February Theme: Chinese New Year February 12 2021

Red, red, red .....as we pass through depressing dull grey days, what could be better than the dazzling colours of the Chinese New Year to cheer ourselves up?  The key date this year is February 12th, when the Year of the Ox begins.  Although London's CNY celebrations are going to be online this year, we are sure that our artists are going to be able to make great pieces with this theme.   CNY is amongst other things, all about colour: principally red, strident scarlets, vermillions, cadmium reds, with gold - or yellow -  with purples and greens as a supporting cast.   Collage, tissue paper, possibly supported by actual CNY papers (obtainable online) at one end of the continuum, to drawing (marker pens?) and painting at the other end.

This year the street celebrations involving actual Chinese dragons, etc., won't be taking place, but various organisations will be doing things online here: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/how-to-celebrate-chinese-new-year-virtually-012921   and here: www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/4733685-chinese-new-year-in-london

There will be a mass of images on the internet at during CNY.

It is also possible that local Chinese shops and restaurants may be decorated traditionally, and artists may know of these and be able to walk to them to sketch or take photographs.

Certain plants, flowers, and fruit are also part of the tradition and some details can be found https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-flowers-and-fruits.htme

Some of these are easily obtainable - oranges, tangerines, narcissi, anything red.

Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, which includes returning to see relatives.

 We hope that these themes  will prove inspiring!   Please send your interpretations by 23 February  to Sue at: susan@lees.org.uk

January 2020: Winter Atmospherics

January's weather has been varied, and so we have had days of sun, greyness, lots of rain,  and even some snow!  Our artists have been inspired by all the fluctuations, and we have had many images sent in interpreting all aspects of a British winter.  As always, people have used a variety of media, including stitching and textiles, figure creation, digital work, as well as more traditional media on paper.  The extended struggle which your editor had with the inner workings of the blog explains the limited nature of the commentary on the images - the current incarnation of the blog is more difficult to use than its predecessor.  Details of our next project will be appearing shortly.  

Images above by Vanessa Whinney - The River Waveney normally and in flood.

Images above by Gafung Wong - Snow in her garden and at Kew

Images above by Priscilla Worley (left) and Diane Umemoto right).

Images above by Sara Meidan (left) and Janet Payne (right).

Images above by Maggie Pettigrew (left) and Tricia Sharpe (right)

Image above by Avis Dennis

Image above by Heather James

Images by Sue Lees

Final image above by Gill Steiner

January 2021 Innings

Wishing you all the best 2021 possible at the moment. Meanwhile let's do our best to welcome the New Year with some Art.

The date for the next innings is for Tuesday 26 January 2021.

The subject is "Winter Atmospherics". Do take advantage of the weather, mist, snow, heavy rain, and even remember the impromptu New Year's Eve fireworks which livened up an otherwise quiet night.

There are long winter shadows at the moment with bright sun backlighting the stark leafless trees, which are reflected in ponds.

Do enjoy yourselves and send your pics to janetat48ock@hotmail.com.

Here's to the reopening of Art materials supply shops, so I don't keep buying the wrong kit on line.

London at Night - 30 December 2020

Thankfully 2020 has now concluded, and we have come to the end of the lousiest year we have had collectively since the Second World War.   We are hoping very much that the wonderful various vaccines will see off the coronavirus in 2021 and that we can once again have the monthly sketching adventures as a group which we enjoyed before the virus struck.   (We did have several days out in the summer, but maintaining social distancing rather knocked the gilt off the gingerbread of these.)

Our latest distanced painting theme was "London at Night", and as usual many approaches have been taken to this idea.   Mostly the images reflect the staying at home aspects of looking at London at Night.   There are some photographic experiments - "clobbering", which involves drawing or collaging onto photographs and postcards.   One person has gone digital, and used ipadpro and the procreate app.

As always, we have several images which are non-theme, but all very lovely nevertheless.

Enjoy!

Images above by Priscilla Worley (developing a theme)

Image above by Anna Fraser "Staying at Home"

Image above by Avis Dennis

 Image above by Diane Umemoto

Image above by Janet Payne

Image above by Alison Sandifer

 

Image above by Tricia Sharpe "Horizons Limited"

 

 

Image above by Sue Lees

 

 Image by Gill Steiner

 

 

 Image above by Gafung Wong

 

Image above by Diane Umemoto "Ararat"

 

 Image above by Avis Dennis

 

 

Our theme for January will be announced shortly.   

 

Happy New Year to all our Artists! 

 

30 December and late postings

Don't forget Wednesday 30th December for your 'London by Night' pics. Send to Sue at susan@lees.org.uk.

Meanwhile Heather James has sent us some work from the layered history project. This is a photo of a bomb site opposite her house and her pic of an imagined reconstruction of the original houses on the site. Great stuff.

November 20 posting. Addition and Corrections

 First 'London by Night' postings should be with me or Sue by Wednesday 30 th December not Tuesday 30th.

Due to a technical glitch an image by Priscilla Worley, which she originally did in August was posted a second time and not attributed. But here is the "Tree of Life" which Priscilla has done for November; an image of her grandson in Australia climbing a eucalyptus tree. Definite Joan Eardley influence.

November 2020 Innings

 Our subject for November was the Tree of Life. Many thanks to our contributors, who were:

Sue Lees

Gill Steiner

Janet Payne

Still Sleeping in Waterlow Park

Diane Umemoto

Westbury Court Gardens in Gloucestershire, 300 year old tree

and Avis Dennis

Our next innings will be on Tuesday 30 December, the subject is "London by Night'. Pics to me janetat48ock@hotmail.com or susan@lees.org.uk

Some regulars are also doing a similar subject for an on line class, so this is either an incentive to develop a picture or alternatively an easy way of using the same image twice and getting credit twice..

Late entries for November will be posted, but meanwhile Happy Christmas artists. Hope Santa brings those art materials.