Monday 19th February 2018 at Little Hereford Village Hall

9 managed to make it to the meeting although it was almost over by the time I arrived and Eva had already left.  Everyone was busy working on their own subjects and there was a delicious smell of oil paint in the hall.  Not that everyone was working in oils, Patti and Lesley M were working on very detailed pencil drawings and Katy May, Bridget's grand daughter, was also working in monochrome.  I am afraid I was too busy talking to take full account of what everyone was doing but I did get to see some of the homework  which you will remember was:

"Christmas" - anything of your choice: a current event (something that stands out for you about Christmas 2017); a wish; joke; cartoon; memory; disappointment; or an emotion.  Representational or abstract, any medium, any size, any number of studies.

I didn't have my camera with me but I understand Angie has photos which I will add when she sends them to me.  Thanks Angie.

For the moment I have the following: 

By John Cobb, this was also the Christmas card that he sent to each of us, great fun!  Original in watercolour.

Although not strictly homework these are two cards that Bob Kirk sent to me over the Christmas break, so I thought I would include them.  I love Tern's as they remind me of my boating days so I particularly like the lower picture.  Both in watercolour.

Susie captured all the birds she had visiting her feeding station over the Christmas period.

I managed two, both memories and both in acrylic on paper. The top is a memory from C1950 or 1951 when I had a toy grand piano as a present and the bottom one is Christmas 2017 with Joy sitting up beside her bed opposite me in the ward.  

This is Angie's water colour sketch of a Christmas gnome that appears every Christmas, he is also a tea-light holder.

Bridget did a pastel portrait of her beautiful cat Toby enjoying himself in the Christmas wrapping paper.  What a super subject.

Lesley C, always innovative used the hand made cards from her artist friends to create letters spelling "Merry Christmas".  She then laminated them and stuck them together, concertina fashion, so that the spell Merry Christmas.  The letters are double sided so they can be hung against a wall or from the ceiling where both sides can be see.  The whole thing probably measured in excess of 6 feet so this is just a very small sample.  As Lesley said she will "remember all her friends every Christmas when she hangs it".  What a lovely idea, I shall certainly copy it.  

Homework to bring to the meeting in March:

• Your aims for your 2018 journey in art and your first steps towards achieving this; and
• A composition with the title "Night".  Any medium any size.

There may be more, so watch this space - - - -