The Engine Room Art Group Creativity Hub

27/05/2023

A FEW PLACES AVAILABLE FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE ENGINE ROOM ART GROUP FOR SEPTEMBER.
WEEKLY CLASSES (Monday 1.30 to 3.30 pm)
SPECIALISING IN BATIK; SILK SCREEN PRINTING ( mainly paper stencil); WATERCOLOURS; MULTI MEDIA; 15 minute opening exercises

FULL INSTRUCTION & SUPPORT GIVEN OR 'DO YOUR OWN THING'

Beginners, returners and experienced artists

Beautiful huge purpose built studio.
Well equipped
Log fire heated in the winter months
All materials supplied
Outside Paulton Village
Level walks, large tree filled grounds
stream
Surrounded by fields

Private message Shelagh

28/04/2022

Some examples of Batik and screen prints over the last year or so

28/04/2022

THE ENGINE ROOM HISTORY:

I started The Engine Room Arts Group in January 2019 which was initially from a small 3 month commission by Natural Theatre, to creat an art piece about the Somerset Coal Canal.

12 mature local people ranging from those who are artists to those who had not practiced any creative work since school, began to meet weekly on a Monday afternoonto produce a combined installation of the canal basins ‘Then and Now’. The resulting triptych (consisting of 26 x A5/ A4 sized individual interpretations) was exhibited in the Midsomer Norton library and then Radstock Museum.

The group wanted to continue and so the group has continued ever since!

The group is probably unique because we focus on two main media which are:

Batik: using hot wax to draw on fabric as a resist and painting on vibrant dyes in several layers

Screen printing: making stencils from paper and forcing printing inks through a mesh covered screen to creat sharp edged shapes that build up to fom the image

This FB page was created after lockdown began and offered an alternative stimuli for working at home. We returned when we were able, meeting in the garden, socially distanced and bringing your own chair and refreshments and worked outdoors in fine weather. We have been back in the studio for a while now but with social distancing and wearing masks.

We have now decided to begin posting our work so that others can see our progress and maybe decide to join us!

27/11/2020

Hope you are all keeping well and busy (if you want to be!)

Art is hard.

Transcription
Image: A medieval painting with two horses. One from the side with a knight on it looks pretty good. The second looks like an egg-spider with five legs coming out of the bottom.

23/07/2020

A STUDY IN GREEN:

We are not meeting next week and so I thought I would post some photos for those who really want to get to grips with natural greens and the light and shade in summer trees.

Personally, ! find it easier to have a photocopy to work from. There are many reasons including the fact that you can study the shapes and then 'trace' them with your pencil. You can mix your greens and then place them next to the print, to check for accuracy.

'Greens' workshop:
It will probably help if you start with the mindset of this being an exercise rather than a picture (that can come later when you have learned new skills).
Decide whether you are going to have 'boxes' to put in each colour or a small area of brushstrokes. Decide that his is something you are going to keep for future reference. Maybe use a sketch book or have a folder where you will keep these sheets and future ones on other colours, styles, media etc.

Lets Begin:
I suggest that you start with yellows and blues andI suggest that you use watercolours or similar for this exercise. You can then translate it into other media, once you are ready.
So, leave the greens in the box for now. Every hue will give you a different combination of greens. These pages will be your samples. Try different combinations and learn. Write at the side of each sample brush work what colors that you have used. Once you have exhausted your yellow and blue combinations, then you can ad the paint greens- or compare with different greens, add blue and yellow to the greens.

SEE THE POSTING BELOW ABOUT MINDFULNESS PRACTICE TO ADD AN EXTRA 'THERAPEUTIC' DIMENSION TO YOUR WORK. Enjoy!

23/07/2020

PRACTICING MINDFULNESS or THE ZEN OF PAINTING:

Practice the 'zen' of painting, losing yourself in the process of hand, brain and eye movement and the joy of discovery. Focus on what you are doing and enjoy the marks that you are making and the colours that you are mixing.
I suppose this is a form of mindfulness. To understand mindfulness, practice putting one sultana on your tongue. Focus on it and roll it around your mouth. Observe the taste exploding from it, the saliva that it encourages and resist the automatic response that we want to have to swallow it and repeat the enjoyment by reaching for another. If you can paint in the same way as eating that sultana, you will find that you are really present and keeping the world at bay for as long as you are able.

You cannot go wrong, you are not trying to produce a work of art. You are learning a new skill that can improve everything that you do afterwards. See the post after this of trees and greens, light and shade, shape and structure. Settle down and enjoy!!

15/07/2020

The Engine Room Art Group returned last Monday to being in the studio.
We have had 3 weeks in the garden, chatting and sketching while practice safe social distancing. Everyone brought their own chair and refreshments and we sat in a large circle.

This week a small number worked inside, with widely spaced tables, facing away from each other and with face masks and hot soapy water to drop in any equipment used.
There was even a mug of tea or coffee, untouched by human hand, using paper towels.

So, as more return, we will encourage those who would like, to work outside to keep numbers inside lower.

We have restricted movement, turn taking for screen printing and much deep cleaning.

It is so delightful to be back, to see group members return to their delightful creative selves, already producing watercolours, batiks, sketches and full of ideas for new ventures.

Week by week, we will take it very carefully and slowly and not ease up on the precautions we have in place.

The new usual is upon us but we feel confident and prepared!

Welcome back everyone!! Best wishes to Trish who has decided concentrate on her first love of embroidery and patchwork. She will be missed!

26/06/2020

Now here is something different if you would like to explore photography more! I am not too impressed with the beer cans but if you look at all the links, there are instructions for different photographic techniques.

04/06/2020

The colours have been so incredibly vibrant partly to do with the amazing weather but also because of the wonderful light. Here is a slection of garden and potted plants which might inspire you to even pick up a felt tip pen and a wet brush and see what happens. Black Berols are used by watercolourists as the diffuse beautifully at the touch of a brush. Enjoy, be inspired or even get creative! Do post some of your own pics from this glorious spring. Go on, you know you want to....

11/05/2020

If you want some inspiration about how to use different pencils, pencil crayons, charcoal etc. Try this:

Derwent have an unswerving reputation for innovation, inspiring artists with new products like Procolour, Lightfast, Inktense and Graphik Line Painter Pens.