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Alan was born in Ipswich, Suffolk in 1942. He was granted a scholarship in art at Northgate Grammar School and was fortunate to receive training under Colin Moss at the Ipswich School of Art.

He qualified as an architect and now retired, paints full time in his studio in Chedburgh, Suffolk.

He is a member of the Society of East Anglian Watercolourists and of the Cambridge Drawing Society.

He has been painting all his life but since retirement, is now able to devote his time to his love of watercolour.

Alan has successfully exhibited at the Dockyard Gallery Bermuda where he held the position of Artist in Residence with The Bermuda Masterworks Foundation. He spent three months working and painting on the island, culminating in a very successful one man exhibition and the offer of a return visit.

In 2016 and again this year, 2020, Alan had work accepted and exhibited in the Open Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the Mall Galleries London.

He paints a variety of subjects, predominantly in watercolour, using a very wet-in-wet technique and enjoys pursuing detail in an overall loose style. He also carries out commissions and runs art classes and workshops.

Works by Alan are held in The Bermuda Masterworks Permanent Collection, in Bermuda Windjammer Gallery and in private collections in Bermuda, the UK and in North America.

The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 208th show is the largest exhibition of its kind in the world, showcasing over 400 of the very best in contemporary water-based media paintings from its members and selected artists from around the globe. Since its founding in 1831, the RI has become universally recognized as one of the leading art institutes.

Clare O’Brien, CEO of the Federation of British Artists at Mall Galleries, says: “The variety is astonishing, from photo-realism through impressionism to abstraction, the paint applied with a light and delicate touch or a thick and heavy impasto application that one doesn’t expect from watercolour. Subjects range from the landscapes of gently rolling hills one expects to see depicted by watercolourists, through architecture and city scenes, still life works, abstract celebrations of colour, to meditations on the climate crisis. This exhibition is an annual survey of how contemporary artists are using this age-old medium and a great place to pick up vibrant, original works with prices starting from £350.”

Katherine Gravett is an abstract artist combining art and science. She uses unconventional household products such as brandy, coffee, cleaning fluid, condiments and chemicals along in combination with ink, pencil and fine liner pen to create highly detailed drawings which explore the relationship between order and chaos.

In utilising chemical reactions, temperature change and other processes found in nature, her drawings emerge organically with no preconceived idea of a finished product.

The result will often resemble something familiar in nature, be it a satellite image or something viewed under the microscope.

Katherine lives and works in Cambridgeshire and regularly exhibits with the Cambridge Drawing Society. Her work has been exhibited in artistic, scientific and therapeutic settings.

Here are the dates for my latest workshops, which take place at my studio in Steeple Morden.

LINO WORKSHOPS 
JANUARY
Saturday 18th
Tuesday 21st
Saturday 25th
Tuesday 28th
FEBRUARY
Saturday 1st FULL

MONO PRINT WORKSHOPS
FEBRUARY
Saturday 8th FULL
Saturday 15th
Tuesday 18th
Tuesday 25th
As usual I only have 2,3 or 4 people at a lino workshop and 2 or 3 people at a mono print workshop, so you have the advantage of plenty of 1:1 time. Full details are on my website www.annapye.com under WORKSHOPS. For these 2 months I will be holding the price at £75 per day. If you need to contact me, email at annapyeart@gmail.com or phone 01763 85210.

Cambridge Drawing Society was proud to present the Society's awards for outstanding work by Cambridge sixth form artists showing at The Arts Society GRANTA and CANTAB Cambridge schools 6th Form Art Exhibition for young artists, held at Michaelhouse Café from 1-13 July 2019.  The exhibition features young artists from schools in the Cambridge region, who are studying A Level Art.

Cambridge Drawing Society awarded four prizes; Best in Show (£100),  Most Innovative Work (£100) and two Highly Commended works (£50 each). This year the CDS judges were Lizanne van essen (CDS President), Godfrey Curtis and Colin Hayes. The prizes were awarded as follows:

 Best in Show - Norang by Song Sungmin (St. Mary's College Sixth Form)

 Most Innovative Work - Design in Textile by Ellen Footman (Long Road Sixth Form College)

Highly Commended (1) - Beautiful Devolution by Fatima Yahyah (St. Mary's College Sixth Form)

Highly Commended (2) - Death Takes All Beings by Catherine Zhou (St. Mary's College Sixth Form)

Congratulations to all the prize winners above, who will each be given the opportunity to exhibit these winning works at the CDS Spring 2020 exhibition at the Pitt Building in Cambridge.

Craig has won the SAA Professional Artist of the year 2019 along with the professional portrait and figurative award. Craig's self portrait was on view along with the other prize winning paintings at the Birmingham NEC. The SAA 2019 open competition was free to enter this year making it the biggest one yet with around 3000 entries.

Craig has been selected for the Third year running to exhibit alongside the members of the Royal Institute of Oil Painter's, in the 2019 annual exhibition. One of Craig's paintings Little Red Dress is a familiar Cambridge street scene and has already won the ProArte award at the 2019 "The Artists" exhibition held at Patchings.

Congratulations to CDS member Kate Gravett who has had her work published in INKQ; A new art pubication from from Inky Leaves Publishing. For more information go to https://www.inkyleavespublishing.com/inkq/

I'm happy to share the news with you that I have had two paintings selected for the 2019 RSMA open exhibition at the prestigious Mall Galleries. The Exhibition runs from 10th October to the 19th. You can view all the selected works on the mall gallery's website and should you wish too, even purchase something before the exhibition opens. https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitons/royal-society-marine-artists-annual-exhibition-2019

To all garden lovers, artists and bookbinders,  Consider a visit this weekend July 6th and 7th, any time from 11am to 6pm, to John Tordoff and Maurice Reeve at 38 Norfolk Terrace, Cambridge CB12NG.

Opening under the National Gardens Scheme , with an entrance fee of £3 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.  In 2018 the garden won the third prize in the BBC Gardeners World competition for the best Small garden in Britain.  

As well as the garden there will be a show of John’s recent paintings and a display of Maurice’s bookbinding. Drop in for tea cakes and wine!  Hope to see you, John

CDS Member Craig Lee has his recent work 'The Bicycle, A Cambridge Street Scene' featured on the cover of the Venue magazine, and uses the opportunty to give a shout out the Society's Spring exhibition.

Many thanks Craig!

CDS member Katherine Gravett tells her story and motivation behind her artwork in online magazine Interalia. An online magazine dedicated to the interactions between the arts, sciences and consciousness.

https://www.interaliamag.org 

https://www.interaliamag.org/audiovisual/katherine-gravett/ 

On Sunday March 17th I am taking part in a special exhibtion to be held at the historic Cambridge Union Society debating chamber during the Cambridge Science Festival. The exhibition is free and open for one only day from 10am - 5 pm.

The What a Nerve exhibition involves 6 artists (CDS member Jo Tunmer, Charlotte Morrison, Elizabeth Fraser, Virginia Mayo, Liza Reid from Growing Art Partnerships and Kelly Briggs), who explore the disease Multiple Sclerosis, bringing together stem cell researchers and MS affected persons.

The result is a stimulating exhibition of art expressing disease, science and cells through acrylic, glass, paper, photography, paint and sound. I will be installing an art installation in response to my own personal experience of a close family relative living with Multiple Sclerosis.

If you would like to attend the talk where the 6 artists discuss the work they have produced for this colloboration please book for your free place here. We would all love to see you there.

For more information about the event please go to the Cambridge Science Festival website.

Congratulations to CDS member Janet Mayes who has her work Earth Mother Revealed selected for the ING Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Gallery in London. The exhibition runs from 15th - 25th November 2018. More information can be found; http://discerningeye.org/home/index.php

A researcher for Countryfile contacted Debbie after seeing her page on the Cambridge Drawing Society website. They liked Debbie's and her mother's  art and this has led to Debbie and her work being featured in the Countryfile programme to be aired on Sunday 18th November at 5.30pm. 

The Countryfile team were focusing on Cambridgeshire and Debbie's obsession with trees and how these are reflected in her artwork caught their attention.

Debbie has now completed two days of filming, Most of which was set in Wandlebury Woods on the top of the Gog Magog hills South East of Cambridge. After editing, Debbie's feature will be about four minutes long.

The image above captures Debbie filming with presenter Anita Rani.

A book about Ann MAssing's artwork has just come out as part of the Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry and Art Festival held at King's College:
Ann Massing, A Journey Eastwards: Reflections on Chinese Ink and Watercolour Paintings, Cam Rivers Publishing, 2018. It is available from Heffer’s Bookstore for £15; they also have some ofAnn's handmade cards in their window display. The book is a brief anthology with comments about each painting also an interview - all translated into Chinese as well as English.Ann mentions ink and watercolour techniques as well as why she has chosen to be influenced by the Oriental tradition.