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Groups Roche Art Group Return to RAG FRONT CONTENTS Page “Summer is Coming” RAG - June 2016

Summer is Coming

(June 22nd 2016)


With a week to go before the Summer break, we dropped in on the RAG to see how they were getting on. Here the Chairman, Gill Waple, gives a brief run down:


“We usually have about 20 to 22, and have 28 on the books. Not long back we had an evening with Judy Goring and she showed us something completely different, the effects of using salt and cling-film, things that perhaps a number of us have never done before. It was a really good evening that gave us something new to think about.

Back in October we had Brian Coppard, from Rayleigh, who does tutoring. He did something quite different; he did acrylics and gouache on pastel paper which is quite soft, and that was interesting to see how it evolved. Beyond that one of our members led a still-life evening which members could join in if they wanted to. We quite often see if there is something different we can do rather than just come in and paint. Generally we just let people do their own things.

I think it is one of the strengths of the group that there is no pressure on anyone to actually produce lots of work; they produce in their own time with their own media and their own choice of subject, and if you want help you can just ask.  

We have one more week before we break for the Summer, during which we have a number of days out planned, that Barry has set up for us, and then we return on the 31st of August, which gives us sufficient time to plan for our Autumn exhibition on the 24th September which is on the last day of the Rochford Art Trail. As before our exhibition will be in the WI Hall.”


And now for a little bit of fun….

We always get a lot of pleasure looking  over the shoulders of artists and so above left was this visit’s no.1 choice.  However it goes without saying that we are always a fan of President, Barry’s pencil drawings (above) so we asked him from the standpoint of a mere observer, “Can you give us some clues about how you go about such a drawing?”  Here is his answer:
“There are certain tricks you learn and a key one I think is to look into a picture and get its depth because you’ve got to get it onto a flat piece of paper; it’s a way of achieving what you want and it’s about getting some depth behind and using the darks and the lights. My tutor used to say, “Look at those trees, look at those bushes, look at them and see how dark it is!” So what makes things stand out are the darks against the lights. Try and get your perspectives right, that is important. If you know what you’re looking for then you’ll know what you want to achieve.

With this tree drawing, start with the outline, here you’ve got to have the gap, the sea, which you’ll see I haven’t shaded in because you have enough interest here at the front. Obviously one of the most important things about this picture is getting the character of the trunks of the trees. The balance or front interest is important in this picture. If there had been just the two outer trees there would have been a big gap which would look empty but fortunately in fact there were the three in line so no gap. Start with the outline, then add faintly the tree vertical shapes and then add in hard lines when it becomes clear they are where you want them. I tend to use a variety of pencils and will sometimes even use the charcoal type of pencil as well. There’s plenty more that could be said, but that will do for starters. This drawing probably took several days but I may leave a work and then keep coming back to it.”


And a final word:


“Pablo Picasso said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”


Indeed.