THE ARTS SOCIETY SEDGEMOOR

           A TALE OF TWO HAYWAINS:

           CONTRASTING THE WORKS   

           BY CONSTABLE & BOSCH

                     A TASS DISCOVERY DAY, led by TIM STEWART

A fascinating morning exploring two remarkable works by two renowned artists, to be held at Woolavington village hall on Wednesday 16 April at 9:45 am, for a prompt start at 10:00 am. 

This talk discusses the difference in approach and execution of these two works: John Constable’s atmospheric scene, set on the river Stour on the Suffolk / Essex border, and Hieronymus Bosch’s highly symbolic triptych. Constable’s large-scale oil painting, once voted the second most popular painting in any British gallery, depicts an idyllic rural scene near father’s property. While Bosch, whose works often reflected the life of his day, uses his triptych to illustrate the new Lutheran religious movement’s resentment of the Roman Catholic church’s control. 

Intrigued? Then come along to our Discovery Day, which will start promptly at 10:00. A break for refreshments is planned for about 11:15, and the event will conclude, after time for questions, at 1:00 pm. The cost of this Discovery Day, which promises to be both enjoyable and enlightening, is £17.00 per person, including tea or coffee; guests will be made most welcome.  

Payment may be made either by BACS to 40-13-32, account no.11275186, reference your name + Haywain, or by cheque made payable to TASS.

To book, please email davidchiverton1@gmail.com telephone 01278 323503 or, if you prefer, print out or copy the form below and post it to:

David Chiverton

4 Dawbins Drive

WOOLAVINGTON TA7 8HB

PLEASE MAKE YOUR BOOKING BY 12 APRIL 2025

UNLESS TASS CANCELS THE EVENT, NO REFUND WILL BE MADE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

HAYWAIN DISCOVERY DAY: 16 APRIL 2025

Name(s): …………………………………………………………………………………….

Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Tel: …………………………………………………  Mobile: ………………………………

Please reserve …. place(s) @ £17.00 each.  I have paid by BACS (reference name + HAYWAIN) OR I enclose a cheque for ………...(total).

MANET: A BAR AT THE FOLIES BERGERE

A DISCOVERY DAY WITH TIM STEWART

WE shall have another full morning at the 37 club with our local art historian, Tim Stewart. Tim will be talking about the background to the well known painting 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergere', and discussing in some detail the actual painting. There will be a mid-morning break for tea/coffee and biscuits. Full details are on the booking form, available under 'our society', then 'documents' on this website.

FORDE ABBEY

We are planning a visit to Forde Abbey for a guided tour on July 5th. There will also be plenty of time to explore the gardens and to avail yourself of light refreshments on site. There are benches available if you'd rather bring your own picnic. 

As Forde Abbey is not easy to locate if you haven't been before (or in my case, even if you have) we shall have a coach from the 37 Club. 

Full details will be available together with a booking form very shortly

A MORNING WITH TIM STEWART

Many of you will remeber the brilliant morning which we had with Tim Stewart last year. He'll be back on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 to give us another art based set of lectures based this time on Venetian art. The morning will consist of two lectures with a coffee break in between. In Tim's own words:

We will start with a brief outline of the history and unique geography of Venice, understanding how these have influenced the highly distinctive style of painting that evolved in La Serenissima before and during the Renaissance. 

We’ll then look in some detail at one typical work by each of the most famous Venetian artists of the period: Giovanni Bellini; Giorgione; Titian; Veronese and (time permitting) Tintoretto – as brilliant and diverse a group as you could hope to find in a single course!”

 Booking forms will be available at our next lecture and shortly afterwards on the website under 'our society' then 'documents'. If you use the online form please print off a copy and return to the address on the form

TCHAIKOVSKY PART II

With Julian Williamson

Julian returns by popular request to complete his exploration of the life and music of Tchaikovsky, following on from last year's visit.

Audiences the world over have flocked to hear Tchaikovsky’s music for more than a century, but this very adulation has led to a view amongst certain critics that his work is somewhat superficial. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the second part of his talk on Tchaikovsky’s life, Julian Williamson continues the story of the master’s passionate and profound commitment to his art, resulting in an amazing fusion of Russian ideas with Western musical structures. We welcome you to our Discovery Day with coffee; a morning refreshment break is planned for about 11:30. Please bring a PACKED LUNCH which, weather permitting, can be eaten in the garden at around 1:00pm; drinks may be purchased from the bar. There will be an afternoon refreshment break around 3:00pm.

The cost of this Discovery Day, which promises to be both enjoyable and enlightening, is £25.00 per person, including tea and coffee; guests will be made most welcome.

A booking form may be found from the home page under'our society' then 'documents' or contact 

Sally Smith

3 Tahnee Middle Street PURITON TA7 8AB

Tel: 07517 895978

or email sal.tahni@hotmail.co.u

MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT

At the 37 club, Puriton TA7 8AD

6.30 for a 7.00 start

Join us for an evening of good food and entertainment when the 37 club will be transformed into the baronial hall of Sir Eustace Pendleton. You will enjoy a three course meal from the safety of your seats, whilst murder and mayhem unfold before you!

Are you brave enough to bring a killer to justice? If not, just come along, enjoy the meal, a glass of wine and good company.

Fear not, you will not be expected to join in with the action!

A booking form will be found under 'our society', then 'documents', or contact Mrs M Pusey, Mendip View, Wood Lane, Butleigh, Glastonbury, BA8 8TR

Image by Baroco Ferison from Pixabay

A MORNING WITH TIM STEWART

9.30 for a 10.00 start, finishing at 1.00 pm

At the 37 Club Puriton

Tim Writes:

I’ll be trying to capture the different ways that Spring has inspired artists from the very early 15th to late 19th centuries. I want to use Botticelli’s “Primavera” as the centre piece. It is certainly the most famous of the paintings we’ll look at and also by far the most substantial and significant. It manages not only to be a complex allegory with a host of hidden spiritual and philosophical meanings: but it is also stunningly beautiful and so iconic that you need very sharp elbows indeed to get to the front of the crowd in the Uffizi.

But I’d like to start with what seems to be a far simpler approach to the subject by looking at three of the calendar pages of an illuminated “Book of Hours” from the very early renaissance: the “Tres Riche Heures” of the Duc de Berry. Despite being very expensive,  Books of Hours were the best-selling books in Europe before printing caught on, outselling even the Bible. They were a mixture of prayer book and calendar of religious feasts and festivals, showing lay people when and how to focus their prayers throughout the year. The calendar at the beginning always included a full page manuscript illustration of each month of the year. We’ll look at March, April and May from the “Tres Riche Heures.” They are surprisingly realistic and intricate images. Western art owes the manuscript illustrators of the 14th and 15th centuries a vast debt, seldom acknowledged. They will take us through springtime from chilly March to glorious May!

And I’d like to finish up with the Post Impressionists, some of the first artists to take an entirely secular look at Spring and to revel in it for its own joyous self rather than for any underlying meanings. I’d like to look at a painting of almond blossom by Van Gogh which manages to combine an almost ruthless minimalism with an intense sense of celebration - looking if time permits at the significant influence of Japanese art on this work.

Tickets from Sally Smith, to include tea/coffee and biscuits  £15  

Sally Smith, 3 Tahnee, Middle Street, Puriton TA7 8AB

07517 895978

sal.tahni@hotmail.co.uk

Or use the booking form in the 'documents' section under 'our society' on the Home page

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

YOUNG ARTS

*PRIZE COMPETITION*

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

The Arts Society Sedgemoor (TASS) invites all young people who live, study or work in the Sedgemoor area to win £100

in our ART FROM ODDS & ENDS 2021 competition.

We have £100 for the winner in each of our three age groups: 11-14; 15-18; 19-21.

We want you to create an original piece of art made out of ODDS & ENDS!

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

The Arts Society Sedgemoor (TASS) invites all young people who live, study or work in the Sedgemoor area to win £100

in our ART FROM ODDS & ENDS 2021 competition.

We have £100 for the winner in each of our three age groups: 11-14; 15-18; 19-21.

We want you to create an original piece of art made out of

ODDS & ENDS!

You can use fabric, plastic, CDs, wood, spectacle frames, metal or glass (no sharp edges or dangerous bits please!), ring pulls, polystyrene, kitchen utensils, feathers, old mobile phones – anything at all!

You can find your materials on the beach, at the back of a drawer, in a charity shop, in the garden shed or garage, up in the attic – it doesn’t matter, so long as it’s already been thrown away!

When you’ve made it, you can paint or decorate it, if you like, any way you choose. It’s up to you! Let your imagination go wild!

Your artwork must measure no more than one metre in any direction, and you must be able to transport it to Bridgwater Arts Centre and put it on display, if it is short-listed for the prize.

When you have finished, please photograph it and e-mail your pictures, along with the details we need, to artsedgemoor@gmail.com before November 5, 2021. We will acknowledge all entries on receipt.

Good luck!

RULES

1.                  Entrants must live, study or work within the Sedgemoor area and must fall within the appropriate age group (11-14; 15-18; 19-21) on 5 November 2021.

2.                  The winner in each age group will receive £100.

3.                  Entries must be the entrants’ own unaided work. If you have had any help from anyone else, your entry will be disqualified.

4.                  Entries, when submitted, must be complete. No further work may be done once the artwork has been entered into the competition.

5.                  Your entry should be ready for display. Pictures must be ready to hang, and three- dimensional works should be presented on a base, if necessary.

6.                  Entries should not include any sharp or dangerous elements: you are advised to take care when sourcing and handling your materials. Entries should not weigh more than 10kg.

7.                  The organisers do not accept responsibility for any personal injury or damage to property incurred during the production of artwork.

8.                  Entrants must arrange or hang their own artwork at the Arts Centre. The organisers do not accept responsibility for any damage incurred during the hanging, exhibiting or judging of entries.

9.                  Entrants must remove their artwork at the end of the exhibition, on Saturday 4 December 2021.

The judges’ decision is final.

No correspondence, explanations or discussion will be considered.

HOW TO ENTER

Take up to five photographs of your completed artwork, from different angles. Do this in a good light, and make sure the judges can see it all clearly.

Write us an email which includes ALL the following information:

NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, E-MAIL ADDRESS, AGE ON 5 NOVEMBER 2021 PLACE WHERE YOU LIVE, STUDY OR WORK IN THE SEDGEMOOR AREA

DIMENSIONS OF YOUR ARTWORK

UNDER 18? ENSURE THAT YOUR PARENT OR CARER AGREES TO YOUR ENTRY!

Then attach up to five photographs of your artwork to your e-mail and send it to artsedgemoor@gmail.com by Friday 5 November 2021.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

We will acknowledge all entries. To ensure that judging is completely unbiased, each entry will be given a randomly generated number and will only be identified by that number until the winners have been selected.

We will prepare a shortlist of entries in each age group (11-14; 15-18; 19-21). The successful entrants will be invited to deliver their artwork to Bridgwater Arts Centre on Monday 22 November 2021. You will be able to put it on display yourself, so that you can make it look as good as possible!

If your entry is not chosen for display, we will let you know. Better luck next time!

Entries will be on display in Bridgwater Arts Centre from Tuesday 23 November 2021 until Saturday 5 December 2021. During that time, an independent judge will select the winner in each category.

Prizes will be presented on Saturday 4 December 2021.

You must collect your entry on Saturday 4 December 2021, at the end of the exhibition, as we cannot store it. Any entries not collected may be destroyed! Oh no!

Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

MISSION IMPOTTABLE

WITH CHERRY NIXON

WEDNESDAY 20th OCTOBER

10.00 am until 1.00 pm

At the 37 Club, Puriton TA7 8AD

A wonderful return visit of Cherry Nixon (remember her excellent courses on glass and porcelain?) who will help us through the minefield of understanding ceramics.

The names of ceramic bodies are bandied about until we are totally muddled. The mission of this Discovery Day (should you accept it) is to trace the landmark discoveries and explore their natures.

This slide assisted lecture follows the struggles leading to the different ceramic fields from the earliest times. The story highlights the major discoveries, places them into historical context and indicates intriguing similarities in the challenges faced by potters and princes. We shall also have the opportunity to handle and examine a range of pieces.

The cost of this highly recommended morning is £12 which includes coffee and biscuits. A booking form may be found in the 'documents' section of this website, which is located on the 'our society' button.

If you need any more information please contact Sally Smith on 07517895978 or at sal.tahni@hotmail.co.uk

TCHAIKOVSKY UNMASKED
A TASS DISCOVERY DAY

 led by JULIAN WILLIAMSON

A day of exploration, discovery and delight
at the 37 Club, Woolavington Road, Puriton TA7 8AD
on Wednesday 14 July at 9:45 am, for a prompt start at 10:30 am

Audiences the world over have flocked to hear Tchaikovsky’s music for more than a century, but
this very adulation has led to a view amongst certain critics that his work is somewhat superficial.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

In this study of the master’s life, Julian Williamson will uncover the passionate and profound
commitment to his art which resulted in an amazing fusion of Russian ideas with Western musical
structures.

We welcome you to our Discovery Day with coffee; a morning refreshment break is planned for
about 11:30. Please bring a PACKED LUNCH which, weather permitting, can be eaten in the
garden at around 1:00pm; drinks may be purchased from the bar. There will be an afternoon
refreshment break around 3:00pm.

Many of you will remeber previous discovery days with Julian when he has discussed Mozart, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff with us. Julian has a delightful style and his presentations have left us both entertained and enlightened.

The cost of this Discovery Day, which promises to be both enjoyable and enlightening, is £25.00
per person, including tea and coffee; guests will be made most welcome.
Please copy, print and complete the form below and send it with your cheque made out to TASS to:

Sally Smith
3 Tahnee
Middle Street
PURITON TA7 8AB
Tel: 01278 683723 or 07517 895978

PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOOKING FORM BEFORE Wednesday 23 June 2021
Once booked, no refund is available unless the event is cancelled

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TCHAIKOVSKY UNMASKED: 14 JULY 2021

Name(s): ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Tel: ………………………………………………… Mobile: ………………………………………………
Please reserve …. places @ £25 per person. I enclose a cheque for £………………...(total).

MISSION IMPOTTABLE

WITH CHERRY NIXON

Cancelled due to Covid rules, hopefully to be rearranged later in the year. Watch this space!

THE MUSIC OF TCHAIKOVSKY

With JULIAN WILLIAMSON

CANCELLED

  
 
 
The Arts Society South West SPECIAL INTEREST DAY

Thursday 17th October 2019

Best Western Tiverton Hotel 

 The Anatomy of Collecting: Great collectors and their collections, fakes & forgeries plus personal appraisals of members’ own objects with Marc Allum, Antiques Roadshow Specialist 

  Session 1: The Anatomy of Collecting – The History of Collecting and Great Collectors Through History An intriguing journey through the history of the ‘cabinet of curiosity’ and the origins of our modern museums. Based on decades of personal experience - as both a collector and auctioneer - Marc’s talk will explore some of the great collectors from history, including John Tradescant, whose collection founded the Ashmolean in Oxford, together with a fascinating insight into the alchemy, myth and folklore which inspired their curiosity.
 
Session 2: Fakes and Forgeries Marc’s personal interests extend into many areas and his reputation for divining the unusual is well known. His passion for collecting ‘fakes’ forms a wonderful insight into the history of forgeries and reproductions and encompasses examples from many famous cases, including paintings, antiquities and silver, whilst also exploring the all-important subject of provenance.   

Session 3: Bring an Object Talk A captivating and spontaneous talk based on objects brought in by the audience, which in true Antiques Roadshow style, will test Marc’s ‘miscellaneous’ skills in translating all manner of artefacts into an entertaining and informative journey through history. From ceramics to silver, ethnographic items to militaria, Marc will bring the objects to life with a mixture of anecdotes, humour and solid facts.
 
Venue:  Best Western Tiverton Hotel, Blundells Road, Tiverton EX16 4DB Timings:  10.00 for 10.30 start  (Close 3.30pm) Cost:  £39, including coffee on arrival and two course buffet lunch
 
For a booking form please contact: Sarah Merchant – sarah.swstudydays@gmail.com or 01398 341973 www.theartssocietysw.org.uk 

Rachmaninov

With Julian Williamson

Anyone who has attended any of Julian's previous visits will be sure to want to hear another presentation of his. Julian's tallks are friendly, informative and entertaining and are liberally illustrated with music of the composer. Anyone with an interest in (but not necessarliy any prior knowledge of) classical music must make the effort to attend this all day event. There will be breaks for coffee and tea (provided) and lunch (bring your own).

For further details contact Sally Smith on 01278 683723 or sal.tahni@hotmail.co.uk

Cracking Glass

The Story of English Drinking Glasses

with Cherry Nixon

This will be a half day (morning) event with plenty of 'hands on' oportunities where we can handle and discuss glasses provided and described by Cherry. 

For further details contact Sally Smith on 01278 683723 or sal.tahni@hotmail.co.uk

Following on from Julian's brilliant and much appreciated lectures on Mozart and Beethoven's early years he now presents Beethoven's middle years, covering his 'heroic' period in which many of Beethoven's greatest and best loved pieces were composed.

As before the day will commence with coffee or tea at the 37 club, 1 West Approach Road, Woolavington Road, Puriton, TA7 8AD, please arrive at 9.45 for a prompt start at 10.30.

Julian will lecture until lunch with ample musical illustrations, with a coffee break at about 11.30. Please bring your own packed lunch, during which drinks will be available from the bar. The afternoon session will consist of further lectures, with a tea break around 2.30, finishing about 4.00. The cost of all this? Only £25 for the whole day!

After Julian's previous visits, this event cannot be too highly recommended, so please contact Sally Smith on 01278 683723 or 07517 895978 for further details and to book your place.

Contact Sally Smith   01278 683723

Julian’s reputation as an entertaining lecturer is confirmed by the ever packed halls where he is speaking.. Here, he will focus on the life and masterpieces of Mozart’s final ten years, with stories about the composer and his contemporaries, accompanied by extracts of his most famous works. He is also, often, able to give practical examples of his experiences as a conductor.

The day will start at the 37 Club at 10.30 am. A coffee break at 11.30.  Please bring your own packed lunch. The cost is £20.00 per person which includes tea or coffee.

These are always fun days so please come.

NORTH SOMERSET DECORATIVE and FINE ARTS SOCIETY

________________Member Society of NADFAS ______________

A DAY OF GLORIOUS MUSIC

WITH JULIAN WILLIAMSON

MOZART – THE VIENNA YEARS

WEDNESDAY 24th AUGUST 2016

At the 37 CLUB

Arrive from 9.45am for a 10.30 start until 4.30pm

This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a day in the company of a distinguished and popular lecturer in music.  Julian will focus on the life and masterpieces of Mozart during the last ten years of his life in the great city of Vienna, the music capital of the world.  Julian will bring Mozart to life with stories about the composer and his contemporaries accompanied by entrancing extracts of his most famous works.

Julian’s reputation as an entertaining lecturer is demonstrated by the packed lecture halls of The University of the Third Age and he comes highly recommended.  He is often able to give practical examples of his experience as a conductor and he always welcomes questions and engagement from the audience. Following the the lectures we will be showing DVDs with extracts from one or more of Mozart’s operas we hope you will enjoy.

This happy day will commence with at 10.30 and there will be a coffee break at 11.30.  Please bring a packed lunch to enjoy, perhaps with a nice glass of something from the bar. If the weather is good lunch can be eaten in the garden.  There will be a further break for a cup of tea about 2.30. The cost of this most enjoyable day is £20.00 per person and includes tea / coffee.

Please complete the booking form send it and your cheque made out to NSDFAS to:

Mrs Sally Smith,

3 Tahnee Court, Middle Street,

Puriton TA7 8AB

Tel: 01278 683723

Once your booking has been accepted there can be no refund unless the event is cancelled.

PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOOKING BEFORE THE 1st AUGUST 2016

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GLORIOUS MUSIC

NAME(S)………………………………………………………..Tel:…………………………...…….

ADDRESS………………………………………………………Post code………………….………

Email …………………………………………………………...Mobile……………........................

Please reserve  ….. places at £20.00 per person. Cheque for tot

A morning of demonstrations and exhibitions of the world famous Bristol Blue Glass.

Also included will be a chance to visit Bristol's "M Shed".

Leave the 37 Club at 9.15 am.  Cost, only £17.50

Contact  Philip Murdin   01934 628274

A talk about tea and tea drinking, plus the items involved with drinking tea, making it and presenting it. This followed by a test of your knowledge of antique tea ware. It will be an interesting day. Book now.

TUESDAY 30th. APRIL 2013 10.00am. – 3.30pm. COST & VENUE is Woolavington Village Hall HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN (in only 3 months – or more!) Neville Gardner is a Lecturer and Workshop Leader on the making of violins. He will show us in fascinating detail through slides, specialist tools and pieces of violin “made earlier” how this very specialist craft progresses from