Anna’s Art Life Sept 2023 – 2024

Two Drawings Recording Two local events. July and September 2024 – LIVE ART !

At the Open Day of Bedford House Community Association in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, I spent the day drawing and recording what was going on in the garden. It was really fun to just stand there and sketch while everyone was buzzing around enjoying themselves, a fly on the wall, so to speak. With my drawing, “Plants for Sale”, I was looking at the Plant Stall which was under cover, and I drew people looking at the plants and choosing what to buy. There was a moment when it was raining and one lady walked into the tent with her umbrella and she stopped to choose some plants, which was quite humorous as it was not raining inside the tent, only outside. I didn’t have time to record this in the instant it was happening, but I made a note of it for later and when I was at home, I added the umbrella to one of the other people in the picture – it worked OK and I kept it!
My second piece, “Chess Mates”, was done at Wanstead Festival, an annual event on the Green in Wanstead where all the local organisations can show off what they do. We were there with Wanstead House and, as the Chess Club had their big chess board out, I decided to draw that – they were very busy with people having a go at giant chess, as well as with the small chess boards. It was great fun trying to get the people drawn whilst they were playing – the children were moving around a lot, but the adults sitting at the tables, as well as those watching, were keeping quite still – interesting. Again, I finished this at home.
The two drawings shown together make a good record of some of the local festivities over the summer – The first is currently on display at Bedford House in their current exhibition; the second will be on display at Wanstead House as soon as I can get a spare frame the right size – they are both A1.

Essex Art Club Autumn Show at Wanstead House Hall. Sept 24.


Following the critique by Suneel Mehta, the paintings above are now called: “In Memorium: Spring Flowers with Dahlia” and “In Memorium: Spring Flowers with Hyacinth”, both acrylic on canvas.

Essex Art Club Autumn Show always takes place at Wanstead House which is not in Essex but it used to be, before boundary changes some time ago. A lovely show as always with works by wonderful local artists John Tookey and John King, amongst many others. I showed my two recent flower paintings, “Spring Flowers with Dalia” and “Spring Flowers with Hyacinth”. Such a traditional theme, but when I bumped into a local journalist and art historian at the show, Suneel Mehta, he explained how my work forms part of a long tradition of flower paintings, especially by women.

He says:  “At the recent Essex Art Club exhibition, I came across these charming and evocative flower paintings in acrylics by Anna Bisset. And the artist herself. I had the advantage of the artist’s presentation when I was introduced to the images. Anna told me that the flowers had been arranged and done in memory of her mother passing away. Every year she paints the bouquets around the spring time, when life is emerging out of death, when hope is emerging out of loss. The biographical detail is that Anna’s mother loved flowers and was in charge of the flowers at her local church. The thoughts and the mourning here are ancient. In the myth of Demeter and Persephone, the daughter who is the spring is abducted by Hades the god of death and the underworld when she is picking flowers. Persephone has to be rescued to bring back the spring and the flowers to humankind.”

Follow this link for the rest of the article by Suneel Mehta, Plant Curator website:
https://plantcurator.com/anna-bissets-flower-paintings-in-memory/

Covers Show at Pictorem Gallery, 7th – 28th September 2024.
Curated by David Sullivan, he says:
“The idea of cover versions are well understood in modern popular music. Visual artists do it all the time of course, but usually under the radar! We steal, we borrow, we sample, we riff upon.. But it is not necessarily acknowledged or even perhaps admitted…
Sometimes, artists just want to pay tribute to another artist – whose work has significance, especially if the register is a personal one. That visual artists rework the ideas of other artists, as musicians and writers celebrate their own influences in their own worlds, is to be both expected and celebrated bringing new, unique and individual works into the world.”
My three works were produced after seeing the Cezanne exhibition at Tate Modern in January 2023. We discussed the show and then made our own paintings in the style of Cezanne. Mine were started as demos in each of three classes and then finished at home with the objects in the studio. It just happened that in the Autumn of 2023, Dave decided to do a show on this theme, and my work fitted in straight away. It’s been an exciting process with a great group of artists taking part – see my Instagram for more images of the event and work by other artists. AB Sept 24.

April 2024 Essex Art Club Spring Show.!n

Now a paid-up member of Essex Art Club, I took part in their Spring Show at the Epping Forest Visitor Centre in Chingford, rubbing shoulders with the likes of John King and John Tookey, painters of repute. I put in two paintings of Bluebell Woods in Wanstead – I have somehow failed to photograph theses pieces before submitting them – it would be just my luck if I sold them before having a chance to photograph them for the archive. For once, hoping that I don’t sell something….! Photos coming soon…..

March 2024

After “Robin” by Augustus John, by AB, in acrylics.

Two Flower Paintings by AB: Dragon Vase 2 and , watercolours.

Spring Art Show at the Sir James Hawkey Hall in Woodford. Organised by Woodford Arts, and featuring Essex Art Club and Art Group Wanstead, of which I am a member. Really enjoyable to take part in this as it was a chance to meet people from the other groups who are working in similar areas such as adult education, teaching art, exhibition locally and selling/promoting your work. Some helpful conversations were had and I sold a few cards and prints!

March 2024.

“Still Life with Lemons” by AB, Oil on canvas.

“Still Life with Lemons” was accepted by the Harlow Arts Trust for their Harlow Open Exhibition. Lovely to be part of this impressive show. See my Instagram for some interesting works from the exhibition. Now back in the fold, I hope to be showing one of these three in a show with Dave Sullivan later this year on the theme of “Artists Covers”, ie work that has been influenced by another artist, in this case, Cezanne. Watch this space.

January 2024

Kicking off the New Year by putting my three still life paintings from last year – started in class with my students as finished at home in the studio – into an exhibition put on my The Harlow Arts Trust in Essex. I qualified for entry by having gone to school in Broxbourne, Herts, which is in the catchment for the show. The three still life paintings were in oil and I splashed out and had them framed for the show – At Pictorem Framers in Walthamstow. They are called: Still Life with Lemons, Still Life with Oranges and Still Life with Apples. Paul noticed that the Lemons and the Apples have a lower “horizon line” than the Oranges – hadn’t thought about this. The inspiration was going to the Cezanne exhibition last year at Tate Modern – so there is a thought about Cezanne in each picture – I am waiting to see if any of the work is accepted into the Harlow show. Will know after 17th January. Will keep you posted. AB.

Anna Bisset painting
Anna Bisset painting
Anna Bisset painting

MonoField02

“Aldeburgh Fields, Pale Cream”, monoprint by AB.

Refugee Art Auction

Just dropped off my framed monoprint “Aldeburgh Fields, Pale Cream” at the Rose and Crown in Walthamstow for the Refugee Art Auction and Exhibition, running till 17th December when bidding stops.

Go to Refugee Art Auction on Facebook for more info and where you can see all works.

Plus, on Flickr, you can see all the works at a larger scale. Go to: flickr.com/photos/catalogue2023/

Should be an interesting show!

Nov 2023

Supplying E17 Art House

Cards for E17ArtHouse


Pleased as punch to be supplying my next batch of cards to E17 Art House, Art framers and Card shop in Hoe Street Walthamstow!

See my own Shop Window on the website here for more cards from my stock. Please email for further details.

October 2023

PoppyDog

“Poppy”, charcoal on paper, by AB.

Our theme in class this term is “Connecting With Nature” – if you have a pet, you are very much connecting with nature every day. I took this opportunity of drawing my dog, Poppy, something I often do with small sketches but this is a larger drawing in charcoal and I have done the drawing from a photo, rather than from life. The benefit of drawing from a photo, especially with animals, is that the subject is not going to move. However, sometimes, this lack of movement can make the drawing or painting look static or wooden. Knowing your subject personally can help and also having an understanding of how animals move will make a difference. This drawing of Poppy is very much a sketch and reflects her fluffy coat and bright eyes. Charcoal and chalk, October 2023.

September 17th, 2023

Wanstead Festival

WansteadFest Boxer 20230917_162537
WansteadFest det 20230917_122726
WansteadFest Rukshana20230917_130533
WansteadFest_IMG_2023094745303 (1)

A boxer, Rukshana and me – good chance to get drawing again at the Wanstead Festival, as classes get going again for Autumn.

Lovely to be with Nasreen and her team at Redbridge Institute as they launch their new-look Redbridge Institute of Creative Arts (RICA).

They properly put me on the spot, though, by asking me to do a portrait of Rukshana – a live demo – bit mad but I did it!

See my leaflet above for the short drawing course I will be doing with them in October – “Figure-drawing – Understanding the Human Form”.

Back soon,

Anna.