Strethall Church Art Fair

This weekend I took part in an exhibition held in Strethall Church, near Saffron Walden in Cambridgeshire. The setting is idyllic with the church nestling in a small wood amidst rolling cornfields.


It is believed that it was originally built in 1010 by the local Lord of the Manor to appease the marauding Danes who had been forcibly converting the locals to Christianity.

The weekend, however, was a far cry from such bloodthirsty times. A marquee was placed midst the tombstones. All around there were people sitting sipping tea and munching on cake, chatting, gossiping, putting the world to rights . Children played , dogs frolicked, the Autumn leaves rustled in the trees. All was well in this part of rural England.
Inside the church the exhibition consisted of paintings, drawings, pottery, sculpture and examples of wood turning. All of this was the subject of much "learned" discussion both from the experts and those for whom a little knowledge is clearly a dangerous thing!



Outside in the graveyard, on the reverse of one stone, I came across the following amusing quotation



Ended up feeling sorry for the poor old jellyfish. Funny what people want to be remembered by.

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