13 November 2024

Hello everyone, we continued with our artists’ books today, by getting down to the part of actually creating artwork in them. People are using different methods. Some are working directly into the books. Some are making their artwork before folding and creating the books (and have worked out a plan for what will be the front and back etc). Some have used existing artwork already on a sheet of paper to create ready made abstract books, and some are going to mount artwork on the pages. Everyone’s books are different and it is such fun to see them all. I didn’t get photos of the insides of everyone’s books, apologies. 

We also have watercolour painting with lovely rhythmic composition and expressive drawings of leaves as well as chalk pastel drawings with great use of composition and colour, and finally a collaged building with the beginnings of a lovely blue sky behind it, which is what we had at the hall today and is very welcome after all the cloud (apologies for the scaffolding making things a bit darker than usual). Thank you everyone for another great afternoon. We will continue with books next week!

6 November 2024

Only a few photos from this week’s session, but you can see the beginnings of our artists’ books and sketchbooks. It was a very focused session as we each wrapped our minds around the making of these books! We will make more next week, as well as begin to fill them! 

23 October 2024

Today we drew and painted jugs, vases, bottles, containers, and vessels. And I feel that this blog post may be the most orderly and serene post within our blog collection. If you are ever feeling like life is getting too much, just come and look at this post, and breathe :) 

We drew and painted from life and from the artist examples. We used watercolour, gouache, inks, salt, acrylic paint on board, graphite pencil and water soluble pencil. The jugs and containers have been carefully observed, resulting in images of such character, liveliness and interest. Each appears to have a story to tell. How amazing you all are. Van Gogh ain't got nothin’ on this. Very beautiful work. 

Well done everyone, and thank you all for a lovely afternoon! 

9 October 2024

We had a really fun session drawing and painting the musical instruments that we had brought in. 

We did observational drawing with graphite and coloured pencils. We also did observational drawing using water-soluble graphite pencils, really effectively showing the highlights and shadows of the brass metal of the cornet. We also did abstracted work on pre-prepared musical sheet paper with acrylic paint and posca pen. A red bugle on a black & white piece of sheet music using chalk pastel created a dramatic piece of artwork, befitting to a bugle. 

Many of the artworks used expressive mark making to suggest sound and movement. We used free and expressive black charcoal and red sepia contes. Watercolour and pen has been used in gestural ways to suggest music sounds and movement. 

And finally we  have a ‘horizon line’ of all the instruments on the tables, drawn in a continuous line with the non-dominant hand and without looking at the paper, with bright ‘musical’ colours added using felt-tip pen. We have expressive use of colour to great effect, again indicating great energy, movement and music. 

Thank you everybody for brining in your beautiful musical instruments, and for really fun session!

18 September 2024

Well done everyone on a really wonderful open studios event yesterday. I really enjoyed it and I hope that you all did too. You all exhibited your work at your tables to such a high standard, I was so impressed! And I really enjoyed seeing some work that I never seen before; you sincerely are all such a talented group of people. And such hard workers, so prolific; really well done on all your hard work, participation, and creativity. 

I hope you all enjoy a good rest now. Ready for next term… 

11 September 2024

Today was the last session of our ‘Own Projects’ and we have definitely gone out with a bang this afternoon. Thank you everyone for all your wonderful artwork and for your energy and enthusiasm. I have really enjoyed seeing your work evolve and progress over the weeks.

4 September 2024

We had an absolutely fabulous time on the canal boat and at Standedge Tunnel today, and inside the beautiful music building also, where the staff were so friendly and inviting. It was all so lovely. Thank you, Jennifer, for the idea and to Mike for the fabulous boat ride opportunity. We will come again! And thank you everyone for making it a really enjoyable afternoon. You all produced such beautiful artwork. Unfortunately Linda B wasn’t there to take good photographs so you will have to put up with mine!

21 August 2024

We were back in the studio this week, carrying on with our ‘Own Projects’. Some of us worked with the word for the month, “Hidden”, creating some unique and unexpected artwork.

Some students responded to the image on this week’s brief (the Carol Douglas exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture park), to explore their own abstracted compositions. I brought the Maudie Lewis book in, “Pictures for Sale”, and there are some artworks based on her work also. Another student was inspired by an artist of her own choosing (Angie Lewis’s flowers). I also brought flowers into the studios and they too were used as a starting point for artwork. A variety of media was used, including: watercolour, ink, stencils, pens, Posca pens, charcoal, gouache, graphite pencil, coloured pencil and watercolour pens.

14 August 2024

We had such a wonderful time in Diane’s garden again (third time we have been fortunate enough to come and visit this beautiful garden). The weather was perfect, how lucky are we?! (Raining today, only one day later). 

Everybody that came really did have a fantastic time. There was so much to draw and paint (two hours wasn’t enough!): we have a marvellous, textured drystone wall with dancing flowers and plants done in water soluble coloured pencils, plus the beginnings of a magnificent orange wheelbarrow. 

We also have a graphite pencil drawing of an arching apple tree, portraying good depth and composition, plus a small wooden table: the drawing shows its wonderful character. 

A large scale acrylic painting, using a slightly abstract style, and on a pre-prepared green blue background, is alive with reds and whites from the flower bed. 

A complex scene, delicately drawn, and with great depth of a shed, cold frames, and raised beds, drawn with a mechanical pencil (0.5); lots of different marks express the differing textures.

And as if that isn’t enough, we have a drawing of a pear tree yet to come (wasn’t quite finished). 

A huge thank you to Diane for her generosity in allowing us to visit her incredible garden again. And also to Linda and Alison for their welcoming and friendly hospitality (including the warm scones - so delicious!!). And thank you to yourselves, the best students ever, for coming along and participating with all your bravery, and making art! A perfect afternoon, thank you everyone. 

**UPDATE: I have added Linda B’s pro photos from the afternoon. Thank you Linda!

7 August 2024

Today we carried on with our own projects. Some of us took on the challenge of the word for the month, “Hidden”, and produced artwork in response to it, including hidden parts of pea-pods and rose-hips, as well as hidden doors. We have a hidden face and possibly a hidden book. There are tree roots that were once hidden after a forest fire but that are now sprouting into new, fresh green life.

A wide range of media was used during the session including collage, watercolour, ink pens, gouache, coloured pencil and graphite pencil.

A very creative and imaginative session, thank you everyone

24 July 2024

17 July 2024

It was a beautiful day today at the Robert Ashton Memorial park in Meltham. We drew and painted the scenery around us, using pen, graphite pencil, inktense pencils, pastel pencils and watercolour. 

It was absolutely lovely to be outside as a group, generating a special and supportive energy whilst drawing and painting the life around us. I didn’t get photos of everyone’s work, so apologies for that. 

Thank you, everyone, and thank you to the weather!

3 July 2024

We did have one brave soul who went out and drew around the hall today, well done! And then we have a mix of work from all our ‘Own Projects’. Collage, watercolour, watercolour and pen, mixed media, coloured pencil, and pastel. And a range of subject matter from sampling to abstraction, to still life, portraiture, landscape, mark making, and composition making. A really enjoyable afternoon, thank you, everyone! 

26 June 2024

It was a perfect day for drawing and painting outside. One person worked on a table enabling them to fully spread out with their materials and work on a decent sized watercolour, filled with fields and trees. Another person worked smaller and in graphite pencil making links to our themed word: “connection”, looking at distant skylines as well as close ups of dry stone walls.

Another person experimented with new artist’s quality chalk pastels, deep into the bank of the lane, creating life, energy and movement with their colour and mark-making. Another used various mixed media to work in a creative and abstracted way (and watch this space as the work will be excitingly further developed!).

There is a beautiful graphite drawing of a series of rounded trees, all overlapping and contributing to the perspective depths of the drawing. We also have a gouache flower meadow, as well as a collage hilly landscape and a collaged close up of what looks like undergrowth with very interesting creatures living there!

Thank you everyone for joining in with our ‘En Plein Air’ session today, it was absolutely wonderful. As one person said, just what my soul needed, thank you!

19 June 2024

Today we started our own projects for the summer. Again, two people drew outside, but I only managed to get a photo of one; they used graphite pencil and charcoal to depict the landscape and features outside and around the hall, sitting within the hall grounds and also at the entrance of the field by the hall (where the pumpkins were). Some people painted the poppies that I brought in using traditional watercolour, and some used watercolour pens and ink pen. Some people continued from the briefs over the last few months: one person made a collage from the last abstract brief, and one person decided to pursue their interest in the portrait and the figure. Another person was inspired by a painting they had seen at the Hepworth’s exhibition, “Still Lives” to create their own artwork using coloured pencil. Wonderful work, well done everyone! 

29 May 2024

22 May 2024

Today we looked at zooming in closely to an object in order to abstract it. We also looked at simplifying our subject matter. This opens up gateways to much unique and original creativity that could be never ending, a life time’s work!

And there are some really fabulous studies and artworks here. From using sepia pen to create abstractions from fossil shells, to watercolour and mixed media seed-heads. From pen and wash abstractions of large, natural formations to oil paint dynamic swirls. From part of a sheep’s jaw bone to a mixed media unique skyline with buildings.

Strong colours, shapes and angles are used to simplify and abstract someone’s back garden in watercolour. Vibrant closeup and simplification of a tulip in watercolour pens, then further abstracted another step into an explosion of multi colour and shape. Simplified flowers in their pot, the whole image elegant in it’s rendering of simple beauty. A carefully observed abstraction of solid metal measuring spoons in graphite pencil creating a rhythmic pice full of energy and movement. Using flowers to conduct an experiment in coloured pencil looking at dark and light in different parts of the composition and the effects it achieves.

Some of you are still having fun with portraits and the figure (I don’t blame you, also a life time’s work!!). Three sensitive drawings of women, capturing what it is to be a human, while a very expressive watercolour portrait really brings to life the person on the page.

Well done, everyone!

15 May 2024