Christmas Party

On Thursday SAF held its Christmas party at the home of Kathryn Pettitt and there was a fine turnout despite the icy weather. All members brought their savoury contribution to the feast and it seemed a lot of us had the same idea of something with smoked salmon – but this went down well with Kathryn’s punch.

Stephanie admires the Pettitt balls

The main art speak amongst members was the ‘School of Saatchi’ TV programme – the X factor for artists. Most agreed that Eugenie’s ‘found object’ a tree trunk impaled on a set of railings looked good in the Hermitage gallery setting but that Matt Clark who made the caravan was probably the better artist. One member did say thoough that the railings thing had already been done before - but what hasn't? Check it out - Nervosi

SAF is hoping for an even more eventful year in 2010 – plans for an even larger Art Trail are already underway and in January several of our members are looking forward to fill in a few hours working with Solihull Library Gallery on a new group project. Jackie Mackay

Malt Kiln Farm Fair

On Saturday having packed all my glass in the car, we got up early and headed off to Stretton under Fosse to the Malt Kiln Farm Shop where I had been invited to take part in a craft fair. The farm shop is well worth a visit if you are out that way. It sells its home produced meat and has a range of other goods and frozen foods you might expect to find. It was also selling Christmas trees and had a green house full of plants. There is a restaurant which produces full meals as well as cakes and pies and seems to attract a lunch crowd.

There were about a dozen stalls, of mixed items. Most appeared to be hand made although some had more bought in components than others. I would guess that most people who came to the farm shop came round the stalls. I had planned this fair as a publicity excursion rather than an opportunity to sell lots but as it happened I did very well, and the balance for the day was very similar to the much larger event I did two weeks ago.

There was an added bonus to the day. I sent Tony out into the village to look for a news paper and he came back with a business card for the Old Forge Art Gallery and instructions to take some glass up to show them. I did this later in the day and the owner agreed to discuss with his business partner whether they could provide a table and display some glass. In the meantime he took a couple of smaller pieces which they could fit somewhere to see what the interest was. There was an interesting way of charging for this service but I will see how it works out - Hilary Poole

Warwickshire Arts& Crafts Christmas shopping event

On Sunday I was one of 100 artists and crafters who had stalls at the first ever Warwickshire contemporary (arts and crafts ) Christmas shopping event. This was held at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre between Leamington and Southam. The event was run under the aegis of Meridienne Exhibitions and was well organised. Places for stands were marked out and each place had a name and number. There were people with walky talkys to direct exhibitors to suitable unloading and parking spaces. Tables and chairs had been ordered beforehand and these were in position. Father Christmas could be visited in his grotto and there were workshops for children to attend. I heard good reports about the food available but did not try it myself.

The only thing we needed were some shoppers. Well despite the weather, which deteriorated as the day wore on, we did get shoppers. They were not spending large amounts but I covered my costs and was making a bit more. I would have been happy with this but someone came and bought the only large plate I had room for on my table and I nearly doubled my takings in a single sale.

The items offered for sale were all hand made although many were textile based. I can see this becoming a popular local event if it continues to be held and once people get to know about it. - Hilary Poole

Mill Gallery Exhibition

Friday 6th November saw two of the members and many Solihull Artists Forum supporters make the journey out past Knowle to Little Shrewley and the Mill Gallery. The exhibition "Two or Three" explored the relationship between 3D and 2D work and showed the work of five artists including Jill Batten and Julie Robertson from SAF, Sue herself and two others.

'Dark Form' - by Julie in foreground, Jill's 'Hands On' Canvas on

wall facing and Mixed Media work on left-hand wall.

Every first Friday of the month Sue Lewis-Blake the Artist/Teacher becomes Sue the Curator and puts work in the space opposite her own studio and throws open the doors for one night only - and afterwards by appointment. This enjoyable evening featured metal sculpture, textile based canvases, wire sculpture, and mixed media work. JR

Julie with her work 'Corset'

Photographs From the 2009 Art Trail

8 members opened their studio doors to give you an opportunity to see professional artists at work. click on an image to see larger

Jackie Mackay

Richard Beattie

Kathryn Pettitt

Paula Hamilton

Frances Townley

Averil van Rensburg and Jan Gay

Mark Tilley

Mark had an exhibition at the Solihull Arts Complex and therefore he was based there for the art trail

Look out for details of next years art trail 25th and 26th September 2010

Happy Hours at Avril's Studio

On Thursday evening members were invited to Avril Elward’s studio in Maxstoke and for some it was like going on a mystery tour! She talked about how she became to be an artist, graduating from BIAD, and then she discussed her work based around industry ‘on the edge’. Avril quite often uses bitumen, and the cracked/corroded appearance fits in very well with her current subject. Playing with materials is also a very important component in the realisation of her paintings or sculpture - the result often being serendipitous.

Some works using bitumen

With so many folk at the studio when one person had to leave unexpectedly the moving of cars was like a shunting yard, but that did not dull the proceedings and more coffee and lively conversation was the order of the night. All in all – a great evening. JM

Hilary Poole at Preston Bagot

SAF member Hilary Poole has some of her glass in the Autumn Exhibition at the Old Rectory Barn, Preston Bagot. The current exhibition is of quite traditional work and looks very good in the space. Car parking is at the side of the barn but can be a bit of a hassle if there are quite a few visitors.

If you have a spare couple of hours this weekend have a trip out there since we are considering this venue for a possible exhibition (also the farm opposite sells Dexter Beef – excellent with a full-bodied red). The exhibition runs until Sunday 18th 10am-6pm. JM

Green Water Preview

Laurence Smith the Arts Manager and Mayor of Solihull with Mark Tilley

On Thursday the Mayor of Solihull, Norman Davies, attended the preview of Mark Tilley’s Green Water Exhibition at the Arts Complex. The evening was a very lively affair, assisted by the imbibing of free wine, with spirited discussions about the work. Do many men dream about nuns?

Cabinets show nautical memorabilia

Mark will be giving a talk about his work at the G1 Gallery on Thursday 24th September 6-7pm. Jackie Mackay

Lickey Hills Sculpture Trail

Avril Elward is currently exhibiting with the ‘Out Yer Tree’ Organisation in the Lickey Hills Country Park. It was a fabulous opening day on Saturday with plenty of visitors and the 11 contemporary artists involved discussed their work during a walk around the sculpture trail in the Bilberry Hill area of the park .

Below are two works created specifically for the park by Avril.

Blobulous, wire paper mache, industrial paint, canes

Blobulous is about fun and individuality. Some obscure colourful objects are placed outside of a gallery space to observe how the colours interact with the space, and how it effects our perception of a space.

Totem Poles, wood, industrial paints

These poles pay homage to the deminuition of industry, the black bitumen paint references the production industry, and the bright acidic colours reference the colours of our contemporary cities. Painted in a quick spontaneous way to evoke speed of our cities growth.

If you would like to visit the show is on until 4 October at Warren Lane, Rednall. JM

A Sunny Artsfest

Yesterday I went to the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design MA show. The works were extremely varied and SAF member Caroline Pigden's work, which discussed the interplay between the brutal and the beautiful, looked striking in the foyer in Margaret St.

Birmingham Artsfest was in full swing and I popped along to the Museum and Art Gallery to see father and daughter duo Barry and Chloe Hunt perform in the Round Room. They were excellent despite the acoustics. I especially enjoyed Chloe's own composition 'Strikeout' - fantastic for an 18 year old. Listen to her on myspace. Jackie Mackay

Green Water Exhibition

Today I went to see Mark Tilley's autobiographical exhibition at Solihull Library Gallery. Several sculptures and artefacts were on display along with some fantastic large scale charcoal drawings on old navigation charts based on his dreams.

The Sunken Forest - made in ceramic
'I have stylised the sea - remembering those huge swells you meet off Ushant'

My favourite drawing was 'The Little Horse in my Green Suit' but you will have to trot along there to have the pleasure of seeing it for yourself. Full details are on the Solihull Gallery Website Link. Mark will be in the Gallery on Saturday 26th September as part of the Art Trail. JM

Summer Social

On Friday night we had our summer social at the home of member Stephanie Adams, giving new members a chance to get to know others in the group. Unfortunately the weather was not dry enough for us to make use of the garden as planned, but it didn't dampen our spirits and we discussed future projects including our up-coming Artists Trail which will take place in September. The main attractions of the night were Pimms, strawberries and the 1960s music. JM

Sketching Evening at Packwood

Last Thursday Solihull Artist Forum members were invited to meet at Packwood House for an evening sketching. We were blessed with a fine warm evening and the grounds and house looked at their best. Some members arrived early in the afternoon to take advantage of the weather and the caretaker allowed us to stay after opening hours until 9pm.

Dave Burns fixing his camera and Colleen Palgrave sketching the house

By 8.30 some of us were overtaken by a mighty thirst and adjourned to the Punchbowl at Lapworth for much needed drinks. - JM

Maureen's Studio Visit

On Thursday 21st the Forum was invited to the studio of member Maureen Toomey over at Earlswood Craft Centre. After a quick look at her working space we viewed a lot of her paintings which had been displayed in the café.

Over coffee and biscuits Maureen discussed the work she produced for her Masters Degree and the paint techniques she had explored. She went on to explain the concept behind her work – ‘Either/Or’ and its relationship to the philosopher Kierkegaard. Maureen’s latest work is related to the ‘Either/Or’ and the concept is passing horizons.

Horizon 2 Cobalt

Lively discussion followed about possible collaborations for joint exhibitions and sketching trips during the summer.

Solihull Hospital Joint Exhibition

Mark Tilley and Jackie Mackay, members of Solihull Artists Forum, are holding an exhibition in the Education Centre at Solihull Hospital. This collaboration is a spin off from the Artists Forum group exhibition 'Hands On' held in 2008. Eight years ago Jackie developed Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disorder that occurs when the immune system attacks tissues lining the joints, resulting in pain, inflammation and deformity and used the condition as a starting point for paintings.

Jackie Mackay - "Working initially with drawings of my sister’s rheumatoid hands, the pieces developed organically as an emotional response to my own illness. Other paintings were derived from sketches of Mark Tilley’s work Tormented produced specifically for this exhibition."

Mark’s sculpture refers to the work of the 16th century anatomist Vesalius and he has made a number of flayed flesh, écorché models in clay.

Mark Tilley - "For the 2008 Hands On exhibition in Solihull I just threw in everything I had, my experience with ecorche work, some hands from the family, my stock of clay, some oxides and the heat of my kiln. I scrounged a couple of palettes down the road and cut the willow from out the back. There was a ball lying in the garden and I threw that in too. I have drawn on this to make one more hand for this show. Diseased to nightmarish proportions, the skin drawn back, fired for a day to reach a white heat, then cooled rapidly leaving the remaining skin shrunken and torn, the colour darkened, I call it Tormented."

The exhibition runs until Thursday 25th June - access to Education Centre on Ist Floor 9.15am - 4.15pm.