Patchings 2008

Did you go? I did. Here are my reports from the two days that I was there. Patchings 2008 Friday I was up at 6.30 this morning, and Mr T (my cat) had his usual early morning cuddle. Somehow the time just slipped away and I had to move up a gear to be out by half past eight. I was most surprised by the lack of traffic on the bypass and it was a good drive to Patchings. There’s a lovely section of road just the other side of Southwell, where it takes a steep, winding route down a hill, with trees arching across the road, some touching, making a green tunnel. I arrived at Patchings at 9.40, parked, picked up my denim satchel containing my bumbag, lunch, camera and phone and headed for the entrance. I was so dreamy that I walked right past the sentry ladies and was called back to wait at the archway till opening time at ten o’clock. I could have done with a chair, but there were only the sentries’ seats, and a large man toddled through and sat on the vacant chair, telling the other lady that she didn’t him being there, did she. Two couples began to chat about painting holidays. I’d missed the first part, so I never did know the artist’s name, but they were most enthusiastic. I think it might have been Charles Evans, from later comments. Then they asked each other if they’d worked out of doors. One lady said they had tried it, but such a crowd gathered around that they hadn’t enjoyed it at all. I told them what Ashley Jackson had said: When the crowd gets too close, load a brush with clean water and flick it (as one does to get a good point) and they soon move away! I’d asked the sentry lady if one bought tickets for the demonstrations / workshops at the information desk and she didn’t know (this was day two of the festival!) She thought they were on sale at the tent entrances, except for the St Cuthbert’s, which you bought at the tent where the demo / workshop was happening. A minute or two later, the tannoy announced that this was the case. _______ We were allowed in and I toddled off to the OCA stand to find out about the ‘sketching trip’. Steve said this involved going to the lake and being shown how to compose a picture, tones, and so on. I was disappointed and said that I wasn’t a beginner. He asked what stage I was at, and I said that I teach drawing. He said that I should go along and offer hints and tips! I was surprised about that and said so, then he suggested that I could help with the critique at the end. Apparently, he was actually completely serious about these suggestions. I said that I’d like to have my own work assessed. Anyway, he talked me into putting my name down and I toddled off to look at the art materials stands. I had a shopping list, but was very disappointed, as there was not a lot on offer. Jackson’s, normally a big presence at these affairs, had a tiny stand and only one of the things on my list. I chatted to one of the salesmen on the Derwent stand, asking if they have discontinued the Signature watercolour pencils as well as the ordinary variety, and he said they have. Apparently it had only about 3% of the market and people said they found them difficult to use!!! He gave me the name of a shop whose owner, hearing of the discontinuation, bought up a large stock, so I’ll be in touch with him, as the Signature range is the only one that has exactly the olive green I use for conifers. Nothing else comes anywhere near it for depth of colour and darkness. _______ I looked at the other stands in that marquee then felt boredom begin to descend, as well as tired legs, as I’d already done a lot of walking. I made a trip to the Ladies and collected my hat from the car (the sun was trying to break through!) then went back to the OCA stand, to discover that there were only three names for this session and the other two had not yet arrived. Deb, the lady on the stand, said the problem was that they were up against a big event at that time, but it’s also because Friday is the quietest day, I think, as most art groups turn up by the coachload on the Thursday. By 11.05, these two ladies still hadn’t arrived. Steve said that he was happy to take me, but I wasn’t so keen, and was beginning to doubt my legs’ ability to get me there, anyway, as it’s a fair walk. He asked if I’d done any mono-printing (he had his table set up for this) and I said not, so he began to show me what to do before letting me try it. The two ladies turned up and became interested in this so they never did make it to the lake! He offered me the chance to play with some Sennelier pastels, but on wet paper, giving diffused colour. That was fun, but I would have liked to try them dry. We did sit outside for a few minutes while he did some doodles and chatted to the ladies, to which I added a couple of comments. After this, with my efforts at mono-printing carefully cling-film wrapped by Deb, I toddled off to wash my hands, then, at 12.25, found a seat by the refreshment marquee, to keep a look-out for Aud and Arty, as we were meeting up there at around 12.30. At 12.45, I phoned Aud. Apparently her phone wouldn’t connect with my phone’s network, so they were at the Pavilion. I toddled off to join them and it turned out that I had seen them walk past, but they were looking for someone wearing a deeper shade of pink. I knew I should have worn that shocking pink scarf (only I don’t know where it is!) We had about an hour together before we went out separate ways for the afternoon. _______ My plan was to go to the Inktense workshop at 2 o’clock. I went along, only to discover that it was sold out, and I should have booked my place in the morning. This had not been made clear at all, and I’d assumed it was, as announced, ‘on the door’. The other lady wondered if I could be squeezed in, but it would be right at the back, and I said I could do this on Sunday, as I was already planning to do the Coloursoft workshop that day and that I’d make sure that I booked my place for both when I arrived. At a bit of a loss, I remembered that I wanted to buy a magazine subscription and toddled back to the Artist and Leisure Painter tent, deciding to stay for Fiona Peart’s demonstration. There was an offer for subscriptions bought at the show: a choice of Rembrant sets of watercolour, acrylic, oil or pastel. Trying our pastels was on my wish list for this trip, and I’d been disappointed – though if we’d made it to the lake, Steve had said I could use the Sennelier pastels. Anyway, I chose the pack of 15 full pastels as my subscription ‘gift’. It’s worth around £15, so it made that subscription a very good purchase! While I waited, I scribbled some notes, and had a cuppa, and the tent began to fill. A man came and sat next to me, quickly absorbed in the Jackson’s Art catalogue I’d left on that seat (I have one at home and it came in the magazine I bought). The sky had been darkening, and one of the team came to close the ‘doors’ of the marquee beside me. Moments later, the rain came. Why does it always rain when I’m at Patchings? And why had I taken my Cagoule back to the car before this? By 2.25, there was standing room only as people crowded into the marquee to escape the rain. Fiona arrived, breathless and laughing as she saw the crowd. She donned a red apron with large polka dots in neat rows of various colours down the front and began her spiel about the magazines before beginning her demonstration of wet-in-wet and glazing in watercolour. She has only half an hour to do the demonstration and does five each day for the four days of the festival! As she began her painting, a dog whined, which raised a laugh as Fiona said, “Aww, it’s not that bad, is it?” She did the first washes, then asked if we had questions. No-one did. In fact, the audience was amazingly unresponsive. One man did ask when she was going to do the wet-in-wet, which was a weird question, as that’s what she was doing!!! At the end, she asked if any of us used the glazing technique, and I think I was the only one there who put up a hand. _______ The rain had eased by the end of her session, and I resisted the temptation of an ice cream and headed back to the car, and was soon on my way home. I’d only decided to go to the event this year as I thought I’d be taking S and R with me on one day, and meeting friends, the other. As it’s turned out, I will have quite a busy day on Sunday (my second day) but given that it’s an 80 mile round trip, costing roughly £10 in liquid gold (petrol) plus the entrance fee and £2.50 for workshops, it’s an expensive day out, so I will have to have a very good reason for going again next year.