North of England Art Club
The club has a long history which first began with The Newcastle Society of Artists in 1835. This was originally an association of professional artists which included J. W. Carmichael, Thomas Miles Richardson Sr. And Jr, and Luke Clennel.
A change of studio locations in the 1970’s led to some members breaking away from the Society and forming what is now known as the North of England Art Club. With the help of local businesses they thrived to become a registered charity in 1981 which aimed to promote the appreciation of the visual arts. Remaining members of the Newcastle Society of Artists were amalgamated into the art club in 1982 bringing the two together, and their membership now stands at 90 people including those who are honorary members and stretching to areas outside of Newcastle.
The club has made a recent move to the Newcastle Arts Centre, where they are very fortunate to have a studio space that offers artists the chance to paint and work six days a week. The studio is located in a courtyard of the main street that offers a small art community which includes a framing shop, gallery and groups dedicated to film, ceramics and music. On Thursdays and Fridays the space is open for independent painting, whilst on Monday there are meetings of the Portrait Group and Life drawing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They also arrange Saturday workshops, outdoor painting and drawing sessions when the weather allows, exhibitions including one annual selling exhibition per year, competitions, and painting holidays to different locations. They also have plans to start some casual discussion groups which will be lead by individuals within the club with the aim to promote and introduce different artists to members. A very active club!
The club is full of friendly individuals and membership is open to all and currently includes some very experienced and talented artists. The studio space has relaxed atmosphere with easels and reference material on hand. They have even acquired a printing press which is available for dry printing techniques.
For more information about the club or to contact them about membership please visit their website www.northofenglandartclub.co.uk
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