Ann England, of Sidmouth Society of Artists, writes for the Herald.
Sidmouth Society of Artists (SSA) have had a very bright July, it must be the weather.
It began with our live demonstration by Devon Artist Celia Olsson at Kennaway House as reported on by Roger Marks.
“On this occasion, Celia elected to demonstrate a series of individual painting techniques on small pieces of paper. from this we learnt how the product Gesso is used to create texture when applied with a palette knife, and also how oil, pastels, tissue paper, water spray, sand, ink newspaper can all be used to enhance the surface of a painting.
"Celia`s abiding principle is not to fret over making mistakes, and with this philosophy she is able to experiment with each new project on a kind of voyage of discovery.
"This adventurous mind set can sometimes end in disaster, but equally can produce delightful results that are a very nice surprise; I guess it is best described as unpredictable art with a bit of fun thrown in.”
The Annual Festival of Art ran over two weeks at Kennaway House from July 1. enabling members to exhibit their work.
The preview evening was attended by visiting dignitaries and society members.
Guest celebrity artist David Norman opened the proceedings and selected the painting he believed for him was the best.
The winner, Jane Tunnicliffe, will be presented with the Marion Owens Memorial Salver award for her beguiling 'Seascape' at the next meeting
Visitors to the exhibition came from far and wide, many of whom complemented stewards on the high standard of the exhibits.
All were invited to vote for their favourite picture or 3-D work 'best in show' and the winner was the fascinating 'curtain call' by Alan Harfield.
To top it all we are lucky to have two members who have been recognised by SAA as potential finalists for their 'Artist of the Year' competition.
Cherry Ferris for her wildlife image 'Kaleidoscope' and Melanie Bettridge for 'Blowing in the Wind' in the abstract section.
We will watch this space.
If you would like more information concerning the society, please contact SSA on the website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here