No Patchings, No Problem

 

For many years in July, the Society has organised a coach trip to the annual Patchings Art Festival in Nottinghamshire. The loss of the festival this year was the cause of much disappointment not only to our members but to art enthusiasts generally. It also left a hole in our social calendar.

After members expressed interest in a replacement event, a number of options were considered and the committee settled on a visit to the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Annual Summer Show and this took place on Thursday 9th July.

Orbit Coaches picked up the party of 24 members and their guests (including three Leicester Sketch Club members) from School Lane in Birstall 9.30 a.m. and dropped them off promptly at about 10.40 a.m. at the gallery. For this, our driver Dave must take credit, not least for expertly negotiating the narrow streets on the approach to the gallery, which were made even narrower in places by some ill-advised/inconsiderate parking. (Dave’s description of the parking was more colourful.)

The RBSA exhibition is ‘open’ and includes works from far and wide. They describe it as ‘Birmingham’s equivalent to The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition'.

The artwork ranged from paintings in varying styles and mediums, to photographs, sculptures and ceramics, expertly curated on three well-lit floors. As expected, not all were to everyone’s taste, everyone in our party was full of praise for the quality of the work on show. (Members may be interested to know that Debbie Bird, who has run workshops and demonstrated for BADAS recently, was one of the exhibitors.)

I am not aware of anyone buying any artwork but some purchases were made in the well- presented Society shop which offered a range of art literature, cards, mementoes etc.

Before the event, it was realised that the RSBA exhibition may not take up the entire day so  members went prepared to take in other nearby places of interest and have lunch at their leisure.   Many visited the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery about a 10-minute walk away, where the highlight for most was the exhibition of superb pre-Raphaelite paintings - who knew that Edward Burne-Jones was a Birmingham lad? - although the highlight for some may of course have been the Ozzy Osbourne exhibition also on show. Some members explored the Jewellery Quarter (in which the RBSA gallery is located) and the local markets as well as local history at ‘The Coffin Works’, a museum of coffin furniture manufacture, located in the factory where it was made until the 1920s.

Dave was on time to pick us up at 4.00 p.m. and despite the inevitable traffic delay we arrived back in Birstall at about 5.20 p.m. as planned. Credit must go to Orbit Coaches for excellent service: a comfortable, clean coach, personable driver and punctual.

It was very hot throughout the day, which made it a little hard work for some – unfortunately it caused one or two late withdrawals from the trip - but the general feedback has been that it was an enjoyable day, combining art appreciation and the company of like-minded others. This encourages us to consider similar excursions in the future for which suggestions are always welcome!

Thank you to everyone who supported the event, to everyone who helped organise it and also to Bill Benbow for taking the pictures of the day that you see here.

 

Geoff