WORKSHOPS, HOLIDAYS, PAINTING DAYS
Maggie organises various activities and events for our members. These take place throughout the year. They include Friday studio workshops, art holidays in the South West of England (Dorset & Cornwall), outdoor painting days and field trips to various painting locations throughout the Summer. Added to these are the regular annual exhibitions - two main shows each year (see Exhibitions page).
For more information about workshops, please visit www.maggieread.co.uk
ART HOLIDAY 2024
Maggie Read took a group of artists on a five-day art holiday to the Dorset Coast, based in Bridport. During a very entertaining week, where the weather largely behaved itself, the artists drew and painted scenes in West Bay, Charmouth, Lyme Regis and Symondsbury, as well as scenes (especially people) from Bridport’s weekly market. The week was very successful, with many paintings being started (some completed!) as well as sketch books full of drawings. A few scenes of the locations and the painters are shown below. See Maggie's own painting of Charmouth beach above centre.
Nail-biting England football match coinciding with the timing of Maggie's "meet and greet"! Obviously the match was more important ...
Tutor dressed for all weathers ...
Lunch at the Red Brick Cafe, in Bridport, on market-day
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2024
We had two lovely locations for our outdoor painting days in 2024.
Cramond House (a private Tarrant-style house in Pirbright) and Perry Hill Cottages, Worplesdon. Some members also chose to paint at St. Mary's Church (opposite the Cottages)
Some of the work, in progress or completed by the artists, on the two painting days is shown below.
This painting of Cramond House, which was painted by Steve Wells, was later sold to the owners of the house.
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2023
There were some lovely locations for our outdoor painting days in summer 2023 - see photos below!
St Mary’s Church, Bentley, Hants Our group of artists visited this historic Church, which is in a quiet rural location behind Bentley village, with lovely views from the churchyard.
Loseley Park, Surrey The first visit we arranged to this wonderful house and gardens had to be postponed, owing to extreme wet weather & thunderstorms! When we finally visited, on a hot August day, Loseley lived up to its billing! Statues, arbours, water features and views of Loseley House plus the glorious gardens in full bloom!
Eashing (Stag-on-the-River)
A lovely day visiting this quiet hamlet on the River Wey with views of the Mill, riverbank and bridge to paint! A pub lunch was enjoyed by all participants at the end of the painting day.
Hatchlands Park, Surrey
This large National Trust property with extensive gardens and grounds saw a group of painters positioned around the outside of the house, painting the subject from many angles. Other artists found statues, domes and follies in the grounds as subject matter.
Abinger Hammer's
chiming clock
St. Mary's Church, Bentley
Anthony Shelton's painting of the fountain
Maggie Read's "work-in-progress" painting of Eashing's bridge
Maggie Read's demo painting of Hatchlands
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2022
Maggie Read's Summer Outdoor Painting Days were held during July and August. They included a visit to Guildford Castle; the Rural Life Centre at Tilford; Stoke Mill House and Pyrford Church. Details can be found by opening the PDF document here.
Some scenes from the 2022 Summer Outdoor Painting days.
Guildford Castle
Rural Life Centre
Stoke Mill House
Stephen Jones's unfinished painting of St Nicholas Church, Pyrford
Maggie's painting of St. Nicholas Church, Pyrford, in its early stages! It was a lovely but rather hot day, so we all took advantage of the many shady areas under the trees.
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2021
During August, Maggie held 3 Outdoor Painting Days, one in Pirbright, with the other two being nearby in Lightwater and Horsell. All 3 were held at lovely private houses and we owe great thanks to the owners for letting us paint there. Further details and actual pictures take on the days below.
CRAMOND HOUSE, PIRBRIGHT - A 1930s Tarrant-style house with stunning woodland gardens and adjoining fields with horses (including Maggie's own two!). There was lots of potential for painting the house, the grounds and adjoining fields.
COLVILLE HOUSE, LIGHTWATER - An imposing house, overlooking Lightwater Lake. Large covered terrace and stone balustrade. There were many shaded areas in the wooded gardens to sit and enjoy the peace! Fantastic painting subjects including water-fountains, ducks and swans. Pictures show views from the house and the end of session critique from Maggie.
BIRCH COTTAGES, HORSELL Charming Victorian house (originally two cottages) with long winding garden, specially designed to have many little ‘rooms’ and seating areas. Gorgeous plants and flowers, water-feature and statues. Pictures show views around the garden and the end of session critique by Maggie.
RECOMMENCEMENT OF LIVE CLUB SESSIONS - Post-Lockdown 2021
After Lockdown - the recommencement of 'live' sessions happened in July 2021.
Earlier, Maggie had e-mailed all members to say: "I do hope we have managed to keep you engaged with the club over the past months (of lockdown). I know that some of you have enjoyed trying out the various 'themes' and many have viewed my demo videos, whether on YouTube or via links to my Google photo albums.
Several members took part in a project to create the "Pirbright in Art" book, which was being put together by the local Church committee as a 'fund-raiser' book featuring images of Pirbright, by local residents and art clubs. Members sent in their drawings or paintings of local Pirbright scenes, some of which had been produced on Maggie's Summer Outdoor Painting Days in previous years. We were delighted with the finished product, which was published just in time for the Pirbright Village Fair on September 4th. Many paintings by our members feature in the book, which we helped to sell on our stall. (Copies are £10 each and can be ordered through the Church website or bought from the Quince Cottage Gallery.)
Pirbright Church by Alison Clarke
Little Girl Statue by Maggie Read
We had two Meet and Draw outdoor sessions in May 2021 and they were well attended by members, giving them a chance to catch up with each other after many months and to do a bit of drawing too!
We produced a Spring 2021 Pirbright Art Club Newsletter - in the midst of the last Lockdown! Please click on the logo to see the PDF version.
This edition was dedicated to the various ways that some of our members used their time during the latest enforced isolation, when even the weather was against us all, keeping us all indoors and encouraging us to get down to some of the things we don't usually find time for - a plus-side to the Covid restrictions perhaps?
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2020
Sadly, we were unable to hold our usual schedule of outdoor painting days in Summer 2020, due to the ongoing Covid restrictions. Some of us met together on the village green at Pirbright at the end of August for a sketch and catch-up session!
FRIDAY CLASS 2020
Maggie's Friday Morning Painting Class, which was running 'virtually' via WhatsApp during each period of lockdown, also re-opened 'live' in late September, at Lord Pirbright's Hall, until the hall had to close again in November! When they were unable to meet in person for weekly classes, members posted images of their latest work (following that week's theme) at various stages of completion, for Maggie's advice and comments. Some examples of Friday Class lockdown work on the themes of "Still-life, in the style of the "Scottish Colourists" and "Garden Shadows", are shown here (right and below). See further examples on Maggie's website: www.maggieread.co.uk
LOCKDOWN 2020
During the 2020 Lockdown, members continued to be actively involved with the club by following the monthly 'themes' from home. Maggie was available to advise or critique work via WhatsApp or by email. Members were encouraged to post their own work on our Facebook page. From May 2020, members could access YouTube videos specially created for their own group. These short films were mainly to give inspiration to members to keep going with their art. Maggie's finished demonstration pieces were sent to members as an attached jpg as well as appearing on the website later. Two of these final pieces are shown below and some appeared in the "Virtual" Annual Exhibition.
OUTDOOR PAINTING DAYS 2019
August that year saw the start of our "plein air" painting season - the first one taking place on the very day when severe weather warnings were put in place for the whole country - a storm was heading our way! Somehow, though, we managed to avoid any bad weather for the whole session (a light rain shower at lunchtime soon cleared away) and in fact it was still and calm with warm sunshine in our corner of Pirbright - Older Lodge, Mill Lane. As soon as we had finished at 3 o'clock and reached home, the storm hit and it raged through the whole evening and that night!
On the second of our outdoor days - at Farnham Castle on Monday 12th August - we had a nice few hours drawing and painting in the grounds until about midday, by which time the clouds had rolled over and the rain started.
We quickly put up two gazebos and huddled underneath for the demonstration and struggled through till around 2pm, by which time everyone had started feeling a bit damp and chilly! We called it a day and hoped for better luck next time!
The remaining two painting days at Shere and Elm Farm were lovely and warm and all-in-all the outdoor days were enjoyed by all who took part.
PAINTING HOLIDAY 2019
Some of our members joined Maggie for a week's painting holiday in Cornwall in mid-2019. We returned to our special location near Mevagissey - Bodrugan Barton - and visited some of our old haunts as well as some stunning new painting locations. We had a fine week with no rain and some lovely sunshine, although Surrey was sweltering in 37C heat whilst we had temperatures at least 10C lower ........ much more comfortable for outdoor painting! Some scenes from the Cornwall holiday are shown below.
"MOST IMPROVED ARTIST" AWARD
Past winners of the award have been :
Year | Artist |
|---|---|
2014 | Laney Randell |
2013 | Carol Norris |
2012 | Jane Morrison |
2011 | Frank Fuller |
2010 | Pat Perrin |
2009 | Jenny Griffiths |
2008 | Bill Clarke |
2007 | Sue Pallot |
2006 | Brian Ealden |
2005 | Joy Bates |
2004 | Gladys Reynolds |
20th ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS SOCIAL
Our 20th Anniversary Christmas Social, held at the Worplesdon Golf Club, in mid-December, 2019, was well attended by over 50 members and friends. The golf club did us proud with an excellent venue, superb food and first-class service. This was an occasion to remember!
During the event we were entertained by magician, Chris Scade, and then singer/ songwriter Dean Dyson, who serenaded us with his guitar during and after our meal - some of us even ended up dancing. Everyone agreed that the Social was a great way to end our 20th Anniversary year.
