This month's Sidmouth Society of Artists demo took place at Kennaway House and featured talented Ottery St Mary artist Lisa Parkyn. A former resident of Botswana ,(Bechuanaland as it was known in my stamp collecting days), Lisa chose a vase of flowers as her still life using acrylic paints.

Adjusting your foundations

She was always ready and willing to explain her method and began by saying she first coats her paper with Gesso, a liquid that makes the paper surface smoother and harder and facilitates the removal of unwanted paint by simply wiping with a tissue or cloth; the beauty of this is that it does not damage the surface of the paper and can be done time and again.

Don't worry 'bout a thing

Lisa's relaxed approach to painting the flowers and leaves was on the basis of a stroke here, a blob there, avoiding any suggestion of a photographic likeness. If she didn't like a particular splodge it was a case of 'see if I care, wipe, wipe -now you're gone'.

It was very refreshing to have an artist willing to explain her every action and to readily admit 'oops, I don't like that' and 'oh, that's a good un' as she went along. It made me think that some of us artists are too restrained, too careful, too worried to take a chance; here we witnessed another philosophy altogether. The result of all this gay abandon is a picture that 'pops', to use her word, not a boring lifeless illustration.

Stay cool

Lisa kept a continuous dialogue going and informed us that both her mother and father were artists, and interest shared by her own son and daughter too. Being such a happy-go-lucky soul she encouraged questions and dialogue, even altering her picture on one occasion  when I cheekily offered a suggestion. As our young folk would say thats 'cool' and as they would probably add that was 'uncool 'of me for interrupting, such is life!

Today's the day

Friday, June 30 is the opening day of the SSA Annual Festival of Art at Kennaway House. The Grand Opening takes place from 11am until 12.30 and the exhibition continues daily until the 13th of July. I can confirm from personal experience that the standard of the art on display, featuring as it does many professional artists, is of a very high order. In addition the subject matter is of special interest because the landscapes and seascapes often feature local surroundings and the artists live and breathe right here within our delightful surroundings .