St. Eata'sThe old A5 Pack Horse Bridge, with its buttressed arches and steep pavement, spans the River Severn at Atcham. Running alongside is a newer, flatter road bridge, carrying motor traffic to the town of Shrewsbury, a few miles further on. At this point are also, the gates of Attingham Park, and just across the road is the Mytton & Mermaid hotel, the grounds of which slope gently to a bend in the meandering river. This picturesque area is completed by the dominant tower of the 11th Century church of St. Eata’s.

The gounds of Attingham Park were originally landscaped to provide vistas across Shropshire, and whether or not this confluence of building and landscape came about by accident or design, it is a magnet for local photographers, anglers and N.T enthusiasts.

After the summer recess, the drop-in life-drawing sessions have started again in Shrewsbury.

These are untutored sessions for all abilities. Whilst the drawing sessions are intensive, the break is relaxed and friendly. It is during the break – with refreshment – that we chat to each other about the drawings or different techniques – or quite possibly about nothing to do with art at all.

There is a rotation of excellent models, who vary the length of the poses and bring their own style and body language for us to draw.

In this first session, I have gone back to basics, using building blocks to form the structure of the body.

life drawing 1 life drawing 2

For more information about the Life Drawing sessions email Dave Bissett at:

bosky@btinternet.com

Cader Idris

Went for the day up Cader Idris. We were lucky that the sun shone and the summit was not shrouded in mist.

Ben Kennedy - Cader IdrisRichard Wilson - Cader Idris

Compare our photo with the painting by Richard Wilson, c 1765, which is in the Tate Gallery, London. Llyn Cau is probably halfway up to the summit. The spectacular peak shadowing the lake is Craig Cau. Wilson has used his artistic license quite liberally to create this stunning composition; also adding cattle where they never could have been – (a few sheep, yes), and surprisingly few birds but many flies.

The reality was the immensity of Craig Cau beyond the lake, and the actual summit, even higher, to the right of the picture.

Visited Bristol Museum and Art Gallery with my daughter to see the ‘Banksy’ exhibition. Approaching along Park Row, with fifty yards to go, I could already see a queue outside the entrance. ‘Not too bad’, I thought – but was then directed further along and up a side street – to join the rest of the queue. Three lines of barriers, each 100 yards long, containing close to a thousand people snaking patiently up and down the road, meant a two hour shuffle to eventually reach the gallery entrance.

Banksy QueueBanksy Ice Cream Queue

An enterprising, and no doubt very happy, ice-cream vendor had parked at the top of the road. He had a ready-formed queue passing his van at just the right pace to make the purchase of an ice-cream easy. Few resisted.

I hoped the exhibition would be worth the wait.

We were not disappointed. The exhibition was fun, but at the same time it had serious intent. Banksy the anarchist; the urban terrorist; is now showing easily understood, commissioned images, in sculptural, animatronic and 2 dimensional form, and it was being enjoyed by all ages – children through to elderly. If you go, don’t miss the expressions of each of the chimps in the House of Commons. Fantastic! This will be one of my ‘memorable’ exhibitions. Banksy’s work  appealed through its humour, and as I was walking away from the gallery, it was difficult to stop seeing Banksy-like images around the streets and back to the car-park.

Improved Dot Picture