Shortly after moving to North Norfolk in 1995, I started running weekly art classes in my local village hall in Langham. I have always felt that, for those who have the time, passing on information about one's craft is part of the job of a painter, and have always enjoyed working with people who share my enthusiasm for art and want to know more about it.

Bob Brandt

A few years ago, to give my students their independence, we turned my classes into the Langham Art Group - an organisation run by its members, self-financing and meeting on Thursday mornings for thirty weeks each year. I have been happy to continue as the group's regular tutor.

Each day included my preliminary at the start of each session. This might include a short demonstration, or seeing a painting I was working on and inviting comments about. The members would then get on with their individual projects, with me going round to offer advice and encouragement.

The group includes at least one qualified art teacher, a number who have exhibited their work professionally, two who run life-sessions, and many who just enjoy the pleasure of painting and expanding their experience and ability. Mediums used include oils, watercolours, acrylics, pastels and mixed-media - in fact, anything.

Once or twice a year the group employs a model for clothed posing sessions, and from time to time we run still-life workshops and other activities. But basically, members develop their own projects, ranging from botanical drawings to abstract expressionist works.

The joy for us all is that our meetings are happy social occasions, during which all the members support and encourage each other's efforts.

The arrival of the pandemic in March, and the necessary closure of the hall, put an end to all that, but with the enthusiastic support of the group it has been possible to revive our weekly meetings with the help of Zoom.

My original aim was simply to arrange an online get-together so we could all keep in touch and talk about our painting projects - knowing that art provides valuable therapy for those of us who find ourselves locked-down at home. But, to my surprise, I have discovered that meeting in this way can bring some significant advantages over our usual physical meetings in the hall.

The system we have adopted is that members who wish to will send me emailed images of their work for comment by the Tuesday of each week. I will then send back personal advice, sometimes accompanied by a Photo-shopped version of their painting marked up with my suggestions. We 'meet' at the usual time on-line on Thursday mornings, when I am able to show on screen the works produced by each member in turn, and summarise the advice I have given. We can then all discuss the painting - and criticise my advice! - before moving on to the next member.

Previously, we could never see the paintings we were doing in stages - just the current work. Now I am able to collect a gallery of each member's work, up-dated, which we can all see each week and comment on.

Of course, a group of this kind is essentially a meeting of friends who have got to know each other over time, people who are supportive of each other and enjoy support in return.

When these dark days are over and we return to the hall, it is my plan to continue with the individual online tuition sessions, if I can, and present each week a summary of how our members have been progressing, using the hall's built-in digital projector. So, hopefully, good will come out of hardship.

Below are a few works created by members during the lockdown:

By Alison

By Nigel

By Sara

By Tim

By Mirielle

Follow Bob's step-by-step demonstration to paint a Mediterranean cafe scene by clicking here, and see more in the gallery and blogs areas by clicking here.