RPS Visual Art Group Newsletter No 25

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May2025No.25

WELCOMETOOURNEWSLETTER

HappySpring!

ThankyoutoeveryonewhojoinedinourAGM.This wentwellandthecommi�eehasbeenelectedasper thelistattheendofthisnewsle�er.Ifyouhaveany ques�onsforthecommi�eepleasedogetintouch.

Ihopeyouenjoytheselec�onofmembers’work includedinthisnewsle�er,andthefeaturesaboutthe VisualArtGroups’ac�vi�es.

IliveinGuernseyandtheIslandisbusypreparingfor ourLibera�onDaycelebra�onsonFriday9th May,an extraspecialeventhereasit’s80yearssincetheIsland wasliberated.EachParishwillhaveac�vi�esand celebra�onandmostoftheisland’s66,000residents willjoinintosomeextent.Therewillbelotsoflovely photographicopportuni�esaswellasmee�ngold friends.

Happysnapping

Kindregards

UPDATEONYORKRESIDENTIAL WEEKEND

Anotherfunweekend

OurYorkresiden�alweekendjustbeforeEasterwas anothergreatmee�ngofallourfriendsand colleagues.Theseweekendshavereallymorphedinto onebigextendedfamilygatheringoflikeminded peopleandthis�mewewerejoinedbyseveralnew faceswhowerequicklywelcomedintothegroup. They'veallremarkedonhowmuchtheyenjoyedthe weekendandhavepromisedtojoinusatfuture events.

OurvenueonthisoccasionwastheFairfieldManor Hotel.

Setinlovelygardenswithtablesandchairsspreadon thelawnitwasaperfectse�ngforanimpromptu coffeeoraniceG&Tinthesunshinebeforese�ngoff. ItwasashortdistancefromYorktowncentreandwell

servedbybusroutesandparkandride,allofwhich werereasonablypriced(justaswellasthecarparking inYorkwasextremelyexpensive),but.......wecan't haveeverythingIsuppose

Wehadourusuallineupofthreeworkshops,this�me ledrespec�velybyLizzieShepherd,whoseknowledge ofYorkshire,bothcountrysideandcoastal,issecondto none;NatCoalson,agi�edmul�mediaworker,who tookhisteamaroundYorkwithanemphasison details,texturesandshapesandlastbutcertainlynot least,CarolinePreece,anaward-winningLondon basedstreetphotographerwhotaskedherteamwith catchingthemoreunusualaspectsoftheYork environs.

Oneofthejoysoftheseweekendsishowquicklythe workshopleadersassimilateintothegroup,soallofus benefi�edfromcha�nganddiscussingthingswith theminaconvivialse�ng.

Weonceagainhadourmuchan�cipatedshowandtell sessionsandwereshownsomeexcellentwork, includingacoupleofpanelswhichI'msurewillbe des�nedforAssociateorFellowshipdis�nc�ons.We alsohadafirstlookatthreewonderfulprintsthathave beenselectedforthenewRPSTyngCollec�onof photographsinthePictorialisttradi�on:

Therewerethreeselectorsthisyear,VivienHowse, myselfandRobertHerringshawwhoisalsoaTyng trustee.

Vivien'sselec�onwasabeau�fulbucolicsceneofa shepherdherdinghissheepbyJamesRavillious.

Minewasaminimalistviewofagatepostovera commonnearBaldockHertsbyHughMilsom.

Robert'schoicewasasuperbrepresenta�onofa contemporaryviewoftheTwinTowersinNewYorkby JonathanVaines,perfectlydisplayingthedirec�onin whichPictorialismisheadinginthe21stcentury.

Notmanyofyouwillhaveheardof,letaloneseen,any oftheTyngCollec�on(mostofwhichnowrestsinthe vaultsoftheV&AinLondon)butRobertandthe trusteesarehopingtoremedythatinthefutureand therehavebeenseveralar�clesaboutthecollec�on includinganexcellentonewhichappearedina

May2025No.25

previousVAGnewsle�erin2020wri�enbyAndrew Leeming.

Onalessop�mis�cnoteitiswithregretthata�erour nextweekend,inNorwichintheAutumnofthisyear,I willbestandingdown,togetherwithSally,from organisingtheseweekendsa�eradvicefrommy doctortowinddownandtakeiteasy.

Itisveryimportantthattheseweekendswillnotbe lostandweareurgentlyaskingforvolunteerstotake over,individuallyorperhapsinagroup,tocon�nue thetradi�on.TheVAGistheonlyspecialinterest groupthatrou�nelyrunsbi-annualresiden�al weekendsandIknowthatouttherearesomeofyou whoareofalikemind,sodohaveathinkaboutifyou canhelpourgroup.We'llbesendingoutfurther advicesoon.

Thatbeingsaid,wewillbepublishingdetailsofthe NorwichweekendinthenextmonthortwoandI'll reiteratemyusualremindertobookassoonasthe broadcastgoesoutaswefillupveryquickly(withina fewdayslast�me)

Meanwhile,keeppressingthoseshu�erbu�ons.

MikeandSally visualar�rips@rps.org

Gernika1937

Thisisapresenta�onofapersonalprojectthatwas ini�atedbyavisittothetownofGernikainnorthern Spain,anunprepossessingsmalltown,inlandfromthe touristhotspotsofBilbaoandSanSebas�an.Today, GernikaisthecapitaloftheBasqueautonomous regionwithasmallparliamentbuildinginthecentreof thetownvisitedbyamodestnumberoftouristswho mostlycomeonaccountofthetown’sdarkpast.

In1937GernikahadagreatsignificancetotheBasque peopleandwasconsideredakeypartoftheiriden�ty. ThefamousGuenikakoArbola(thetreeofGernika) wasanoaktreethatsymbolisedthetradi�onal freedomsandwasthesiteofregularcommunity mee�ngsanddecisionmaking.Gernikawasalsothe loca�onofamajorweaponsmanufacturerthathad longbeensupplyingarmstotheSpanishmilitaryand

police.

Atthesame�metheSpanishcivilwarwasinfullflow, Republicantroopswereba�lingtheNa�onalistforces ofGeneralFrancowhohadledacoupagainstthe previousgovernment.TheNa�onalistsweresteadily movingacrossthecountry,takingregionsandforcing theRepublicanarmynorth.Gernikawasatownof 7,000peoplethatstoodatakeystrategicloca�on, lyingonacrossroadsneededbytheRepublicansfor

theirretreat.Itwasthefinalpointofresistance preven�ngtheoverthrowofBilbao,thelossofwhich wouldhaveendedthewarinthenorth

On26April1937Franco'sforcessurroundedthetown andwasheavilybombedbyFranco'sallies,the GermanLu�waffeandtheItalianAviazioneLegionaria. Thebombersdroppedmanylarge,incendiarybombs thatdestroyedthemajorityofthetownandthiswas oneofthefirstexamplesofwhatwaslatercalled terrorbombing,intendedtobreakthewillofthe civilianpopula�on.Althoughthenumberofvic�msis

s�lldisputedthetotalisnowes�matedtobeupto 1645outofapopula�onatthe�meof7,000.Theuse ofterrorbombingcon�nuestothisday.

Thea�ackwasthesubjectofafamousan�-war pain�ngGernikabyPabloPicasso.Nowadaysthe centreofthetownisknownforitsicecreamshopsand amuseumdedicatedtocommemoratethebombing. Thereisamuseumandmanysculpturesandar�facts aroundthetownevoca�veofthea�ackincluding worksbyHenryMoore.

Onvisi�ngthetownin2024weweretakenbythe architectureofthestateparliamentbuildingandthe famousoaktreethathadsurvivedthea�ack.The communalmemoryofthe1937destruc�onwass�ll strong.IrealisedIwantedtomakesomeimagesthat portrayedtheeventsatGernikaandsomemonths laterassembledthisgroupofpictures.Theyareall basedondetailedimagesofMoore’ssculpture“Large FigureinaShelter”whichhecompletedin1986and donatedtothetowntocommemoratethea�ack.The surfaceofthesculpturehassincebeendegradedby naturalandhumancausesandthesebecamean integralpartoftheresul�ngimages.Theimagesalso incorporateextractsfromcontemporarynewspapers inEnglishandSpanishandlinesfromthepoemLa VictoiredeGuernicawri�enin1938bytheFrench poetPaulEluardanddenouncingthebarbarityofthe a�ack.

Uptothreeseparatephotographswerecombinedin layerstoproducetheimages,althoughsomejust deployedseveralcopiesofthesamephotograph. Cropping,masking,blendingandcolouradjustments weremadetoachieveapleasingimageandNIKcolour FX(freeedi�on)wasusedtoaddtextureandfinishthe images.Theywerethencolourmatchedfora consistentappearance.Coloursweretakenfromthe Na�onalistflagsandtheuniformsofthesoldiers.At the�meIdidnothaveacamerathatwascapableof mul�pleexposuressoalloftheworkwasdonein Photoshopoveraperiodofaroundthreeweeks. Althoughmore�me-consuming,thisgavemebe�er resultsthanhadtheybeena�emptedincamera.The imageswerecombinedwithsomeexplanatorytextin asmallflipbookwasproducedwhichisavailable

NextRPSSWVisualArtEvent Saturday,21ST JUNE2025

ThenexteventwilltakeplaceonSaturday,21June 2025atWoodburyVillageHall.Iamdelightedto announcethatourspeakerwillbeLeighPrestonFRPS withhispresenta�on‘RoadsLessTravelled’.

ThisishowLeighdescribesthepresenta�on:“Aseries ofimages,mostlyinshortseries,thatrepresentthe styleofphotographythathasevolvedoverallthe yearsI'vetakenimages.There'sali�leaboutthepast -afewdarkroompictures,butinthemainit'sabouta progression,afewsingleimagesketches,butmainly severalshortthemes-includingba�lefields,Urban/ Industrialse�ngslandscapes,portraitsandHebridean landscapesomeofwhichareamongmymostrecent work.Muchofwhat'sinthisselec�onisemo�ve, atmospheric,notalways'pre�y',itleansonnostalgia andonhowIuselightandgeometry.”

LeighiswellknowntomanyofusintheSouthWestso Iknowthatweareinforarealtreat.Heisadouble FellowoftheRPSandholdsFIAPandPAGB dis�nc�ons.HehastaughtphotographyforGloucester andCheltenhamcolleges,forJessops,Permajet,TimeLineeventsandlandscapeworkshops,bothintheUK andabroad.Formoredetailsabouthiswork,please see h�p://www.leighpreston.co.uk/index.htm

Thea�ernoonsessionwillbeanopportunityforour par�cipantstoshowandtalkabouttheirwork.This canbepresentedinbothdigitalandprintformat.

EstuarybyMikeLonghurstFRPS

May2025No.25

Onsite,theimagesprojectedontotheground-glass screenarephotographedwithasecondcamera.

Forthispurpose,BeatSuterconstructedacube colouredblackontheinside,whichcanbea�achedto

thebackofthecamera'sfocusingscreen.Theimageof theground-glassscreenisthenphotographedthrough aholeonthebackofthecubeusinganAPSCcamera withashortmacrorangeof10cm.

VisualArtGroup-Circles

Haveyoueverthoughtyou'dliketohavesome friendlyphotographerssharetheirphotosand experienceswithyoueverymonth?Ihavethevery thing!ComeandjoinaCircle.Shareyour knowledgeandviewsonmembers'images,ask ques�ons,offeradviceandgenerallygetevenmore outofyourphotography.Email

Gill@dishart.plus.com withanyques�ons,andI'llbe gladtohelp,andfindyouaCirclewithavacancy.We haveonePrintCircleand5EmailCirclesjustnow,and I'dhopetofindyouaplace.

VAG-EXHIBITIONS

2024 Hesel�ne,ChenderitSchool London/Landmark Newport,SouthWales Solihull,TheCore

Theexhibi�onentrywaswellsupportedbyour membership,althoughthenumberofentrieswas downonthepreviousyear.

BeatSuter
GillDishartARPS

May2025No.25

h�ps://www.tomleephoto.com/newport-exhibi�onprints

GetReadytobeInspired

VAG&RTPSAnnualExhibi�ons LandmarkArtsCentre,Teddington,Surrey 27September–5October 10am-4pm£4entry,childrenfree

Richmond&TwickenhamPhotographicSocietyand theVisualArtGroupwillonceagainbejoiningforcesto stagetheirannualexhibi�onsatthemagnificent LandmarkArtsCentreinTeddingtonfrom27 Septemberto5October,inwhatpromisestobeoneof thebiggestandmostpres�giousphotographyshowsin Surrey.

Opendailyfrom10amto4pmwitha£4entrycharge, theeventalsoforthefirst�mefeaturephotographs frommembersofArtsRichmond.

RTPSinvitesitsmemberstothinkbeyondthesingle imageandtosubmitapanelofprints–thesedonotgo throughajudgingprocess,withallmembersableto exhibittheirwork.

Alongsidethese,therewillbedisplaysfromtheclub’s SpecialInterestGroups,whichincludePictorial, Monochrome,Crea�veEyes,InfraredandPost

Processing.With80imagesfromVAGandanew displayfromArtsRichmond,whichpromotesarts ac�vityintheborough,itisexpectedtobeavery diverseselec�onofphotographs.

Professionalphotographerandexhibi�onorganiser EmmaDurnfordsaid:“Wearedelightedthatthe VisualArtGroupwillbeexhibi�ng;manyRTPS membersarealsomembersofVAG.Theworkon displayisalwaysofsuchahighstandardandvisitors areverykeentoseeit.”

GoingtotheSta�onbyLisaEdie

Oneofthehighlightsoftheexhibi�onwillbetwo drama�cpanelsontheUKandUSelec�onsfrom leadingphotographerandRTPSmemberSimonStreet h�ps://www.simon-street-photos.com whoholdsa recordbreaking10FellowshipswiththeRPS,their highestdis�nc�on.

TomLeeFRPS

May2025No.25

OnSaturdayIsetoffwithCarol,JayneandPaulto walkYork’scitywallsandfindthecats.

WestartedonthewallatGillygateandwalked clockwise.No23CatwasoutsidethewallandI thoughtweshouldbeabletospotthecatfromthe wall.Carolspo�editstraightaway.Itwasonthe roo�opofabuilding

Wecon�nuedonthewalls.Therewerelotsof opportuni�esformakingimages.

AtMonkgatewecameoffthewalltolookforcoffee andmorecats.Wefoundtheclimbingcatno21 calledHopeinGoodramgate,comissionedin2020by TheCat’sWhiskersCatCafe.WehadwalkedpastCat

20-thecluewas“it’snotameateater”soofcourse wasabovethevegetariancafe.Thecatswerevery easytomissifyouwerejustwanderingandnot lookingforthem.

Abreakforcoffeesi�ngoutsideinthesunshine. Morecatsfounda�ercoffee.TwowereattheCat GalleryshopinLowPetergate.Number1catabove theshopwascommissionedbytheGallerywhenthey movedherein2010.

Cat22isintheGallerywindow.

May2025No.25

Formoredetailsandtopurchase�ckets,pleaseclick onthelinkbelow:

VandaandIlookforwardtoseeingmanyofyouon 24th May.

h�ps://events.rps.org/en/visual-art-group-londonhome-and-away-may-2025-5a2NN29Lcpt/overview

LindaWevillFRPS

VisualArtLondonOrganiser

e-mail: lindawevill@gmail.com

COMMITTEEMEMBERS

ThefollowingmembersmakeupyourVAG committeefor2025/26:

Chair MarkDeutschLRPS

Secretary&Newsletter CarolPaesARPS

Treasurer BarryBarkerFRPS

Membership ValGlennyARPS

ExhibitionsCoordinator TomLeeFRPS

SocialMediaCoordinator StevenGalvinARPS

ExhibitionsMember MartynPearse

WebEditor MichaelButterworthLRPS

CirclesCoordinator GillDishartARPS

Residentialweekends MikeKitchingmanARPS

CommitteeMember

PaulBullockLRPS

Therearealsothreesub-grouporganisers andoneVisualArtGrouprepresentativefor theTyngCollection.Theyare:

VisualArtRollright(S.Midlands)

CharlesBinns

VisualArtSouthwest MarijaLeesLRPS

VisualArtLondon -NEW

LindaWevillFRPS

TyngCo-ordinator

RobertHerringshawARPS

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