Hopefully everyone is enjoying the slightly warmer weather, though there’s still rather a lot of rain around.

If you didn’t pay your subs all in one go at the beginning of the year, please look out for an email from Steve about paying the next amount due at the beginning of May. Thank you :o)

Wednesday 10th    7-9pm   –  Start painting for the competition

Our annual competition is a friendly affair and is NOT compulsory.  If you don’t want to enter a painting that’s fine, please just use the suggested idea as inspiration for a drawing or painting.

Get your gold paint out again because the theme is…The Coronation of King Charles III

The coronation is on Saturday 6th May at Westminster Abbey from 11am to 1pm and will be televised and photographed extensively, so you will have plenty of visual inspiration for your drawings and paintings. It’s the first coronation in Britain in seventy years so it will be the first that most members will see.

There will be so many options for you to paint, so decide if you want to paint a person or people, a building, animals, state regalia etc.

• People – King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the royal family, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the pages, any guests, soldiers marching or mounted.
• Buildings – Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the flypast over the Palace.
• Views – the route of The Mall, under Admiralty Arch, along Whitehall.
• The Crown Jewels – St.Edward’s Crown, the Imperial State Crown, Queen Mary’s Crown, The Sovereign’s Orb, Sceptre with Crown, Sceptre with Dove, the eagle-shaped Ampulla and the Coronation Spoon, Swords, Armills, Spurs, the Sovereign’s ring.
• Coronation items – The 700 year old Coronation Chair, also called St.Edward’s Chair, set with the Stone of Destiny. The Chairs of Estate, Throne Chairs or the Anointing Screen, all newly embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
• Coaches – the old Gold State Coach and the modern Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
• Animals– Windsor Grey horses pulling the coaches, the Household Cavalry, the lion and unicorn on the royal arms and standard.
• Prince of Wales – If the coronation doesn’t interest you perhaps think of Charles’ life before becoming King. Paint Highgrove House with the wildflower meadows and formal gardens, the clematis ‘Prince Charles’, any eco project he’s been involved in, The Prince’s Trust etc.

There’s no right or wrong way to paint this subject…just your way.

Saturday 27th   10am-3pm   –   Competition continued

Continue with your Coronation picture, or paint another. All pictures to be in by 2.15pm then we all cast one vote for our favourite painting. There will be small cash prizes for the winner and runner-up.

A maximum of three drawings/paintings per member.  If you paint a picture but can’t attend today please arrange with someone to take and collect your artwork.

If you feel uncomfortable entering a competition that’s fine, you don’t have to. Paint the Coronation theme but leave your painting on your table so it won’t be on the separate tables with the submitted pictures.

Good luck everyone!