Bromley Art Society Bringing Artists Together since 1947

The festival is attracting visitors and there have been sales (even one of mine!). If you have nothing better to do on Saturday 29/10 pop in and enjoy an acrylics demo from about 11 am. I'll be slapping on the paint with knife and brush.

Those who study such things may notice a change to the style of the website. The old one was making a mess of stories on the front page if they had pictures in, as more and more of them do. The current style, or "theme" in the jargon, is the default one and not an artistic choice on my part. It works rather well but is immediately recognisable as the default theme for Drupal, the software behind the site. It does not suggest much creativity for an Art Society but I blame the day job for that.

I am planning a major upgrade to the site at some stage and will attend to beautification then.

October is harvest-time at Denbies and the colour of the vine leaves is mind-blowing. Iris and I enjoyed lunch there on 9 October (yes, we skipped church) and I took lots of photos. There may well be a painting in the offing...

This is the best place to show our work for £1 a week. Rejoice with me; as one of mine was being hung yesterday it was snapped up by someone who loved it. I had changed its title... Perhaps that's the way to go. I have replaced it with another I made a few years ago and have changed its title, too. Keep 'em crossed for me.

Ann Holdway and I have found a really lovely new place to exhibit, albeit a little way away from Bromley. It's called Bourne Hall and it's at Ewell. It's a modern building standing in beautiful grounds and has a beautiful exhibition area  right next to a cafe (cheap!), a library and a museum. We are allowed to do what we like while our paintings are there ie sell cards, have browsers, sketch and paint and generally do all the things we do at BEECHE but with a lot more space and a lot more people around. We have booked 2 weeks from 17 October.

Now we have a facebook presence! The main news articles from the front page of the web site and a random selection of members' pictures are posted there. The pictures are updated once a day.

I am sure there is more to do, but it is a start. Let me know what you think! Allan has already started us off

It is time to present me with items for the next issue of The Easel. Comments re. commissioned work would be relevant following John's piece in the Autumn issue. Note to new members: a personal profile will introduce you to members, include a photo (head and shoulders), and a pic of one of your pieces of work, whatever it is you make. Be bold!

Hooray! I managed to start a couple of new paintings today at Ripley Arts Centre after a couple of months taken up with exhibitions. Acrylic paint on boxed canvases with the promise of thicker applications and oils to add a further dimension. Joy, joy, thrice joy!

Following her afternoon stint at Denbies Wine Estate, Pat appeared fresh and erudite as she expressed her helpful criticism of our work. There were not many in attendance, so many missed a stimulating evening of instruction from 'er who knows. I was able to show the CASS Art vouchers in their smart packaging and presented them to John Marshall. His painting was on the front of our latest issue of The Easel.

Another couple of busy weeks lie ahead with little hope of slapping paint on canvas. For me, the exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate begins tomorrow, as I book into the excellent farmhouse B&B so that I can be there early on Monday to start hanging our show. Then on Monday, Sept. 5, I will show for yet another two weeks at the What If ... ? Gallery in Dartford with another local painter, Francis Pyka. Look him up on-line; I like his work. I'll be showing some large stuff from a few years ago that have not been out of my loft for a while.