Newsletter

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       January 2026

Dear Members,

We trust you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a creative year ahead.   January is a very busy month for the Yealm Art Society.        

Here are the key dates for your diary.
A reminder… Membership Fees are/were due on 1st January.  (For new members joining toward the end of the year, your membership fee will be carried over for 2026).

On January 9th a group will be visiting ‘The Box’ to view the ‘Remember, Respond, Resist’ Exhibition, which explores memory, conflict and activism and features the work of 23 different artists, including Royal Academicians Grayson Perry and Goshka Macuga.

There is a limit of 15. We will travel independently and meet there at 10.30am. If space allows, we can enjoy lunch together at The Box café.  If you haven’t already done so, those interested please email sue.denny@talk21.com.  There are 5 places still available.

January 17th – Emma Wright Workshop   –  Loose, Semi Abstract Land/Seascapes

As we were unable to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend Emma’s workshop in Oct we are very pleased that she is coming back to run another on 17^th Jan.
Emma previously taught art at Plymouth College but now concentrates on her own artwork. Working with just blue, red, yellow and white acrylic paint we will once again be encouraged to ‘play’ following her demonstration, and experiment with colour mixing, painting knives, rollers, collage etc., before starting on our own paintings. Members who attended in Oct found the experience both liberating and inspiring.

If you would like to attend this workshop please email sue.denny@talk21.com to reserve a place. I will then send further details of what to bring. 
Details on how to pay for the workshop can be found at the end of this newsletter.

January 22nd at 2pm – Annual General Meeting – Community Room, Yealmpton C.C.
Please come along and support your committee whilst enjoying tea/coffee and cake!
We view this event more as a social event as it is a good opportunity for members, especially new members to meet the committee and put faces to names.
We promise to keep business at a minimum!   

We are however looking for a volunteer to take over from Sue Barnes as Publicity Secretary. This entails sending notices of our various events to the local Parish magazines and if possible producing posters which can be laminated and distributed by committee and members around the villages.   

The AGM paperwork including a nomination form will be sent out shortly.
The Spring Exhibition is booked in a new May Bank holiday slot – 1st to 4th May.

This year, we are trialling the new exhibition dates over the May Bank Holiday, as some members have found it difficult to attend and staff the desk during the Easter period.

Over the years, we have developed an excellent reputation, leading to successful exhibitions with high attendance and sales, particularly as many people visit or stay in the village during Easter.
The trial will run for this year, and we will review attendance and sales figures afterwards to decide whether to continue with the new timing or revert to the traditional Easter weekend slot in 2027.
2026 Programme
This year’s Programme is still being finalised, but we hope to have it completed in time for the AGM.  In the meantime, here are details of the events over the next couple of months.

February 21st Workshop

Dave Scott – Painting animals or birds – working with fine detail in oils/acrylics.

March 14th Workshop

David Morgan – Painting landscapes/seascapes in oils.

April 19th Workshop

David Norman watercolour artist – Traditional landscapes. His work is exhibited in the Brownstone gallery, Modbury.

Further details about these workshops will be sent closer to the dates.

Another event starting in January that members might be interesting in visiting is,
Beryl Cook: ‘Pride and Joy’ Retrospective Exhibition – January 24th to May 31st,
at The Box in Plymouth.

100 years after her birth, Beryl Cook is finally receiving serious artistic recognition that eluded her during her lifetime.  After moving to Plymouth in 1968, the city and its people became her primary subject matter. This exhibition features over 80 paintings alongside rarely seen sculptures, textiles, photographs, sketches and correspondence.
There will also be a self-guided walking tour connecting Beryl’s painting locations, while large-scale 3D figures of her characters may appear in the city.

These details are for all BACS payments to the ‘Yealm Art Society’.
  Account No. 01293696 Sort Code. 30-96-68

Please include a reference e.g., the artists name.
  Not your name – we need to know which workshop/event you are paying for. (Your
  name will come through automatically with your payment when paying by BACS).

Only pay by cheque if you cannot make a BACS payment.
  Payable to ‘Yealm Art Society’.
  Reference: Record the workshop artist’s name on back of your cheque.

All Workshops remain at £30 for Members (£35 for Non-Members) unless stated otherwise.  Workshops take place in The Great Hall, Yealmpton Community Centre.

Membership Fees remain at £15

Kind regards,

Sue Denny

YAS Secretary