There’s a small, friendly art group that meets in the Bishop Beveridge Club on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month. They’d be delighted if a few more people could join them in this warm, well-lit space as they welcome all ages and all levels of ability. As long as you enjoy drawing and painting you would fit in perfectly.

I very much enjoyed calling in to one of their sessions and was surprised by the variety of art I saw being practised there. I knew there would be a still life, on this occasion a vase of daffodils, a blue glass vase and a book, and had assumed that everyone would be grouped around the still life trying to replicate its varied forms. Not at all! Only Pat Smyth was working, in pencil, on the tricky daffodils while her neighbour, Jane Rose, was continuing her acrylic work on a badger. Di Cave was painting a delicate watercolour of a country scene whilst next to her Harry Escott drew a darkly sinister portrait of Al Pacino. Finally, Anne Kingham had brought her glass work equipment with her to be able to work on an abstract stained-glass piece. She made beautiful fused glasswork at home but here fusing wasn’t an option. What was an option was individual creativity as the class is without a professional tutor. There’s never a critical eye gazing down on you from behind!

Although some of the artists had been drawing or painting in some form or other all their lives, others had only started on retirement. However, all loved their few hours away from their normal routines in the company of other artists.

Although three of the group live in Barrow, others come from Sileby and Wymeswold as there are few opportunities to practise art locally. Barrow’s art group is part of the larger Charnwood Drawing and Painting Club which includes groups in Loughborough and Woodhouse Eves. The charges in Barrow are £3.50 a session, reduced to £2.50, if you are also a member of the larger Charnwood organisation.

For more information, please contact Di Cave on 07594 465657 or Anne Kingham on 07949 516130.

Gaynor Barton