The Hampshire Open Studios event is now well under way and if you are not too busy getting ready for our Annual Exhibition it is good idea to is to select an area and spend a day visiting the studios. Most are open until Monday 25th August  and many until the end of the month - check in the brochure to make sure.

 Four of our Committee members - Ruth, Anne, Mary, and Claire - are exhibiting as Testwood Arts in Whinwistle Road,  East Wellow and some other members have open studios in the Lyndhurst area.  Some past speakers such as Wendy Jelbert and Claire Wiltshire are also taking part.

Congratulations to Roy Fisher who has had two pictures accepted in the New forest Show Art Exhibition. The exhibition is on at the New Forest Visitors centre at Lyndhurst until the end of the month and is well worth a visit. Entrance is free.

Christmas at Ashlett Creek

Lepe

John Rosser demonstration

At our meeting on July23 rd., with a change to the programme, we welcomed John Rosser from Poole.

John is an entertaining speaker and started by relating the story of how he "lost" a painting given to him by Francis Bacon. He used to share a studio with Bacon and slept in a roll of canvas!

Now living at Sandbanks he works outside and paints views of the beach especially as seen from his house. This was the subject of his main demonstration picture. First he showed us his working method by drawing the audience. Using felt-tip pens, he sketches first in one colour then refines the picture in a second colour so removing any mistakes.

For his beach scene he did a basic drawing in turquoise using gouache. He then put more detail in the picture starting with the sky and using a few appropriate colours. All the time he was very careful not to loose areas of light. He finished with a small brush to put in a few foreground details. The  result was a beautiful impressionistic beach scene full of light and life.     

Sketch of the audience

John with his beach scene near completion

Another of John's paintings