Thanks Sylvia, I was pondering on doing a questionnaire, on your adivice I will definatly send one out to see who would be willing to join a committee and deine what media, subjects the majority would like.

You are giving yourself a lot of headaches . Over the years i have started variousarty activities abd belonged to on going groups. One is a life drawing group so a specific discipline. Ask around , find out the interest , find a venue , . You need commitment from the group otherwise you could find yourself with bills to pay. The Life drawing group is still on going some 25 years on , it is in the local library in a private room consequently the room costs are minimal. Another way is to start small as a sketching / venue group. Start by organising outings to galleries , places of interest, etc . No overheads just bring yourselves and your drawing gear. Commit to a day . Meet for coffee , bring a picnic. A good way to socialise . Sadly you often need a committee otherwise you mayfind yourself doing all the donkey work and never picking up a pencil. I do hope it works for you .

Tessa Thank you for your observations, I like the tutuion class with everyone working in one medium and to know what you're doing each week. Ian

Hi Ian I belong to two quite different art groups in the Cotswolds, both of which have run successfully for some years. One charges by the term which obviously means the cash is there to cover hall hire etc,while the other charges £20 weekly with excellent tuition from a professional artist. The latter is more organised and starts on the dot so that you know you’ll get good value and I feel I’ve really benefited from this. We all use oils ( he has a separate watercolour class) and I feel this is better than everyone doing their own thing. There is I guess a place for the more sociable “do your own thing “ group but if people seek improvement it’s surely better to be very organised and know what you’re going to do each week. Other plus points: don’t have too many/long breaks, organise/encourage exhibition trips and painting outside and make sure you have a warm well lit hall. Hope this isn’t too wordy! I wish you all success in your venture.