Dates for your diary…Dates for your diary…
Fri 29 Jul. Burtons’ St Leonards Society begins celebrations for the 250th anniversary of James Burton’s birth with a week-end of activity – see members’ announcements.
Stop Press….
Forum and Charity status. Hastings Arts Forum Ltd has now achieved charity status. We will issue a formal announcement shortly. We anticipate that there will be an AGM to wind up the present organisation, “Hastings Arts Forum”, on Saturday morning 10 Sep at 10.45 in AF1, courtesy of Project Artworks, who are exhibiting at that time. We need to ensure a quorum of 55 – 60 persons, so please put it in your diary. Hopefully this meeting will not take more than 30 minutes as it is a single item agenda.
The present committee will become trustees of Hastings Arts Forum Ltd to take the new charity forward to its first AGM and full elections to the committee in early Spring 2012.
Stone-pickers for Sid’s memorial on the Lower Promenade. A small group of pickers assembled on the beach to gather stones for Sid Beynon’s memorial on Tuesday 19 July. Another party will assemble on Tuesday 9 Aug at 11am. Please bring a bucket for your stone gathering.
Stone-pickers for Sid’s memorial on the Lower Promenade. A small group of pickers assembled on the beach to gather stones for Sid Beynon’s memorial on Tuesday 19 July. Another party will assemble on Tuesday 9 Aug at 11am. Please bring a bucket for your stone gathering.
Discerning Eye Ehibition. We have been invited to circulate details of the ING (Dutch Bank) sponsored exhibition in the Mall Galleries, London 10 -20 November 2011. Entry is open to all artists born or resident in the UK. Entries will be received in London on 2 and 3 Sep and in Southampton on 1 Sep. Submission fees are £9 per piece of work for non-members ( maximum of 6 pieces) - or free if a member (membership is £40, but membership doesn’t guarantee acceptance of work). In 2010 453 works were exhibited, of which 233 sold, mostly from non-members. For further info see www.parkerharris.co.uk
Le Retour de Michel Guille. Michel is back in St Leonards until 31 July. He is still offering French Conversation on Thursday afternoons at the Forum. French conversation will continue during August led by Pierre and friends. Michel hopes to be back in September.
George Robertson. George Robertson, ‘a Shetland Islander in Sussex’ is exhibiting in the ‘Hop Gallery’, Lewes Sat 13 – Sun 21 Aug. Private view Sat 13 at noon – 2pm. He hopes to see some Hastings friends. See members’ announcements.
Current Exhibitions…
Allena Tyrell is exhibiting in AF2, 21 Jul – 2 Aug. Allena is a founding member of the Hastings Arts Forum – way back in 2003, when the Forum met as a small group of activists in pubs and other private venues determined to raise the profile of the arts in Hastings. She has a wide area of interest, including Gothic Art.
Allena’s Artist Statement
My pictures show various scenes based on the real world. I am very influenced by all kinds of films and photographs, especially the most blurred and wobbly ones, such as 1970s Instamatic snaps of car wrecks, 2011 CCTV night cops, the very worst cheap mobile phone cameras, corny Hammer horror flicks or badly drawn cartoons – but I never use the good photo shots, simply because it seems a waste of time. Some of these works are natural and organic, with very little photographic influence.
I would like my future direction to be even more realistic and experimental, whilst retaining the texture and quality of the paint. I would also like to work outside the studio much more, whatever the weather might be. However, I don’t fancy, tying myself to the mast of a sailing ship during a violent storm in the English Channel, mainly because I can’t swim very well.
Members’ Show ( A – L). There has been an overwhelming response to the first Members’ show.
Members’ Show. The Members’ Show for names A – L is now on show in AF2. There has been a great response, obliging us to hang salon style. See under “Current Exhibitions” below
Forthcoming Exhibitions…
Alex Leadbeater.” Ebb and Flow” 4 – 16 Aug in AF1.
Ebb & Flow is a series of painting and prints inspired by the ocean and life in Hastings, from the frothy sea’s edge to the distant horizon. The nearest wave as it crashes or simply washes onshore is an endless fascination as colour and form exist for a unique moment.
Working with energy like the wave itself, paint is applied to canvas or paper, by brushing, dripping or spraying. The nature of water-based paints allows re-working over several layers which may be finished in one session or several sessions. Sometimes the marks gather together in a crest, or seem to float like flotsam, across the surface.
The exhibition includes tiny watercolour paintings and boundless life-size waves, as well as prints and cards.
Alexandra studied at Bath Academy of Art and has a BA in Fine Art from Lancaster. Her first exhibition was selected by Adrian Henri for the Serpentine Summer Show in 1981, and since then she has shown in public and private galleries in the UK as well as Brazil, Lithuania, Florida, and has work in several private and corporate collections
Members’ Show (M – Z). 4 – 16 Aug (in AF2 only). Submission fee is £10.00. This members show is in AF2 only.
. One piece per member.
Hand-in on Mon 1 Aug 10 – 1pm, unless by prior arrangement.
Collect Wed 17 Aug10 – 1pm.
Submission fee is £10.00 to cover gallery costs and private view.)
Exhibitions Elsewhere…
Gill Gallery. Now open again after re-furbishing and currently showing work by Martin Pearce and also from his collection of other artists’ work. Also showing are works by Helen Brough, who has exhibited in New York and London.
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. The new brochure covering events at the Museum, up to January 2012 has recently been issued. On 23 July there will be a retrospective exhibition of Len Shelley (1964 – 2010) and Angie Bitcliffe, The exhibition will be opened by Jeremy Birch on Fri 22 Jul @ 6-8pm and open to the public from Sat 23 Jul – 23 Oct.
“Take Five” is a group show, including Forum members Siobhan Hanlon and Lynne Bingham 21 Jun – 23 Jul. Open Monday – Saturday, 1030 – 5 and later from 6 – 8pm.
Members’ Announcements…
Elizabeth Nathaniels posts “Burtons’ St Leonards 250th celebrations”..
The Year of James Burton begins on Friday 29 July at the Burtons’ St Leonards Society, at a Georgian Tea and a ceremony at South Lodge, St Leonards Gardens, Maze Hill, St Leonards TN38 0BU. Her Royal Highness Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia will launch the Year, at approximately 6 o’clock. The Princess is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria (her great- great- great- granddaughter) and recently kindly consented to be a Patron of the Burtons’ St Leonards Society. The Georgian Tea (tickets £8) is at 4:30 p.m, for members of the Burtons’ St Leonards Society. Amber Rudd MP, and civic dignitaries and others will also be present.
Over the following year there will talks, walks, visits, lectures, exhibitions, ceremonies, trips and other events relating to the admirable and diverse achievements of James Burton. There will be a Gala Grand Finale at the Royal Victoria Hotel, St Leonards, on 28 July 2012, into the following day.
For more information on the Year of James Burton, contact the Burtons’ St Leonards Society by email onburtonstleonardsoc@gmail.com, or by phone on 01424 421 207.
Caroline Macey organises Life Drawing Sessions every Thursday 10 – 12 noon at Ore Community Centre. £7 at the door. Beginning on 7 July – evening sessions 7.30 – 9.30. Tel : 079 23 49 44 15
FILM…
St Leonards Film Soc. is on summer break until September.
POETRY …
The Forum Poetry group meets on Saturday, 20 August at 5 pm against the background
of Elaine Short’s retrospective in AF 1. The theme of the meeting will be ‘ Art’. This is Elaine’s 75th year and the exhibition covers many media - textiles, weaving. painting, ceramics.
Below is a poem submitted by Stacey Lane to the Poetry Group on 2 July on the theme of ‘Books’
And Caxton said “Let there be books,”
And there were books,
And with the books came :
Illumination
Imagination
Inspiration
Elevation
Creation
Education
Recreation
Meditation
Consolation
Correlation
Sophistication
Graduation
Vocation
Jubilation
And Earth spun a little faster,
And Caxton pronounced the book’s good. © Stacey Lane
