After a few weeks of meeting up by the river in Ellon, the group is taking it’s summer break. We are planning an outing to Ellon Castle Gardens in August; hopefully the weather will oblige and we will enjoy a social gathering, with the opportunity to do some painting and sketching in these very pleasant…

Relaxation of Covid restrictions and a spot of decent weather has allowed us to return to our outdoor gatherings down by the river in Ellon. We are planning to continue these throughout June, and then take a break in July, though we hope to have a summer outing [date and venue yet to be arranged].…

In our recent on line meetings we have looked at various styles and types of painting, illustrating our thoughts with examples from both renowned artists and our own efforts. We discussed the use of light and dark to emphasise and create drama and there are many examples of this in classical art, but we also…

Recent Zoom Sessions have been spent relating how we have developed our creative talents, and what and how we now enjoy painting. We had an interesting contribution from Janet who described how her work had metamorphosed from black and white photography through precise, detailed watercolour paintings to her current softer, more spontaneous style, experimenting with…

Several members of the group have artistic talent in their family; Sandy’s granddaughter, Rebecca is studying art at West of Scotland University. Collieston is one of her favourite places and here is her painting of the village entitled Collieston at Low Tide.

In our latest Zoom Art Session we focused on flowers. During Lockdown some group members have been reconstructing Van Gogh’s Irises painting, each doing a section. There was a discussion about how we should piece it together, virtually or otherwise. We are looking forward to piecing the whole painting together at some point and seeing…

Since the New Year we have been meeting virtually and enjoying sharing some art stories. Here are some of the contributions from our last meeting, where we were discussing animals in art. Joy One of my favourite contemporary artists is “local” artist, Peter Goodfellow. Originally from the north east of England, he studied art in…

Neil Simone was born in London, but was captivated by the Yorkshire Dales and has lived and painted there for many years. He is entirely self taught and produces work of great imagination. Although originally inspired by the scenery of the Yorkshire Dales, his paintings encompass a huge range of subjects, using many different techniques.…