Newsletter
Regular Newsletter
We are delighted to introduce you to our monthly Newsletter, which will keep you up to date with all the goings on. If you would like any further information about the matters arising from this publication, please feel free to contact me at any time. You can download copies of my previous Newsletters using the following links in the side panel to the right...
AUTUMN News Letter 2017
Introduction
Apologies that this newsletter will be rather short. It looks as if this autumn will be disrupted, once again, for medical reasons.
Unfortunately the surgery that I had last year for bladder cancer has not quite done the trick and it now looks if I might need a kidney removed. Although this is a lesser operation than the last one, it will unfortunately have an effect on my teaching programme later this year. The intention is to start the autumn classes and then stop them immediately prior to the operation date, which is likely to be October / November.
Hopefully I will be fully fit for the spring teaching session, although there is the possibility of some chemo about this time.
Sorry about all this but it is the price that you sometimes have to pay if you want to live to be a hundred
Course Update
Well, another summer has come and gone and, once again, I have enjoyed some great painting around the country with many of you.
This year, for the first time, I visited the Lake District with Alpha Painting Holidays. Our base was the Langdale Chase Hotel, which is reputed to have the best views of any UK hotel. The photographs below were taken one morning (between the many rain showers) and gives some idea of how impressive it is.
Later in the year I paid two visits to Sussex, which is another of my favourite English counties. In East Sussex we painted at Rye, Winchelsea and Hastings and in West Sussex at Arundel, the Arun valley and Dell Quay. I am pleased to confirm that both these courses will be repeated in 2018.
Dedham Hall was as popular as ever and for the August course we were packed out with twenty two course members, including five from America. Below are a few of the happy memories of this painting holiday.
A happy painter at Stoke by Nayland
The August ‘gang’
A presentation to Wendy
Discussing the detail
Demonstration at Pin Mill
Courses for 2018
The following courses are planned for 2018:-
28th April – 5th May Spring at Dedham Hall
10th – 14th May – Cornwall with Alpha
20th – 22nd June - Windrush
27th – 29th June – Somerset with Alpha
9th – 13th July – East Sussex
23th – 27th July – West Sussex
18th August – 25th August Dedham Hall
28th September – 29th September - Windrush
Competition
There were not many entries for the Venice painting competition- probably due to the summer activities and holidays. In addition, my computer was hacked and, as part of the security update, a couple of entries were lost. My sincere apologies to those of you who submitted entries which were subsequently caught up in this.
The eventual winner was Chris Gaymer
Chris Gamer
Other courses at Dedham
Once again, I took the opportunity to spend a number of weeks at Dedham Hall visiting other tutor’s courses. This year it was John hoar, Herman Pekel, Alvaro Castagnet and Ian McManus as well as a couple of days with John Yardley.
Alvaro was his usual flamboyant self. Here are a few of his demonstrations:-
Pin Mill
The Rear at Dedham
Dedham High Street
Café Interior
And here is one of Herman’s
Winter Competition
A chance for you to get to grips with some great darks and lights. Don’t hesitate to alter the picture if you wish. You could make it very colourful, modern with cars or even a night scene – happy painting
That’s all for now- see you after Christmas
