Thatcham Online

Have you heard about Thatcham's new community art group?

The Thatcham Art Experience was set up in March, 2010 as a result of enquiries received from members of the public at last year's Art Exhibition during the annual Festival of Arts and Leisure in the town.

Teaching Artists and their specialisms

• Anne Proctor BA - watercolour and textile art
• Helen Peake BA - fine art painting, stone carving and calligraphy
• Simon Jardine - cartoons, illustrations, caricatures and design

Each session is led by one of these three experienced professional teaching artists with the emphasis on fun and achievement and having something to take home at the end of each week's session.

Format of the sessions

Each of the three teaching artists in turn leads two consecutive classes on a particular topic. This continuity accelerates students' progress of which there is already quite a lot of evidence! Each student elects to work on the topic in the medium of his/her own choice.

Venue, Time and Cost

We meet in the Methodist Church Hall (opposite Thatcham Parish Hall) every Wednesday evening from 7 - 9 p.m. Each two-hour session costs £8 and we pay for a block of five sessions in advance. There are no refunds, but if you state at the beginning of a new block of 5 sessions that you won't be attending, say, two of them, you don't pay for those two.

Materials

If you have your own materials, please do bring them. The cost of materials is not included in the session price but we do have a box* of miscellaneous items for use by members of the Group when they want to try out different paper, different media, etc, or have just forgotten a brush! As you may know, the Group only formed in March and so we are still building up stocks for general occasional use.

Range of abilities and experience

There is a wide range of experience and ability in the Group. I am a complete beginner and the teaching artists are incredibly patient with me and I really enjoy the evenings! One of the Group members has studied at Art School and she too enjoys, learns and benefits from the sessions. The teaching artists accommodate us all! Most sessions start with a demonstration and there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions throughout the evening.

You are welcome to attend one session free of charge without obligation and use materials from the Group's box*. Everybody is very friendly and we all encourage each other! Tea, coffee and biscuits are available throughout the evening and these refreshments are included in the session price.

Interested?

Please call me on 07914 321 681 or email tae@trycatch.net to arrange your free session or discuss anything further. I look forward to hearing from you!

Angela Bates
Group Secretary
July, 2010