New Art Group leader is a big draw

Age UK BANES is thrilled to welcome eminent portrait artist Cathine Beale as leader of its Tuesday Art Group in Bath.

Catherine has been working as an artist for more than 20 years, including as a commercial artist in Asia. Her work hangs in the Singapore Presidential Palace, as well as airports and an elephant sanctuary in Malaysia. She returned to the UK in 2006 and set up a studio gallery in Widcombe and now paints to commission, as well as teaching classes and workshops. “I’m mainly a portrait painter, but I also can’t fail to be inspired by the landscapes in Bath and Somerset,” she says.

Each Art Group session is inspired by a theme which Catherine suggests, such as cups and saucers or broken biscuits, where the group can explore texture, shape and colour. Members can also bring their own individual projects to the sessions if they prefer.

“I enjoy teaching people techniques, for example gravity painting, where we look at how watercolour paints behave when you drop water into them and they mingle together,” says Catherine. “The colours mix on the page rather than in the palette. It’s nice for people who enjoy creating a fluid atmosphere within their work.”

“The group is very comfortable open and welcoming, with people with some fascinating backgrounds. Everyone interprets things differently. It’s all about being in an artistic element and being alert and picking up on the ideas being thrown around. People work while music plays quietly in the background and conversation flows around them. It can be quite meditative.”

The Art Group meets on Tuesdays 10am-12, £3 charge. Some resources are available, but students also provide their own materials. For more information or to book your place, please contact our Active Team on active@ageukbanes.co.uk or call 01225 484510.