FOLKESTONE ART SOCIETY Folkestone Art Society (FAS) was formed in 1928 by a group of local artists who were meeting in one another’s homes. Since then the membership has grown to 200 or more. The first exhibition in 1935 was held in the former Pleasure Gardens Theatre. Exhibitions have been held every year since then except for the war years. For more information visit our website at www.folkestoneartsociety.co.uk. President: Fiona Graham Mackay Patrons: Michael Stainer, Graham Gordon, Robert Benson, Richard Bates Committee: John Keller (Chair), David Anderson, Chris Harman, Michael Harris, Yvonne Hutchcraft, Leigh Norgrove, Elena Priestley, Malcolm Ritchie, John Sussams. FAS Art Review Design Layout: Kristien Brelade. Cover Design: Kristien Brelade.
Registered Charity Number: 1161336
INTRODUCTION Henry Moore said : 'To be an artist is to believe in life' and with this in mind, as Folkestone Art Society reaches its ninetieth year, we can say that, from our small beginnings to 2018, with 200 member artists, art in Folkestone is very much alive. From the awarding of the Gloria Gordon award to GCSE and A-level students, to our new art masterclasses and lively demonstrations, our open access Exhibitions with over 6000 visitors each year and our annual Art Review, Folkestone Art Society encourages art-education, cultivates artistic excellence and promotes the work of our members, bringing their inspirations and something of their motivations to the general public; for, as artists, to quote Picasso, we instinctively know that ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust from everyday life.’ It is worth remembering that FAS was conceived as long ago as 1928, the year when we finally had Universal Suffrage, before the Wall Street Crash, before WW2 and before the NHS.
FAS then has survived and thrived in a world that would prob-ably be, in many ways, unrecognisable to those found-ers; continuing its promotion of and involvement in that creative conversation, that constant flux of ideas, reflecting humankind’s insatiable desire to express. Amidst all of this, the artist’s role remains the same: to illuminate something beautiful, something overlooked, something important - with an almost limitless diversity of subject matter, style, medium and technique. In host-ing the vision and talents of our 200 artists I am minded of the words of Jean Jacques Rousseau : ‘The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is bound-less’. As custodians of that legacy the question arises: what of the future? Let the art of the future stimulate us, refresh us and challenge us. Let it bring something new. John Keller Chair, Folkestone Art Society
CONTENTS Illustrations by 29 FAS members. Each has a short narrative about the subject: Contributing FAS Members: David Atherton, Sue Brelade, Janet Batchelor, Rod Bere, Jacqui Botwright, Annabel Church Smith, Victoria Fontaine Wolf, Peter Flack, Jenny File, Michael George, Nikki Griffith, Terry Goddard, Nigel Horne, Carol Johnson, John Keller, Julian Lovegrove, Robert Mowl, Jeffrey Phipps, Simona Richmond, John Sussams, Alan Traylor, Justin Turney, Janine Umbers, Anne Wimsett, Deboah Woodward, Candida Wright. Malcolm Ritchie, Joanna Simms and Kristien Brelade. Guest Contributor: Julie Bennett , Article ‘The Faces of Paint’ (Illustrated) CONTACTS Editorial: editor@folkestoneartsociety.co.uk Advertising: chair@folkestoneartsociety.co.uk Membership: membership@folkestoneartsociety.co.uk Website: www.folkestoneartsociety.co.uk
Folkestone Art Society Art Review © Folkestone Art Society 2018 All images remain the property of the individual artist. No images may be reproduced without the permission of the artist. Artists may be contacted through the Society.
EDITORIAL We have an interesting variety of pictures in this year’s Art Review: All the usual subjects are represented and to some extent explained in the accompanying narrative, which helps to give some idea of how different artists go about their work and from which there are without doubt things to be learnt. Julie Bennett, our guest contributor, spends a long time on her portraits which enables her to interact with her sitters and get to know them in a way which influences the way they may be portrayed in paint. With Robert Mowl’s piece we have a description of how, starting from a ten-inch clay statuette, he was able to copy the shape into an almost life-sized figure which is now standing in a budding sculpture park close to the ruins of an ancient church on Romney Marsh. Terry Goddard walks along the beach at Littlestone ‘looking for pebbles that smile back at me’. Simona Richmond’s research has unearthed two words (not in my dictionary) which define what Terry was doing, mysterious words derived from the Greek (of course!) meaning seeing faces in stones. She adds a couple of black dots and we too can see the faces, usually funny ones for Simona. Artists can and do converse with their models. But stones? Peter Flack says: ‘I have selected this painting… because of the story that lies behind it’ Maybe sometimes the who, what, when, and how of a work of art are not very interesting and can be dealt with in not much more than an extended caption. But the why is often quite intriguing. So, if you’re stuck for a few words next time: think of the why and an interesting narrative may emerge. John Sussams Editor
FANTASY LODGE (Painting) by John Sussams
SCHOOL OF FISH (David Atherton) The inspiration for the painting comes from the idea of lying with your back on the seabed, looking up through a ball of fish spiralling in a circle as this keeps them safer from predators. Above you, the sun is shining in the centre onto the sea. So you are looking under the fish and up to the twinkling sun, which is the centre of the painting’s composition.
SCHOOL OF FISH (Oil) by David Atherton PAGE 1
BRANDON PARK, BRISTOL (Rod Bere) This painting was inspired by a visit to Bristol on a wonderfully sunny day at the top of a very steep hill in Brandon Park.
BRANDON PARK, BRISTOL (Painting) by Rod Bere PAGE 2
FOLKESTONE TRI-MILLENNIAL (John Keller) The painting depicts the white cliffs seen from Folkestone. The scene is deliberately simplified and somewhat abstracted, stripped of detail, of building, of people, of time. The ancient geology, its apparent permanence and epic scale, hint at the longevity of place and emphasise the timeless backdrop against which we play out our comparatively short lives. The title of the painting reflects this, 'Tri - Millennial' referring to a 3,000 yearly cycle, a play on the word'Triennial', Folkestone's excellent, recurring three-yearly arts festival. The idea of simplification was extended to the process used in producing the image: trace-printing the major features with pencil. Each of the three versions was painted in acrylic, the colours mixed from the three primaries plus black and white. The particular tones used in each painting try to suggest the muting of colour at distance, colour transitions in differing sunlights, and the interplay of reflections between sky and sea. I find this a stunningly beautiful landscape, awe inspiring and peaceful, a place gilded with memories of times enjoyed alone, with friends and with my family. FOLKESTONE TRI-MILLENIAL (Acrylic) by John Keller PAGE 3
GITTA (Joanna Simms) Gitta was our houseguest for a week in the very hot Spanish summer of 2017. As we sheltered from the heat of the afternoons, Gitta patiently sat for a series of portraits in charcoal and in pastel. After our guest returned home, I enjoyed using the sketches to make up the portraits in collage. This is my favourite to date. I have sufficient material to continue the series in collage, oils, and Linocut.
GITTA (Mixed Media) by Joanna Simms PAGE 4
THE FACES OF PAINT (Julie Bennett) My work is an unapologetic celebration of paint. I paint portraits, mainly large-scale of friends, celebrity musicians or fictitious characters created using references selected from the media. I love paint and I love the human face, in particular a strong defiant gaze. I have two signature styles for my portraits. When painting subjects from life I use traditional oil gradually applied to allow the emotional relationship between myself and the sitter to develop onto the canvas as the work evolves over numerous sittings. In contrast when I am creating a fictitious character, I use a contemporary medium; household gloss paint applied in a frantic, bold and fluid style to deliver an oblique narrative inviting the viewer to project their own story onto these anonymous faces granted significance through paint. ‘Paolo (Red)’ and ‘Jan (After 1914)’ (pictured) are painted in the traditional oil style and are from an ongoing series ‘From Life’ depicting the people around me.
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I have many photographs of my friends so I was curious to explore through paint the psychological aspects that cannot be captured by a fleeting smile for a camera shutter. I am fully engaged in conversation with the sitters as I paint them. I want the brush marks to translate their energy, hopes and worries that unfold over the hours, days and months of the portrait's journey. In this series, I used a black ground to emulate the style of the Old Masters giving full focus to the sitter's features and skin tones. When I start a painting it's important to me to draw with paint. I never make any kind of initial drawing, as I feel it would lose its intensity. I work wet-into-wet and layers of paint are built up quickly. I love the idea of mistakes and chance and that risk excites and challenges me. Even if the proportion is not quite right I keep it as it creates a jarring in the work. Julie Bennett is a London based artist who regularly visits Folkestone. She has exhibited solo and in various group exhibitions. Her work is in both public and private collections. You can see more of her work at juliebennett.co.uk
Jan (After 1914) I met Jan, the subject for 'Jan (After 1914)', when we both worked as graphic designers for a London publishing house. Jan’s outlook to life is very matter of fact and she thrives on her independence but I wanted to paint her to see if the vulnerability of sitting for a portrait would reveal a side to her character that I was less familiar with. What intrigued me whilst making this series was how the colour of the sitter's clothing reflects so dramatically into their face. I think Jan's spirit is captured by the spark within her right eye. It was Jan's straightforward personality that attracted me to using a straight on pose and when looking at the completed work it reminded me of Sir Stanley Spencer's ‘Self-Portrait 1914’ hence my use of this date within the title.
JAN (After 1914 (Oil) by Julie Bennett PAGE 610
Paolo (Red) By Julie Bennett Paolo, a singer-songwriter whom I have known for over 15 years is the subject of 'Paolo (Red)'. Born in Italy, he moved to London to pursue his musical ambition. Endlessly trying to break into the music industry he has just finished writing a very personal album that focuses on his own understanding of depression which he has struggled with in the past. When I started this series, I had struggled myself to paint for a couple of years because of the adjustment of becoming a full-time carer for my mother following her stroke. A mutual friend suggested we engage in a joint project entitled 'The Singer and the Painter' to creatively work through our challenges. I like how the confidence in his posture through the back of the neck contrasts with the vulnerability in his eyes. For me, the work manages to capture the strength we found in each other. PAOLO (RED) (Oil) by Julie Bennett PAGE 7
Nikki By Julie Bennett 'Nikki' (pictured) is a fictional character based on a mass-mediated photographic reference. Drawn by her confident pose, I wanted to elevate her from being an anonymous model advertising a celebrated product to the status of icon through paint.
In contrast to the control offered by oil, when working in gloss paint I allow this unforgiving medium to lead me in the process of mark-making. I enjoy the challenges it brings and the weight of it dripping down the surface. Gloss gives me only one chance to get the brush My objective was to use the mark in the place I want it. randomness of the brushstrokes to bring out an im- I don’t want layers of misagined personality of the takes as they are all on subject, superfluous to the show as unlike oil it cannot intentions of the mediated be corrected. I like how the image from which they were immediacy of the paint drawn. even after years still feels straight out of the studio, By separating the individual dripping wet, shiny, direct from their original context, I brush marks, painted in invite the viewer to consider whether they see these individuals. NIKKI (Oil) by Julie Bennett
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STREET SCENE, NORTHERN SPAIN (Nigel Horne)
I use my camera as a sketchbook and the starting point of every painting is a photograph. I do not copy the photograph, which would be pointless, but use it to recreate the scene in my imagination as if I am actually looking at it and experiencing it again. I paint with both knife and brush as suits each subject and in rendering this street scene in Northern Spain I tried to eliminate detail as much as possible and use only the broadest of brushstrokes to create the impression of light, shade and recession in the busy street I have several times enjoyed walking down.
STREET SCENE, NORTHERN SPAIN (Painting) by Nigel Horne PAGE 9
AN EXCEPTIONAL DOUBLE (Simona Richmond) Recently, I have started to get interested in creating small sculptures with pebbles that I meticulously select for their incredible resemblance to human faces. I like to choose the one that looks grotesque and funny as, being a cartoonist, I want to remain in the context of a satirical statement. Since my early childhood, I have always been attracted by shapes and forms from patterns created by nature except that, to explain my work, I will refer to the word of ‘pareidolia’, which means ‘the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in random or ambiguous visual patterns’. In his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci mentioned ‘pareidolia’ as a device for painters to be able to see an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well-conceived forms. My sculptures with pebbles are a typical example of ‘mimetoliths’ which means ‘to mimic recognizable forms through the random processes of formation, weathering and erosion’. Over millions of years, these stones have been carved by the forces of nature, scattered along the shore into a plethora of anthropomorphic figures and faces. What else can I say? This type of work gets me in touch with the child within me!
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CLOUDS OVER CUCKMERE HAVEN (John Sussams) My son captured a rare moment with his camera at Cuckmere Haven when the nearest cliffs were overshadowed by ominous dark clouds above, but, looking east towards Beachy Head, the more distant cliffs were in bright sunlight. The scene was so unusual that I was motivated to record it in acrylic on canvas. I enjoy painting sea and sky but they are always on the move and nobody can paint these things en plein air when it’s en plein orage. That is why photographs, postcards, and quick sketches are such a boon. Or are they? Before Monsieur Lumière threw some light on the matter, artists would have had to rely on a combination of memory and imagination. Many still do. Wordsworth said ‘… poetry is emotion recollected in tranquillity.’ I think the same applies to art. For ‘tranquillity’ read ‘studio’. If we aren’t moved, at least a little bit, by the subject, what’s the point?
CLOUDS OVER CUCKMERE HAVEN (Acrylic) by John Sussams PAGE 11
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FOLKESTONE HARBOUR STATION (Justin Turney) I knew that the harbour was being worked on so I thought it would be great to paint it as it looked before they started. Before it was closed for rebuilding I took numerous pictures to work from, so that I could find the best angle from which to paint. I liked the fact that the Hotel Burstin was in the background and I really liked the striking colours seemingly hiding in the long grass. I painted oil on canvas. I’ve been down to the harbour recently and the station refurbishment is nearly finished. I think it will be great to be able to see it when it’s finished and looking splendid and then to look at my painting to see how it did look.
FOLKESTONE HARBOUR STATION (Oil) by Justin Turney PAGE 12
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POPPIES (Jenny File) My intention was to keep the bright rich colours of the poppies without losing the delicate tissue paper quality of the petals. I used Daniel Smith watercolours and Windsor and Newton inks.
POPPIES (Watercolour and Ink) by Jenny File PAGE 13
GARDEN IN JUNE (Annabel Church Smith) This is my garden in June. I am not a very good gardener and it became overgrown with marigolds then, later in the year, nasturtiums. I mostly paint jungles and sell my work in the Caribbean on the island of Nevis where my parents lived for a number of years. I have had several exhibitions of work there. I now paint far more in Kent. My paintings always incorporate bright colours and tend to be busy and often include slightly hidden things. Can you find the snail and the cat? I trained in Textiles, principally knitting and weaving.I am influenced by the work of Henri Rousseau, Hundertwasser and David Hockney. I have a love of quirky art and patchwork quilts. GARDEN IN JUNE (Painting) by Annabel Church Smith PAGE 14
SIX DAY WAR (Peter Flack) I have selected this painting, not so much on its quality (it was my first oil painting), but because of the story that lies behind it. The painting (10” x12” in a water-based oil medium) shows the opening skirmish of the ‘Six Day War’ in June 1967, between Israel and the U.A.R. (United Arab Republic). In 2017, the 50th anniversary, a reunion was held in Liverpool of the crews held hostage in the Great Bitter Lakes, Suez Canal, in June. In total there were 14 ships including Polish, French, German, Swedish, American and British. The picture shows the Blue Funnel ship, the M.V. Agapenor, entering the Lake at 0900 hrs. with Israeli Mystère jets strafing and bombing the Egyptian airfield at Ismailia. I was Third Mate on the Bridge at the time and the scene is imprinted on my mind. My watercolour of the same is now in the possession of the Mersey Maritime Museum. The title ‘Stranded in the Six Day War’ is also the title of a book by Cath Senker.
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SIX DAY WAR (Waterbased Oil Medium) by Peter Flack
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1962 FERRARI (Michael George) I have just started to paint again after a long period of illness. This painting is a gouache of a 1962 Ferrari 156 Grand Prix racing car.
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1962 FERARRI (Gouache) by Michael George
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THE OLD HIGH STREET (Deborah Woodward) One of my favourite subjects to paint is The Old High Street, Folkestone. It reminds me of earlier days spent aimlessly wandering around the harbour, eating ice cream, watching the harbour boats, buying prawns for supper…and having a good look in all the shops on each side of The Old High Street; then dawdling back to the car − another Sunday afternoon well spent!
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THE OLD HIGH STREET (Acrylic) by Deborah Woodward
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PORTRAIT OF KAT NEWMAN (Victoria Fontaine-Wolf) This is my portrait of Kat Newman. Her husband bought her a beautiful marabou trimmed negligĂŠe but as she has three energetic little girls she seldom has a chance to wear it. So he decided the answer was to have a portrait of her in it. Having looked for pictures online, he found my portrait of Rebecca in White Satin, which he liked and commissioned me to paint this painting of Kat in her negligee.
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PORTRAIT OF KAT NEWMAN (Painting) by Victoria Fontaine-Wolf
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JELLYBEAN AND GARLIC (Terry Goddard) A walk along the beach at Littlestone head down, as usual, looking for pebbles that smile back at me. The tide line holds all sorts of potential colours, textures and unusual juxtapositions. Details before vistas, colours vibrant, shouting, tones dark to light, shadows unashamedly black, highlights white. No colour theories, restricted palettes, just what my mind tells me I see. The jellybean demands to be painted offering transparency, translucency and sparkle. The garlic an oddity, contrasting with the hard pebbles, that define place. I choose to paint from photographs. Too many ideas in a walk to stop and sketch, my knees couldn’t take it. Better to return to the studio with my collection to mull over, eliminate, combine or alter. Once composed it’s drawn out on board or canvas. I find this the tricky bit; angles and proportions are shifty things. The image fixed it’s time to start, polychrome palette selected I push paint around, ala prima is the aim. Dab, daub, stroke, smear, not necessarily in that order, until I’m very nearly satisfied with the result. Jellybeans and garlic are surprisingly tasty.
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JELLYBEAN AND GARLIC (Painting) by Terry Goddard
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SEASHORE (Nikki Griffith) Seashore II is part of a new series of mixed media / collage paintings that I am going to do this year and some of them will be harbours, lighthouses and they will mainly have a marine theme although certain animals may creep in as my imagination has been sparked by things I have seen recently. I am painting most of my papers to get the special interesting effects I want, particularly for the rocks, pebbles and shores as they create a more varied and intriguing basis to inspire the imagination. Exploring different ways of using paints and papers to create the images I want has been amazing as I am not sure exactly how they will turn out. I collect papers, tickets and wrappers from fruit and sweets. I tear out magazine pages that have possible uses and I seem to view everything with a ‘magpie’ eye these days! The joys of making ‘pictures with papers’ is an on-going and very exciting journey and part of that journey is doing workshops and discovering what wonderful creations my students make in the allotted time. It is a way of painting in an impressionistic way that they seem to respond to and is less scary and less precise and frees them up in a way that they never thought possible.
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SEASHORE (Mixed Media) by Nikki Griffith
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MERMAID STREET, RYE (Jeffrey Phipps) Although I am quite adventurous in my art with the various subjects I attempt, I suppose I like painting street scenes the most, usually with acrylic paint. In an attempt to find inspiration, my wife and I often go for a stroll out and about to various places in and around the lovely Romney Marsh. Last summer, during one of the many spectacular sultry sunset evenings that we were lucky enough to enjoy in this part of England, we visited the beautiful town of Rye, as the evening drew in and the street lighting came on, Sandie, my wife, looked at the wonderful effect the lighting was having on the various buildings around us and insisted that I take several photographs, so that I could possibly paint one of the scenes some time later. Back in my studio, I looked at the photographs and decided which one showed up both Rye and the lighting at their best. After much thought I decided the best medium to do the scene justice would be watercolour, although (I might add) this is not my first choice of medium. After deciding on Bockingford 300gsm 16x12" paper and sketching out the detail, I apprehensively started putting the various light background washes on, then as my confidence increased with using watercolours again, I then picked out the details of all the buildings with suitable dark colours, to bring the painting alive. I hope everyone enjoys viewing my finished painting as much as I enjoyed working on this lovely street scene.
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MERMAID STREET, RYE (Watercolour) by Jeffrey Phipps
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MARGATE SANDS (Julian Lovegrove) I painted this watercolour on a breezy day on location, 'en plein air' on the sands at Margate. This is the way I prefer to work, with some haste and all the senses bombarded from all directions by the weather and changeable light conditions. The sun did come out once or twice, sufficient to cast some interesting shadows across the sands. I began with an old fashioned dip pen and a bottle of Indian Ink and when completely dry, gave it some colour using watercolour paints. I regularly paint out of doors in most weathers, enjoying the immediacy it offers.
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MARGATE SANDS (Watercolour and Ink) by Julian Lovegrove
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LOCAL PRODUCE (Malcolm Ritchie) I bought a pewter fruit dish in France which I thought would look nice in my apartment back in Sandgate. I was only back a few days when I went to the Farmers’ Market in the village. While there I bought some grapes. Not only did I buy them locally, they were grown in the road in which I live. I also purchased some oranges and lemons there. In the Village shop I got a green pepper. That was all the inspiration I needed − a painting was born. Hence the title ‘Local Produce`.
LOCAL PRODUCE (Oil) by Malcolm Ritchie PAGE 31
HEATHCOTE VALLEY (Alan Traylor) During a touring holiday in Australia, I passed through this lovely area called Heathcote and managed to get a card illustrating the area. From this, I created the painting of the rambling colourful landscape, with all the Eucalyptus trees, stretching for miles. The Australian landscape is very bright and colourful, the trees and scrubland, with the paleness of the tree trunks, create a strong contrast. Your palette becomes full of many colours, without having to think what to use, all very inspiring.
HEATHCOTE VALLEY (Painting) by Alan Traylor PAGE 32
SUNFLOWERS (Janet Batchelor) We were holidaying in France in July this year and searching for our accommodation My attention was immediately drawn to the numerous fields of yellow. We stopped the car and watched the sunflowers as they bent and swayed in the strong breeze. I took some quick photographs and attempted some sketches which proved difficult as everything was on the move including my sketch book. I still refer to the photos which are so bright and colourful.
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SUNFLOWERS (Painting) by Janet Batchelor
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LIZARD (Carol Johnson) Whilst on holiday in Bermuda, this little brightly coloured lizard sat sunbathing close by. Every now and again he puffed out his throat which was bright red. As a keen wildlife photographer, I spent an hour or so capturing a clear image of him. On arrival home, I painted the lizard in watercolour and ink. A great way to capture a wonderful creature and a wonderful memory.
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LIZARD (Watercolour and Ink) by Carol Johnson
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SUMMER STREAM (Janine Umbers) I visited a friend on the Marsh and near her cottage spied this corner which was a must for a painting. The sheep were not there but I saw them across the far side of the field (another painting for later!) so guessed they would come nearer at some point as this was a likely drinking site. I needed good weather as I envisaged a largish board and would need time to cover it, and space in the centre for the sheep when they came, and for a distant view of rows of trees so typical of the Marsh landscape. The near fence and hedgerow were important to lead the eye into the painting and frame the sunlit centre but as so often I had to simplify the tangled foliage to satisfy the overall balance of the painting. I can’t paint in wind so had to wait for a calm day. I knew it would take two sessions (as the sun changes everything after midday) and it was good fortune that the following day was also calm and sunny – and that the sheep turned up on cue!
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SUMMER STREAM (Oil) by Janine Umbers
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REFLECTION ON LOVE (Sue Brelade)
Clay is a most wonderful material to use in enabling an idea to become something substantial. Once I have the image in my mind my hands do the rest until the clay has yielded and given up its form. This sculpture shows two lovers intertwined. It has been photographed in front of a mirror so that both sides can be seen. On one side of the sculpture the clay protrudes and on the other side the clay is indented. Each indentation matches each protrusion. The ins and outs of love. The angles are sharp, avoiding the romantic curves of neoclassical design and speaking to the strength that love brings. The sculptural form reminds us that love is not sentimentality, it is not woolly and soft. Love is strong, love is powerful and love is hard. A reflection on love from a different angle.
REFLECTION ON LOVE (Bisque fired Clay) by Sue Brelade PAGE 39
LUTZ (Jacqui Botwright) This is a painting of a little boy who comes to our church. He fascinates me because his large eyes and rimmed glasses dominate his face. He also is very well behaved in the service and loves to “read� the small gilt edged bible which he helps himself to from the shelf. I decided to use water colour because I am most confident in that medium; also, sepia means I have a limited palette and can concentrate on features. I found the eye highlights difficult as the reflections on his glasses were conflicting with them.
LUTZ (Watercolour) by Jacqui Botwright PAGE 40
THE AGNOSTIC (Robert Mowl) This figure, nearly life size, began as a model in yellow glazed clay about ten inches high. It has an insouciant presence, assumed male, standing arms akimbo, surveying the world in a calm, measured and generally amiable manner. It is a work of mood rather than detail. Enlarging from the original was done by copying the shape into a block of polystyrene. Once complete the polystyrene form was coated with Jesmonite to create a hard, weatherproof stone-like surface. The sculpture, intended to stand out on Romney Marsh, had to contend with strong gusty winds over the flat expanse. Weight was added by gouging out material from the massive rounded feet and replacing it with concrete. The figure, of a contemplative mien, was intended to depict the timeless role of a Looker or Shepherd, gazing over the sheep-grazed grass of ‘Hope All Saints’, site of the ruined church on the Ashford Road between New Romney and Ivychurch. By chance and the lie of the land, he actually gazes quizzically towards the ruins of the 12th century church. THE AGNOSTIC (Composite) by Robert Mowl PAGE 41
THE MAD HATTER (Anne Wimsett) This is a ceramic based on Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter with the March Hare and Dormouse. I have been looking into why people feel the need to hide behind masks, with events such as The Day of the Dead and Masquerades and why such images are so scary. Pennyworth in "IT" has its own origins in a fear of clowns: ‘coulrophobia’.
THE MAD HATTER (Ceramic) by Anne Wimsett PAGE 42
JOURNEY IN STONE (Candida Wright) I first tasted stone carving at Surrey Institute of Art and Design where I spent a term in tutor Ian Middleton’s class, sculptural drawing, happily chipping away. I loved it. The stone was so hard, yet, with the right tools, could be shaped into hollows and bumps. I liked the sound of metal on stone, the feel of the tools, the physical exertion and the resulting creation of a surprising form. I became interested in fruit and inspired by the drawings of sculptor Peter Randal Page. During that term I worked on a large stone with different forms emerging on different sides including an acorn form and a shape reminiscent of an oval window. A term wasn’t long enough to finish the piece and my parents kindly accommodated it in their garden. A few years later, when I moved to Folkestone, I found sculptor Patrick Crouch was teaching stone sculpting at Canterbury College. Patrick was holding evening stone-carving sessions for anyone interested. So I went along. On the first evening I knew that this was my medium and spent a joyful evening hammering a limestone block. This, under the able tutelage of Patrick Crouch, set me off on my journey in stone. The piece shown here, called ‘Elemental Dance’ is where I revisited my fruit theme and developed an egg-shaped form with three openings, this time hollowed out and with a dancing figure within, inspired by Indian and Tibetan carvings.
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JOURNEY IN STONE (Limestone) by Candida Wright
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St Mary & St Eanswythe Church (Kristien Brelade) This is a piece of digital art which was created as a poster for an art exhibition last year. I took a picture of St Eanswythe church on a nice day and wanted to experiement to see how I could make a picture look like a painting. After experimenting, I liked the swirls and colours that were happening with the techniques I was using. I also felt that the neutral colours (blue and green) worked well in this picture,
St Mary & St Eanswythe Church (Digital Painting) by Kristien Brelade PAGE 45
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FOLKESTONE ART SOCIETY Folkestone Art Society (FAS) was formed in 1928 by a group of local artists who were meeting in one another’s homes. Since then the membership has grown to 200 or more. The first exhibition in 1935 was held in the former Pleasure Gardens Theatre. Exhibitions have been held every year since then except for the war years. For more information visit our website at www.folkestoneartsociety.co.uk. President: Fiona Graham Mackay Patrons: Michael Stainer, Graham Gordon, Robert Benson, Richard Bates Committee: John Keller (Chair), David Anderson, Chris Harman, Michael Harris, Yvonne Hutchcraft, Leigh Norgrove, Elena Priestley, Malcolm Ritchie, John Sussams. FAS Art Review Design Layout: Kristien Brelade. Cover Design: Kristien Brelade.
Registered Charity Number: 1161336