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Chairman's Newsletter--December 2008

Our Christmas Party this year promises to be great fun. Why?  Because it is being organised by our two enterprising members Stella Hunt and Maureen Batty who have plans for something different this year.   I hope we have a really good turnout - even more than our crowded Tuesday sessions.
Cowbridge Hall has been full on some of our Tuesday practical evenings now that we have so many new active members.  It is good news that the Society is becoming increasingly popular but we may need to constrain the numbers in the large hall during practical evenings and limit the number of paintings submitted in the Critique evenings.  We are exploring ways of using the small hall as well as the big hall to use the space more efficiently.

I am pleased that Malcolm Booker has started a group to organise outings to galleries and exhibitions, the first being a visit to the Design Museum in November (report in next issue). I hope more members will join this group in future. 

Our exhibitions go from strength to strength - see an enclosed report following members comments on the Open Exhibition, and an article on the Members Show.  By the time you receive this Newsletter another private view will have been held at Wallfields where three more of our members are exhibiting their work.  Five of our members (two Associate Members) were also selected to exhibit their work at Sworders Autumn Sale in September.  Trevor Chamberlain has a small exhibition at the Walkern Gallery run by Stephen Lowe.  Bill Dean won two prizes at the recent ROI exhibition and has paintings in the Mall Galleries up to 8 December. I am sure that other members have had successes with their work and we would be very pleased to publish these if you would kindly keep us informed.

The AGM is coming up on February 10 and a nomination form is enclosed.  We have a vacancy for Exhibition Secretary as Barbara Wardley is putting her name forward as a General Council Member instead of Exhibition Secretary.  We hope some new members as well as others might consider this post. It enables you to be at the centre of our most exciting time during our calendar year.  At the AGM we also plan to present to you our strategy for the next three years which aims to make our Society the most stimulating, friendly and esteemed art society in the area.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and success with your art next year.

Marie Goldsmith

This year's Open Exhibition was a resounding success.  Richard Saunders wrote an excellent critique of the exhibition which was sent to the local paper in order to attract visitors to the exhibition.  See below:

The Hertford Art Society's 56th Annual Art Exhibition has established itself as a respected stalwart in the town's calendar of events. Despite the move to The Cowbridge Halls from the beloved and imposing Corn Exchange venue, I am happy to report that the standards of the Exhibition are as high, if not higher, than ever.

This is due as always to the fact that this is an 'open' exhibition, with keen amateurs rubbing shoulders with professionals on an even footing.

This makes for a varied and exciting mix of more consistent quality than in many London galleries. Take a look at this year's prize-winners, such as 'Sunset Poles' by Nick Harrison-Jones, awarded the John Goss Prize for best in show, a virtuoso exercise in restrained blue-green and yellow. Or John Scrope's vigorous 'Cusp', winner of the Lady Laming Award for abstract art.

Other winners were David Cooke who won the Mayor's Award for the best 3D work with his 'Avocet' which shows an almost oriental sympathy for natural form, and Bill Dean whose bustling 'Charing Cross Road' won the Bill Dale Award for the work showing the most merit from HAS members' entries.

From a strong showing of abstract entries this year I particularly enjoyed Peter Brown's intricate and sumptuous collages. Figurative, yet with a strong abstract sensitivity, Anne McCormack's gorgeous acrylics show a masterly command of colour that demands close attention, her 'London Wetlands' unravelling its secrets over time like a musical composition.

Daniel Gleeson's glowing colours and strong outlines bring an almost Klimt-like richness to his acrylic and ink works.

This year, for the first time, digital works are on show. Taking advantage of the richness of transparent inks, Glanfyll Lewis's 'Beyond Reach' and 'Coloured Offcuts' show that an artist's eye can create beauty in any medium.

Superb landscapes abound. I was particularly struck by John Jarratt's considered compositions and use of complementary colours, William Carney's distinctive soft, warm style and the flickering light in Gillian Flack's Havana studies.

As a connoisseur of 'outsider art', I was drawn to the similarities between Jim Haley's ' Village Art Class' threatened by a ghostly owl, and 'Orange Socks' by Vic Stedman with a Van Gogh on an easel and the artist reclining on a sofa watching TV under a starry sky.

There is a strong sculpture display, including dynamic and humorous cyclists by Alan Nelmes, lively hares by Rodney Munday and the sensuous bronze resin forms of Mark Humphrey.

The Society has again organised a Schools Competition, the set work being a portrait, and from a strong entry the winner this year was Hollybush.

Don't miss the cabinet containing fine jewellery by Veronica Shaw and the quirky clay and fabric vessels by Shirley Goodwin.

The standard of work presented to the judging committee for this year's Show was so high that they wanted to show as much work as possible. Consequently the hanging is so closely packed that it's easy to miss much fine work. I recommend repeated viewings, so it is fortunate that the Exhibition continues until Saturday 17th May.

Richard Saunders