Winter Programme 2024 - 2025

The Winter Programme 2023-2024 begins on Tuesday 3rd September 2024.

These sessions are on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Cowbridge Hall, Cowbridge, Hertford SG14 1PG. Approximately half the evenings in the Winter Programme are for Members to paint or draw with tutor-led workshops, from still life arrangements, or with a life model. The remaining evenings are taken up with talks, critiques of paintings brought along by Members or demonstrations from a professional artist. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the non-practical evenings (marked with an asterisk).

Saturday Life Workshops will recommence on 28th September 2024 and non-Members are welcome - see details on Life Workshops below. The Members’ Show will be held from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd November 2024.

Winter Programme 2024 - 2025 (pdf) - click here for more details

Saturday Life Workshops

WHY LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING? – Some may say it is old fashioned, but practising Life Drawing enhances observation and accuracy. Interpreting the shape of the human body trains the artist to see almost every curve line and subtle undulation found in nature. The satisfaction of producing an acceptable image can be quite intense. It does not happen immediately and demands a great deal of practice to achieve.

Hertford Art Society runs Life Workshops in Cowbridge Halls, Hertford, SG14 1PG on the last Saturday of 9 months during the year. The only exception is the October Session which is sometimes changed when it coincides with the Members’ Show. Although these are primarily run for Members we welcome enthusiastic visitors at £25.00 per session, this includes coffee, tea and biscuits, available all day. The sessions are untutored and last from 10.00am – 4.00pm with a break for lunch. We work in in all mediums including prep work for sculpture. Bring whatever medium and equipment you require with you. The photographs below illustrate the exciting variety of work produced by the artists.

There are many different approaches to life drawing which become very obvious during the sessions. We are a very enthusiastic group of artists and in a relaxed atmosphere we learn from each other different skills and methods of working, as well as experimenting with different mediums etc. We do not have a set programme of poses, but usually include short poses and longer poses for artists who wish to produce a more finished piece of work. So why not join us if you haven’t already?

Workshops take place on the last Saturday of the month (except for October) for nine months of the year. They do not take place in April, August and December due to the annual Open Exhibition and holiday periods.

Life Models Workshops within HAS Winter Programme for 2024 - 2025 - 10am - 4pm at Cowbridge Halls, Hertford, SG14 1PG

28th September 2024
19th October 2024
23rd November 2024
25th January 2025
22nd February 2025
29th March 2025
25th May 2025
29th June 2025
27th July 2025

If you are interested please contact [email protected] for further details.

Critique with Mike Todd

3rd December 2024

Left to right by Derek Carey, Alona Kushnirenko, Kathy Burman.

Each month Members are invited to bring one recent artwork for a Critique Evening. This is a traditional element of the Society’s Winter Programme and is normally led by a professional artist or tutor who appraises and comments on the work and gives advice and tips on how it could be improved or enhanced. They may ask the artist what inspired them to paint, draw or sculpt the particular image and how they approached the work. Colour choices are explored, tones evaluated and composition discussed. The presentation of the work is part of this process – the decision of how to crop the image, the choice of mount or frame. Some work is still in progress, hence unframed and suggestions may be made as to framing etc.. Members of the audience are often invited to comment.

Left to right by Sally Steele, Kater Tyrer, Mike Lawrene.

The Critique on 3rd December was led by Mike Todd, the Head of Art at Richard Hale School, Hertford. Mike is a regular visitor having led past Critiques and acted as a judge in past Exhibitions. He praised the wide range of artwork on view during the evening and gave considered advice on each item. As well as his teaching duties he takes time – every day at 5a.m.! – to sketch and draw for his own pleasure. He had brought along some sketchbooks which showed his diverse interests and influences. He also talked about the talents of his many students.

Left to right by Joe Rowson, John Smith.

A few of the Critiques are DIY evenings with Members presenting their own work, talking about the difficulties and pitfalls of bringing the work to a satisfactory conclusion and asking for feedback from fellow Members. Lively discussions often follow.

by Tony Gibbs.

Although rather daunting, this is a very valuable exercise. It gives Members the opportunity to evaluate their own work and the work of others, to learn more about their colleagues’ techniques and skills and to apply the advice of the professional artist who has been invited to lead the session to their own artwork. New Members are warmly encouraged to take part. This display is of all the artworks brought along for this Critique. It is colourful and varied and illustrates the broad range of artwork undertaken by Members of the Society.

Left to right by Geoff Bennett, Michael Radley.

Mike was warmly thanked for leading this lively evening, for his constructive comments and advice and for sharing his own work with us.

Fantastic beasts

Clay workshop with Abel Kesteven
12th November 2024

Originally trained as an illustrator, Abel Kesteven is a multi-talented artist who loves to explore new techniques and ideas. He has exhibited widely and over the years has developed a very spontaneous semi-abstract approach to painting, drawing and modelling in clay. We were delighted to welcome him back for this workshop.

He runs drawing, sculpture and monoprint workshops for local art societies and also leads therapeutic art sessions in day centres and care homes in and around his home area of Carshalton, Surrey. Not only does this provide a regular income but is also a source of inspiration, working with adults who have varying degrees of physical and learning difficulty. They have a fearless and unconscious approach to their art which is wonderful to observe and has inspired him to express himself more freely in his own work.

A fearless approach was definitely needed for this workshop as Abel showed us images of imaginary or mythical animals formed from blending two different creatures together. He encouraged us to give our imaginations free reign in designing such a creature – no rules, anything goes.

Using air drying clay he demonstrated some basic techniques:

Modelling a large piece of clay then hollowing out the body cavity from below with a wire tool;
Forming two balls of clay into cup shapes using the palm of one hand and thumb of the other. These two pinch pots (or thumb pots) are then joined together by scoring and wetting the edges and pushing together. A small coil of clay is then laid on the join and blended in. This hollow body shape forms the basis of the figure. (If it is to be fired a small inconspicuous hole will need to be made.)
If the animal needs legs to support it then a large coil is rolled out, cut to size and each leg pushed into place with scoring, wetting surfaces and coils applied around the joins.

The clay provided will air dry to a fairly strong model which can then be sealed with PVA and painted. If a kiln is available, the model can be fired – once to “biscuit” and then to “stoneware” temperature. This will make the model strong and robust. Glazes could be added.

Many members who had brought photos of animals had a rethink as to how their chosen subject could be modified/enhanced and the work progressed at a very impressive pace. Abel gave recommendations and guidance on how to add and form the clay to get the best outcome and some glorious creatures began to emerge.

This was a very enjoyable workshop - messy but fun. By the end of the session Members had created a virtual menagerie of Fantastic Beasts – a swan with the head of a cobra, a sheep/turtle, a chicken with dragon’s wings, a dog with a seal’s body, an elf with rabbits ears and a fox with a very stylish coat among many others. They were carefully packed for the trip home.

Abel was warmly thanked for leading this unusual workshop and for giving us the benefit of his advice and expertise. The results were striking, impressive and Fantastic.

Autumn painting and drawing workshop

29th October 2024

This was an untutored session and Members worked in various mediums, sketching and painting the superb arrangements of plants, watering cans, pumpkins etc. kindly provided by Michael Radley.

There was something for everyone – from delicate orchids to sturdy pots and watering cans and Members appreciated the challenge of capturing an image in the space of two hours. Some used watercolours, others acrylics or pencil.

The resulting paintings were lively and colourful. Some had been completed but others could be worked on further or form the basis of future artworks. Michael was warmly thanked for setting up such great displays – this was a very enjoyable evening.

Introduction to Gelli printing

Demonstration by Mitzie Green
8th October 2024

Mitzie Green is a painter and printmaker who enjoys working in a playful and spontaneous manner where unexpected results are allowed to happen. She has exhibited widely and runs regular workshops.

For this demonstration Mitzie is equipped with a Gelli pad (a durable, reusable plate that looks and feels like gelatin), large tubes of acrylic paints (Amsterdam brand, but any will do), small roller, ‘Logan wrap’ parchment paper (easy to use semi-transparent sheets similar to greaseproof paper), stencils, stamps, brushes and water/rags for cleaning up.

Mitzie applies paint directly from the tube to the Gelli pad and rolls it to a smooth layer. She then quickly cleans the roller on a blank sheet of paper before applying a stencil on top of the paint and a piece of parchment paper which she presses and then rolls firmly on top of the stencil to obtain a print. A second “ghost print” is then taken. The plate is then cleaned. The sheet on which the roller has been cleaned builds up a great texture and pattern of its own.

The nature of the Gelli pad allows the paint to creep up onto the paper as it is compressed giving a totally different result to printing from, say, a glass plate. Stencils can be hand-made (using 160g paper) or bought from art stores or online. Mitzie has a huge collection, ranging from delicate to bold, and she uses the prints extensively in her paintings and collage work. She demonstrates using multiple stencils on the same print, several colours together, white paint as a contrast and builds up various examples. A stencil can be used on top of a printed sheet with paint applied with a sponge or brush.

Scraps of lace fabric make good stencils and Mitzie has a stash of “recycled” bits and pieces (textured cardboard, handmade rollers with string applied) as well as large stamps to give variety. With a lid from a bottle she impresses the Gelli pad directly in order to lift paint off before taking a print. A silicon scraper has the same effect. Cut out shapes can also be set onto the pad. Frequent and swift cleaning is essential for both the pad and roller as acrylic paint can “set” if left. Baby wipes are recommended.

By this stage there is a vast variety of printed sheets and often unexpected results from combining different stencils or approaches. “Experiment” is Mitzie’s advice and she showed us how elements of stencils had been applied to her paintings, either directly or glued-on, to add interest.

The session ended with positive and negative leaf prints and discussion of a painting currently being worked on with this motif.

The range and variety of prints produced in this short demonstrations was astonishing – an extensive collection of materials to be used in collage, applied to paintings or for greetings cards. Colourful and bold seemed to be Mitzie’s style and she was warmly thanked for sharing the skills needed for Gelli printing with the Members present.

Colour Workshop with Vanda Campbell

17th September 2024

Vanda Campbell is a painter and sculptor who has exhibited widely and runs courses and workshops from her studio in Saffron Walden. She provided members with a very thought-provoking and entertaining Colour Workshop. Colour theory is a body of principles that provide guidance on the relationship between colours and the physiological impacts of certain colour combinations. Vanda explained the three rules of colour and demonstrated how great artists - contemporary and historic - consistently applied these rules to their work

The Colour Wheel (first developed by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century but understood much earlier by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci) is key with the three primary colours (red, yellow and blue) used to mix three secondary colours (green, orange and purple). Further tertiary shades can be mixed in between.

The three rules:

Analogous colour schemes use 3 adjacent colours on the colour wheel
Complimentary colours - select 2 colours which are opposite each other
Triadic - select 3 colours equidistant on the wheel

Members were then asked to explore colour combinations in their own pallets and to apply the rules and their colour choices to three copies of the same image. A discussion of the end results followed, with some stunning examples produced.

Highlights of the Summer Season 2024

Despite some tricky weather the 2024 Summer Programme was very enjoyable with a wide variety of venues – villages, towns and countryside – presenting great opportunities for sketching and painting.

Left: by Elena Russu. Right: Essendon, early evening by John Jarratt.

In July there was an afternoon visit to Paradise Wildlife Park, now re-branded as Hertfordshire Zoo. Ten Members turned up for the challenge.

Wildlife has to be the most difficult subject to paint: either the animals are hidden, or too far away, or they are asleep, or they are constantly moving, and anyway they invariably merge into the background with effective camouflage. Members struggled heroically against the odds and produced some exciting images. A special award to Marianne Dorn who produced more pictures than the rest of us put together.

As their website points out, this was a ‘unique opportunity to get close and personal with wild animals including lions, tigers, snow leopards, and zebras.’

On a fabulously warm and sunny evening to round off the season a group of members met in a beautiful garden. The Hertford Players were in situ, rehearsing for their run of Wendy & Peter Pan at The Minack Theatre in Penzance. There was plenty of action to entertain us as Peter Pan and Captain Hook practiced their sword play and props included ‘flying beds’.

The garden was in wonderful bloom and the star of the show was a mature Cotinus Smokebush - its jumble of low level gnarled limbs resembling a living sculpture.

Hertford Choral Society

Paint and draw the rehearsal at All Saints Church, Hertford
22nd June 2024

Members of Hertford Art Society were invited to paint or draw the musicians and choir at this rehearsal of the Summer Concert – “Music from the West End”. Favourites from West End Shows – with choir, soloists and band was to be performed that same evening in the beautiful venue of All Saints Church. Artists enjoyed the afternoon to highlights from Wicked, Mama Mia, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. “Lovely music to paint to, just not enough time to do justice to a complicated scene,” remarked one artist.

Pictures by Alona Kushnirenco, Derek Carey, Geoff Bennett & Diane Warburton

Frederick Handel’s “Saul”

Performed by Hertford Choral Society
23rd March 2024

On Saturday March 23rd Frederick Handel’s ‘Saul’ came to St Andrews Church, Hertford, in all its majestic glory. Accompanying the splendid singing by some very talented soloists and the full might of the Hertford Choral Society eight large pictures by the Art Society hung from the pillars of the central aisle.

They depicted a dramatic episode from the Old Testament: David, a shepherd lad, has won the admiration of Saul, first king of the Jews, by slaying Goliath. Saul’s affection for David changes to rage however as he realises David is now more popular than he is. Saul orders his son, Jonathan to kill David, but Jonathan loves David and refuses. The action continues downhill, ending with the death of Saul and Jonathan, and David succeeding Saul as the leader of the Jews.

Plenty of action therefore to capture in the paintings - Saul’s tortured relationship with David, with his son Jonathan, and with his two daughters, Michal and Merab; the ghost of Samuel warning Saul of his impending doom; the hostile tribes surrounding the Israelites; the love between David and Michal.

The paintings from our trusty team captured these diverse strands very well. Congratulations and thanks to John Jarratt, Paul Swinge, Marianna Fleming, Marianne Dorn, Persis, Janet Dobney and Alan Hobbs. Our members rose to the challenge in a variety of styles.

Geoff Bennett

Spring Celebration Still Life Workshop with Spring Flowers

19th March 2024

This was an untutored workshop. Members could choose to paint or draw in a medium of their choice. Some lovely spring flowers were contributed for this Workshop including hellebores in various subtle shades, hyacinths, daffodils, winter jasmine and a branch of magnolia flowers. The displays were mostly in vases, some clear and one with a bold flowery motif.

This was a very enjoyable workshop which resulted in some delicate, colourful studies in a variety of mediums.

Balance and Composition in Art Talk and Workshop with Jean Noble, Abstract Artist

27th February 2024

We were delighted to welcome Jean Noble, a local Abstract Artist, for an illustrated talk on balance and composition in Abstract Art followed by a workshop on creating an Abstract painting or drawing.

These are Jean’s notes on how to set about this, and two of her pictures. Artwork produced during the workshop is also shown below.

“What makes a painting abstract?

The term can be applied to art that is based on an object, figure or landscape, where forms have been simplified or constructed. It is also applied to art that uses forms, such as geometric shapes or gestural marks, which have no source at all in an external visual reality.

Elements of Composition

Composition is different from the subject matter of a painting. Every painting, whether abstract or representational, regardless of subject matter, has a composition. Good composition is essential to the success of a painting. Done successfully, good composition draws the viewer in and then moves the viewer’s eye across the whole painting so that everything is taken in, finally settling on the main subject of the painting.

The elements of composition in art are used to arrange or organize the visual components in a way that is pleasing to the artist and, one hopes, the viewer. They help give structure to the layout of the painting and the way the subject is presented. They can also encourage or lead the viewer's eye to wander around the whole painting, taking in everything and ultimately coming back to rest on the focal point. In Western art the elements of composition are generally considered to be:

Unity: Do all the parts of the composition feel as if they belong together, or does something feel stuck on, awkwardly out of place?

Balance: Balance is the sense that the painting "feels right" and not heavier on one side. Having a symmetrical arrangement adds a sense of calm, whereas an asymmetrical arrangement creates a more dynamic feeling. A painting that is not balanced creates a sense of unease.

Movement: There are many ways to give a sense of movement in a painting. You can use leading lines (a photography term applicable to painting) to direct the viewer's eye into and around the painting. Leading lines can be actual lines, or they can be implied lines.

Rhythm: In much the same way music does, a piece of art can have a rhythm or underlying beat that leads your eye to view the artwork at a certain pace. Look for the large underlying shapes (squares, triangles, etc.) and repeated colour.

Focus (or Emphasis): The viewer's eye ultimately wants to rest on the "most important" thing or focal point in the painting, otherwise the eye feels lost, wandering around in space.

Contrast: Paintings with high contrast—strong differences between light and dark, for example—have a different feel than paintings with minimal contrast in light and dark, dark, contrast can be differences in shape, colour, size, texture, type of line, etc.

Pattern: A regular repetition of lines, shapes, colours, or values in a composition.

Proportion: How things fit together and relate to each other in terms of size and scale; whether big or small, nearby or distant.

The elements of composition are not the same as the elements of art.

The 7 elements of art are Line, Shape, Space, Value, Form, Texture, and Colour. I would add Personal expression/handwriting

Composition is the term used to describe the arrangement of the visual elements in a painting or other artwork. It is how the elements of art and design- line, shape, colour, value, texture, form and space are organised or composed according to the principles of art and design - balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm and variety-and other elements of composition, to give the painting structure and convey the intent of the artist.”

Jean Noble

Two paintings by Jean Noble

This was a very interesting evening, exploring the many aspects of abstract painting and experimenting with sketches during the workshop, while guided by Jean on design and composition. There was a great variety of work produced in the hour after the talk, some monochrome, some in colour, some bold and others delicate. Jean was thanked for sharing her passion for abstract art with us and the above notes will be of great assistance in the future for those who explore abstract painting further.

Figurative Painting Workshop with Liz Loxton

6th February 2024

Figurative Painting Workshop - from reference material to large painting - facilitated by Liz Loxton, a talented artist known for her expressive and abstract paintings. Liz works out of her studio in Hertford, creating large and small artworks in which she aims to convey the feelings experienced in the creative process.

This workshop was designed to help artists work from reference material as a starting point for a figurative painting. Liz guided Members through a couple of short warm up exercises, before assisting as they worked on a larger painted piece.

Introduction and ice breaker: Liz talks about her work and shows a couple of recent pieces, including a large figurative piece painted last year, “Hey Fella”, as a means of exploring how small sketches from life drawing classes can become larger paintings.
First warm up exercise – drawing the face from a sketch or photograph. Members chose from reference photographs supplied by Liz, working for 10 minutes on A3 paper with charcoal, conte or pencil. This was challenging but a really good starting point. The resulting drawings were bold and energetic
Second warm up exercise – making tonal paintings of the figure from reference material, working for 20 minutes with a different image and using black acrylic paint in paper cups, working with thin, pale paint initially and building up to darker tones. This exercise made one look closely at the tonal values in the photograph and produced some strong images.
Third exercise – to develop a larger piece of work. Choosing a new reference or developing one already chosen for the earlier exercise, Members were encouraged to work large and scale up the image using colour but to consider the earlier work with tones as a basis for the painting.

Liz circulated, offering guidance and support throughout the remainder of the evening. Her comments were helpful and constructive. For the last 10 minutes work was displayed and discussed. This was a very stimulating workshop. The time constraints forced one to work swiftly and boldly. The broad range of work was impressive. Liz was warmly thanked for running this inspiring Workshop and for sharing her approach with us.