Previous Saturday Meetings
Have a look at what we have been doing at the different events during 2023,
and some of the work produced by members during the day!
and some of the work produced by members during the day!
Saturday 27th April - Collage Workshop with Jan Folan
Jan is a self-taught artist who started focussing on Torn Paper Collage Art about 6 years ago. She found her niche and an artistic expression that she loved, and over the years has built up her experience and skills working with different materials and methods. She shared with us some of her fabulous completed pieces, which were particularly impressive, looking more like paintings than collage!
Click on a photo to view larger images.
Click on a photo to view larger images.
Jan then shared some of her techniques, how she creates her own papers (with some unusual techniques such as bubble printing and using a particular solvent on National Geographic images!), how she starts her paintings and then progresses into adding more detail.
Everyone then had a go using a reference image provided by Jan. Producing a piece of work like this takes time, but completed works will be added below as people send their photos in. We all agreed it was a lovely afternoon, really relaxed, fun, and a time to have a good natter with our fellow artists!
Saturday 13th April - a Portrait Party!
We had a lot of fun on our Portrait Party this Saturday! Apparently, around the world, groups of likeminded people will meet in cafes to draw each other's portraits and we thought we would try a similar thing!
The afternoon started off with Jo showing some portraits from books and social media challenging us about our concept of portraits being just about a true 'likeness' (however we define that word!). See the slide show below.
The afternoon started off with Jo showing some portraits from books and social media challenging us about our concept of portraits being just about a true 'likeness' (however we define that word!). See the slide show below.
Following this, everyone was encouraged to do some quick sketches of the people near them, thinking about what key features they might focus on and to 'loosen up'. This was then followed by doing a simple line sketch of a 'partner' on their table in preparation for the next step.
After coffee Stacey then demonstrated using water soluble oil pastels to introduce some colour and 'pop' into out portraits (click on a photo to see a larger image.)
After coffee Stacey then demonstrated using water soluble oil pastels to introduce some colour and 'pop' into out portraits (click on a photo to see a larger image.)
Everyone had a lot of fun trying out the water soluble oils bought for the group (although there was some frustration as they were a cheaper version, illustrating well that buying cheaper art materials is not always the best investment!). But it was good to challenge us in how to introduce some life and vitality into our portraits.
Some members also brought in portraits they had previously done for the group to have a look at during coffee.
Saturday 23rd March - AGM, and a bit of Abstraction!
The business of our AGM was duly shared with a small group of attendees, celebrating what we have achieved in the last year and with some discussion about the year ahead, in particular the difficulty we are having finding suitable premises to hold our annual exhibition this year. We think we have found a venue and more information will be shared in due course.
There were a couple of topics raised in AOB, one being the ethinic mix of our society and how it may not represent the population in Huddersfield. There was some discussion around how we could engage more people from ethnic minority groups, how we could share information with groups who might not be aware of our presence and how we could look to engage some more black and minority artists in leading our demonstrations and workshops.
Rob also raised the issue about having a short term of evening life drawing sessions over the summer, which he is going to look into the viability and demand for this and report back to council. We are always keen to explore new ideas that members may have to enrich our society.
There were a couple of topics raised in AOB, one being the ethinic mix of our society and how it may not represent the population in Huddersfield. There was some discussion around how we could engage more people from ethnic minority groups, how we could share information with groups who might not be aware of our presence and how we could look to engage some more black and minority artists in leading our demonstrations and workshops.
Rob also raised the issue about having a short term of evening life drawing sessions over the summer, which he is going to look into the viability and demand for this and report back to council. We are always keen to explore new ideas that members may have to enrich our society.
After coffee we had a lively presentation from the Abstract Group, having been up and running 18 months or so. Members presented a very wide range of approaches and interpretation of this genre, with lively discussion around what is and isn't abstraction, how the group is encouraging people to grow and develop their skills as artists under the guidance of Rachael, and, simply, how much enjoyment all the members get out of the group, which is an important element. You can find out more about the group and the sessions on the Abstract Group pages, under 'Groups'.
Click on a photo to see larger images or scroll through the slide show.
Click on a photo to see larger images or scroll through the slide show.
Saturday 9th March - Mark Burgum talking about his art journey and demonstrating his techniques with perspective.
At the beginning of today's session, member Linda Riggall presented some of her most recent paintings and talked about the inspiration behind this work, and her playful, thoughtful and experimental approach to produce some really interesting , textural pieces, often with a sub-theme of recycling.
Please click on a photograph to view a larger image.
Please click on a photograph to view a larger image.
Mark then began his session talking about his journey as an artist and what projects he has been involved with. He showed some of his more recent graphite and pencil drawings of winter scenes and then urban landscapes which are a particular interest for him.
After the coffee break Mark then demonstrated some of his techniques with graphite and how he works to get a sense of perspective in a simple country landscape. He tends to work on acrylic paper using 4B and 6B graphite sticks and HB, 4B and 6B graphite pencils. He starts by creating a mid tone ground to the paper by heavily rubbing the graphite sticks on paper, and then picking up this graphite with a soft cotton cloth. The cloth is then gently rubbed over the surface of the paper, slowly building up layers of graphite until he achieves the tonal value he requires. He then uses the HB pencil to softly map out the main lines of composition, sometimes using the pencil on its side to get a more organic, squiggly line. Some lines might be strengthened with the 6B pencil. He would then continue building up the layers of the piece, often rubbing over the surface with a cloth to soften marks and integrate them together, using a rubber to draw in marks or lighten tones..
Saturday 24th February - Atmospheric Landscapes with Christine Kirton
Today's workshop was led by Christine Kirton, who we invited back after her demonstration and talk last year.
Christine started off showing some of her techniques in beginning in painting, particularly for those who couldn't make her talk last year: starting off with a ground painted with gold acrylic to get a glow coming through subsequent paint layers; using phthalo green as an initial layer of colour, applying it, then scraping some areas off with a palette knife or credit card to suggest shapes, form and structure, and various techniques for creating texture and depth using bubble wrap or simply wiping off some of the paint layer using a cloth or kitchen towel.
Christine then let people just play with the paint, experimenting with layering and taking off to see what effects they could get and how it felt to paint that way. At the end of the afternoon people were encouraged to talk about how it had gone for them, what they felt successful for them and where they felt things didn't work or were a bit of a 'wrestle'! Everyone enjoyed the afternoon exploring the process and each learnt something about themselves as an artist, how they prefer to work and what they could incorporate going forwards.
Below are some photos from the afternoon, including just a few of pieces that might get worked on more a bit later, but you can see something of the process in them.
Click on a photo to view a larger image or to scroll through the slideshow.
Christine started off showing some of her techniques in beginning in painting, particularly for those who couldn't make her talk last year: starting off with a ground painted with gold acrylic to get a glow coming through subsequent paint layers; using phthalo green as an initial layer of colour, applying it, then scraping some areas off with a palette knife or credit card to suggest shapes, form and structure, and various techniques for creating texture and depth using bubble wrap or simply wiping off some of the paint layer using a cloth or kitchen towel.
Christine then let people just play with the paint, experimenting with layering and taking off to see what effects they could get and how it felt to paint that way. At the end of the afternoon people were encouraged to talk about how it had gone for them, what they felt successful for them and where they felt things didn't work or were a bit of a 'wrestle'! Everyone enjoyed the afternoon exploring the process and each learnt something about themselves as an artist, how they prefer to work and what they could incorporate going forwards.
Below are some photos from the afternoon, including just a few of pieces that might get worked on more a bit later, but you can see something of the process in them.
Click on a photo to view a larger image or to scroll through the slideshow.
Saturday 10th February - Contemporary Still Life.
Our afternoon started with a member's presentation by Denise Short, who has only been painting since lockdown! Although she has often sketched throughout her life, she clearly demonstrates excellent handling of paint, colour and composition in her recent work covering a wide range of subjects. It was a delight to see and hear a little bit of her story.
Click on a photo to view a larger image and scroll through a slideshow.
Click on a photo to view a larger image and scroll through a slideshow.
The group then turned their attention to today's suggested topic thinking about contemporary still life, partly inspired by artists' work seen on instagram. Everyone had a good time although some felt out of their usual comfort zone. It is always good to try something new or different as there is always something to learn from it!
Below are some photos from the afternoon - many of the works will be developed further but it gives you a flavour of what people were working on.
Below are some photos from the afternoon - many of the works will be developed further but it gives you a flavour of what people were working on.
Saturday 27th January - Demonstration with Tracey Krupianka
Member, Ros Fraser Johnson, brought in a selection of her work to show the group. Ros has only been painting since lockdown (about 4 years) and is self taught. She works in gouache or acrylics mainly and is inspired by local areas, nature and light. Her work is beautifully detailed and very evocative.
Click on a photo to view a larger image and scroll through the slide show.
Click on a photo to view a larger image and scroll through the slide show.
Our guest artist Tracey Krupianka, talked about her inspiration taken from local landscapes, mainly in North Yorkshire and how she turned to this style of painting several years ago. She demonstrated how she starts each painting, using Amsterdam acrylics, applying a white layer first and then at least 3 layers of rich, bold colour on top. She chooses colours intuitively. although she has built up a working knowledge over the years of which colours work best together, and instinctively places shapes around the canvas to create dynamic, lively compositions.
Tracey showed the different types of brushes she uses, including flat, stipple and deerfoot brushes in different sizes, and also works with fabric paint, with a narrow nozzle, for painting detail, that dries in relief on the canvas to provide further definition and texture. Tracey was entertaining as she shared so many tips and techniques - it was a joyous afternoon and inspired everyone there!
Tracey showed the different types of brushes she uses, including flat, stipple and deerfoot brushes in different sizes, and also works with fabric paint, with a narrow nozzle, for painting detail, that dries in relief on the canvas to provide further definition and texture. Tracey was entertaining as she shared so many tips and techniques - it was a joyous afternoon and inspired everyone there!
Saturday 13th January - Chinese Brush Painting with Anne Allan
This afternoon's session began with a short presentation by Jo Sykes, sharing with members her 2023 New Year's plan to focus on portrait work, discovering what she wanted to achieve in this subject, how she developed her skill with her chosen materials (pencil, liner pen and oil and cold wax), and how she explored techniques and approaches that she wanted to adopt to enhance her work and process. She outlined 3 key points: 1) doing what you really love doing, 2) not to have too tight an expectation of the outcome but instead let the process reveal itself for you as you try different things, 3) rather than wholly copying other artists, make the process your own so that it your work is your own unique expression.
Click on a photo to enlarge the image and scroll through a slide show,
Click on a photo to enlarge the image and scroll through a slide show,
We then had a fascinating afternoon led by Chinese Painter Anne Allan. She introduced some of the process followed by Chinese painters with a demonstration of how to hold and use the brushes, working on traditional Chinese Painting Paper and inks. She made it look so easy but it was much harder as a novice! However, it was also very meditative and calming to practice the different brush strokes, and everyone felt that the practice could improve our technique with our own brushes in watercolour, acrylics and even oils.
If any members would like further information about chinese brush painting or local groups, she is happy for you to contact her at mail@anneallan.com.
If any members would like further information about chinese brush painting or local groups, she is happy for you to contact her at mail@anneallan.com.
Highlights from 2023
Click on a photo to enlarge image