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 13th July - Outdoor Day at Upperthong Village
Several members braved the slightly chilly, damp weather for July to produce some good work at Upperthong!
Saturday 8th June - Outdoor Day to the National Coal Mining Museum
Saturday 25th May - talk and demonstration by local Yorkshire artist, illustrator and teacher, Diane Barker
Diane began by outlining her training at Batley art College and Wrexham University, moving then into her first job illustrating and designing for a magazine company. Now she runs several businesses including freelance and commission work, and her work in schools. She told one story of having tea with local actor Patrick Stewart, and encounters with the cast from last of the summer wine as she worked on a project painting Yorkshire celebrities., plus many other fun stories behind some of the commissions she has done. She loves working with people and has a particular passion for working with people with special needs or disabilities, teaching and showing people her love of art and the huge benefit it can bring in people's lives.
Click on a photo to view a larger image.
Click on a photo to view a larger image.
Although Diane is a lady of many talents, she describes herself as self-taught mainly through her many interests and her willingness to experiment in materials and design , including digital work. Diane often uses pencil, pen, watercolour, freehand digital and vector graphics, but she has a particular love of gouache which she handles expertly as she builds up work that has deep, rich colour and an almost photographic realism.
Diane then talked through her process, which often applies to both her watercolour and gouache work. Below are some of the key points she mentioned:
* She works from photographic references that she takes herself, often taking a lot of photos to ensure she has as much detail as she will need, and many times combining elements from several photos in one piece.
*When designing each piece she likes to have a background 'story' that helps to create an interesting image, one that is highly relevant to her client and brings a deeper level of detail and excitement to the final piece.
* She described that sometimes it can be challenging getting to the bottom of a clients aspirations for a piece of work, as they struggle to describe what is in their head. She will use very detailed mock up pieces to help the client see what the final image(s) might be like.
* Diane emphasised the importance of building up observational skills especially for when building up a realistic piece. In the work of the tin and oxo cubes, people could not believe that the effect of the foil was created using lots and lots of tiny shapes of different greys and white! Diane finds that life drawing is particularly good for developing observational skills and she has recently been running a life drawing group in Huddersfield.
* Diane showed some of steps in creating a work, starting with making a detailed pencil drawing on good quality paper, before applying paint
* She doesn't layer the gouache but applies it carefully in small blocks of different shades, tones and tints to achieve the effect she is after - it is slow and time consuming work
* Diane applies both gouache and watercolour, from tubes, quite thickly; the consistency of single cream, so that the surface is covered in deep, solid colour right from the start.
* She often 'hops' around a piece working on different sections across the whole painting, to get a feel for how the painting wants to develop.
* Diane encourages people to be brave and experiment with things to find their own way, and not to be afraid of trying something new - it might be just the approach for you!
* She works from photographic references that she takes herself, often taking a lot of photos to ensure she has as much detail as she will need, and many times combining elements from several photos in one piece.
*When designing each piece she likes to have a background 'story' that helps to create an interesting image, one that is highly relevant to her client and brings a deeper level of detail and excitement to the final piece.
* She described that sometimes it can be challenging getting to the bottom of a clients aspirations for a piece of work, as they struggle to describe what is in their head. She will use very detailed mock up pieces to help the client see what the final image(s) might be like.
* Diane emphasised the importance of building up observational skills especially for when building up a realistic piece. In the work of the tin and oxo cubes, people could not believe that the effect of the foil was created using lots and lots of tiny shapes of different greys and white! Diane finds that life drawing is particularly good for developing observational skills and she has recently been running a life drawing group in Huddersfield.
* Diane showed some of steps in creating a work, starting with making a detailed pencil drawing on good quality paper, before applying paint
* She doesn't layer the gouache but applies it carefully in small blocks of different shades, tones and tints to achieve the effect she is after - it is slow and time consuming work
* Diane applies both gouache and watercolour, from tubes, quite thickly; the consistency of single cream, so that the surface is covered in deep, solid colour right from the start.
* She often 'hops' around a piece working on different sections across the whole painting, to get a feel for how the painting wants to develop.
* Diane encourages people to be brave and experiment with things to find their own way, and not to be afraid of trying something new - it might be just the approach for you!
Diane had a fascinating story to tell, concluding with how she uses pencil and pen for fine detail, how she loves working with zentangles, and also has a strong interest in digital typography and different fonts. There is no end to the range of design that Diane brings into her work. It was a really interesting and fun afternoon, and I am sure many people took several of her valuable points away with them to start experimenting at home!
You can find out more about Diane and see more of her work on her website at www.dianebarker.com
You can find out more about Diane and see more of her work on her website at www.dianebarker.com
Saturday 11th May - member's own workshop
After a presentation of work by Gilly Markham, members worked on their own pieces.
Gilly has had a long career teaching art and now retired is able to pursue her own interests. She says she doesn't have a particular preference in her own work, still preferring to experiment and try new things. She brought with her various different pieces from clay pots to prints and paintings..
She particularly enjoys print making and uses an etching process to mono print. The requires scratching through acrylic painted onto a non-porous surface such as acetate; the following inking sinking into the gaps and then transferring to the paper. She may then apply colour washes to each print.
She often likes to work with watercolour but also experiments building up layers with acrylics finding it such a 'forgiving' medium. With her acrylic work she now tends to only use process colours: cyan blue, magenta red and a yellow with process black and white. From this limited palette she finds she can create all the colours she needs. She also described how the 'influence' of other artists is often reflected in her work, including both old and contemporary artists she has studied.
Click on a photo to view a larger image.
Gilly has had a long career teaching art and now retired is able to pursue her own interests. She says she doesn't have a particular preference in her own work, still preferring to experiment and try new things. She brought with her various different pieces from clay pots to prints and paintings..
She particularly enjoys print making and uses an etching process to mono print. The requires scratching through acrylic painted onto a non-porous surface such as acetate; the following inking sinking into the gaps and then transferring to the paper. She may then apply colour washes to each print.
She often likes to work with watercolour but also experiments building up layers with acrylics finding it such a 'forgiving' medium. With her acrylic work she now tends to only use process colours: cyan blue, magenta red and a yellow with process black and white. From this limited palette she finds she can create all the colours she needs. She also described how the 'influence' of other artists is often reflected in her work, including both old and contemporary artists she has studied.
Click on a photo to view a larger image.
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 [email protected].
If any members would like further information about chinese brush painting or local groups, she is happy for you to contact her at [email protected].
Highlights from 2023
Click on a photo to enlarge image