The Spirit of the North
Jan Cox
19 April 2012
Professor Jackson being unavailable, Jan Cox came at short notice to give us a talk on his PHD subject- the Spirit of the North, artists from Caspar David Friedrich to the Group of Seven. In an exceptionally informative talk he showed how many Northern artists- from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland influenced each other and, eventually, the Canadian Group of Seven.
Jan had many examples of work from artists who are perhaps not well known in the UK such as Pekka Halonen, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Kitty Kiell and even August Strindberg; plus images of work by Tom Thompson, Lawren Harris and others of the Group of Seven who have recently been featured in the very successful exhibition at Dulwich. It was fascinating to see how these individuals have sought to caputure the essence of a northen landscsape and sensibility.
The Jack Pine by Tom Thompson
The Lives and Times of Major Portrait Painters
Harry Fletcher
15th March
Harry Fletcher made a very welcome return to Ripon Arts to talk about painting portraits.
In the first half of the evening he gave an overview of portraiture from the greats like Rembrandt and Velazquez, to lesser known artists like Eleanor Allen Moore. He discusssed the aims of portraiture - as power and propaganda in images of, for example Henry VIII and Elizabeth I; sumptuous display of wealth, such as Boucher's portrait of Marie Antoinette; to post-photographic portraits such as those of Picasso. He emphasised the importance of lighting when setting up a portrait.
In the second half of the evening he gave a demonstration of portrait painting using a large canvas, big brushes and emphasising speed, looseness and getting lights and darks established.
Due to shortage of time he was unable to finish his picture but below is how it looked at the end of the evening:
We look forward to seeing the finished painting
It was an evening when we were both informed and inspired!
We have received from Harry an image, which shows changes made to the demonstration painting - changed but not finished due to other assignments !
Members’ Evening
16 February 2012
We started the year with a convivial evening of eats and drinks plus two lively short talks from members Linda Birkinshaw and Rosemary Muncaster.
Linda talked about her life as a professional artist: how she develops her ideas from preliminary drawings, and how she responds to briefs from publishers and authors. She showed many of her fantastic pop up books (she also does the paper engineering), calendars, cards, and children’s book illustrations. She showed how the artist can ginger up a boring text with lively drawings, and talked about changes and opportunities in the publishing industry.
Rosemary Muncaster is involved with a children’s project in southern India which she and her husband visit regularly. She talked about traditional Indian “Rangoli” patterns –beautifully coloured and intricate designs made from rice flour, made to celebrate Hindu festivals. She showed stills and videos about how they are made, and talked about their spiritual significance to the local community. They are intended to be ephemeral, and these beautiful designs last for no more than a day.
We also had a lively and challenging quiz and a memorable postcard art competition, won by Rosemary Muncaster with, appropriately, a tiger!
Art of Florence
Canon David Lickess
15 December 2011
Canon David Lickess gave a wonderful lecture on the ‘Art of Florence’. As a frequent visitor to the city for many years and having a keen interest in art he was able to talk with authority on paintings, sculpture and the great Italian artists. A fitting end to the year’s programme.
AGM and Pastel Demonstration
by local artist Sue Godden.
17 November 2011
Following the AGM, members of Ripon Arts were able to enjoy an evening watching Sue Godden giving a pastel Demonstration. Sue told the audience about what attracted her to working in Pastels and was keen to talk about their versatility, colour and texture.
The subject of the painting was a Scottish landscape which slowly developed starting with a dramatic sky. During the evening Sue discussed pastels, how to use them and the different kinds of paper as well as types of mounts and framing.
She didn’t have time to finish the painting but is going to send photos showing the painting at the end of the evening and the completed painting, which we will put on our website.
Canaletto: Master Chronicler of Venice
Lizzie Darbyshire
20 October 2011
Lizzie Darbyshire gave a wonderful lecture on Canaletto, Master Chronicler of Venice with its festivals and ceremonies. Some of his early work was sombre later becoming paintings with atmosphere, space and light. Rich young aristocrats doing the ‘Grand Tour’ or as Lizzie puts it ‘on their gap year’ could afford to buy Canaletto’s as souvenirs of their trip. As a result many of his paintings are in the grand houses of England. The largest numbers are in the Royal Collection. At the end of the lecture we were shown Canaletto’s beautiful drawings and sketches which showed him to be an excellent draftsman.
The Art of Ed Kluz
Ed Kluz
15 September 2011
Ed Kluz, artist and designer, gave an interesting talk on his recent work and the inspiration behind his pictures. He showed members a large selection of images of his love of historical architecture and landscape, seeking out the lost and overlooked. His latest exhibition called ‘Northern Arcadia’ which is based on 18th century gardens of Yorkshire is being shown at the Hornsey Gallery in Ripon, until 8 October. Ed has an excellent website www.edkluz.com which will give a wonderful overview of his work and the chance to follow his blog.
Watercolour Demonstration
Peter Wooley
18 August 2011
Peter Woolley, a professional artist and teacher gave members of Ripon Arts Society a demonstration of watercolour painting. He explained the importance of a preliminary drawing, composition and tones. He used weak burnt umber paint to draw in his Lake District scene which he said worked best for him rather than pencil.
His colour palette was Prussian Blue, French ultramarine, cadmium yellow, burnt umber and alizarin crimson. greys were a mixture of French ultramarine and burnt umber.
Everyone enjoyed Peter’s friendly and relaxed manner and the members who paint will take on board his many tips and good advice. Due to shortage of time he was unable to finish his picture but below is how it looked at the end of the evening:
Peter has kindly sent us an image of his finalised painting, together with explanatory notes, to let us know what he had done to it...
[1] I re-shaped the end of the stone wall (by the gap).
I never did like the way this had developed in the demonstration - far too pointy, and too dominant a shape in the composition. I needed to stand back and look at it for a while, though, before I could decide exactly how it needed to be modified. I scrubbed it out, then re-shaped it using the darker green of the background tree.
[2] I worked on the detail throughout; primarily in the foreground track, and in the stone walls and the barn.
I decided the foreground would be improved if I added more stones and textures. The walls, too, seemed a little sparse in the context of the composition, so I developed them a bit.
[3] I built up the foliage in the right-hand tree.
The foliage, during the demonstration, went down particularly well, so I didn’t feel it needed too much more work doing on it. I simply went over it, adding a third layer, breaking leaf details down just a little more, then added a few extra branches.
[4] I added a further layer of detail in the background wash, just to explain the hillside a little more.
I often leave the finer points of backgrounds until much later on in a painting, when I can assess just how much detail it needs to explain what needs to be explained without adding too much unnecessary clutter. There are some crags here, which I wanted to make visible, mostly by negative-painting around them.
[5] I re-shaped the furthest sheep.
Sheep are often hit-and-miss in a demonstration situation. The head of the furthest sheep had simply turned out too large for its body, so I scrubbed it out and re-painted it - hopefully it looks more realistic now.
[6] I re-designed the right-hand wall.
In the source photo and sketch, this area was a mass of fallen stones. As the painting progressed, I decided it needed simplifying as it threatened to become far too prominent, and busy, so I created the impression of another track, leading off somewhere to the right, using mainly Burnt Umber and a smattering of extra shadows. All scrubbing-out was done with the Woolley’s Wonderbrush.
Thank you Peter.
Jan Steen’s Hilarious Household A 17th century paradox
Tim Stimson
21 July 2011
Mr Stimson’s lecture on the Dutch artist Jan Steen increased our knowledge of the culture and history of 17th Century Holland as well as the meaning of the symbols used in his many humorous paintings. These were beautiful and colourful with the artist appearing in many of the wild drunken scenes in home and taverns. There were many layers of meaning which the artist tried to impart to us, the viewer. So with Mr Stimson’s help we were able to begin to understand a little of this great artist’s work
Guernica
Professor Anthony Slinn
16 June 2011
Professor Slinn's lecture on the greatest painting of the 20th century Picasso’s 'Guernica', a picture that summed up what happened to the town of Guernica which was totally devastated during the Spanish civil war. We were able to follow Picasso’s step by step planning of this huge painting and the symbolism used to depict the horror and beastliness of war. Professor Slinn's admiration for this picture was felt by all of us and gave us much to think about.
Gauguin
Michael Stewart
19 May 2011
Michael Stewart’s lecture on Gauguin was a revealing insight in to an artist who was a creative genius both as a painter, printer and a potter. It was interesting to learn about his
sculptures and his ceramics which even appeared in some of his paintings. He was influenced by other artists and other cultures. Mr Stewart was able to show us a large selection of slides his work which gave us a more complete picture of this artist and we were able to enjoy his interesting and colourful pictures.
Vasily Vereshchagin - Russian Artist
Professor David Jackson
21 April 2011
Vasiley Vereshchagin, an artist almost unknown outside of his native Russia, is one of the most unusual and intriguing talents of the nineteenth century. The son of wealthy landowner, well-read, widely travelled, and an excellent speaker of English (he exhibited in his lifetime in the UK) this son of the nobility turned his back on a naval career, as was expected of his station in life, and instead trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and later in Paris. An inveterate traveller and a single-minded thinker, Vereshchagin became both famous and highly controversial for his blend of art and current affairs, touring the theatres of conflict to promote his pacifist views by exposing the grim reality of modern warfare in a remarkably impartial manner.
Vereshchagin’s gentry status and financially self-sufficient position allowed him to do so without fear of professional damage, but he was no mere political commentator and this tireless artist-explorer toured the globe in search of ethnographic and cultural wonders, recording on canvas the places and peoples of such diverse locations as Turkistan, Central Asia, India, the USA and Japan. In his lifetime Vereshchagin's reputation surpassed all other Russian artists and he held many highly successful if contentious exhibitions around the world; a truly international painter whose appeal rested on a combination of artistic skill and unorthodox treatment of brave and challenging sub ject matter. This extensively illustrated talk will give a full exposition of Vereshchagin’s life and art in the context of his age and the artistic climate of tsarist Russia to reveal a unique and deeply humanitarian talent deserving of much wider acclaim.
THE CIRCUS - THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARTIST
17 March 2011
About 45 members & friends attended the lecture 'The Circus - through the Eyes of an Artist' by Harry Fletcher on March 17th. His promise to 'meet inside the big top and go behind the scenes' was backed up by a view of the circus across the centuries, through the eyes of artists such as Seurat, Lautrec, Tissot, Chagall, Hopper, Picasso, Laura Knight & Cindy Sherman. He shared excellent examples of their work inspired by the circus, backed up by stories about the artists & their relationships with the circus, and some of his own asides. A much enjoyed evening.
LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN ACRYLICS
17 February 2011
The demonstration of Landscape Painting in Acrylics" by Nigel Overton was well received by about 40 of our members. He took as his subject "Black Nab" - a headland on the North Yorkshire coast, near Whitby - and left many of us frustrated that we didn't see the finished article!
MEMBERS’ EVENING
20 January 2011
2011 got off to a good start in Ripon Arts with our members’ evening. Our aim is to start the year’s programme on a more social level, while including some aspect of the artistic interests of individual members.
We started with a (Yorkshire-themed) game to allocate members to groups, useful later on in the evening and to help any new members to integrate. A display of collages was presented by members who had attended Ed Kluz’s workshop, accompanied by a brief commentary by each artist to describe processes involved, difficulties encountered, and the success and enjoyment derived. The results were impressive, and it is possible that future such workshops may be quickly oversubscribed!
Members had previously been offered postcard-sized watercolour paper with the request for a piece of artwork of any sort – landscape, abstract, still life, animal life, flowers etc. The results of this project were also on display, and a remarkable variety turned up and generated much interest. The winner was a charming painting of a wild rose, by Sheila Linkleter, complete with a poem by Emily Dickenson on the reverse. All the postcards submitted will be distributed by the Rotary Club of Ripon to those in need of a cheery note, on behalf of both societies.
Fortified by an excellent buffet supper, we concluded the evening with a quiz carrying on the Yorkshire theme, and testing our knowledge of famous people born in Yorkshire, including artists, writers, sports and entertainment personalities, inventors and craftsmen.
We now turn our minds to the rest of the year and look forward to the next meeting on 17 February and a demonstration by Nigel Overton (see our programme)
Jan Cox
19 April 2012
Professor Jackson being unavailable, Jan Cox came at short notice to give us a talk on his PHD subject- the Spirit of the North, artists from Caspar David Friedrich to the Group of Seven. In an exceptionally informative talk he showed how many Northern artists- from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland influenced each other and, eventually, the Canadian Group of Seven.
Jan had many examples of work from artists who are perhaps not well known in the UK such as Pekka Halonen, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Kitty Kiell and even August Strindberg; plus images of work by Tom Thompson, Lawren Harris and others of the Group of Seven who have recently been featured in the very successful exhibition at Dulwich. It was fascinating to see how these individuals have sought to caputure the essence of a northen landscsape and sensibility.
The Jack Pine by Tom Thompson
The Lives and Times of Major Portrait Painters
Harry Fletcher
15th March
Harry Fletcher made a very welcome return to Ripon Arts to talk about painting portraits.
In the first half of the evening he gave an overview of portraiture from the greats like Rembrandt and Velazquez, to lesser known artists like Eleanor Allen Moore. He discusssed the aims of portraiture - as power and propaganda in images of, for example Henry VIII and Elizabeth I; sumptuous display of wealth, such as Boucher's portrait of Marie Antoinette; to post-photographic portraits such as those of Picasso. He emphasised the importance of lighting when setting up a portrait.
In the second half of the evening he gave a demonstration of portrait painting using a large canvas, big brushes and emphasising speed, looseness and getting lights and darks established.
Due to shortage of time he was unable to finish his picture but below is how it looked at the end of the evening:
We look forward to seeing the finished painting
It was an evening when we were both informed and inspired!
We have received from Harry an image, which shows changes made to the demonstration painting - changed but not finished due to other assignments !
Members’ Evening
16 February 2012
We started the year with a convivial evening of eats and drinks plus two lively short talks from members Linda Birkinshaw and Rosemary Muncaster.
Linda talked about her life as a professional artist: how she develops her ideas from preliminary drawings, and how she responds to briefs from publishers and authors. She showed many of her fantastic pop up books (she also does the paper engineering), calendars, cards, and children’s book illustrations. She showed how the artist can ginger up a boring text with lively drawings, and talked about changes and opportunities in the publishing industry.
Rosemary Muncaster is involved with a children’s project in southern India which she and her husband visit regularly. She talked about traditional Indian “Rangoli” patterns –beautifully coloured and intricate designs made from rice flour, made to celebrate Hindu festivals. She showed stills and videos about how they are made, and talked about their spiritual significance to the local community. They are intended to be ephemeral, and these beautiful designs last for no more than a day.
We also had a lively and challenging quiz and a memorable postcard art competition, won by Rosemary Muncaster with, appropriately, a tiger!
Art of Florence
Canon David Lickess
15 December 2011
Canon David Lickess gave a wonderful lecture on the ‘Art of Florence’. As a frequent visitor to the city for many years and having a keen interest in art he was able to talk with authority on paintings, sculpture and the great Italian artists. A fitting end to the year’s programme.
AGM and Pastel Demonstration
by local artist Sue Godden.
17 November 2011
Following the AGM, members of Ripon Arts were able to enjoy an evening watching Sue Godden giving a pastel Demonstration. Sue told the audience about what attracted her to working in Pastels and was keen to talk about their versatility, colour and texture.
The subject of the painting was a Scottish landscape which slowly developed starting with a dramatic sky. During the evening Sue discussed pastels, how to use them and the different kinds of paper as well as types of mounts and framing.
She didn’t have time to finish the painting but is going to send photos showing the painting at the end of the evening and the completed painting, which we will put on our website.
Canaletto: Master Chronicler of Venice
Lizzie Darbyshire
20 October 2011
Lizzie Darbyshire gave a wonderful lecture on Canaletto, Master Chronicler of Venice with its festivals and ceremonies. Some of his early work was sombre later becoming paintings with atmosphere, space and light. Rich young aristocrats doing the ‘Grand Tour’ or as Lizzie puts it ‘on their gap year’ could afford to buy Canaletto’s as souvenirs of their trip. As a result many of his paintings are in the grand houses of England. The largest numbers are in the Royal Collection. At the end of the lecture we were shown Canaletto’s beautiful drawings and sketches which showed him to be an excellent draftsman.
The Art of Ed Kluz
Ed Kluz
15 September 2011
Ed Kluz, artist and designer, gave an interesting talk on his recent work and the inspiration behind his pictures. He showed members a large selection of images of his love of historical architecture and landscape, seeking out the lost and overlooked. His latest exhibition called ‘Northern Arcadia’ which is based on 18th century gardens of Yorkshire is being shown at the Hornsey Gallery in Ripon, until 8 October. Ed has an excellent website www.edkluz.com which will give a wonderful overview of his work and the chance to follow his blog.
Watercolour Demonstration
Peter Wooley
18 August 2011
Peter Woolley, a professional artist and teacher gave members of Ripon Arts Society a demonstration of watercolour painting. He explained the importance of a preliminary drawing, composition and tones. He used weak burnt umber paint to draw in his Lake District scene which he said worked best for him rather than pencil.
His colour palette was Prussian Blue, French ultramarine, cadmium yellow, burnt umber and alizarin crimson. greys were a mixture of French ultramarine and burnt umber.
Everyone enjoyed Peter’s friendly and relaxed manner and the members who paint will take on board his many tips and good advice. Due to shortage of time he was unable to finish his picture but below is how it looked at the end of the evening:
Peter has kindly sent us an image of his finalised painting, together with explanatory notes, to let us know what he had done to it...
[1] I re-shaped the end of the stone wall (by the gap).
I never did like the way this had developed in the demonstration - far too pointy, and too dominant a shape in the composition. I needed to stand back and look at it for a while, though, before I could decide exactly how it needed to be modified. I scrubbed it out, then re-shaped it using the darker green of the background tree.
[2] I worked on the detail throughout; primarily in the foreground track, and in the stone walls and the barn.
I decided the foreground would be improved if I added more stones and textures. The walls, too, seemed a little sparse in the context of the composition, so I developed them a bit.
[3] I built up the foliage in the right-hand tree.
The foliage, during the demonstration, went down particularly well, so I didn’t feel it needed too much more work doing on it. I simply went over it, adding a third layer, breaking leaf details down just a little more, then added a few extra branches.
[4] I added a further layer of detail in the background wash, just to explain the hillside a little more.
I often leave the finer points of backgrounds until much later on in a painting, when I can assess just how much detail it needs to explain what needs to be explained without adding too much unnecessary clutter. There are some crags here, which I wanted to make visible, mostly by negative-painting around them.
[5] I re-shaped the furthest sheep.
Sheep are often hit-and-miss in a demonstration situation. The head of the furthest sheep had simply turned out too large for its body, so I scrubbed it out and re-painted it - hopefully it looks more realistic now.
[6] I re-designed the right-hand wall.
In the source photo and sketch, this area was a mass of fallen stones. As the painting progressed, I decided it needed simplifying as it threatened to become far too prominent, and busy, so I created the impression of another track, leading off somewhere to the right, using mainly Burnt Umber and a smattering of extra shadows. All scrubbing-out was done with the Woolley’s Wonderbrush.
Thank you Peter.
Jan Steen’s Hilarious Household A 17th century paradox
Tim Stimson
21 July 2011
Mr Stimson’s lecture on the Dutch artist Jan Steen increased our knowledge of the culture and history of 17th Century Holland as well as the meaning of the symbols used in his many humorous paintings. These were beautiful and colourful with the artist appearing in many of the wild drunken scenes in home and taverns. There were many layers of meaning which the artist tried to impart to us, the viewer. So with Mr Stimson’s help we were able to begin to understand a little of this great artist’s work
Guernica
Professor Anthony Slinn
16 June 2011
Professor Slinn's lecture on the greatest painting of the 20th century Picasso’s 'Guernica', a picture that summed up what happened to the town of Guernica which was totally devastated during the Spanish civil war. We were able to follow Picasso’s step by step planning of this huge painting and the symbolism used to depict the horror and beastliness of war. Professor Slinn's admiration for this picture was felt by all of us and gave us much to think about.
Gauguin
Michael Stewart
19 May 2011
Michael Stewart’s lecture on Gauguin was a revealing insight in to an artist who was a creative genius both as a painter, printer and a potter. It was interesting to learn about his
sculptures and his ceramics which even appeared in some of his paintings. He was influenced by other artists and other cultures. Mr Stewart was able to show us a large selection of slides his work which gave us a more complete picture of this artist and we were able to enjoy his interesting and colourful pictures.
Vasily Vereshchagin - Russian Artist
Professor David Jackson
21 April 2011
Vasiley Vereshchagin, an artist almost unknown outside of his native Russia, is one of the most unusual and intriguing talents of the nineteenth century. The son of wealthy landowner, well-read, widely travelled, and an excellent speaker of English (he exhibited in his lifetime in the UK) this son of the nobility turned his back on a naval career, as was expected of his station in life, and instead trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and later in Paris. An inveterate traveller and a single-minded thinker, Vereshchagin became both famous and highly controversial for his blend of art and current affairs, touring the theatres of conflict to promote his pacifist views by exposing the grim reality of modern warfare in a remarkably impartial manner.
Vereshchagin’s gentry status and financially self-sufficient position allowed him to do so without fear of professional damage, but he was no mere political commentator and this tireless artist-explorer toured the globe in search of ethnographic and cultural wonders, recording on canvas the places and peoples of such diverse locations as Turkistan, Central Asia, India, the USA and Japan. In his lifetime Vereshchagin's reputation surpassed all other Russian artists and he held many highly successful if contentious exhibitions around the world; a truly international painter whose appeal rested on a combination of artistic skill and unorthodox treatment of brave and challenging sub ject matter. This extensively illustrated talk will give a full exposition of Vereshchagin’s life and art in the context of his age and the artistic climate of tsarist Russia to reveal a unique and deeply humanitarian talent deserving of much wider acclaim.
THE CIRCUS - THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARTIST
17 March 2011
About 45 members & friends attended the lecture 'The Circus - through the Eyes of an Artist' by Harry Fletcher on March 17th. His promise to 'meet inside the big top and go behind the scenes' was backed up by a view of the circus across the centuries, through the eyes of artists such as Seurat, Lautrec, Tissot, Chagall, Hopper, Picasso, Laura Knight & Cindy Sherman. He shared excellent examples of their work inspired by the circus, backed up by stories about the artists & their relationships with the circus, and some of his own asides. A much enjoyed evening.
LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN ACRYLICS
17 February 2011
The demonstration of Landscape Painting in Acrylics" by Nigel Overton was well received by about 40 of our members. He took as his subject "Black Nab" - a headland on the North Yorkshire coast, near Whitby - and left many of us frustrated that we didn't see the finished article!
MEMBERS’ EVENING
20 January 2011
2011 got off to a good start in Ripon Arts with our members’ evening. Our aim is to start the year’s programme on a more social level, while including some aspect of the artistic interests of individual members.
We started with a (Yorkshire-themed) game to allocate members to groups, useful later on in the evening and to help any new members to integrate. A display of collages was presented by members who had attended Ed Kluz’s workshop, accompanied by a brief commentary by each artist to describe processes involved, difficulties encountered, and the success and enjoyment derived. The results were impressive, and it is possible that future such workshops may be quickly oversubscribed!
Members had previously been offered postcard-sized watercolour paper with the request for a piece of artwork of any sort – landscape, abstract, still life, animal life, flowers etc. The results of this project were also on display, and a remarkable variety turned up and generated much interest. The winner was a charming painting of a wild rose, by Sheila Linkleter, complete with a poem by Emily Dickenson on the reverse. All the postcards submitted will be distributed by the Rotary Club of Ripon to those in need of a cheery note, on behalf of both societies.
Fortified by an excellent buffet supper, we concluded the evening with a quiz carrying on the Yorkshire theme, and testing our knowledge of famous people born in Yorkshire, including artists, writers, sports and entertainment personalities, inventors and craftsmen.
We now turn our minds to the rest of the year and look forward to the next meeting on 17 February and a demonstration by Nigel Overton (see our programme)