WELCOMETOOURSPRING NEWSLETTER
Wowwhatawonderfulweekendmanyofus havejustenjoyedinNewcastle.Ahugethank youtoMikeandSallyKitchingmanfor organisingsuchafabulouscollectionof inspirationalspeakersandworkshopleaders.
Itisevidentthateventheworkshopleaders enjoyedthemselvesbasedonthenote receivedfromBillWard(forthoseofyouwho enjoyCoronationStreetyoumayremember thenameastheactorwhopayedCharlie StubbswhowasmurderedbyTracyBarlow).
Billisaselfconfessed‘poshjordie’andhisnote read:
‘Thankssomuchforinvitingmetobeapartof it-Iabsolutelylovedit...sowellorganisedtherewassuchapositiveatmosphere throughout!Ithoroughlyenjoyedmytalk,and alsotheworkshops-suchbright,energetic andcreativeparticipants...Ithoroughly enjoyedworkingwiththem,andtheir companytoo...greatfun...andformeasyou know,it'salwayslovelytobebackhomeonmy ownpatch...
Thankyoualsoatapersonallevelformakingit allhappen-I'mhugelygratefulforyour calmness,flexibilityandpatienceinhelpingme ironoutthelast-minutetimingglitches... hugelyappreciated...lovelytootomeetSally andalltheotherworkshopleaders...great diversebunch,andIhadafabtimenattering tothemall...DoletmeknowifIcanhelpwith anyweekends/talks/workshopsinthefuture... Ireallyenjoyedit,andwouldlovetobepartof itagainifthere'sanythingyouthinkthatwould suit,sodoletmeknowasandwhen...
WishingyouandSallyallthebest,thanksagain forabrilliantweekend,andcatchupsoon!
Allbest Bill
Showswhatawonderfulweekendwashadby all.Hopetoseeyouatthenextresidential. Inthemeantimehappysnapping!
CarolPaesARPS
DISTINCTIONSUCCESSES
WecongratulatethefollowingVisualArtGroup membersontheirrecentlygainedRPS Distinctions
Associate,VisualArt SamanthaRuth,Derby MalcolmCross,Melksham RichardDrinkall,Eastbourne
AlanGristwood,Warlingham
Associateexemption MarkGrey,London
MarkDeutchLRPS
JANRAMSCAR
Iamagardenerandaconservationist,so whenitcametophotographyitwasnaturalfor metobeattractedtoplantsasmysubject.But plantphotographyisacrowdedfield,andI quicklyrealisedthatsomethingdifferentwas neededifmyimagesweretostandout.I turnedtoalternativeprocessesandallthe imagesshownhereareexamplesofcolour photograms,althoughIalsousemanyother typesofcameralesstechniquessuchas cyanotypesandscanography.Youcansee manymoreofmyimageson www.janramscar.co.uk .
Photogramsdatebacktothebeginningsof photographywhenFoxTalbotfirst experimentedwithcoatedpapersathishome inLacockAbbey.Today,mostPhotographyA levelstudentswilllearntomakeblackand whitephotogramsinthedarkroom,butvery fewpeoplewillhaveevertrieddoing photogramsincolourasitisnecessarytohave
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accesstoacolourprocessorandtoworkin completedarkness.Eachphotogramisaoneoffandunique,ratherlikeamonoprintin painting;therearenonegativesandnodigital filesunlessthefinalprintsarescanned.
whitepaper,issensitivetoallthewavelengths oflight.
Mysubjectsareallbotanical,andmyaimisto showfamiliarflowersandseedsinatotally differentlightbyplayingwithbothcolourand scale.Thistakestheimagesoutoftherealms oftextbookbotanyandintoawonderful fantasyworldwherecornflowersarenolonger bluebutastartlingyellow,andleavesshinein richshadesofmagenta.Asforthescale,by usingaphotographicenlargerasmysourceof lightIamabletomagnifytheintricatedetails oftheplantsandaddtothesenseofwonder andmystery.Thewholeprocessdependsalot onserendipityasIoftenhavenoideaofwhat thefinalimagewilllooklikeuntilIdothe (many!)teststrips.
Thetechnicalpartconsistsofshininglight throughthesubjectontocolourphotographic paper;thishastobedoneinatotallylightfree environmentascolourpaper,unlikeblackand
Peoplewhomakemonochromeprintshave theluxuryofacomfortingredlight,butIamin totaldarkness,workingonlybytouch.Itdoes sometimesfeellikeflowerarranginginthe dark!Oncethepaperhasbeenexposed,itis putintoalightproofbagbeforetransferringto anotherdarkroomtofeeditintoacolour processingmachine.
Allthechemistrygoesoninsidethemachine, andfourminuteslateraprintwillemerge.The trickypartistoworkouttheexposuretime, andthisiswherealltheteststripscomein.May2023No.17
Fourminutesforeachteststripcanaddupto alotoftime,andIthinkthatmostofmy artisticpracticeconsistsofexercisingextreme patience!Myprevioustrainingasascientist meansthatIdopayattentiontothedetails, andtrytokeeprecordssothatnowIcanmake areasonableguessatwhatlengthofexposure mightbeappropriateforeachspecimen.
IhavealsobeenawardedaHighly Commendedintheportfoliocategoryof IGPOTY,andbeenfeaturedinanRHScalendar (‘MissOctober’!).Inaddition,Ihavegiventalks toseveralphotographicclubsaboutmywork.
Thesubjectsareusuallytiny,nomorethana centimetreortwoinsize.Theymustbe translucent,asifthelightisblockedbeforeit reachesthephotographicpaperthenonlya solidwhitesilhouettewillbeproduced.The processinvertsthenaturalcoloursofthe subject,producingthefabulouslyunearthly huesseenintheseimages.Sadlyforme,this occasionallymeansthatthatsomeofmy photogramsareruinedbytheappearanceofa largemagentagreenflywhichhadbeenhiding, unnoticed,underapetaloraleaf!
OvertheyearsIhaveshownmyimagesin manyexhibitions,includingsoloexhibitionsat LacockAbbeyandDimbolaLodgeontheIsle ofWight,thehomeofJuliaMargaretCameron.
Allthetechnicalparthappensata photographycollectivecalledKilnPhotobased inBadshotLeanearFarnham,Surrey (www.kilnphoto.co.uk), whereIamamember. ItisherethatIhavegraduallyhonedmyskills aftermanyyearsofexperimentation.Ihave alsoreceivedhelpwithallthespecialised piecesofequipmentthathaveenabledmeto producetheseimages.Itisafriendlyand supportivecommunity,withgreatfacilitiesfor allgenresofphotography,housedina wonderfullistedbuilding.KilnPhoto participatesinSurreyArtists’OpenStudios everyyear,andsomeofmyimageswillbeon showthereinJune.Itwouldbegoodto welcomesomeoftheVisualArtsGroupas visitors!(June3–June18,seetheKilnPhoto websitefordetailsofopeningtimes).
PEERGROUP
Sincethelastnewsletter,thePeerGroup hasgonefromstrengthtostrength,with moreenquiriesthanever!Sinceopening upthegrouptoprospectiveAcandidates aswellasmemberslookingtowardanF distinction,numbersareveryhealthywith atleast15memberspresentateach discussiongroup.
ThefeedbackIreceiveisnothingbut positiveandwecurrentlyhave8 prospectivepanelsunderdiscussion (althoughnotateverymeeting).Wecanfit 4panelsinanyonemeetingallowingat least20-30minutestoexploreeachone andittakestimeforparticipantstodigest andworkon.
Weencouragethosethatpasstheir distinctiontoremainwiththegroupand passontheirknowledgeandexperienceto othersbeginningtheirjourney.Meetings areheldoverZoomonthefirstSundayof themonth(usually)andlastapproximately 2hoursfrom3pmUKtime.Hopingwesee somemoreexcitingpanelsinthecoming months.
ThemeetingsareaninvaluableFREE resource,seenasaprecursortomembers applyingfora1-2-1reviewwithan assessor.Ifyouwanttoknowmore, contactmeat:tomleephoto@me.com
MYROUTETOMYFELLOWSHIP
HavinggainedmyAssociateshipin2012witha panelwhichthechairmandescribedas‘A panelofbitsofnothing’–atitleIwishIhad thoughtof,theobviousnextstepwasa Fellowship.ThisIfoundeasiersaidthandone!
Thequestionwas:howtoproduceacoherent panelofsufficientquality,interestand originalitywithinmyownstyle.
MyphotographyisallaboutwhatIsee,rather thanwhatIcreate,soIneededasubjectto ‘cometome’,ratherthansearchingforone.
Sowhatsubject?
Havinggonetoanadvisorydaywithoneidea, whileitwaslookedatfairlypositively,I reluctantlydecidedthatIwouldstruggletoget aconsistentpanelof20/21imagesoutofit,so backtothedrawingboard!
Well,IgotoTenerifemostyears,mainlyasmy otherhalflikesthegolfthere(asdoI!),and alwaysstayinthesamehotel.
Fromthestart,Iwasverytakenwiththeway thelightfallsonitsvarioussurfaces,creating anarrayofdifferentcolours,andsothought thatcouldformthebasisofapanel,although
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itisstillachallengetofind20imagestoforma coherentpanelwithoutrepetition.
Asummaryoftheirfeedbackisthatthey consideredthepaneltohavethreedifferent aims–namely,abstract,minimalistand representational,andtheyfeltthemore representationalimageswerelessexpressive ofanindividualstyle.
1st try
Havingtriedvariouscombinationsand formats,mainlybymoving6x4printsaround onthetable,Itooksomeadvicefromthe unofficialFRPSgrouponFacebook.Thiswas invaluableinbothgivingmetheconfidence thatIwasintherightballpark,andgivingme valuablefeedbackandsuggestions.
Havingprintedtheimages,andsentthemoff,I wasunabletoattendthezoommeeting(this wasduringCovidlockdowns)Iwas disappointedtonothearthejudgesfeedback, andevenmoredisappointedwhenitwas rejected!
OneofthemanybefitsoftheRPSassessment process(asopposedtothatofother organisations)istheexcellentfeedback providedbytheassessors.
Ididnotfullyagree,aftermuchgrittingof teethItooktheircommentsonboard,and ensuredthatIgotsomemoreimageswhenI returnedtothehotel.
Isubmittedanamendedpanel,which hopefullyaddressedtheirconcerns,andam pleasedtosaythatthistimeIpassed(andthat Iwasthereinpersontowitnessthewhole nerve-wrackingevent).
Success!
FredBarringtonFRPSRE-LAUNCHOFSOUTHWEST VISUALARTGROUP
Wearedelightedtoannouncethatourfirstrelaunchmeetingwilltakeplaceon1st July2023 (10am–4pm)atVictoryHall,Broadclyst*, Exeter,EX53EE.
Theaimistoprovideanotherplatform/ opportunityforphotographersintheSouth WestRegionwithaninterestinVisualArtto showandsharetheirworkwithawider audience.Wehopethemeetingswillbe inspirationalandeducationalandwill encompassavarietyofsubjectsand approaches.
OUTWITHTHEOLD,INWITH THENEW...
It'sgoodbyefrommeasExhibitionsLead,and hellotomysuccessor,TomLeeFRPS.
I'vethoroughlyenjoyedarrangingexhibitions andinteractingwithallVAGmembersfromthe timeAndreasKlattARPSappointedmeinJune 2019.I'mpleasedthatmostofthisyear's exhibitionsareinplace,ourhavingbeen invitedbackby4venues.
MygoodwishestoTom–Ifeelyou'reingood hands.
AbigthankyoutoMartynPearse,BobBracher ARPSandColinLambLRPSfortheirexcellent workastheExhibitionsWorkingGroup(EWG), andtoJohnCavanaARPS,forhiswise leadership.
Themeetingswillberunquarterlyandwill includeacombinationofmembers’workand externalspeakers.Theywillbeopentoboth RPSmembersandnon-members.
WhetheryouareanaccomplishedVisualArt Photographerorjuststartingtoexplorethis genre,pleasecomeandjoinusandshareyour work(print/dpi)inafriendlyandinformal environment.
Cost:-
RPSMembers£7
Non-Members£8
Moredetailsabouttheeventwillfollow.
Ifyouareinterested,pleasecontactMarija Lees visualartsouthwest@rps.org
*BroadclystisaprettyvillagenearExeter.Itis easytofind,ithasfreecarparkingandtwo excellentpubs.NTKillertonisnearby.
Someofyoumaybeawarethatwearelooking foradesignerwithskillsinAdobeInDesign,or similarhighendpublishingsoftware,to continuetheexcellentdesignworkrecently carriedoutbyPaulMitchellFRPS,whohas recentlyresigned.Thiswouldbetodesignthe RPSVisualArtMagazine,published3timesa year,andtheannualRPSMonograph.You wouldbeworkingwiththethreeguesteditors -NickyGwynn-JonesFRPS,LindaWevillFRPS andRayHigginbottomARPS,whoprovideall thecontent-andliaisingwithmeto productionlevel.
PleasewouldyouletCarolPaesVisualArt GroupSecretaryknowifyouareabletohelp. visualartsec@rps.org
IwillbecontinuingasPublicationsCoordinator soyouhaven’tgotridofmejustyet!
WendyMeagherLRPS
PAULMITCHELLFRPS
IwassadtohearfromPaulthathewasgoing to‘retire’asourVisualArtMagazinesand MonographsdesignerattheendofMarch,but understandablegiventheamountof commitmentshenowhaswithintheRPS.
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Ithasbeenapleasuretoworkwithhimas PublicationsCoordinator,culminatingwithhis beautifullydesignedMonographonhis photography,alegacytohishighstandardof work.Paul,youaremissed.
WendyMeagherLRPS
EXHIBITIONS
Ithoughtasthisismyfirstcontributiontothe NewsletterasanofficialmemberoftheVA committee,Iwouldpaytributetomy predecessorWendyMeagher,whoadmirably heldtheExhibitionsLeadroleformanyyears andunflinchinglydeliveredsuccessfulevents withasmallteamofhelpers.Wendyisstaying oninthecommitteebuttakingastepback fromexhibitions,allowingarelativenewbie (me)takethehelm.Iamundernoillusions aboutthetaskaheadofmebuthopetodeliver ourfutureexhibitionswiththesame determinationandzealasshedid.
to16th Aprilwhichisheldalongsidethat oftheRichmondandTwickernham PhotographicSociety.
Membersshouldalreadyknowofour2023 openingexhibitionattheLandmarkArts CentreinTeddingtonranfrom7th
OurdisplayswereablysetupbyMartyn Pearse,BobBracherandColinLamband thegroupwasrepresentedbyJohnCavana onopeningnight.Johnreportsthatthe exhibitionwaswellattendedby approximately100people,whowere givingitalotofattentionandmaking positivecomments.
Wehavethreefurtherexhibitionsplanned forthisyear:
Edinburgh4th-27thAugust
GalleryPhotiq,LeamingtonSpa 2nd-30thSeptember
HeseltineGallery,Banbury 20thNovember-19thDecember
LookoutforfurtherupdatesontheVA websiteandFBpages.
WearealsoholdinganAwardseventfor successfulentrantstothisyears2023 exhibition,toberuninconjunctionwith theRollrightGroupon27thMay(seealso Rollrightpost).Attendeeswillpaythe normalfeesfortheday,however recipientsofawardsarewelcometospend thedayfreeofcharge.
TomLeeFRPS
STILLLIFEONASHOESTRING
Ihavebeen“pressingtheshutter”nowfor some65yearsandcontinuetomarvelatthe rangeofinterpretationsofthevisualimage fromphotographersofallgenres.My introductiontothemagicofthecamerastarted withanAkarette35mm“Leicalookalike”thatI boughtfromanimpoverishedartistwhoneed somecash.Iknewnothingaboutcameras,no instructionbookbutfoundoutthatthe Akarettewasinfactquiteasophisticatedpiece ofequipmentwithinterchangeablelensanda Schneider50mmlensofhighquality. Everythingwasmanualinoperationand shutterspeedlimitedto1/300.Asisoftensaid thebestwaytolearnisby“doing”(Iwasinthe RAFatthetimewheretherewasacameraclub )andIlearnedtoestimateapertureand distancereallyquitewellovertime,particularly asIusedB/Wfilmat50ASA.
VariouscamerasfollowedandIjoinedtheRPS receivingfirstLicentiateandin1991myARPS DistinctionsinthepreviousPictorialGroupand nowparticipateinThePhorum,agroupof photographerswhooffer“analternateview” basedinSouthampton.ItwasthroughThe Phorumthatmyinterestinstilllifewasre kindled.
Ihaveformanyyearsenjoyedviewingstilllife aspaintedbyvariousartistsoverthecenturies butneverattemptedtotacklethisdiscipline photographically.Whathadfascinatedmewas theartistsuseofnaturallight,usuallyfromone sourceandtheirskillinusingeverydayobjects assubjectmatter,resultinginquitestunning compositionsthatencouragedtheviewer’s attention.
Lockdowncreatedanopportunitytospend moretimeindoorsandIdecidedtoreally“have ago”atstilllife,butalsodecidedtoworkwithin adisciplinedapproach:
Naturallightonly,noexpensiveobjectstowork withandlatertotrytoachieveacolourbalance.
Setupwassimple–lightfromawindowthat facedSouthEast,anoppositewhitewallgave natural“fillin”andastheSunmovedround, somevariationoflightstrength.Firstattempts weremixed(Iquicklyfounditwasmoredifficult
thanIthought),butIbegantoachievewhatI thoughtIsawwhenIviewedtheresult.
Iwantedahighkeyimageandusedawhite background-thiswaslateintheafternoon givingamorepinkishtintfromthewindowand carefuluseofapieceofcardgavemethe shadow.Iwasencouraged.
Thinkingbacktoearlyartiststilllife compositionsmynextstepwastoseeifIcould reproduceasimilarcomposition.Resultswere notatallbadbutabittoophotographic althoughIdidlikethecomposition.
Nextstagewastoseewhetheradifferent backgroundcouldbeusedtogiveamore “artistic”effecttothecomposition.Mylocal fabricshopcametorescuewithadonationofa pieceofendofrollcurtainfabricthatgavethe feelIwaslookingforimage3andimage4.
Ifoundinformationonaphotographercalled KevinBestwhospecialisedin“OldMasterStyle
snuffedoutcandles–thisImusttry!!Againmy localfabricshopweremosthelpfulinsupplying silkyoffcutsformycompositions
provenitstilltookmanyattemptstoseewhatI wantedbutOK
SofartoensuresharpimagesIusedstacking techniquesandwantedtocontinueinthisway. Thequestionwashowtoincludesomesmoke inthefinalimage.
Whatprovedtobethemosteffectivewasto exposeasbeforebutwiththecandlesunlit. Stackmergetheseexposuresthenexposewith thesmokingcandlesandthenmergetotwo images.Probablyaround20attemptswere neededtoachievethelevelofsmokebutthe resultsbegantomakesomesenseseeimage5 StudyinRed.HeartenedbythisresultItrieda differentcompositionpredominantlyblue. Althoughthetechniquebythistimewaswell
inoneareaofcolour.BythistimeIdecidedto
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redecoratesomeoftheartefactstogive complimentarycoloursandtochoose supportingobjectsofasimilartonalrangeand alsotoselectabackdropthatalsofittedthe colourtheme.Nosmokethistime!Itisamazing whatcanbedonewithsamplepaintsfromthe localDIYshop.
reflectwhatI thoughtIsaw atthetime”–after all,thephotographrepresentsaparticular pointintimeandalthoughmayhavebeen influencedbythepastandmayindeed influencethefuture,itisaninstant.
Comparedwithmyentrycamera,thepowerful computerwithapieceofglassinfrontthatwe callacameratoday,doesgivethe photographerunrivalledscopetobecreative inanysituation.Istillenjoymakingmyown settingsthough!
Allimageswerecreatedusinga105mm macrolens.PostprocessinginLightroomand Photoshop.IfoundusingLightroom adjustmentsforContrastandClaritymost valuable.ReducingClarityalittledoesgivea more“artistic”effecttothefinalimage.
AnthonyChapmanMA,ARPS ROLLRIGHTVAG,Saturday27th Mayand
VAGExhibitions2023Awards
Iremainedinfluencedbythe“OldMasters”, persistedwithonlynaturallightandnowI believetheresultisnottoophotographicbut moreartistic.
Wehavetwospeakersscheduledforournext meetinginLongComptonon27th May, SteveBrabner and LeighPreston,plusthe VAGExhibitions2023Awards
Ihaveenjoyedthislearningexperienceand willcontinuetoexploreotherwaystocreate imagesthatarevisuallypleasing.Myguidefor allmyphotographyhasbeen–“doestheresult
SteveBrabnerisapopularandentertaining speaker.Histalksareinformativeand inspiring,hisimagesfullofideas,creativityand originality.Hewillbegivingusanewtalk 'The StoriesBehind...".Itisalwaysfascinatingto hearhowphotographersarriveattheir
Image7
BlackpoolHighJinksbySteveBrabner
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pictures-theirconcepts,projectsandhappy accidents–sothisisdefinitelysomethingto lookforwardto.
LeighPrestonisadelightfulandamusing speaker,asensitiveandprolificphotographer. Hisworkcoversmanygenres-landscape, urbanandindustrial,portrait,street,traveland documentary.Hehastaughtphotography professionallyandasatutorforJessops.He currentlytutorsandlecturesforPermajet.He isamemberoftheLondonSalon,amember andpastchairmanofArenaandholdsmany distinctions-FRPS,EFIAP,MPAGB.His presentationsarefullofhisdrywitandthe imagesareinsightfulandtechnicallysuperb.
Tocompletetheday,wewillhostthe Visual ArtMembers’PrintExhibition2023Awards showingPDIsofthemedalwinningprints, judgesawardsandcommendedentries.
TomLee,Exhibitionorganiserwrites “Afteranothersuccessfulselectionofthe imagesforthisyearsVAExhibitions,itis proposedtopresentwinningentrantsata jointeventwiththeRollrightGroupon Saturday27thMay.Theexhibitionsare currentlyunderwayattheLandmarkArts CentreinTeddington(from7thApril)and detailsofotherdatesandvenueswillbe postedinfuturenewslettersandontheVA websiteandFacebookpages.”
Thecostofthedayeventis£13,refreshments included,butnotewearenotableto providealunch. Tobookyourplace CLICK HERE .
YoudonothavetobeamemberoftheRPS toaccessandusethislinkandRollright eventsarenotrestrictedtoRPSorVAG members.Weareopentoeveryonewithand interestinPhotography.Ifyouknowof someonewhomightliketojoinus,please passonthisinformationandencouragethem tocomealong.
Wemeet LongComptonVillageHall,post codeCV365JJ, 10:30to5:00,doorsopen10.00. TojoinouremaillistcontactBarryBarker: VisualArtRollright<visualartrollright@rps.org>
LandscapebyLeighPreston
ParrotTulipbyDianeFifield
NEWCASTLESPRING RESIDENTIALWEEKEND2023
Havingseenthelongrangeforecastand encounteredsomeratherinclementweather onthejourneyuptoNewcastleonThursday wefearedtheworstandwhenwewokeupto torrentialrainonFridaymorningwefeltthe diewascast…..however,thegodssmiledonus andtherainquicklydissipatedandstayedthat waythroughouttheweekend.
Wehadtwogreatworkshopslinedupbeing ledbyBillWardandTonyWorobiecwhoalso gaveapresentationeach,togetherwithAndy Marland (www.mechanicallandscapes.com/ resources) andMartineHamiltonKnight (www.lineandlight.co.uk) providingadditional presentations.
Aftereveryonearrivedandgotsettledinon Fridayafternoonweallmetupforour customarywelcomedrinksandseguedinto ourfirsttalkbyTony,aseasonedspeakerwho isalsoanassessorontheRPSVisualArtteam whogaveatalkonthethemeofnightandlow lightphotography,asuperbpresentation whichgaveussomeusefultipsandinsightinto ournightshootalongtheTynethefollowing evening.
BillturneduplateFridaynighthavingtravelled fromthesouthofEnglandwhereheisin rehearsalforthenewstageproductionheis performingin(there’sdedicationforyou)but afteragoodnight’ssleepwasupbrightand earlytoleadhisfirstworkshopoftheweekend aroundtheTynefromwherewewerebased, alongtothemillenniumbridge,whileTony tookhisgroupovertothecoastlookingfor abstractsanddetailsintherockstrata.
AndyMarlandpresentedhistalktousthat eveningaboutasubjectneartohisheart whichhehasbeenphotographingfora numberofyearschroniclingthedemiseofthe industrialnorthandalsoreferencedthework ofthelateChrisKillip,bestknownforhis documentaryimagesinthe‘70’sandearly‘80’s andwho,coincidentallyhadaretrospectiveof hisworkshowingattheBalticCentrefor ContemporaryArt,ascantmileorsofromour hotel.
NextupthateveningBillpresentedhistalk‘in searchof…..’anditcertainlyroundedoffthe eveningwithabang.Alwaysarivetingspeaker heastoundeduswithhisICMandabstract work.
Sundaybroughtmoregoodweatherandthe nextroundofworkshopsforthoselucky enoughtobeonthem(theseworkshopsare extremelypopularandarealwayssignedup almostimmediately).Intheeveningwehad Martine’spresentationwhich,forme,wasthe highlightoftheweekend,architectural photographybeingmyfirstlove.Ittrulywasa delightandtotallyabsorbingwithplentyof amusinganecdotesalongtheway.
Allthiswasinterspersedwithoureverpopular ‘Showandtells’.
Somegreatworkpresentedand,arealtreat, wewereshownthreerecentlyacceptedpanels ofwork,two‘A’s’awonderfulmulti-layered flowerpanelbySamanthaRuthARPSandthe other,adarkandbeautifulgothicinspired panelbyAlanGristwoodARPSfinishingwithan absolutelysuperb‘F’panelbyHazelFrostFRPS documentingtheworkersinashipsfoundryin Bangladeshtaskedwithbreakingupand smeltingoldbronzepropellorsandcasting themintohugenewonesintheharshestof conditionswithoutthebenefitsofeven rudimentarysafety.Darkandmoodyand takeninminimalnaturallightthismusthave presentedarealchallengeandwasatruly remarkableset.
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nextoneforAutumnwhichwillbetravelling southtoPlymouthontheweekendofFriday 6thOctober-Monday9thOctober.Watch thisspace,weʼvegotsomegreatstuffinthe pipeline
MikeKitchingmanLRPS
UPDATEONTHECIRCLES
"TheVisualArtGroupgivesallitsmembers, freeofcharge,theopportunitytomakenew photographerfriends,fromallovertheUK,and occasionallyevenabroad.
YoucanjoinoneofourtwoPrintCircles, exchangeprintsandsharecommentsonthem everyfewweeks.Forreasonsofpostageand lossofprints,thePrintCirclesarerestrictedto theUK.Ifyou'reinterested,justdropmean email.Icanfindyouaplacestraightaway.Orif youwantmoreinformation,Icanputyouin touchwithoneoftheSecretarieswhorunthe PrintCirclesandyoucandiscussquerieswith them.
TheVisualArtGroupalsoruns5EmailCircles, whichcirculateimagesmonthly,andwelcome newaswellasexperiencedmembers.There areafewplacesavailableinbothPrintand EmailCirclesjustnowsoifyou'djustliketo knowalittlemore,dropmealine at Gill@dishart.plus.com "
GillDishartARPS
AGM2023
Aswehavedonefrom2020onwards,theAGM washeldonline,thusallowingthebroadest possibleopportunityformemberstovoteand givevaluablefeedback.Althoughaquorum wasachieved,thenumberofvotingslips returnedwasconsiderablydownonprevious years.
Hopefullymorefeedbackwillbereceivednext year,givingthecommitteeguidanceonwhat memberswantinreturnfortheirsubscription.
Someverygoodfeedbackthatwedidgetthis yearwillguideourdecisionsbutwewillalways wanttohearmorefromgroupmembers.Just getintouchusingvisualart@rps.org
ThefollowingmembersmakeupyourVAG committeefor2023/24:
Chair
JohnCavanaARPS
Secretary&Newsletter
CarolPaesARPS
Treasurer
BarryBarkerFRPS
Membership
MarkDeutschLRPS
PublicationsCoordinator
WendyMeagherLRPS
ExhibitionsCoordinator
TomLeesFRPS
Exhibitionsmember
MartynPearse
WebEditor
MichaelButterworthLRPS
CirclesCoordinator
GillDishartARPS
Residentialweekends
MikeKitchingmanLRPS
CommitteeMember
ValGlennyLRPS
CommitteeMember
BobBracherARPS
JohnCavanaARPS