Because we have been away on holiday I have not been able to visit the annual art exhibition at Acton Church before today. The show closes tomorrow afternoon.
As usual there is a wide range of art on sale with something for everyone. I was particularly impressed by some little prints of churches and also some accomplished botanical painting. These were to be found among the works propped up in the pews, rather than hanging on the walls, and so were not included in the catalogue. I was very tempted, because the prices were very reasonable, but unfortunately I simply don’t have enough wall space these days to accommodate more pictures.
The youngest exhibitor, a local student aged 17, who is off to art school in Chelmsford shortly, had sold one of her works, an impressive portrait of a girl. It is an achievement to go off to art school being able to say that one has already sold something from an exhibition!
Not for sale, unfortunately, were some ingenious creations by the local group Creative Stitch. This group regularly meets at Acton village hall on a Friday. The hangings, pictures and other items on show were all inspired by a visit to Acton church that the group made earlier in the year and it was interesting to try to spot the sources of their inspiration.
Hard at work when I visited was the airbrush portrait painter, Simon Bayes, who lives locally. He is pictured below at work on a picture of an Alsatian dog. The airbrush technique gives pictures a very soft effect which is particularly appropriate for images of animals. Airbrush portraitists are not very common and if you would like Simon to have a go at reproducing you, or your pet, you can contact him on simon.bayes99@btinternet.com. To see examples of his work go to www.bayesy.com.
