[Newsletter] I'm dreaming of a white canvas

[Barbara Ruskin]

Hi Adrian and all, I really enjoyed the Friday Christmas with Danny. Great guy who worked so very hard to entertain us and did a good job. Best wishes and all the committee for their continued work for us over the year. Have a super Christmas, Barbara (Cross) x

Sent from my iPhone

> On 10 Dec 2018, at 23:07, Adrian Fowle <adrian at fowle.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> I really welcome feedback from members, as does your committee. Your evaluation of Friday's Christmas entertainment ranged from
> 
> Horrid, just horrid. It was okay chatting to members and eating until the so called entertainment started. I’m not surprised the BBC let him go from Watercolour Challenge. I made good my escape at half time
> 
> to
> 
> Thanks to all for arranging Friday eve which was quite a success. It was a really enjoyable evening and Danny was very entertaining and willing to answer any questions of which I had many! Anyway here’s wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
> 
> From this exhaustive survey of members' views I am able to conclude that you can't please all of the people all of the time. The positive responses I have received outnumbered the negative ones.
> 
> Our Christmas events are generally not intended to be as strictly educational as the other ones throughout the year, but to be light hearted and preferably encourage members to get to know each other. Not everything worked as intended on the night, which did hold Danny back a bit, but I thought he demonstrated some quick tricks that might be useful on occasion, rather than doing an in depth study as our other demonstrators do. For good or evil they don't attempt to spout poetry or play 12-stringed guitars.
> 
> He described the "egg and snake technique" for composition - one large mass and one slightly smaller mass just off center in the picture, with a road or river coming forwards to the lower edge of the picture to pullthe viewer in. Also the need for a point of mystery in a painting. an area which is incomplete in some way and makes the viewer want to engage more.
> 
> Tree branches grow upwards, from thick to thin and should be painted in the same direction. The other famous Yorkshire painter apparently forgets this. The branches should be shown as crossing one another to give some depth. The branching points ae usually V like.
> 
> You can do some quite neat flicks with a credit card or similar in watercolour, to produce the effect of grass. Also a credit card can work as a similarly crude lifting off tool in watercolour leaving something that looks like a dry stone wall.
> 
> --------------------------
> 
> No controversy about the buffet. Everyone liked it. Well done Jan and team, and thank you!
> 
> I am often asked about the Festillant non-alcoholic champagne - see
> https://www.gratienmeyer.com/en/ranges/our-alcohol-free-drinks/
> and
> https://www.festillant.com/
> 
> It's not widely available in the UK. I buy it from a wine club at £4.25 a bottle. It is also advertised on several "dry" sites like this ones
> https://drydrinker.com/product/festillant-alcohol-free-sparkling-wine/
> 
> --------------------------
> 
> The "Wednesday" group at Ripley have their last meeting this week and then break for Christmas. They resume on Wed 2nd January. It's a communal paint together. Not tutored, but there is a mutual help philosophy and it's great fun. If you have not given it a try, you might pencil it in (no pun intended) for an early New Year's resolution. There are morning and afternoon sessions. Julie Collins <juliea1954 at hotmail.co.uk> for details
> 
> --------------------------
> 
> There is no "First Friday" event in January, so we reconvene on Friday 1st February. Paul Alcock will demonstrate a woodland painting in oils at 8pm. The AGM will start at 7.30pm. so please come early so that we can get the necessary business done.
> 
> We are always looking for help on the committee, so if anyone would like to join us, or has any ideas to propose, please drop me an email.
> 
> 
> 
> It only remains for me to wish you all, on behalf of your committee,
> 
> A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS
> 
> and a
> 
> PAINTERLY NEW YEAR
> 
> 
> Choose a card for yourself from https://blog.my-picture.co.uk/famous-paintings-christmas-parodies/
> 
> -- 
> Adrian Fowle
> Chairman, Bromley Art Society
> 
> 
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