Cairngorms
Celebrating opening night
Our Cairngorms exhibition is now open at Grantown Museum.
We were delighted to see so many friendly faces at last night’s opening. The art looks great and it was fantastic to see such a wide range of media and techniques being used. Pastels, watercolour, acrylic, embroidery, printing – all those lessons have really paid off!
And of course, the big event of the night – announcement of the winner of the Gordon Crisell Shield.
There was fierce voting, with a range of artworks in contention.
But the winner was Ellis Rowe, with his acrylic painting of Anagach Woods.
SAG chairwoman Angela Wood handed over the trophy to a delighted Ellis at the end of the night.
Many thanks to all who came along and especially to those members who organised, poured drinks and counted votes.
The exhibition is now on until July 1. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10-5pm. Our members will be on hand to chat to visitors about the work!
We’ll leave you with a wee glimpse of what’s in store when you visit – and our member Rona Smith left speechless after winning top prize in the raffle.
The final countdown
With just a few days to go until we launch our summer exhibition, Cairngorms, here’s a wee reminder about the requirements and arrangements.
Members can exhibit up to four works, at a cost of £2 each. Forms have been sent out and should be returned to Liz Downie, with payment, by Wednesday Jun 14 at the latest.
Artworks should be handed in at Grantown Museum on Saturday June 17, 1-2pm. They must be framed – fitted with D-rings and cord, not wire. Works should also be taped at the back, along with a label detailing the title, artist’s name and price.
No clip frames and if works are too heavy/large, they may have to be exhibited on the floor.
The opening event is from 6.30pm-8pm on Saturday June 17 – all welcome so bring your friends. Drinks will be provided but members are asked to contribute a plate of nibbles.
The rota for manning the exhibition is circulating via e-mail so do volunteer for a shift if you can. Having members there really does help.
As usual, commission on sales is 20% (split between the group and the museum: the rest goes to the artist).
Collection of works will be on Saturday July 1, from 5pm.
Looking forward to seeing everyone there and enjoying the art!
Announcing our new exhibition
The spectacular Cairngorms provides the inspiration for our 2017 annual exhibition.
Everyone has been hard at work producing original art for the summer show at Grantown Museum from June 17 to July 1.
And the event will open with a special open preview night on June 17 from 6.30pm to 8pm. All are welcome and refreshments will be provided.
Those attending the preview will again be asked to vote for their favourite artwork. The piece will wins the most votes will be awarded the Gordon Crisell Shield. This prize, which was introduced last year, is named after a long-standing member of the Spey Art Group who died in 2015.
Members should have their entry forms, which include useful information about how to present your work.
We’ll post a reminder about arrangements for handing in your work and for opening night very soon.
March 15: Tutoring
A chance to work on any ongoing projects you have – whether painting, clay or pastel.
For those doing clay work, you can have a go at glazing. But Angus is also offering the chance to have your drawing turned into a wee transfer for sticking to your ceramics. These are really effective in adding something extra to your piece.
They work brilliantly when they are a simple drawing so if you don’t have anything ready for tomorrow, you can have go during class.
However, these need to be sent away to be printed by a specialist so they need to be finished by the end of the lesson.
Blank ceramics will be available to those who have not made anything in the past few weeks, at a small charge (£1 per piece).
Please remember money for glazed ceramics (£2 per piece).
And there’ll be a selection of Cairngorm-themed images for inspiration.
See the pictures below for some examples of Angus’s use of the transfers.
March 1: Clay and candles
It’s back to clay work this week. Angus will show us how to use white clay and recycled glass to make a lovely tealight holder. And there will be a Cairngorm theme to link in with our exhibition plans.
Also, the Consequences exhibition at Eden Court Theatre has come to an end and Rona will bring the works to class from 6.30pm for members to collect them.
See you all then!
Feb 22: Coloured pencils
Back to an old favourite this week: coloured pencil.
Long-term members will remember we’ve had lots of lessons on using this medium. They are versatile and produce a range of different effects.
Bring your own images of the Cairngorms and Angus will show us how to create some beautiful landscapes!
Feb 8: A bit more airbrushing
Our foray into airbrushing techniques continues this week after a busy class last week.
On February 1, Angus gave a quick demonstration of how to use the equipment to achieve a misty effect. As a base, we painted bright skies, blending in horizontal sweeps to create a smooth transition from blue to white from the top of the paper to the middle. Then we added a mountain silhouette in a greyish-blue tone, taking the colour down a little way more.
Using the same horizontal sweep technique, we used the airbrush and added white mist to the bottom of the mountains, making it appear as if they are fading away. The landscape developed with more hills and trees, each receding into the mist.
There were lots of squeals of delight (and a few of surprise) as members got to grips with the workings of the airbrush. Space was cramped but everyone got a go and was concentrating hard! Hopefully we all avoided the blotchy effect that Angus demonstrated – although as you can see below, it did look quite pretty. Perhaps this will be a useful effect for someone’s work?
On February 8, we’ll continue the painting and maybe get onto doing clouds!
Jan 18: Sharing inspiration
This week’s class will be a repeat of one of last year’s popular workshops. Everyone will choose their favourite medium and work from the same source.
Older members may recall that last time we were given the Old Spey Bridge as inspiration: you can see the results by reading the previous report, The Old Spey Bridge Challenge.
Angus is going to select a picture related to our exhibition theme, Cairngorms, and will reveal it on Wednesday night.
There is also a committee meeting so it will be a busy night!
Dec 7: On repeat
Wednesday night’s class offers a second chance to get your mugs and bracelets printed.
And it’s a chance to make progress on any of your unfinished work.
Remember that the theme for our next exhibition is Cairngorms so any pictures that fit in with this subject will be perfect for the big show!
A sunny start to the year
Great to see so many members at the first Wednesday night of the new term – particularly with the lure of a perfect summer evening and the Olympics competing for your attention.
As well as the familiar faces, we welcomed two new members. And they were treated to a pretty perfect Spey Art Group experience.As well as getting a glimpse of the new banner, there were new Spey Art Group aprons for everyone present.
And with the atmosphere in the art room being so stuffy, a few of us went up on the school roof (for the second time this year) where the cool breeze was very welcome. The views were glorious and members enjoyed the challenge of sketching the Cairngorms.
And then there was cake, thanks to birthday girl Kerstin. Could all our Wednesday nights be this good this year?
Spey Art Group 