Click here to see the whole photograph: Flooded Fields, Clifton by Wendy Meagher
At the December Club Night, members were treated to an interesting presentation by fellow member, Gail Girvan, entitled, “From the Shadows into Colour: Pastels to Camera”. Gail’s journey through the graphic arts began early, and by the age of 12 she was selling her pencil sketches in cafés, garden centres and small stationery shops. Her graphic art skills continued to develop into her adult life and Gail was able to sell her pastels whilst living in the Middle East, where women are restricted in their work options and earning abilities. On returning to the UK, her artistic talents continued to flourish and began to merge with her developing photographic imaging skills. Gail then showed a series of vibrant and colourful abstract works which combined her photographic and artistic talents, displaying great imagination.
In part two, “Pastels to Camera”, Gail moved on to her recent photographic work, influenced by her early graphic arts background. Her superb collection of pictures included stunning seasonal landscapes taken in the UK and Namibia, and then progressed to her more recently developing interests in wildlife. Particularly outstanding were her photographs of deer in the early morning mists, and the subtle Autumn colour palette of British woodlands.
A full range of her displayed work included greeting cards, notelets and large imposing canvas prints. Her work was greatly admired by her fellow club members, and the applause indicated the appreciation of her interesting talk.
The Society’s next Club Night is on 1 February, when member Paul Brewerton will give a presentation on “A short journey through Alaska and the Yukon”. The Workshop on 18 January, “Outdoor photography: Shooting the sky at night”, will be led by Jim Muller/Simon Lutter/Gail Girvan, and on 15 February, “Basic Computing for Photographers” (Windows based), will be led by John Prentice. All meetings start at 7.30pm, and are held in the Cartwright Hotel, Aynho. Everyone is most welcome to attend, just come along and meet us all.
Paul Brewerton
www.addphoto.co.uk