This week is our last indoor session before the summer break. We will be meeting the following week for the annual summer lunch at the Buchan Hotel and then we have a series of outings planned over the summer to keep us on our artistic toes; a visit to Aberdeen Art Gallery, and painting and sketching ”en plein air” at Ellon Castle gardens and Haddo, with a lot of socialising thrown in.
Visitors to Saturday’s Wellbeing event in the Kirk centre were all very impressed by our display. There was a lovely, lively buzz with lots of information and people to chat with and exchange ideas.
Our display included comments that group members had contributed when asked for their reasons for joining EDAG. Here they are, a wide spectrum of ideas of what the group means for us:
Meet others and socialise,
Gain confidence in our own ability,
Enjoy the informality of the group,
Reconnect with our past skills and experiment with new mediums.
Escape from everyday worries.
Help others by being encouraging.
Something I always wanted to do but never thought I could until I joined.
The last few weeks have have seen us busy with some group activities in addition to our personal projects. A number of us managed some very presentable still life sketches, something which we plan to make a regular part of the sessions. Also, over the last few weeks, one member has demonstrated a watercolour wash technique, which proved very popular, enjoyable and successful.
New term started last week with some new members and lots of enthusiasm. With the current wintery weather we have lots of inspiration locally for some great art work
Our annual exhibition, held for the second year running in the Pheasantry at Haddo, was very well attended (136 visitors over the three days, not counting dogs!). There were 52 paintings on display, covering a wide range of styles and medium, reflecting the artistic diversity which we are lucky to have in our group. This also makes for a display appealing to a wide range of tastes; from toddlers to elderly, from dog walkers splashing in to escape the frequent showers to the intended visitors, there was a lot of interest and discussion.
Why not combine a walk amongst the beautiful autumn colours at Haddo with the chance to take a look at some of our work. See the poster below for details.