Our annual Open Day is only eight weeks away on Saturday 26th November, with the hanging evening the day before on Friday 25th November from 7pm. Please note both dates in your diary/calendar/on-line reminder. Hopefully you’ll be getting organised now and have a few paintings to exhibit either mounted or framed. We’ll be asking for the names, media and prices of your paintings in November.

Our Christmas Party will be only a couple of weeks after the Open Day on Wednesday 14th December from 6.30pm. It is hoped to have a lucky dip for a painted wood slice Christmas decoration, which will be available soon for painting. If you want to take part in painting them with acrylics (watercolours, oils, pastels and pencils won’t work on them) then Tracy will be giving them out at the next couple of sessions, with the aim to have them all back by the Open Day. She won’t be able to paint the number needed, so hopefully everyone will be able to paint one or two :o)

Wednesday 12th October – 7-9pm – 100th Anniversary of the BBC

Draw or paint a portrait of your favourite BBC broadcaster, actor, radio personality or character. You could paint the whole cast of a programme either from the BBC’s early days, from a programme being broadcast at the moment or any time in between. Mastermind has been around for 50 years and University Challenge since 1962. Sir Patrick Moore holds the record as the most prolific presenter, hosting all but one episode of The Sky at Night between 1957 and 2013.

If you don’t fancy a portrait then paint a scene from your favourite programme. There have been so many people and programmes it will be difficult to choose one to paint!

Saturday 22nd October – 10am – 3pm – Botanical Coloured Pencil Workshop with Amber Halsall

Amber is a new artist for us but is well known for her plant and flower pictures, having exhibited at many places including Florum and at The Mall Gallery, which many of you have visited. Today she will be giving a botanical workshop in coloured pencils and more details will be emailed shortly.

Her website is here… https://amberhalsallartist.com

Amber prefers a small number of people to teach so her workshop will be for 20. Please EMAIL Tracy asap for a place but check the date first to see if you are available. If there are more people than places then a there will be a waiting list.

***** Do not use the comments box to request a place on this workshop as messages can take days/weeks to get through. Email Tracy directly on her usual email address *****

Please don’t book a place then realise the day before that you won’t be able to come. Unfortunately, in the past we have had people cancelling on the day or just not turning up. This means that people on the waiting list miss a place and we also lose the person’s fee, costing the group money.

The cost for this workshop will be £10 towards Amber’s fee, the hall hire already paid for by your regular subs.

As you have already paid for the hall in your recent subs we aim to make the hall accessible for everyone on the day, even if you’re not taking part in the workshop. We’ll have the workshop at the big window end of the hall and a few tables at the kitchen end of the hall available if you wish to come and ‘do your own thing’ on the day, but please work quietly, thank you!