On 17 October local artist and tutor Denise Cliffen will be our guest for a landscape workshop with a difference. Working on black A3 paper, the landscape scene is sketched on with chalk pastels then the acrylic paint applied in short brush strokes creating an almost mosaic effect.

Denise Cliffen was a semi-finalist in Sky Landscape Artist of the Year in 2022. She has exhibited with the Royal Society of British Artists and Royal Societiy of Marine Artists. She runs Easel Weasel Art Workshops in the Peak District.

Bring along your acrylic paints, apron, water pot, brushes and a sheet of black A3. Denise can supply the black A3 sheet for £1 and a tray of acrylic paints for £7 if you don’t already have these. Let us know please, well in advance so Denise knows what to bring.

Please note the earlier start for this event. To inspire you, here are some examples of Denise’s work using this technique:

Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum is our destination for an autumn coach trip! The Ashmolean has a vast and varied collection of art and artifacts along with inspiring exhibitions year round. On 9 October we have a coach leaving The Masons Arms, Mickleover at 8.30 arriving in Oxford mid to late morning. Displayed at the time of our visit is Stanley Donwood’s Radiohead inspired exhibition ‘This Is What You Get’. TICKETS REQUIRED.

Free exhibitions include the sculptures, works on paper Hong Kong artist Cheung Yee, sculptures by Daphne Wright ‘Deep Rooted Things’. We have plenty of time to take in the exceptional permanent art collection and also to get out and explore Oxford on foot. Our coach leaves at 4.30pm arriving back at The Masons Arms at around 6.30 depending on traffic. Coach tickets cost £25 for DSC members, (£30 for guests). Book and pay at any session OR pay through the bank and use the reference OXFORD.

https://www.ashmolean.org

On Friday 20th June we welcomed Stephanie Sian Coley as our guest demonstrator. Steph is a very experienced artist and tutor. Within the 2 hours she produced this stunning collage from her imagination using various materials that she collects. She also incorporated art materials, some of which we were unfamiliar with. The demonstration was really inspiring as were the examples of her other types of work which she brought in to show us. Steph is also an accomplished portrait artist and enjoys creating detailed drawings with architectural themes. She was happy to answer questions as she went along and in the break. We’re hoping to see her take part in some of our club sessions in the future.