Newsletter January 2026

amshenton4
Jan 15
3 min read

Dear Artist,

We hope you’ve had a wonderful start to the year and are keeping warm through the colder days. We’re very excited to kick off the year with two inspiring demonstrations,

and we can’t wait to share what we have planned.

Take a look at our programme to get inspired, we truly believe this is going to be a very

special year. 🙂

THURSDAY GROUP

The very talented Thursday Group has restarted their classes, and we’re delighted to be fully booked for the term. We can’t wait to see the paintings and creative work that will emerge over the coming

weeks!

EXCITING THINGS AHEAD

OUR CENTENNARY

As you may know, the Society will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, marking a century

of continuous exhibitions. We are already planning something special to commemorate this

milestone and would love to gather as much information as possible from our members and

supporters. If you have any stories, memories, or historical information about the Society or

its members over the years, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please feel free to share them with our Newsletter Editor, Laura Ribatallada, at

hello@espasastudio.co.uk, or with any member of the GAS Committee.

The Committee will review the contributions and explore how they may be featured as articles or a series across our publications, including the Newsletter, our public website, and

potentially the press and wider media, to celebrate and document our history and influence

on art and artists in the Guildford area.

DEMO: SAT 24TH JANUARY 2PM AT ST CATHERINE’S VILLAGE HALL: STILL LIFE IN OILS WITH RODNEY KINGSTON.

Rodney is a full-time professional artist working in oils, and living near London. He is inspired by everyday life and moments that perhaps go unnoticed.

His subjects include: London landmarks; quiet views of the Thames; football fans going to a

match;demolition sites; a set of traffic lights; portraits or just a jar of Marmite. Whatever the

subject, Rodney challenges himself to create a convincing image in oils. En plein air is central to his painting, capturing light and atmosphere directly from life.

Rodney was a contestant on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year (2017) and Portrait Artist of the Year (2019), exhibiting with the Royal Society of Oil Painters.

https://www.rodneykingston.com/ to see more of his work.

DETAILS

Non members £5 - cash & card accepted on the door.

Members - free this year for our “100 Anniversary”

To book your place, as it helps with catering, please email Nicola:

gas.demos.workshops@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

DEMO: SAT 21ST FEBRUARY 2PM AT ST CATHERINE’S VILLAGE HALL. MIXED MEDIA ABSTRACT WITH BARBARA WHITBOURN (MORTON).

Barbara is a contemporary abstract artist, working with mixed media, to produce work which

reflects an emotional response to the natural erosion of the landscape.

Mainly self-taught, Barbara has studied previously at Newlyns Art School in Cornwall. Initially

sketching en plein air, Barbara then takes her work back to her studio to develop her ideas.

Working in lots of transparent layers in mixed media, Barbara builds depth, texture and interest into her abstracted landscapes, developing an emotional connection, and hopefully one for the viewer.

She has a love of rusting metals, and the built environment and enjoys using a variety of