:00.006+01:00

Welcome to the blog of the Ludlow Art Society!

We hold evening meetings in The Studio at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, unless otherwise noted. Meetings begin at 7.30pm, and there's no meeting in August.

Monthly meetings cost £3 for non-members, £2 for members.