The 85th Anniversary Autumn Exhibition of
St. John's Church, Cathedral Square, Peterborough .
12th to 22nd November 2014.
It was busy, successful and vibrant, and some of the ladies were very intimidating!
There was a strict criteria to be an exhibiting member, and sales at shows were good.
Now Peterborough has changed and the Art Society has changed.
I think the art society had experienced a bit of a dip over the past decade, so I was pleased when I visited this years exhibition to have the distinct feeling that things were on the up.
I am no longer a member but I have been told the selection process for exhibiting members is gone. This can only make for a more inclusive society, and to prove it membership is growing.
The eternal problem of a venue for the annual exhibition remains. The museum in Peterborough lacks casual footfall, and St John's church is, well, a church. But it is central and footfall and sales are up.
The society's website is straight forward and informative, though it could do with the 2015 calendar adding now.
The 2014 Exhibition.
I visited Wednesday lunch time. The church was welcoming and the exhibition well lit.
As well as framed paintings on the screens there were three browsers of unframed work and prints as well as cards and bookmarks.
There were many traditional local scenes, which you would expect from a local art society. Several were beautifully executed. Subjects and style tended to be conventional, and the framing didn't look too bad at all.
I had two favourite pictures.
" Summer Skies" a sensitive oil painting by Joy Wheeler.
"Pansies" a delicate watercolour, well mounted and framed, by Yvonne Nicholson, and that one was only £45!!
If there is one criticism I have of the exhibition is that the price of some of the paintings was ridiculously low. I know many of the artists are amateurs but a lot of the framed paintings were priced round the £50 mark. That barely covers the cost of materials and sends out the message that artists don't think their art is worth much anyway. Give those of us who try to earn a living from our art a break!
Having said that I enjoyed the exhibition very much and would recommend a visit. Ends 22nd November.
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