June 2025 Newsletter

Dear Artist, 

June is here, bringing sunshine and the first taste of summer! 

We’ve lined up a variety of activities over the coming months to help you make the most of the season.

WHAT HAPPENED IN MAY 

May was a busy month! 

DEMONSTRATION

On Saturday 3rd May, twelve of our members attended a flower-painting workshop with Catherine McVean. Most of the artists chose tulips in wonderful, rich tones of pink, violet, and red as their subjects. One painted a beautiful bouquet of spring blossoms, and another chose to continue working on the daffodils previously demonstrated by Catherine.

Our tutor began by demonstrating, and she covered every key consideration and aspect of creating a successful flower painting: from initial drawing through palette choice, the balance of light and dark, hard and soft edges, building up colour, and knowing when to stop. 

We then set to work on our own creations, with Catherine constantly available for support and advice where needed. The result, after four hours, was an array of stunning work. Thank you and well done to Catherine and to all who attended! 

POP UP

Last Saturday, our Pop-up took place on a gorgeous spring day at Holy Trinity Church— perhaps a bit too lovely, as the High Street was quieter than usual! 

We had a record 40 exhibitors (and a brief chair-count panic with 233 needed!), but everything came together beautifully. The artwork was diverse and high-quality, and we welcomed 474 visitors who shared plenty of great feedback. 

A big thank you to all the exhibitors and the amazing helpers who made it such a fun, social day! 

PROGRAMME NEWS: PLEIN AIR SESSION IN JULY 

We’re excited to add a special event to our summer programme: a plein air painting session in Guildford, led by Chris Webb. 

Join us for a relaxed morning of outdoor painting, followed by a group lunch at a nearby pub. 

It’s a great opportunity to enjoy the summer weather, get creative, and connect with other GAS members! 

�� Saturday, 5th July 

�� 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, followed by lunch 

Free event 

We hope to see you there!

WE WILL MEET HERE AT 

10AM (ENTRANCE OF 

GUILDFORD CASTLE, GU1 

3SX) 

PROGRAMME REMINDER 

Here’s a reminder of what’s coming up over the next few months at GAS:

AGM 

Saturday 21st of June, 2pm - at St Catherine's Village Hall 

DEMO WITH CHRIS FORSEY - MIXED MEDIA WATERCOLOUR

Saturday 21 of June, starts at 2.30pm at St Catherine's Village Hall 

PLEIN AIR SESSION 

Location: Guildford Castle, GU1 3SX  

Saturday 5 July from 10am to 12.30pm followed by lunch at a nearby pub. 

It helps with catering if you can let us know that you are going to attend via the following email address: exhibcoord.gas@outlook.com. We hope to see you there!

SUMMER EXHIBITION UPDATES 

The Summer Exhibition this year will 

be at St John's Community Centre in 

Merrow. As a reminder: 

Dates: 2nd – 10th August 2025 

Private View: Friday 1 of August 

Venue: Merrow St. John’s Centre, 

222 Epsom Road, Guildford GU4 7AA 

Our new-style, easy-to-complete 

entry forms will be available to 

members in the next week or two. 

Watch this space!

LOOKING FOR A NEW TREASURER 

Our Society is urgently looking for a new Treasurer to join our team! 

We need someone who is comfortable with numbers, computer-literate, and ideally has experience managing funds or has an accounting/finance background. 

A good working knowledge of Excel would be especially helpful. 

Your main responsibilities will include tracking our finances and managing artist payments. If you or someone you know would be a great fit for this role, please reach out! 

As a committee, we meet every 2-3 months—and our meetings always include coffee and biscuits! 

A full handover will be provided by Caroline to ensure a smooth transition. Interested? Get in touch at: secretary.gas@outlook.com