Chichester’s St Paul’s Art Group offer exhibition

Spokesman The Rev Anthony Freeman said: “Friday morning, and out come the paints. St Paul’s Art Group is back in full swing.

"A mix of original members from over 30 years ago and others with us for just a few months, the club still inspires and produces some great pictures.

“We don’t have a tutor but we do have lots of fun.

"Painting is like music, the way it brings people together and discovers our creativity.

"Artists of all abilities join us, with plenty of talent and experience to share among the members. Noise levels ebb and flow, from the buzz of gossip, advice and admiration to the pin-drop silence as suddenly each of us is totally focused on our own work.

“The termly programme has a suggested topic for every week.

"Some of us try to follow it, others gleefully ignore it and keep to their own subjects and styles.

"Pauline’s flowers, Jean’s dogs, Marion’s portraits, Tony’s cartoons, Simon’s acrylics so bright and bold. Every taste is catered for.

“Covid could have marked the end for a club with many pensioners. Quite the opposite: we flourished. Lockdown gave us the time to tackle larger-scale paintings than before or try something new.

"Like half the country we suddenly became experts at Zoom. Weekly meetings online kept us together with supportive phone calls for those without technology.

“Summer weather – and government permission – meant happy outdoor sessions for sketching and chatting. We are so lucky to have Chichester’s abundance of open spaces like Priory Park and the Bishop’s Palace Garden.

"And as soon as you sit down to draw, complete strangers cannot resist coming to have a look and often make admiring comments.

“For two years we could not hold a public exhibition, but a charity calendar kept us busy through 2021. We raised over £300 for the Sage House dementia hub at Tangmere.

“Now we are back with an exhibition and sale of paintings on Saturday, August 13 from 10.30am to 4.30pm at St Paul’s Church Centre, Churchside, Chichester, PO19 6FT.

“Do join us. Entry is free and light refreshments are available all day. Greetings cards will be on sale as well as full-sized pictures. You can even help to create your own personalised bookmark with our calligraphy expert Grace.”

Other art currently on show in the city includes OXMARKET OPEN 2022, running until Sunday, August 28 at Oxmarket Contemporary, a show which offered five categories of submission including the applied arts (craft), drawing & illustration, painting, print & photography and sculpture.