Demonstrations are free for members and they may bring along a guest for a fee of £5. Workshops and Trips at worked out at cost, to members and guests can attend trips if requests are made to The Programme Manager via the Society's email.

Special Ticketed Events for Members and their guests:  We run several extra social events during the year, which are ticketed and charged at a subsidised rate. During 2024 we have had a BBQ and a lecture about putting on an exhibition and a Christmas Lunch in December.

10th April Monthly Demonstration 6.50- 9pm

Wendy Hughes, Millinery Design -In a globalised world in which hi-tech is playing a major role in people’s lives, Wendy Hughes’s work goes against the trend. It is ‘hands on ‘. She manipulates materials to create soft sculptural forms. 

Her work is random and materially led, inspired by the effects of concertinaring and folding such as screens, sails, umbrellas and tents. 
Wendy mixes a wide variety of fabrics from hessian to silk organdie to create her structures . She supports them with heavy stitching, nylon filament and wire .

Clare Henley Acrylics and Collage Workshop

At The Memorial Hall Art Studio, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, CV37 9BL

Saturday 15th March, 10am-4pm

Members Only £40

Claire will be working from a photograph to demonstrate some of the layering techniques she uses in her work. As well as painting, this will include collage, cutting, gluing tearing, scratching, spattering etc. She will bring some samples of her work for a ‘show and tell’ before we start.

You will need to bring your own acrylic paints, brushes and canvas or board. Some materials will be provided. For full details email workshops@stratforduponavonartsociety.co.uk

Refreshments will be provided but please bring your own mug. 

Claire has had a varied career as a professional artist and illustrator. After studying graphic design at college in London, she worked as a designer for a textile company in the Midlands. After becoming freelance, Claire began designing in a variety of fields such as stationery, giftware and toy manufacture before becoming a children’s book illustrator and writer.

In 2010 she began her move into the field of fine art by producing a series of paintings inspired by her love of the landscape and coastal areas of Britain, as well as her favourite urban scenes.

Claire exhibits in galleries from the West Country to Scotland, as well as in her home county of Warwickshire, where she paints in her Stratford studio. Her work is currently licensed by several companies and can be found on home furnishings, gifts, wall art and paper products.

Keith Billington Acrylics: Towards Abstraction, Painting in Heavy-Body Acrylics

At The Memorial Hall Art Studio, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, CV37 9BL

Saturday 5th April, 10am-4pm

Members Only £41

Keith is a professional artist well known to Members for providing guidance and assistance at Studio sessions as well as teaching his own weekly art classes.

This workshop provides an introduction to Impasto & Sgraffito techniques – applying and cutting back through thick acrylic paint. There will be demonstrations throughout the day, a look at the choice of art materials available to produce acrylic impasto paintings and choosing a suitable picture and how to modify it digitally to create a more dramatic, non-figurative or abstract image. Two works will be created during the workshop - a simple abstract harbour scene with a limited colour range and one from a chosen photo. A list of materials needed will be provided nearer the workshop date. Some acrylic paints will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own.

Workshop limited to 12 attendees.

Refreshments will be provided but bring your own lunch.

Workshops are for members only. Non-members can join through this store.

Skill level - appropriate for any skill level.

Further enquiries: workshops@stratforduponavonartsociety.co.uk

Saturday 12th April Workshop 10am-4pm

Andrew Geeson: Loose Watercolour

At The Memorial Hall Art Studio, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, CV37 9BL

Cost £38

Andrew will lead us in a relaxed and productive day, showing us how to liven up our watercolour painting by using a loose technique. He will carry out several mini demonstrations and support us in producing several fresh watercolour paintings.This workshop is suitable for any level of painting.

You will need to bring your own paints, brushes and paper. More details will be sent to members who sign up.

Andrew started his career as a botanical illustrator, producing very fine detailed work for publishers throughout the world. He also delved in to the exciting and fun world of children’s book illustration, working for several years with Enid Blyton’s daughter on her mother’s creation Noddy.

It was only fairly recently that Andrew looked for a new journey to undertake, and discovered the beauty and inspiration of loose watercolours. It wasn’t an easy transition, having painted in such a tight manner for so long, but he took up the challenge of this fantastic and rewarding style of painting, learning from the very beginning whilst having to throw off his old style of painting.

Saturday 10th May Workshop 10am-4pm

Carl March: Watercolour Boats

At The Memorial Hall Art Studio, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, CV37 9BL

Cost £37

'Boats in watercolour' 

Members only

Step by step watercolour exercises designed to help complete beginners and more experienced painters.

Exercises include brush control, colour mixing and drawing.

You will need to bring your own watercolour paints and paper. More details will be sent to members who sign up to this workshop.

Carl is an experienced tutor who received 100% positive reviews from last year's plein air workshop.

Refreshments will be provided but please bring your own mug and lunch.

Friday 16th May Workshop 10am-4pm

Wayne Attwood: "Expressive mark-making for setting-up an Expressionist painting”

At The Memorial Hall Art Studio, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, CV37 9BL

Cost £45

Using Oil or Acrylic, we will experiment with using expressive mark-making to build the initial layer of an expressionist painting. Then explore how these beginnings can be developed at a later stage when dried and back at the studio. The workshop will be a practical extension to the approach I demonstrate the day before.

Materials:

Participants are asked to bring their usual Oil or Acrylic painting materials. These should include solvent if traditional oils are to be used. The solvent should be ‘Studio-Safe’ and NOT Turps; Jars/Containers; Rags; Palettes; etc.

Large flat painting brushes - at least 1” (25mm) but a wider range will be useful.

Canvas or Canvas Board; bigger the better would be preferred and recommend 36x36”, but must be at least 24”. Square format would also be preferable, but not essential.

Colour palette I will be using and recommend:

Ultramarine Blue; Phthalo Blue (or Cerulean Blue or ‘Windsor Blue Green-Shade’); Permanent Rose; Burnt Sienna; Yellow Ochre; Cadmium Yellow (or equivalent/similar); Titanium White.

10th June Stanley Spencer Gallery Cookham and Sandham Memorial Chapel

Stanley Spencer was an English painter, who after leaving the Slade School of Art became well known for his paintings depicting Biblical scenes occurring as if in Cookham               

Spencer referred to Cookham as "a village in Heaven" and in his biblical scenes, fellow-villagers are shown as their Gospel counterparts.

Spencer was skilled at organising multi-figure compositions such as in his large paintings,  First World War memorials, for the Sandham Memorial Chapel and the Shipbuilding on the Clyde series, commission for the War Artists' Advisory Committee during the Second World War.

Cost £39 plus £7 or £3.50 (Art fund) visit to the Gallery

Departs: Henley 7.00      Arrives: Sandham  10.00

             Rother St 7.30                      

             Race Course 7.45

We go to Sandham Memorial Chapel in Hants 1st for 10am, 2 hours there with lunch.  Bring your own packed lunch or there is a pub. Then on coach for an hour to Cookham in Berks, for 2pm, then home, at 4.00pm.

Departs Cookham 4.00    Arrives: Stratford   6.00

BBQ Evening

26th July 6.30pm

Stratford Oaks Golf Club

Between Bearly and Snitterfield

This is a social event for members to meet up and enjoy a BBQ with the opportunity to have your portrait drawn by Sue Bain. Only members can book but they can purchase tickets for friends and family.



Menu

Glass of Prosecco

Aberdeen Angus (170g) Beef Burger - Brioche Bun

Chicken Tikka Masala Skewers

Cumberland Sausage “Hot dog”

Vegetarian options

Mixed Leaves

Tossed Salad: Tomato, Cucumber, Celery, Red Onion

Potato Salad

£20 per person