Showing posts with label Art Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Club. Show all posts

Tuesday, 20 December 2016

Celebrating the Season

Last week the Art Club I belong to had their annual Christmas Pot-luck Lunch. Every year the organizers try to come up with a different way for members to share the joy of the season. Some of the ideas we have had are; a trash to treasure gifting and small painting secret exchanges. This year a handmade card exchange was proposed.
As it wasn't stipulated that we do a card that fit the season, I decided to do something a little different; a watercolour Warbler with quilled wisteria. I did this same subject in all watercolour when I was practicing the Oriental painting method a few years ago during a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

There were some really wonderful cards made, most of them with a Christmas theme of course and we all had a fun time seeing what everyone got.

This is the first time in years that we have bothered to take photos at our Christmas get-together and it is nice to see all the happy faces. A number of our members go south for the winter and others work full time and are rarely able to attend so the few you see here do not reflect our numbers.

We have about 35 members but only around 15 to 20 regularly attend our weekly painting days. An art club like ours is a great way to learn new techniques, get inspiration and enjoy fellowship with like minded people; I enjoy being a part of it!.

Here is a card I just painted to wish you all...


                                           A Very Merry Christmas
                                                       and a
                                       Happy and Healthy New Year



Thursday, 7 July 2016

Painting in a Garden

Every year The Creston Art Club has a Paint-out and Pot-luck lunch at the home of one of our members. This year the event was held in the gardens of Jenny Steenkamp.
Jenny has a beautiful home in an orchard with cherries, apricot, peaches and other fruit all around. She also has an incredible garden with so many fascinating little buildings surrounded by fabulous plants and flowers.
I think we had about 18 of our members attend and we all spread out around the yard to paint whatever took our fancy.
From flowers to buildings, fish ponds to mountain views, there was something interesting at every turn.


The building here is a screened gazebo which was set up for all the wonderful dishes that were brought for the pot-luck.


I am not sure what this structure was intended for but it reminded me of a little bandstand but with seating.
This little gem is a children's playhouse, used mostly for storage now as the children are all grown. I tried to draw and paint this scene with only minor success so you won't see a photo of my painting - lol. I do buildings better when I can take my time and plan. One day I should go back and study the building and try the scene again.
This was the scene I should have painted as I am much better at landscapes in a plein aire situation. This is a view of the Skimmerhorn Mountains on the east side of the Creston valley with a wild poppy bed in the foreground.

It was a great day, with fellowship and painting together - how could it miss?