THE meeting opened with some announcements regarding our painting days and a request for the members’ reaction to a proposal to organise a coach trip to the Lowry Centre in Manchester.

Members were reminded of the closing day for entrants for our October exhibition in the Kingfisher Centre. Our chair then introduced Sue McDonaugh to give her presentation on pastel painting and to demonstrate with a painting, “Children on the Beach”.

Sue had made her charcoal drawing on a pastel card, explaining that she preferred its slightly abrasive surface to that of pastel papers and that velour supports were not suitable for her technique. Her picture was of two young children hand in hand, paddling at the seaside.

Starting with the dark areas, she progressed to the pinks of the flesh tones all the time using the flat of the pastel stick with a light, loose touch. When painting a curved surface, she suggested the shape with the direction of her pastel stroke.

She explained her technique as she developed the painting, saying she liked to preserve the vibrancy of the painting with discrete patches of unblended colour. The sea and sand forming the background for the figures were painted in loosely to complete a charming, colourful picture, much admired by her appreciative audience.

The next meeting will be at St. Luke’s Memorial Hall, Evesham Road, Headless Cross on Wednesday, October 5, at 7.30pm when Paul Priestley will discuss “Vibrant Landscapes”.

Supported by Redditch School of Art through Redditch Arts Council