Friday Focus - details of dates etc until 11th July 2025

 

The Friday Focus is a series of FREE talks and is open to everyone - just come along! They start at 1pm and usually last 30-60 minutes.

Here's a list of what's happening until July 2025

2nd May - Meandering with Mayoralty - a talk about Leamington Mayors by Martin Harrison

9th May - Then and now around the county with David Morse

16th May - Swimming at the Royal Pump Rooms with Victoria Slade.

23rd May - From Paris to Warwick - The story of Tony Dury with Paul Baker.

13th June - A different View Exhibition by Kellie Sabin

20th June - Health care in Leamington with Michael Pearson

27th June - This is a man's place- Lord Leycester 

7th July - From scrapbooks to photocollage - Lily Crowther

11th July - Derek Billings - Photographs of Leamington with Barry Franklin.

Boughton House and Gardens visit - Northamptonshire

Wednesday 9th April - images courtesy of Cherry. She says:

 

"We had a lovely visit to Boughton House and Gardens in Northamptonshire yesterday. A private tour of the house with its impressive collection of paintings and furniture. After a tasty soup and sandwich lunch we explored the gardens. The sky was blue, the sun shone and the gardens were beautiful, a thoroughly enjoyable day".

 If you'd like to know more about our excursions click here.

Here's some more of Cherry's lovely photos:

 

Windrush Meet The Artist special - FLAG exclusive

Not only is Saturday 12th April (2-4pm) a Meet The Artist special with Annabel Rainbow and some of the people involved in her series of Windrush portraits, but it's also Benjamin Zephaniah day, and the gallery has 2 quilts made by Annabel in the Unravelling History exhibition that feature Benjamin.

 

Here's a FLAG exclusive showing the pieces and how one was constructed. 

Below: The first stage was to use sketches made of Birmingham and create a cloth that could be used as a background. Can you recognize any of these iconic places?

 

Below: knocking back the background with white acrylic - "The Background's Too Strong, It Needs To Be Whiter".

Below: Beginning to put in the outlines of Benjamin on stage. This helps with the stitching lines.

Below: Building colour and adding text. Beginning to stitch the dreadlocks and body.

Below: Stitching round significant phrases and words in pink thread. The whole quilt is heavily stitched throughout the figure and the background.

Below: standing back once the sewing is finished to appraise the piece before finishing the painting and getting balance into the piece.

Final adding of paint to the stitched dreadlocks.

 

Finally, in place in the gallery.