East Sussex Arts Club News April 2025 – - Swishing to success with oils!

Melanie was a breath of fresh air (slightly scented with low odour solvent) as she wiped away layers of misunderstandings about oils – especially for those of us who had very little understanding of oils and how to use them.

Melanie is a gloriously free painter. Using a couple of photo references of landscapes as inspiration, she attacked the canvas, slapping it into shape with strong, swift movements with brushes laden with colour, to create the main areas and then in front of our fascinated eyes drew all this together, blurring here, softening there, emphasising somewhere else and within two hours had created a glowing landscape that any one of us would have been happy to have achieved in a week!

I can add that Melanie is excellent at multi-tasking as well, keeping up a stream of anecdotes, answering questions – many of them from yours truly – and peppering the afternoon with great hints, tips and generous advice. I learnt an awful lot from her in that short time and it has really encouraged me to try moving away from acrylics for a change.

It was a fabulous afternoon – Melanie’s vitality, enthusiasm and no-nonsense approach to oils seemed to rub off on everyone and we all came away, glowing like her landscape!She runs workshops and I reckon that if we arrange one in the future it will be standing room only. Watch this space!

The monthly competition was ‘Seaside’ and there was an excellent range of entries. In fact, the level was so good that there were two winners:a watercolour of children watching Punch & Judy by Tracey Brown and a beach scene in acrylics by Jackie Sellens.

Images of those and all the other lovely entries can be seen on our East Sussex Arts Club Facebook page. Go on, give yourselves a treat and take a peek!

The Club’s next meeting on May 10th at 2pm will be a social painting session in the hall at St John’s Church Hall, Brittany Road, St Leonards. Members will be sharing their current projects.Why not come along to see what we’re all about and maybe bring along your own work? We’re a friendly and enthusiastic bunch. You don’t have to be a member, but for information about membership, please contact [email protected].