Bromley Art Society Bringing Artists Together since 1947

 The bi - annual festival at Wrotham is on 10th 11th and 12th of May

 this year,  it would be great to see members of B.A.S.. there.

 Especially now that Ann is no longer our flag bearer.

 Derek

 Thank you Adrian, the biter bit somewhat. Actually my association with

 B.A.S. is becoming more and more tenuous and I am visiting local art

 societies with a view to cutting out all the travelling I have to do each

 wednesday, but, hand on heart it isn't a job I would want to do wether

 I go or stay. It takes me so long to finish a painting at the best of times

 ( which is me making excuses ). The truth is its only when someone

 stands down from a position that the work they did is truely appreciated

How sad that a new Editor can't be found, the Easel was always eagerly awaited and for it to be no more will be a blow to the society. One thing it highlights is every members appreciation for how difficult and time consuming being Editor is. One thing I am sure of is that every member will join me in offering heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful job Allan did for so many years. I only hope it affords Allan more time to paint.

Derek

 If B.A.S. members have seen the Easel, I would be very interested to

 hear their opinions on the possibility of injecting emotion into/onto a

 face, actually the same goes if they hav'nt seen the Easel

 Derek

Just a quick addendum to my last blog, my friends at B.A.S. are of course invited to exhibit and will be very welcome

Derek

On June 2nd. the village of Ightham in Kent is holding a fair to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee. The village will be closed to traffic and stalls will throng the main street and square. St. Peters church will host an art and crafts exhibition featuring works from local artists including myself, but don't let that put you off as Allan Davies is guesting and I am assured the photography is worth the visit on its own. All are welcome and it would be good to see some of Ripley's friendly faces along with other B.A.S. members that I have yet to meet.

I have just watched my recording  of T.N.G.A. and was interested to hear Andres Serrano Artist/Photographer, obviously well thought of in

American artistic circles, but unsurprisingly unheard of by me, say of one students work, I don't get it, and I needed it explained to me. If only more people would take that stance perhaps we could get back to the days when Art spoke for itself. Are we not in danger of elevating ourselves by seeing in an artists work what we are told by the artist to see.

Derek

It would appear that my views on Modern art maybe provoking anger, which was never the intention. I concede my opinions are based on a lack of knowledge and probably a lack of soul where art is concerned. Only one painting has ever really stirred any emotion in me and that was Picasso's Crying woman. which I suppose makes a mockery of my criticising modern art in favour of the old masters. As for Elizabeth Blackadder and Michael Craig Martin I repeat my remark from an earlier blog," I just don't get it".

 I've been trying to express my disappointment not just with Mr. H, but

 with Modern/Contemperary art in general. And I think this sums up my

 position, over the years we have all seen many fine films and T.V. progs.

 charting the lives and careers of the old masters, all of these films relied

 on prints and sometimes the actual originals of the subject being portrayed. Da Vinci, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Michaelangelo etc. In no instance

could an actor or stand in artist, hope to re-create a masters work, but

 After my derogatory remarks I decided to remind myself of his early

 work and once again saw how good he can be, but Sues remark about

 taking a second look did'nt ring true for me as the works were too

 simplistic to see more in them than immediately meets the eye. I accept

 that the fault for not seeing more probably lies with me, I'm sceptical of

 people (not you Sue) who exhort me to look beneath the surface and

 feel the dynamism in the brushwork etc. etc. The Exhibition would have