A Happy New Year to You All!
We hope this newsletter finds you safe and well in these continued rather strange times of a third lockdown, with a new strain of the virus causing us to remain at home. The main difference this time is that we have a glimmer of salvation in the form of vaccinations, which I believe some of you will have received recently. We had hoped to bring you news of us being able to meet in person early this year, but as you will realise, this is not possible for the time being.
However, the Committee have been working hard to keep interesting activities going for the society, and we are planning the events for 2021. Many of you enjoyed the pre Christmas Zoom felting demonstration by Louise Nowell in Scotland , and were surprised by how much felting is like painting with wool! Louise runs workshops on her craft and I had great fun on one a few weeks ago , so if you are interested please look at the details on our website , or I can forward you her details.
Our next activity in January was combining with Sidmouth and Exmouth Art Societies for a live link with New Zealand artist Richard Robinson to paint along with him. About 12 of our members joined in with this and produced some exciting pictures in either oils or acrylics.
As usual, our February meeting will be a critique of members work, this time on zoom with our president Phil Creek, on Friday 5th February. So don’t forget, if you want a picture included in this critique you will need to send a photo of your work to Chris Poole ASAP. [charybdis72@hotmail.co.uk] Fiona Gale will shortly be sending you out details of this , and an invitation to the Zoom meeting.
Please also keep sending your work in to Chris for our mini exhibition, and also the Competition , (voting to take place from 14th to 28th February), the details of which are on the website.
At our recent committee meeting we decided to postpone the March AGM meeting , until the first possible time when we can be together again. In the interim we will send you out the Treasurer’s report for 2020/2021.
This brings me onto a serious point – many thanks to all of you who have paid your membership subscriptions for this year, which pays for the demonstrations and activities that have been arranged . Unfortunately , some people haven’t yet renewed their membership yet, so if you have forgotten please can I remind you to send your payment to either Mike Bird , our treasurer, or Fiona Gale , our Membership Secretary. [BACS details, email contacts etc - see HERE] These monies are vital to the continued success of our society , and its survival in the future.
Many of you will know that Jacqueline Ward has done stirling work for OVAS over a long period of time, most recently as Minutes secretary. Jacqueline has decided to step down from her committee duties, and the Committee and I would like to thank her for all her hard work in keeping us all in line! Sue Williams has agreed to take over from Jacqueline in that role. As we are not having our AGM as usual this year, the rest of the Committee have agreed to stay on in post until voting can take place in person.
We know that many of you have really missed not being able to meet to paint together at the Tuesday Group at the cricket club, and have a chat over a cup of coffee, so we are having a trial of a weekly “Show and Tell, with coffee” , on Zoom ,starting on Tuesday 2nd February at 10 -11.30, for 4 weeks initially. This is open to all paid up members , and you can come and join and leave within those times whenever you want, and paint and chat with your friends. Fiona Gale will send out the details of the Zoom invite to you for this event.
I hope that the lockdown is giving you the opportunity to produce some wonderful art work, perhaps in new and exciting ways or directions , which I hope you will share with us in the critique, exhibition or competition. So please, keep sending in your work!
With best wishes for a healthy and creative New Year,
Penny Lamb