July2024No.22
WELCOMETOOURSUMMER NEWSLETTER
Writingthiswehavejusthadthewarmest dayoftheyear.Thesebrightsunnydays canbeachallengeforinspiring photographicshotsbutsometimespartof thefunistryingtomakephotographseven whenitseemsimpossible.SoIhopeyou areallgettingoutandtakingsome gorgeoussummerphotos.
Thismonthwedon’thavemanyarticles frommembersapartfromourcommittee members.Pleaseusethisnewsletterasa showcaseforyourimages.Ifyouhave recentlygainedyourLRPS,ARPSorFRPS pleasewriteanarticleandprovidesome images.Evenifyouaredoingaprivate projectandwouldliketoshareyour creations,pleaseconsiderdoingitviathis newsletter.
Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationthen pleaseemailme visualartsec@rps.org
Happysnapping
UPDATEONTHECIRCLES
WHATISITLIKETOBEAMEMBER OFANEMAILCIRCLE?
HaveyoueverwonderedwhattheCircles arelike?Whatdowedoexactly?
‘MuralWiderview’byRobinSimmons
Well,everymonthallthememberssend animagetoalltheothermembersby email.Then,attheendofthemonth, everyonecommentsonalltheimages, sendingalltheircommentstoallofthe othermembersoftheCircle.
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Wearepolitefolks,butthatdoesn'tmean thecommentsarebland.They'reoften veryhelpful,perhapsmentioningatrim whichcouldimprovethings,ora suggestionondarkeningorlighteningor removingdistractions.Theremaybeafew questionsorcommentsexchanged betweenindividualmemberstoo,"How didyoudothat?","Wheredidyoustand?", "When'sthebesttimeofday/yeartogo?" Allgoodquestionstohelpeachother along.
‘TheMural’byRobinSimmons
Whenyouopenthemonthlycontributions fromyourfellowmembers,itsometimes feelslikeopeninganunfamiliarboxof chocolates.Someyoulikeimmediately, someyou'renotsureabouttheflavour, etc.Believeme,I'vebeenamemberofa Circlefor30yearsandIstilllookforward toopeningthebox.
IthoughtitmightbehelpfulifIshowyoua recentboxfromEmailCircle1togiveyoua tasteofthevarietyofsubjectmatterand treatmentyoumightsee.You'llseethat therearetwopicturesfromRobinas,on
thisoccasion,hedecidedtoshowushow hehadderivedanimagetakenfroma smallpartofaverylargemural.
‘CandidTimes’byRonCaplain Ihopeyouenjoythisinsider'sviewofa Circle'smonthlycontribution.Ifyouwould liketojoinaCircle,orifyou'dlikeabit moreinformation,justEmailme at Gill@dishart.plus.com.
Bestwishes,
GillDishartARPS
ROLLRIGHTVISUALARTGROUP,
SATURDAY24th AUGUST
TheAugustmeetingoftheRollrightgroup willbeadayforMember'swork.
Asusual,bringalonganynewprojects, picturestoshare,invitecommentsand advice-ornot,showoffanexhibitionor distinctionsuccess,printsorPDI’s,booksanythingvisualartrelated. Onesuggestionhasbeentobringalong yourbestimagesalltime-sayuptofive. Oneofmy"bestevers"wouldbethis picturethatItookupatEdinburghFestival inabout1990,atthefinaldressrehearsal, (whichstartedatmidnight!),ofIncompany Theatre'sproductionofPeterShaffer's play'Equus'.
WemeetinthevillagehallinLong
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ComptonCV355JJ,doorsopen10:00fora 10:30start,teacoffeeandbiscuits provided,pleasebringyourownlunch.
‘Equus-thenightmare’byBarryBarker FRPS
Themeetingwillagainbefree,itisopento allphotographersandanyoneinterested inwhatwehavetooffer.NonRPS membersarewelcome.
Formoreinformationandtoreceiveour emailremindersandupdates,please contactBarryBarker at visualartrollright@rps.org
THEAURORABOREALIS
Thechancetoobserve–andphotograph–theAuroraBorealis,theNorthernLights, haslongbeenonmybucketlist.Friends havetoldofsightingsinthefarNorth,or fromaircraftflyinginpolarregions,but manifestationsintheEnglishmidlandsare extremelyrare.Asaradioenthusiastsince boyhoodIhavealwaysbeeninterestedin therelationshipbetweensolar/magnetic
activityandlong-distanceradio communication.Ihavealsobeenthwarted inthepastbyBritishweather:allittakesis acloudyskytoruinwhatcouldotherwise beaspectacularevent.
Whenon10th Mayexpertsbeganpredicting abigsolarstormIwasimmediatelyexcited. Siteswithaclearviewtothenortharein shortsupplyinNorthamptonshiresoI threwallmykitinthecarandheadedfor NorthNorfolk,whichIknowwell.Atabout 10pm
IarrivedatthewaterfrontatBurnham OveryStaithetofindaboutahundredother photographersalreadywaitingfor darkness.AnexcitedyoungladyImet showedmeherphone,sayingitwas alreadyvisiblethere.True,itwas,aslight greenishtingeinthenortherntwilight.I foundsomewheretosetupmytripod,and waited.Thenexthourwasoneofthemost astonishingIcanremember.Theaurora grewinstrength,coloursappeared(I’d
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heardtheyweremainlygreen–wrong!)and by2230thewholeskywasfilledwith beams,patchesandothershapesyousee here.
Iwasexpectingmostofthedisplayto appearintheNorth:infactthestrongest showwasfromtheEast.
BymidnightIfelttherewasnotmuchI hadn’talreadyphotographed,soIretiredto admiretheresults–inthehopethestorm mightlastuntilthefollowingnight–it didn’t.
Acoupleofsurprises:
Peoplehadsuggestedthatmorewasvisible inaphotographthantotheeye.Certainly theyounglady’sphonepictureconfirmed thisforlow-levelevents.ButeveryimageI tookshowsprettymuchwhatIsaw.
Byfarthebestpictureswereonmyphone (iPhone14ProMax).Thelowlightsetting seemedperfect.Thetripodandbig cameraswereOK,butoveralla disappointment.
MarkDeutschLRPS
ANGELESEYPHOTOWALKWEEKEND
LateJune,agroupoftwelveenthusiastic photographersembarkedonaplanned photoweekendinAnglesey.Theweather waskindthroughouttheweekendgiving wayattimesonlywithanearlymorning mountainmist,thatapartdifferentlighting conditionsfeltharmonious.
KathrynAlkinsARPS
RichardJonesarespectedbotanistand photographerofAnglesey,hadgivensome verygooddirectionandguidanceabout locationsthatweresometimesjustoffthe touristradar.VisitsincludedHolyhead Breakwater,theCountryPark,theBelgian Promenade,TelfordSuspensionBridgeand YnysLlandysilio,MenaiBridge.PlasCadant –HiddenGardens,PorthSwtan[Church Bay],MynyddParys[ParysMountains]a networkofwalksaroundthecoloured
landscapeoftheoldcoppermines,andthe listgoeson.
PUBLICATIONSNEWS
Hopefullybynowyou’llhavereceivedthe excellentMonographonourlatemember, RayHigginbottomARPS.Hesuppliedus withthetextandimages,andhiswife,Viv Blewett,supplieduswiththephotographs thatyouseeonthefrontandbackinside covers.ThanksgotoMarkandtoPaul MellorARPS,Ray’scolleagueandfriend, whowrotetheInMemoriamtoRay.
TheVAMagazineNo.164–theSummer Issue–GuestEditedbyNickiGwynn-Jones FRPS,shouldbewithyounowasitwassent outaroundthe17th July.Therearefive fascinatingarticles,eachbeautifully illustratedbythecontributingauthors.Also includedaretheTenWinnersofthe2024 VAGMembers’Exhibition.You’llseeaQR symbolonthebackcover,whichwillgive youaccesstothewholeexhibition.Onpage 38isaspreadcontributedbyEC4(Email Circle4)whichwillgiveyouanideaofwhat circlemembersdo.Youmightbeinspired tojoinacircle!
TheAutumnIssue,MagazineNo.165,will beGuestEditedbyLindaWevillFRPS.
MalcolmGriffith DuringSaturdayafternoonwewereableto takeawell-earnedbreakanddelightedwith apresentationfromDrRolfKraehenbuehl andhislatestproject.Itisunusualtohave moreofaninsighttotheresearchofhow, where,andwhathewantedtoachievewith hisphotographicwork.Hesharedthe principlesofhistechniquesandfurnished withsomebeautifullargeformatdarkroom prints. B&WNegtrypticbyMaryCrowtherARPS
Afteramadcoupleofdays,wecappedoff theweekendwithavisittotheBeaumaris RNLIwhowerethatmorningrunningthe RNLI200NorthWalesPennantRelay,anda courtesyguidedtourofthestation.
Weaimtohaveashowandtellafternoon/ eveninginAugust/Septemberwhere imagesfromthegroupwillbeshared.
GoodNews:I’mpleasedtoletyouknow thatMartinAddisonFRPShasagreedto comeonboardtheGuestEditingteam,to takeontheMonographs.Welookforward toworkingwithhim.
Enjoythesummer,rainorshine!
WendyMeagherLRPS
RPSSOUTHWESTVISUALARTEVENT–SATURDAY,22JUNE2024
TheSouthWestVisualArtGroupmetagain on22June2024atWoodburyVillageHall.
Thiseventwastotallydedicatedto participantsshowingtheirwork.Withno speakersbookedtodrawthecrowd,Iwasa littleapprehensive,wonderinghowwell attendedthemeetingwasgoingtobeand howmanyparticipantswouldwanttoshow theirwork.Well,Ineedn’thaveworried,we had21presentationsofwhich10were digitaland11wereprintpresentations.
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This,ofcourse,showsthatVisualArt photographersliketoshowtheirworkas printsandsomeindeedcamebecausethey feelthattheirworkisbestshownina printedform.
ThankstoDavidBarrett’stwolargedisplay boardswithfittedlightingabovethem,we wereabletoappreciateandadmirethe printspresented.Therewerealso,a numberofbooks/zines(somehand-made) showingthepassionthatwehavefor printedwork.Theparticipantswerealso abletoexchangetipsandinformation aboutdifferentartpaperandbook publishersused.
Itwasaveryfull-oneventwithsomuchto showandshare.Onethingthatwasvery evidentandwhatmadethisavery successfuleventwasavarietyofsubject mattersandtechniques.Also,some participantswerefairlynewtophotography whilstthereweremanywithARPSandFRPS distinctions.
Somephotographerswantedfeedbackon theworkinprogresswhilstsomewantedto showandtelltheircompletedprojects.The participantsshowedgreatenthusiasmby comingfromthroughouttheSouthWestCornwall,Devon,Dorset,Somersetand Bristol.Forsomeofthemthismeanta lengthyjourney,soitwasgoodtoseethat theywererewardedforitandtheirjourney wasworthwhile.
Theeventstartedwithapresentationby BridgetDavies.Bridgettalkedabouther photographicjourneyfromanARPSPanel in2020tohersuccessfulFRPSpanelin 2023.Inherpresentationentitled“Avoiding theLanguageofthePostcard”,Bridgetgave examplesofdifferentapproachesanduse ofabstractphotographyandstorytelling. HerFRPSsubmissionwasaverypersonal storywhichshetoldthroughherbook basedonBerlin.Forheritwasabout retracinghersteps–awalkdownmemory lane–andseeinghowthecityhaschanged sinceherstudentdaysinthelate1970s whenshespentayearinBerlinasan undergraduatestudent.
Herearesomeexamplesofother participants’work.
Donnashowedasetofnatureimages demonstratingjusthowcreativeonecan bebyinvertingcoloursandchangingan imageinanunexpectedwayresultingin somethingquiteunique.
Kaycreatedasetofimagesinspiredby RaymondChandler’snovels.Shecaptured themoodofsuspenseinthestyleoffilm noirwithitsdistinctivevisualstylemarked byhigh-contrastinglightingandthe extensiveuseofshadows.
Image3-byMarijaLeesLRPS
Marija’spresentationwasabouthervisual artapproachtostreet/peoplephotography andhowonecancreatemorecompelling imagesbyusingthecontrastoflightand dark.
Image4–TeignmouthbySueBishop.
Sueshowedasetofimagestakenonthe coast.Suelovesseascapesand minimalismandoftenusesslowshutter speedandICMtechniquestocreative visuallystrikingimages.
Animageoftreelinedcliffsatthemouth oftheriverOtterestuary–aniconicscene sofamiliartothepeopleofEastDevon, presentedinDi’sstrongpersonalstyle.
Markshowedasetofimagesof underwaterdancers–eleganceandthe surrealunderwatersurrounding-quite stunning.
Image6–UnderwaterDancebyMark
Frisby
Ournextmeetingisscheduledfor Saturday,16November2024.Itwillbe heldatthesamelocation(Woodbury VillageHall).Aspeakerhasalreadybeen booked.Iamdelightedtoannouncethat DavidTownshendwillbejoiningusonthe day https://davidtownshend.com/.More detailswillfollowlateron.
MarijaLeesLRPS
RPSSouthWestRegionalVisualArt Organiser
MIKESARCHITECTURALSHORTS NO.2
THEST.PANCRASRENAISSANCE HOTEL,EUSTONROAD.
IfyoujumpoffthetubeatKingsCrossand turnrightyou'llalmostimmediatelycome acrossanotherofmyfavouritebuildings, theSt.PancrasRenaissanceHotelandit'sa greatplacetowanderaroundandperhaps grabadrinkorlunchandtophotograph theopulentinterior.(Thesecurityguards
willdirectyoutothefreelyaccessible parts).
Itcomeswithaveryconvolutedhistory.In 1862,theMidlandRailwaycompany,who alreadyrananetworkofrailwaysinthe midlands,commissionedtheirownrailway lineintoLondon.Themainmotivation behindtheprojectwastobeableto transportcoalandothergoodsintothe city.
Constructionfinishedonthenewrailway lineandstationin1865andacompetition wassubsequentlylaunchedtodesigna hotelforthestationwithagrandfrontage ontoEustontobecalledTheMidland GrandHotel.
Themostextravagant(andexpensive)plan wasputforwardbytheprolificgothicrevivalarchitectGeorgeGilbertScott.
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Everyroomhadafireplacemeaningthere wereawhopping600fireplacesand7 milesoffluesinthehotel.Ahardworking teamof160maidsthereforehadtheir workcutouttocleanallofthemtwicea day.
Thehotelwasfittedwithallthemodcons availableatthetime,suchashydrauliclifts andEngland’sfirstrevolvingdoor.
Anotherlittledetailthatyoucanspotall overthehotelarethenumerousimagesof ‘wyverns’,themythologicaltwo-legged dragon-likecreatureswhoalsofeatureon thecoatofarmsoftheMidlandRailway.
Despite,foratime,beingthefirstchoice accommodationforwealthyvisitorstothe city,intheearly1900stheMidlandGrand Hotelfelloutoffavour.Otherfashionable, particularlyWestEnd,hotelssuchasthe Savoytookprecedence,boastingnewfangledensuitebathrooms,somethingthe MidlandGranddidnothave.
Consequently,TheMidlandGrandshutas ahotelin1935,becomingofficesand accommodationfortherailway.
BritishRailactuallywantedtoknockit downinitiallybutthankfullyavigorous campaignledbyJaneHughesFawcett, JohnBetjemanandtheVictorianSociety savedthebuildingandsecureditaGradeI listingin1967,thehighestlevelofheritage protection.Butunfortunatelyinthe1980s itwasshutduetononcompliancewithfire regulationsandsatthereforyearsunused andunloved.
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Initiallycommissionedtodevelopthe residentialapartmentsinthehotel’sloft space(onceplanningpermissionwas grantedin2002)andaftertheoriginal partnerpulledoutcitingspirallingcosts, HarryHandelsmanthefounderandCEOof ManhattanLoftinLondontookadeep breath.Theopportunitytocollaborate posthumouslywithalegendaryVictorian architectandrestoreoneofLondon’smost conspicuouslostlandmarkswastoogood anopportunitytomisssoManhattanLoft tookovertheredevelopmentoftheentire site.
Each50-footwindow,everygoldleaf ceilingandhand-paintedmuralwere painstakinglyrefurbished.Also,withthe newwing;(acontemporaryevocationof Scott’siconicredbrickfaçadeandhometo 190modernhotelrooms)itwastobethe mostchallengingprojecttheyhadever undertaken.
Theprojectquicklybecamealabourof love.Atonepoint,therewere500people hand-paintingthevariousfrescos;no detailwaslefttochanceandevenwhena fragmentofrarewallpaperwasuncovered inoneroom,itwasreinstatedatacostof £47,000.
Thebiggestchallengewasintransforming thederelictGradeIlistedbuilding,deemed outdateduponitsclosurein1935,intoa 21stcenturyfive-starhotel,afterallithad oncebeenastate-of-the-artspectacle, featuringtheaforementionedflushing toilets,hydraulicliftsandthatrecently inventedrevolvingdoor,howeverthe integrationofmodernfacilitieswithsome ingeniousengineeringfilledthebill admirably.
Ittook10yearsforadedicatedteamof architects,specialistcontractorsand mastercraftsmentorestoreahotelthat hadtaken8yearstobuildinitially.
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The245-roomStPancrasRenaissance Hotelopenedtounprecedentedcritical acclaim.Itreceivednumerousaccolades, includingtheRIBAawardforBestBuilding inaHistoricContextandboththeOverall WinnerandBestRefurbishmentofthe YearattheEuropeanHospitalityAwards.
Butthelegacyofthisprojectdoesn’tlive oninawardsonmantelpieces.It’sinthe revivalofoneofthemostromantic buildingsinthecountryandthecatalyst forKingsCross’successfulregeneration. Londonnolongerneedstowonderwhat liesbehindthefairytalefaçadeindeed,if you’veseentheHarryPotterFilmsor Batman,RichardIII,102Dalmatiansor maybeevenhavefondmemoriesofthe SpiceGirlsvideoof‘Wannabe’you’ve alreadytakenabriefstepinside.
So.....after10yearsoflovingrestoration andatacostofover£200millionthe ManhattanLoftCorporationrevivedoneof thegreatestbuildingsinLondonandthe re-namedSt.PancrasRenaissanceHotel openedon14March2011toguests; however,theformalGrandOpeningwas on5May–exactly138yearsafterits originalopeningin1873.
MikeKitchingmanARPS
EXHIBITIONS(understudysought)
Assomeofyouareaware,Ihavebeen lookingaftertheExhibitionsleadRolefor theVAGinrecentyearsandfeelthatit’s timeformetomoveon,however,don’t panic!
It’smyintentiontohaveagradual changeoverofthepositiontoalikemindedindividual,thathasaknackfor organising.Iwillcontinuetomanagethe positionthroughout2025,buthopethat anunderstudycanbefoundwhowilltake overtherolecompletelyfor2026.
Iwillnotsugarcoattheresponsibilitythe personwillhaveandcannotdenythereis adegreeoffrustrationthatcomeswiththe job,butitisextremelyrewardinginother
waysandbeingattheheartofoneofthe mosteffectivesub-groupswithintheRPS hasbeenaprivilegeforme.Iam surroundedbyanextremelytalented groupofhelpersthaterect,maintainand dismantleoneofthebesttouring exhibitionsintheland.
Ifyoufeelthiswouldappealtoyou,then contactmeoranyoneontheVAG committeetoregisteryourinterestand we’llbeintouch.
SOLIHULLEXHIBITION
Ourfinalexhibitionoftheyearwilltake placeintheMidlands,attheCourtyard GalleryinSolihullfromthe13thAugustto 9thSeptember.Thisisthefinalchancefor youtoseethe2024Members’Exhibition beforewestartonthe2025Callfor Entries.
LookoutfornotificationsontheRPSVAG socialmediachannelsandtheVAG
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webpages.Lookingforanotherexcellent cropofimagesfornextyear.
TomLeeFRPS ExhibitionsLeadOrganiser.
ClaireCarrollismemberoftheVisualArt GroupbasedinStowontheWold.An exhibitionofherrecentworkwillbeon displayatAtelier8,ParkStreet,Stowonthe Wold,from5-31August.
Thisexhibitionfeaturesaseriesofimages ofJapaneseredcrownedcranestakenona visittophotographthecourtingritualsof thesebeautifulblackandwhite(withalittle red!)birds.Shewasstruckbytheshapes andpatternsofthevirtuallymonochrome cranesagainstthesnow-whitebackground andtheimagesshehascreatedhavean almostabstractquality.Shehaspushed thecontraststoemphasisetheabstraction sothattheendresultsarevisualartrather thanwildlife,designratherthanrealism.
Forfurtherinformationanddetailsof openingtimespleasecontact:
ClaireCarroll, 07774862511
claire@clairecarrollphotography.com or ATELIER8,8PARKSTREET,STOW-ON-THEWOLD,GL541AQ hello@atelier8.uk
COMMITTEEMEMBERS
ThefollowingmembersmakeupyourVAG committeefor2024/25:
Chair
MarkDeutschLRPS
Secretary&Newsletter CarolPaesARPS
Treasurer BarryBarkerFRPS
Membership ValGlennyARPS
PublicationsCoordinator WendyMeagherLRPS
ExhibitionsCoordinator TomLeeFRPS
SocialmediaCoordinator StevenGalvinARPS
Exhibitionsmember MartynPearse
WebEditor MichaelButterworthLRPS
CirclesCoordinator GillDishartARPS
Residentialweekends MikeKitchingmanARPS
CommitteeMembers PaulBullockLRPS BobBracherARPS
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Therearealsotwosub-grouporganisers andoneVisualArtGrouprepresentative fortheTyngCollection,heldcurrentlyat theV&AMuseum.Theyare:
VisualArtNorth
MaryCrowtherARPS
VisualArtSouthwest
MarijaLeesLRPS
VisualArtLondon -NEW
LindaWevillFRPS
TyngCo-ordinator
RobertHerringshawARPS