Village Art
Bromsgrove artist Richard McIlwraith visits Bromsgrove Art Society’s annual exhibition.
P
ut this in your calendar for spring rather than summer 2019 – April, in fact: Bromsgrove
Art Society Annual Exhibition at All Saints Church. There’s no greater demonstration
of a region’s character than in its art. The people’s art. Pulsing with energy, enthusiasm – a most generous of- fering to those of us who stepped through the arch from the clamour of
the day, under the stained glass win- dow into a pocket of silence. “A pocket of silence where we
Character through art
can root and grow,” as Mark Rothko stated, regarding his own art and its impact on himself and on the viewer. Where we can root and grow. For some visitors to this extensive
exhibition (272 pieces, 61 artists) this growth will be a deeper engagement with the subjects – landscape, ob- jects loved, flora, fauna, friends – and for other souls drawn through the sturdy wooden doors of this impos- ing Victorian church, the growth will manifest itself as a new lease of visual
creativity. Out will come the pencils and brushes along with a hopeful rummage to find that old sketch pad and blank canvas. Deep breath. Here goes. New adventures. So, what is our region’s “character”?
Ambitious, confident, technically assured and sincere. That’s what comes across through this exhibition. Style, media – hugely diverse – what distinctive and original visions we possess! “Try something new” is Bromsgrove Festival’s message; we seem to be doing exactly that. Bromsgrove Art Society is chaired by Tony Turpin and the monthly
meetings, which take the form of demonstrations of various art media by local and well-known artists, are held on the third Wednesday of each month (excluding January and August) at Burcot Village Hall, Alcester Road, Burcot, Bromsgrove, B60 1BH, commencing at 7.30pm. There is an entrance fee of £1 for members of the Society and £4 for visitors. Subscriptions are £18 per annum. Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided at each meeting during a break in the demonstrations when the artist is always on hand for a chat about his or her work. In the first week of this annual
exhibition, the Society sold some 30 paintings, both framed and un- framed, covering a variety of subjects and styles – even though the number of visitors was down a little on previ- ous years. This may have been due to the hot weather, vice-Chairman Mike Hurst suggested to me, but if people knew how lovely and cool the church is when it’s hot outside, he’s sure that they would have been queueing up to come in!
Please get in touch if you would like me to write about an art event near you:
richard@galleryart61.com www.galleryart61.com
Top: Painting by Mike Hurst The Village September 2018 37
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