Monday, April 26, 2010

Painting stolen from exhibition

At the Guildhall Exhibition in Cambridge ( see earlier blog) there was a painting stolen. It was a small work measuring only 12" x 9" and could easily have been concealed under a coat or in a bag. The usual security measures were in place with invigilators at the desk and even cctv cameras around. But with 280 paintings on show displayed both on walls and on array of screens, it was impossible to see every part of the gallery. The thief has never been tracked down or the painting recovered.
I would welcome any comments from other societies or artists who may have encountered this problem and any suggestions as to how best counteract it.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Painting workshops

I will be running the following workshops in Barrow Village hall, near Bury St. Edmunds,
Suffolk.

Saturday, 29th May. PORTRAIT WORKSHOP

Saturday, 26th June LIFE CLASS WORKSHOP

Saturday, 17th July PORTRAIT WORKSHOP


The classes will run from 10-4. The charge will be £35 per workshop or £30 if 2 or more are booked. This will include model fees, tea, coffee etc. It will be necessary to provide one's own packed lunch.

If you require any more information , please contact me on 01284 810 460 or e-mail me at john@gloverportraits.co.uk

Should you wish to book a place, please make cheques payable to "John Glover" and send them to me at 3 Ley Road, Barrow, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5DJ

Watercolour Portrait Workshop

Last Sunday, I conducted a watercolour portrait workshop for the Society of East Anglian Watercolourists, of which I am also a member.
The day ran from 10-4 and consisted of me giving a general talk on portraits-- how to construct the head, tone and proportion. Thereafter, I did a painting demonstration. As always it was an exciting challenge. I worked wet into wet without any preliminary drawing. A high risk strategy in watercolour. But as the demonstration was only to last an hour, I did not have the luxury of being able to plan and draw carefully.
It certainly leads to an adrenalin rush and certain practical problems. So that the audience can see what you are doing, the board has to be near vertical. Not ideal , as you watch an eye or a nose run down and off the bottom of the page! Below is the result after an hour.


Leila.

The rest of the day was spent with the group working from the model, and me going around offering, hopefully, useful advice. At the end, students were asked to display their work for me and others to make comments and suggestions. All in all it was a most enjoyable day.



This workshop was held in Barrow village hall, near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. I have 3 more planned there over the next few months. Details of these will be posted shortly both on the blog and website.

Cambridge Drawing Society Exhibition

Last week , the Spring Exhibition of the Cambridge Drawing Society took place at the Guildhall in Cambridge. On show were over 280 works. These covered a huge range of styles and techniques, from oils, watercolours and pastels to drawings prints and sculpture.
To stage such an exhibition requires a huge amount of organization and planning, but it does all eventually come together and hopefully appears effortless. The exhibition has , despite the economic recession , been a great success. Sales have been excellent and the public has been very enthusiastic as judged by the large number of visitors and general feedback.
This year 30 candidates applied for membership. Of these, 11 were accepted.



The Selection Committee at work.

As in previous years, the public was asked to vote for their favourite painting. I am delighted to say that my drawing of a "Down and out in Cambridge " won the prize.


This was a very large chalk drawing, measuring 36" x 24", done in monochrome. I chose to do this in order to convey the starkness of the subject. I have to say that the response and feedback has been amazing. Clearly many people were touched by this drawing. In a city like Cambridge which is fairly wealthy, there are still many who are less fortunate. This is a subject I wish to explore further.



Viewing selected works prior to hanging

Anyone wishing further information on the Cambridge Drawing Society or its members should visit the Society website at www.cambridgedrawingsociety.org