Grantown

Socially distanced art

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With uncertainty over when the group may meet again, some members have been holding an informal – and socially distanced – gathering in the middle of Grantown over the past week.

Here you can see members in the gardens outside the Garth Hotel.

While some members picked up their paper and pencils, others were happy to chat and catch up on the last few months.

It has been mooted to make this a regular meeting – depending on the weather and venue.

Grantown Rocks with Angus (the Adder)

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If you go down to Anagach Woods these days, you’re probably been delighted with a dozen wee surprises.

For many children and parents have been hard at work during lockdown, painting rocks to leave hidden among the trees and bushes for youngsters to find. It’s a great distraction for wee ones – they love trying to spot the colourful rocks as they go on their daily walks.

You may also have seen some beautiful fairy doors at the bottom of trees along the most popular paths. One giant tree at the bottom of General Wade’s road has been extravagantly decorated with many doors and painted stones. There’s even a wee haven for dinosaurs!

One of the newest additions is an adder called Angus, who is lurking close to the entrance to the woods along General Wade’s road. His body is made up of lots of wee coloured stones and the organisers hope that soon he might stretch all the way to the fairy tree.

It’s quite a challenge and perhaps some Spey Art Group members would like to help? As you can see from these pictures, bright colourful patterns and pictures are the name of the game. All you need to do is paint some stones and add them to Angus when you go for a walk.

With a name like Angus, how could you resist helping this snake get a little bigger?

People and Places 2019

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people and places an exhibition of art and craft by the Spey Art Group
Our 2019 Exhibition runs from Saturday 24 August – Sunday 1 September

An exhibition of Art and Craft by the Spey Art Group.

People and Places is the theme for our 2019 annual exhibition. Through another interesting year members have been hard at work producing original work for the summer show at The Pagoda in Grantown.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 24 August – Sunday 1 September and is open 10am-4pm each day. There will be a special open preview night on Friday 23 August 6pm-8pm. All are welcome and refreshments will be available.

This popular group meets weekly at Grantown Grammar school between 7pm and 9pm on Wednesday evenings during term time. Tutoring is provided by art teacher Angus Grant and lessons cover a range of media.

Chairwoman Angela Wood said “We are all looking forward to the new exhibition, showcasing the wealth of talent within the group, this is our first year of exhibiting at the Pagoda and we are looking forward to it”.

Everyone attending the preview will be invited to vote for their favourite artwork, the winning piece will be awarded the Gordon Crisell Shield. This prize was introduced in 2016 and is named after a long standing member of the Spey Art Group who died in 2015

 

 

Oh Christmas tree…

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Oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your Santas.

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Check out the group’s brilliant contribution to the Christmas Tree Festival at the Episcopal Church in Grantown. Love all the Santas!

Antarctic art

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If you’re at a loose end next week, you might be interested in a free talk by a renowned wildlife artist.

Darren Rees received the coveted Artist in Residency honour from the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute in 2015. It meant that he spent a month on board the Royal Navy’s HMS Protector, travelling from the Falklands to the Antarctic Peninsula.

His journey is documented through a series of more than 150 sketches, watercolours and acrylics in his book Ice Bound. His talk will highlight his methods, encounters and experiences.

Rees has been painting for more than 30 years. His first solo book Bird Impressions was published in 1993 to much critical acclaim and proved to be influential for many young artists.A knowledgable naturalist, he is a wildlife guide for several overseas destinations. He is also keen to promote the work of other painters of natural history and has penned many essays and a much-praised series of profiles of wildlife artists.

The talk will take place at the Grant Arms, Grantown, on March 16, from 8.30pm.

Christmas lunch

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We’re off to the Garth Hotel for Christmas lunch at the weekend. Looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of people in Christmas hats! Remember to take your cameras!

The Pagoda

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Anyone who fancies a nose around the refurbished Pagoda in Grantown should round there for the open day from 2pm-5pm. It’s had a chequered past but is now back in use and available for the community as well.

Yesterday’s launch night was busy, including a speech from local MP, Drew Hendry. Artwork from local artists looking good on the walls.

And watch out for the works by two budding your artists, Hannah Nelson and Gaby Meskauskaite, both students at Grantown Grammar School.

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Workshops galore!

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There are plenty of chances to learn something new this autumn.

As part of our new association with the Cairngorms Learning Partnership, our tutor Angus Grant is hosting a jewellery workshop.

It’s a chance to get started on making some Christmas presents – you’ll end the day with three pairs of earrings and a bracelet.

The workshop is on Saturday November 12 and will be at Inverallan Church Hall in Grantown, from 10am-2pm. Just £45 for Spey Art Group Members. For non-members, it’s £55 but for that extra tenner you get to be a SAG associate member for a year.

All you need to take is your lunch and some enthusiasm! Book your place here!

And the week before, Rona Smith will be taking a silk painting workshop at Grantown Museum. This is one of a series of craft workshops at the museum over the winter.

This is an introduction to the art and participants will get the chance to create a small mounted picture. All materials will be provided.

The class runs on Thursday November 3 from 7pm-9pm, at a cost of £10, including refreshments. Booking is essential – phone 01479 821762.

 

Consequences is coming

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Our new exhibition, Consequences, is just a few days away!

Everyone is looking forward to the big reveal on preview night when we will see the full chain of works hung together for the first time.

It will be very interesting to see how we got from the start to the end – the pressure is on for those at the end of chain!

Preview night is on Saturday September 17, from 6-9pm. Wine and nibbles will be on offer.

For more information see the Consequences exhibition page.

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Thunder in the Glens

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Our fundraising stall went with a swing on Saturday in Grantown.

There were thousands of people in the Square all afternoon and the bikes provided a brilliant spectacle. Their ride through the town lasted for ages: we spotted Minions, chicken hats and Muppet masks in among all the shiny chrome machines.

Huge thanks to everyone who gave up their time to help set up, run the stall and tidy everything away. And even more thanks to everyone who donated bottles: we had such a fantastic range of prizes – from champagne to wine to bubble bath and even a couple of hot water bottles!

The numbers are still being totted up but we think it was a real success for the group.

Here’s some snaps of the day…