Sketching and quotations from the NEAC Exhibition

I sketched at the Annual Open exhibition of the New English Art Club yesterday. What follows are some very quick sketches plus one longer sketch of the panel for the drawing discussions interspersed by various quotable quotes.

I invite you to picture me, during the guided tour with past president Ken Howard with my Daler Rowney hardback sketchbook in hand, writing down comments in pen at the back and sketching in pencil at the front of the same sketchbook! ;)

This is KH on what painting should be about.

"A painting should be about revelation, communication and celebration"

"In general, people see what they expect to see, what they know is there. An artist shows you what is there.

"Paintings are about form and content"

Ken Howard, Past President of NEAC

He said things which would have resonance with the art students in the audience.

"When I'm looking at an exhibition by amateur painters I'm looking for people who have a love of the language of painting"

"You've got to move away from a photo otherwise you might as well show that."

"I've never known a good painter who cannot draw, but not all good draughtsmen can paint."

"If you buy somebody's work, you need to love it enough to buy it from the gallery"

Ken Howard, Past President of NEAC

KH and his audience #2
8" x 11", pencil in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

KH on the subject of intent and integrity

"If you can explain a painting in words then why bother to paint it"

"A painting works whichever way round you look at it because it should work as an abstract composition"

"If I had my time again, I'd take one subject and paint it again and again all my life - every time you paint it, it's new."

"San Marco is different every hour, every day, every week, every season, every year" (see website and Light Triptych entry to RA Summer exhibition)

"Good painters don't compromise"

Ken Howard, Past President of NEAC

Drawing - a discussion
8.5" x 11.5", pencil in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Members of the Panel for the Discussion on Drawing from left to right in the sketch above are: Bill Packer, Jason Bowyer, Andrew Wilton, Charles Williams, Arthur Neal, and Karn Holly.

"Drawing is about looking and looking hard"

"Observational drawing has gone out of fashion"

"Drawing is a fantastic excuse to get people sitting in front of things for hours and hours and hours"

"The process of creativity is taken care of through the process of trying to understand your subject"

"Drawing is a lightweight violin - it exercises the muscle in your head which needs nutrition"

"People in this country are hung up about what the subject of a painting is rather than its content"

Members of the Drawing Discussion Panel

And afterwards....a cup of tea
pencil in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Exhibitions and guided tours are really good places to practice drawing people in groups - especially as they don't stay still! All of the sketches, except for the one of the Panel took about a couple of minutes or so. Plus KH's head in KH and his audience #2 took a little longer.

Links:

• Making A Mark:New English Art Club - plus commentary and discussion
• New English Art Club (Parts of this need updating)