News Blog | Shropshire Art Society

Our great Gallery Weekend, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 2023

A group of 25 intrepid SAS explorers headed north on a Longmynd Travel coach from Shrewsbury on Friday 24^th March, to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, for our 3-day Gallery Weekend.

SAS Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Gallery Weekend 2023 collage 1 — Our hotel was close to the Tyne, perfect for views of the stunning bridges

The hotel was great, with very comfortable accommodation and excellent service from a dedicated staff. Arriving at 2pm gave us the afternoon to explore, and a lovely sunny day it was too! The Ramada Encore hotel was ideally placed for a leisurely stroll into the city, or a bus ride for those who preferred. Some participants made their own evening meal arrangements, but two thirds of the group had a very sociable meal together in the hotel’s restaurant.

SAS Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Gallery Weekend 2023 collage 4 — We enjoyed socialising over dinner, breakfast, coffee, tea and cake…

Saturday was art gallery day – special exhibitions, open studios and sumptuous installations awaited us! The Hatton (university art gallery) was first, to view a fabulous exhibition by contemporary artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, followed by the Laing (and a welcome visit to their café for cake and coffee), and then the Biscuit Factory, where there was much to see, including open studios and a number of interesting exhibitions by a variety of artists.

SAS Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Gallery Weekend 2023 collage 3 — Galleries awaited us: the Laing, the Biscuit Factory, the Hatton and more

After another sociable lunch in their café, we headed back towards our hotel and the Baltic Contemporary Gallery, where a huge life-sized installation entitled ‘The Procession’ awaited us, a multi-sensory delight of colour and flamboyance – see the photos below. This was a real treat, and also afforded us some amazing views over the Tyne river with its multiple bridges in view. Another very enjoyable and conversational evening meal followed!

SAS Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Gallery Weekend 2023 collage 5 — ‘The Procession’ at the Baltic was a delightful surprise

On Sunday a group of us travelled by bus to Ashington, to the ‘Pitmen Painters’ exhibition, plus an immersive exhibition of life in the mines. In addition, there was a stunning exhibition entitled ‘Wild Northumberland’, which was a delight. Of course, coffee sessions and lunches with plenty of happy chatter took place in their café!

Some members stayed in Newcastle as there was still plenty to see (for instance the cathedral, museums, bridges, architecture, etc.), some attended concerts (choral music in the cathedral; opera at the Theatre Royal) and some travelled (by bus) further afield to Alnwick Gardens, Hexham and Durham. The choice was always with the participants!

On our last day we had a leisurely morning and plenty of time for last-minute sight-seeing, then a scheduled stop on our return journey at the Angel of the North, the beautiful sunny weather enhancing our photos.

SAS Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Gallery Weekend 2023 collage 2 — And on the way home, the Angel of the North was the perfect ending

We all agreed that this had been a busy but enlightening weekend, with plenty to see for everyone, but above all it was a very sociable event, with plenty of time and opportunity to socialise with colleagues and friends who had a shared interest in art. All in all, a delightful weekend.

Thanks to Longmynd Travel for their excellent service as always. And, to all our members, we hope you’ll be inspired to join us for our next Gallery Weekend!

Beverley Wightman, SAS Gallery Trips Organiser

And we, the SAS Committee, would like to thank Bev for her dedication in making this a fabulous weekend for all who attended (and for her super photos which give a great flavour of the weekend). We couldn’t have wished for more.

A Pressing Engagement

In a joint initiative between Severn Hospice and Shropshire Art Society, two printing workshops for patients were held in October, and the resulting prints are amazing.

SAS and Severn Hospice Print Workshops artworks 2022 — A glimpse of the work from the SAS – Severn Hospice Print Workshops 2022

Paul Cronin from the Shropshire Arts Society led the workshops. He is our SAS Print Club organiser and was thrilled with the shared experience at Severn Hospice. He said,

“The creativity each individual brought and the skills they picked up during the two workshops enabled them to produce some really outstanding prints. When you consider that the vast majority had no experience whatsoever of printing, their results are simply awe inspiring.”

Holly Dyer, Severn Hospice’s art therapist, was also very happy with how things turned out with the joint venture, saying:

“It was fabulous to see our day patients so enjoying the lino print workshops and they were so inspired by Paul. His enthusiasm and gentle encouragement saw them produce some beautiful pieces, prints of which are now on display in our studio at Bicton. It was fabulous to see them develop the confidence to produce intricate pieces and, at the same time, be in the moment with their work. Paul is an amazing artist and an incredible teacher and it was a joy to see him work with our patients.”

Following the success of the workshops, plans are afoot to continue the initiative in the form of a Severn Hospice patients’ “Print Club” in the future.

The images above give a glimpse into the excellent prints created by the group.

Thanks to Paul for being so pro-active in making this super experience happen. He also continues to lead our own monthly SAS Print Club, for which we are grateful.

Shropshire Art Society Autumn Exhibition 2022 winner announced…

Our annual Shropshire Art Society Autumn Exhibition is currently being held at the Bear Steps Gallery, Shrewsbury. The Exhibition Social event was well attended by our members and their guests on Saturday 8th October and was a fantastic opportunity for us all to get together and enjoy the exhibition.

SAS Autumn Exhibition 2022 Bear steps Gallery, Shrewsbury — Our Autumn Exhibition 2022 is on at the Bear Steps Gallery, Shrewsbury

Phil Hadley, our Chair, welcomed everyone to the event. Then Wilfred Langford, our President, spoke of the exceptional quality and variety of the art works submitted, and thanks were given to John Willets, our Exhibition Secretary, and his team of volunteer members who helped him with the organisation and hanging of the exhibition this year.

Wilf introduced Phil Langstaff, Chair and a Trustee of VAN (Visual Art Network) and Co-Organiser of the Shrewsbury Arts Trail. Phil told us he was delighted to adjudicate the exhibition competition and award the R. Harrison and H. Walker Prize for the artwork that “best represents the Shropshire countryside”.

SAS winner Val Littlehales with Phil Langstaff Chair of VAN — Phil Langstaff presenting Val Littlehales with the Silver Salver, 2022
The winning painting by Val is titled, “Harvest Moon”

The R. Harrison and H. Walker prize of a Silver Salver was first presented in 1985, in memory of two former members of the Society, and is traditionally awarded at each Shropshire Art Society Autumn Exhibition. This year, the Silver Salver and prize money were awarded to Val Littlehales for her pastel painting “Harvest Moon”. Phil explained that he had chosen this work as the winner for its composition, the beautiful use of light and how the work spoke strongly of Shropshire and its wildlife. He had been drawn to the painting and felt it truly fulfilled the award brief of reflecting the Shropshire countryside.

Charlotte Tenneson’s lino-reduction print “Herbal echinacea” was mentioned as highly commended, as was the work by Jane Beesley, “Timeless land”.

As well as thanking Phil for being our adjudicator this year, we must thank Margaret Rowson for organising the refreshments at the Social event, and also the Bear Steps Gallery for hosting our exhibition. Thank you too to Tamara Hackett and Anne Linton for some of the lovely images and words included here.

SAS Autumn Exhibition Social event — A few moments from our Exhibition Social event held on Saturday 8th October

The exhibition continues at the Bear Steps Gallery, Shrewsbury until lunchtime on Saturday 15^th October. Do visit and see our members’ work!

Autumn Exhibition 2022… join in!

We realise that, sometimes, our members can feel unsure about whether they should take the plunge and enter their work, perhaps for the first time, in a Shropshire Art Society exhibition. So, at the last Committee Meeting, we asked one of our first-time exhibitors in our Summer Exhibition to share her experience. Thank you to Gillian Mortimer for telling us her encouraging and inspiring story. We hope it encourages YOU to take part in our Autumn Exhibition 2022!

Gillian’s story

I have no formal art training or background, it’s just something I love doing. The thought of showing my work to others was pie in the sky. But I started sharing my pictures online during lockdown, and found my friends quite encouraging. Several of them asked me if I was going to exhibit. A terrifying prospect.

But the SAS Summer Exhibition was coming up, and I thought ‘Why not give it a go? If my paintings are not very good they’ll get lost amongst all the other wonderful work, so it won’t matter.’ I chose my three best pictures, used some frames I’d bought years ago and never used, held my nose and jumped. And guess what? All three of them sold, to my utter amazement.

It wasn’t anywhere near as as scary as I expected, and other Society members are so lovely and willing to advise. So if you are not sure, why not give it a go yourself? You could be as lucky as I was.

Here’s a glimpse of Gillian’s framed paintings:

Gillian Mortimer's painting SOLD in the SAS Summer Exhibition

So what are you waiting for, Shropshire Art Society members both new and long-standing? The Autumn Exhibition Information, Conditions of Entry and Entry Form are included in your August 2022 edition of Focal Points (coming soon), which also has some extra, helpful guidance about framing your work for Shropshire Art Society exhibitions.

We look forward to receiving your entries! Join in!

Shrewsbury Arts Trail 2022, visit us!

Hot on the heels of our recent Summer Exhibition come our two Shrewsbury Arts Trail 2022 Exhibitions, giving another great opportunity to see our members’ work in two very special Shrewsbury venues throughout July and August.

Invited by the Development Officer at St. Mary’s Church to participate in the Shrewsbury Arts Trail 2022, members of Shropshire Art Society have nearly fifty paintings on display in St. Mary’s Church, and at the Orchard Cafe at the Cathedral on Town Walls.

Shropshire Art Society Arts Trail Exhibition, Orchard Cafe, Town Walls

Shropshire Art Society Arts Trail Exhibition, St. Mary's Church — Shropshire Art Society Arts Trail Exhibition, St. Mary’s Church

Complementing the stunning, world-class stained-glass windows of St. Mary’s Church and the Cathedral, which include work by the celebrated stained-glass artist Margaret Agnes Rope (1882-1953), the exhibitions provide an inspirational view into the range of work produced by our talented group of both professional and amateur Shropshire artists.

Work on show includes an eclectic mix of subject matter and mediums employed, including charcoal, watercolour, acrylic, collage, pastel and fumage.

All work is for sale and can be purchased via the cafes in both venues.

Both our Shropshire Art Society Arts Trail 2022 Exhibitions continue throughout July and August, until 30th August. We’d love you to visit and enjoy our members’ work.