News
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January 2023
I am no longer running classes at adult education in Kent but am still available for private lessons, small groups of friends or workshops for art societies either in person or on zoom. Contact me at amberhalsall@hotmail.co.uk for availability.
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The SAGA Caribbean cruise over Christmas was a great success and with over 20 sea days we painted a huge variety of subjects in watercolour inspiring lots of beginners and helping more experienced painters to progress with watercolour techniques. My next SAGA teaching cruise will be to Iceland and Greenland departing on the 29th June.
JUne 2022
West Dean in May was beautiful and the course was fully booked with some fabulous work done by all who attended. I was delighted to have three pieces of work in the Society of Graphic Fine Art Exhibition in May. You can also see my work in this years Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London on Wednesday 15th to 18th June
March 2022
Fortunately life has gone back to some semblence of normality now. I was delighted to be awarded the Creative Composition Award at the UK Coloured Pencil Exhibition at the Bargehouse, Oxo tower warf in October 2021 for my picture “Coming Up For Air “. Its been great to get back to teaching in person, running a couple of full courses at the Old Bank Studios and also at West Dean in January.
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I will be back at both locations later in the year. I will be exhibiting work this year with both the Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Graphic Fine Art at the Mall Galleries in London in May and June. I have some new adventures planned for this year and will be sharing these on my Instagram and Facebook accounts so pop over to these to be updated on my travels.
December 2020
Happy Christmas and A Peaceful New Year to all! As Covid continues to put a stop to normal activities and we go into another lockdown it gives me time to reflect briefly on the last 9 months. Teaching Art on Zoom now seems almost normal and the original steep learning curve has flattened out. I will be continuing Zoom classes this term, they have been hugely popular and have given both students and myself some much needed structure, friendship and communication during the past weeks and months.
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Some good news too from 2020 as I have been awarded Associate Membership of the Society of Graphic Fine Arts, with pictures being accepted for the June show which sadly didn’t go ahead. I continued to serve on the SBA council and we put on a fabulous online show in June/July. Lets hope that with the arrival of the vaccine 2021 will enable us all to get back into the galleries and the classroom.
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I am delighted to have been asked to run workshops in 2 new locations – online for Kettles yard in Cambridge in January and in person for Old Bank Studios in Harwich in 2021 – see workshops page for links and more details. Sadly the January West Dean Course has once again been postponed to later in the year ( no confirmed date yet but keep an eye on their website )
I have found like so many others that painting and creating my own work during the Pandemic has been particularly hard, a house move, a change in personal circumstances and family bereavement has not created the best ‘headspace’. However I am optimistic about what 2021 may hold and look forward to some new adventures next year. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have my art projects to return to and my family safe and healthy.
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May 2023
I have just recently started a Newsletter which will be posted every 2 months. The Newsletter will contain information about where I will be teaching, art-related topics, advice and discussion about materials and techniques and my latest travel adventures.
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october 2022
This year has been speeding by and I can't believe we are already in October. It's been a busy 6 months teaching in Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Ashford where I am now based. Added to this I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to run workshops and classes on a number of Saga cruises this year, meeting many lovely people and inspiring some to continue their watercolour journey when they return home. I have been to many fascinating cities, villages and Islands and have even found time to take up my sketchbook again.
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From January 2023 I will be saying goodbye to adult education classes after a wonderful 7 years to enable me to continue to travel, paint and run workshops in more locations outside Kent. I will continue with my usual 2 courses at West Dean next year (Jan and May ) and I have been invited to run a week of summer school in August which I am excited about and very much looking forward to. You can also find me once again at the Old Bank Studios in Harwich and we have added a Botanical watercolour session as well as my usual colour pencil course. These are planned for March and October. I hope to be adding more venues later in the year. For the most up to date news follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I will still be available for local art society workshops in the Kent area as well as private tuition on zoom and in person. Christmas this year will be spent on a ship in the Caribbean, sketchbook at the ready!
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April 2021
Happy Easter! As we come out of ( hopefully ) the final lockdown I am excited to be going back into the classroom for 2 days a week. KCC adult education classes will resume at the Tonbridge centre after Easter on a Monday and Tuesday. Live online Zoom classes will remain on a Thursday and a Friday.
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The repeat of the Kettles Yard Graphite course was fully booked again and we will be looking to schedule another similar course hopefully later in the year. The one day watercolour course at West Dean on Zoom in March was fully booked and I am delighted that we are now able to hold in-person classes at West Dean. The next one will be on the weekend of May 21st. Later in the summer you will find me at the Old Bank Studios in Harwich for a poppy themed coloured pencil course on June 13th, also in person.
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After more than 7 years service I have now stepped down from the SBA council to focus on other commitments. I have enjoyed my time on council immensely and made new lifelong friends, its been an honour to have been part of the team. My work will be shown at 2 Exhibitions this summer. The SBA Plantae Exhibition will be online again this year and the SGFA Exhibition will take place at the Mall Galleries in London. It will be so nice to be able to visit a gallery in person again.
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Additionally I am delighted to have been featured in the Spring edition of the Kent Life magazine, a must read for anyone living and working in Kent ! This summer I am looking forward to spending some time travelling in the UK, sketching and working on some new projects in my campervan. Have a wonderful summer everyone.
April 2020
I could never have imagined the times that we now find ourselves in this April. After travelling to many new locations last year this year like you all I am doing the right thing and staying at home to protect the NHS and us all. This means that unfortunately all residential and day courses have been postponed and most real life teaching has been put on hold.
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The West Dean course will now run in Jan 2021.
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The Watts Gallery Course will be postponed to later in the year.
https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/learn/adult-learning/
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Some adult education course have moved to online Zoom sessions. On a positive note going forward I will be teaching Botanical Watercolour at the SevenOaks adult education centre and I have some day courses planned for the Maidstone centre once we can get back to the classroom. Hopefully summer school will still run in the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells centres.
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During lockdown I have been busy catching up with projects started but not completed and in particular using the days to explore some new ideas in both pictures and handmade books. I was delighted to have 4 pictures and one of my handmade books accepted to the Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition due to take place in June. I was also very excited to have work accepted for the Society of Graphic Fine Art Exhibition (also scheduled for June) for the second year running. A great shame that both these Exhibitions are unlikely to go ahead due to lockdown.
Stay safe everyone.
October 2019
I cant believe how quickly the last few months have flown by. The SBA show in June was a huge success and we look forward to another show at the mall galleries in June of next year. Once term had finished for the summer we had 4 days of summer school. Its always so lovely to have some full days in the classroom to give more focus to completing a project.
This summer I had the fantastic opportunity to visit China guided by my daughter. From shanghai to Soujou to Beijing back to shanghai it was a packed trip and we met some amazing people and saw some incredible sights. Highlight of the trip was the walk along the great wall. We even found some art shops for handmade brushes and Chinese paper. I managed to keep and fill a sketchbook making sure I have a firm reminder of all our adventures. Check out my Facebook and Instagram for a flip through of this.
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On my return I went straight to Greece, more sketching and relaxing before returning to the Uk. The focus for September has been classes at both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells in both watercolour and coloured pencil. Alongside this has been preparation for the SFGA show at the Menier galley where I am delighted to have a picture exhibited. The Art show at Cranbrook follows hot on its heels so do come and see me there if you can.
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Before this I will be popping over to Moscow for the Russian society of botanical artists show accompanying president of the SBA Billy Showell. This will be my last trip abroad for this year.
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May 2019
A quick update on a busy few months. The weekend course at West Dean was very productive and I met some lovely talented students. I will be back there in January to teach another weekend course looking at details and texture in nature in watercolour. (More details later in the year)
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The new summer term of Botanical coloured pencil and watercolour courses have started in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells and both 2 day summer school courses are now up on the website to book.
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Link for water colour summer school
Link for coloured pencil summer school
Plans are well advanced for our SBA show at the Mall Galleries in June. A lot of time and work has been put in by President and Vice and those of us on council to make this show a stunner this year. Do come and visit if you can.
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Link for SBA show
I have a couple of new pieces in the pipeline, more quirkiness and less Botanical than some of my other work. Its important that the work continues to develop and progress organically. Any spare time left is spent on a new handmade book, still woking towards my new years resolution to complete those projects started last year!!
February 2019
Exciting times ahead as I plan my first course of teaching at West Dean in March. Although not Botanical this 2 day residential watercolour course will include some of my favourite subjects and be a good place for students to practise various watercolour techniques and get to grips with colour mixing and drawing accuracy. West Dean is a stunning location and I am delighted to have the opportunity to be a tutor there.
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January and February 2019 got off to a busy start with lots of teaching while in-between lessons painting for the Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition. Submission deadline is at the end of February and I know I won’t be the only artist burning the midnight oil to get paintings completed in time. Its an exciting time for the society with a new exhibition venue and a new membership structure and I feel privileged to have been involved on the council at this time. Open submission means that anyone can submit to exhibit work which will then be assessed by a selection panel.
december 2018
In 2018, I had a busy year with teaching commitments, which meant fewer completed pictures in my studio. However, the ones I did complete were some of my best and well-received, finding new homes.
I participated in three exhibitions during the year. The first exhibition was in Madrid with the SBA at the botanical gardens, celebrating tulips. Another exhibition called Florum took place at Goodnestone gardens near Canterbury, sadly marking the last one for Florum. In October, I helped hang the SBA's biannual exhibition in Frankfurt, which was very successful. I was honored to receive the third prize in the People's Choice vote.
In December, I was asked to be the first featured artist on Botanical Artist Helen Cousins' blog. Helen was once a young member of the SBA Distance Learning Course.
Read the full article here: https://www.helencousinsbotanics.com/blog/2018/11/12/amber-halsall]
For 2019, I have exciting plans for more exhibitions, including the SBA Botanical exhibition at the new location of the Mall Galleries in June.
Behind the scenes at the SBA, I worked on planning the New Membership, the 2019 Exhibition, and other essential council business. In 2019, I am also looking forward to traveling more, which will give me the opportunity to do sketchbook work and collect ideas for my handmade books.
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If you're interested in joining my courses in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells starting in January, there are still a few places available. Feel free to sign up for a bit of a botanical adventure: https://www.kentadulteducation.co.uk/brands/mnid_718/Mrs-Amber-Halsall.aspx
