Wetheral Art for All Online Exhibition 2020
Hosted by Eden Wild Goose Art
The Art for All Exhibition is held in Wetheral Community Parish Hall every year, when local artists display their paintings for enjoyment or sale. It has always been a wonderful time with primary schools offering paintings for a themed competition, a grand opening and the opportunity to mingle and talk with friends. The artists also have the opportunity to meet and talk with those viewing their work.
The sale of work produces income for the artists, rent for the village hall and a contribution to Wetheral Parish Church. From the proceeds the church has supported Tearfund, a charity which is working around the world where the need is greatest, and it has also donated some of the funds to Wetheral Methodist Church who have similarly supported a specific community project in Africa.
This year, we have needed to be creative and adapt to the situation during lock-down. Artists have kindly offered to freely show their work online; however, though we are unable to sell paintings this year. We would ask you not copy or print their work please. We hope you enjoy their offerings.
Rev Graeme Skinner
Eden Wild Goose and Vicar of Wetheral and Holme Eden.
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Art for All Exhibition 2020
Hosted by Eden Wild Goose
List of artists Please click on their link
Norma Adamson link
Kathy Arthur link
Andrew Harrison link
Jane Humphries link
Anne Kelly link
Val Lowe link
Louse Millington link
Pat Porter link
Don Rae link
Graeme Skinner link
John Stanger-Moore link
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How to read a painting
The National Gallery
A few notes edited from the National Gallery website, written for school classes but easily transferable to us as we view the pictures. My extra thoughts are in italics, Graeme Skinner.
Engage with a painting
There are certain techniques that can help you look at, and engage with a painting. Firstly, with a book we have to imagine the scene, whereas with a painting it is created for us. Secondly, and this is where a painting differs from both a film and a book – the artist has only one frame through which to communicate.
When we read a book, we convert, via our imaginations, what is black and white on the page into multicolour images. When we read a painting, the potential barrier of text is removed and we can leap straight into multicolour. In this way, the visual image is immediately accessible and engaging. You are invited to imagine jumping into the frame. What can you see, hear, smell, feel?
Let your eyes take a walk around the picture.
Look at the...
Top and bottom
Foreground/closest thing to them
Background/what is far away
The people/objects
Ask yourself some questions
(Only some of these questions will work for each painting)
Where do you think the artist wants us to look?
What might be happening in the picture?
What words could we use to describe the mood/atmosphere?
What do you think might be the message or theme?
What do you think is viewpoint of the artist?
What title would you give the painting?
As one spends longer with a painting, your initial response might progresses from observation and making simple inferences –through to the 'bigger' questions of meaning that require higher-order thinking skills and evaluation.
(You might ask yourself some simple questions, like,
Q Is there something in this picture that evokes a feeling in me?
Q If I was going to describe this painting to someone on the phone, what would I say? It might be fun to try that, then ask the person to look at it on line).
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The history of the exhibition
The Three Brushketeers
Three Local and Admired Artists
and A Lasting Partnership
Writing this as one who has known the Three Brushketeers for at least twenty years and as one of a group who from the start shared a mutual admiration. The Three “Brushes” struck up a friendship when they met at a local painting class. They called themselves the Paint and Palette Pals before realising their ambition to exhibit their oil and water colour paintings to the world and if not the world, to the community in Wetheral. And there began their claim to fame.
Ray Nicol an architect, Geoff Driver an advertising executive and Brian Powell an inventor and fireman became the founder members of what is now an Annual Art Exhibition in Wetheral and of exceptional repute. It was Wetheral Parish Church with its antiquity and benevolence which gave a venerable elegance to the first of many exhibitions. Ray built ‘A’ frames in his garage, wooden structures to fit over the pews to hold the paintings at just the correct angle. Brian took charge of the display boards and the lighting which was essential to illuminate each painting hanging along the side walls. Geoff took on publicity with large road signs tied to anything sturdy and upright, lamp posts, trees and fences etc advertising the event to all and sundry. The first of many Annual Art Exhibitions in Wetheral Church was launched!
Several other artists were invited to exhibit including a dear friend Derek Bowman and Alf Self, artists of the same genre. In addition to the hours devoted to painting absorbed in pursuit of their art, they very generously decided to give a percentage of their collective sales to fund Church projects. Over the years, revenue amounting to around £2,000 a year has raised a large sum of money and has also given many more local artists the opportunity to exhibit, giving a huge amount of enjoyment to artists and admirers alike. After ten years the Exhibition transferred to the newly built Community Hall in Wetheral for practical reasons, more facilities, easier access for presentation, a large room and more natural light.
The 15th Annual Exhibition (2019) displayed the work from 27 artists. Looking forward to a memorable occasion this year when the Brushketeers themselves will open the Exhibition. In sadness we shall pay tribute to Geoff Driver who died last year. His memory lives on in his paintings, one was raffled and others were on show. Brian Powell has had his memoirs published “Thoughts of a Watercolour Artist”. Once, sitting together all in a row The Three Brushketeers were asked “Are you always satisfied with your work” and in chorus they shouted "No!" However, with total conviction Ray added 'This Exhibition will be international one day, you’ll see’.
(Graeme Skinner adds ... 'Of course, being on line now makes it international.)