THE DOORS to a Wokingham art exhibition opened on Saturday, allowing members of the public to view artwork in a range of media, including glass and jewellery.
Wokingham Art Society’s 68th show was attended by two Wokingham mayors, who helped Wokingham Art Society Chair Peter Izod, to present awards to winning artists.
Wokingham Town Mayor Cllr Louise Timlin said: “It’s lovely to be invited to the gallery opening, and I’m enjoying the wide variety of work.
“This is a great group to have locally, offering a place for people of all ages to express themselves through art.”
Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Rob Comber agreed.
He said: “I was hearing from a head teacher recently how art is being de-emphasised in schools, so to see the calibre and the amount of art work here is very reassuring.
“I’ve attended a number of arts events, and I think these groups are very important.
“Organisations like this are critical to helping us function as a rounded society.”
Wokingham Art Society’s competition winners this year are:
Best in show (President’s Award), An English Summer, by Sarah Thomas,
Best acrylic painting (Daler-Rowney award), South Hill Park Lake, by Helen Lieber,
Best painting in another medium (Ray Mills Award), Landscape no.2, by Sue Dance,
Best 3D work (Vice President’s Award), Poinsettia, by Monica Garcia,
Best watercolour (Sandra Fagan Award), Old Barn, by Clive Simpson,
Best pencil drawing (Paul Banning Award), Lounging, by Alan Tidy.
Highly commended were:
Sarah Thomas’s acrylic, Golden Hour; Martin Rolfe’s collage, Tenby Harbour; Maggie Richimond’s acrylic, Headland Straight; Helen Lieber’s acryclic, Geranium; and Monica Garcia’s glassware, Butterfly Eggs.
Exhibition judge, and Berkshire artist, Liz Chaderton chose the winning works.
She said: “I was struck by the strength of the acrylic work here.
“I also noticed some gems of small paintings, where people said so much in an economical way, which was beautiful.
“And I was impressed by the breadth of work put forward by this thriving art group.
“As a watercolourist, of course I’d love to see some more pure water colour paintings.
“And I’d also really like to see more drawing because that’s a fundamental skill for developing artists’ ability to see the world.
“It’s a great discipline, and I’d recommend anyone looking to win a prize next year to think about entering a drawing.”
Daler-Rowney sponsored the event and provided the prize for one of the awards,
Manufacturing director at Daler Rowney Philip Gray presented a generous bundle of art equipment to Helen Leiber for her acrylic award.
He said: “This is a great opportunity to meet people who use our products, and I’ve learnt a huge amount in a very short time here.
“I’d like Daler-Rowney to support more events like this in future.”
Wokingham Art Society President Jenny Halstead expressed the group’s thanks to Daler-Rowney, and hopes that many people will drop in to view the exhibition.
She said: “They will see an exciting variety of work from a range of different artists.”
Much of the work on display is available to buy, with purchased items immediately replaced by new ones.
In this way the exhibition evolves during the display fortnight.
Refreshments are served each day by members of St Paul’s Church.
The exhibition can be seen at St Paul’s Parish Rooms, Wokingham, every day from 10am until 5.30pm until Saturday, August 2 (when doors will close at 4pm).
For information, visit: wokinghamartsociety.org.uk
