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Hull Art Circle

Hull Art Circle was formed in 1966 with the object of providing a well equipped studio, heated and with adequate lighting, where artists could meet, work and leave their materials.

I went along to the Monday evening group at Cottingham Civic Hall offices to find out what a Hull Art Circle meeting was like. As I entered there was a scene made up with a model sat at a small table with a bottle of wine and looking at his playing cards. It was based on the famous piece by Paul Cézanne called The Card Players.

There was complete silence when the first half of the sketching commenced, all the focus was directed to this scene and not a word was ushered. It was as if the world around them had disappeared into the background, even when someone arrived a little late the silence wasn’t broken. It seemed therapeutic, it certainly felt like this to watch and observe as everyone expressed what they could see onto their canvas.

Those who spoke to me were enthusiastic about the heritage of the Hull Art Circle and were welcoming me in showing me their work in progress.

Graham Kent told me that he attends many groups and practices his art work every day, he referred to it almost like an obsession. You can see Graham working on his art as photographed.

Kerry Davies is the the Vice Chairman for the Hull Art Circle and is a full time artist under KD Art UK. His piece called Jason has been used for the Hull marathon, its a beautiful piece which is vibrant and eye catching.

‘Jason replica in Hull Paragon Station’ by Kerry Davies (Hull Art Circle member). It was created as part of a big Hull sketching event in 2017 which included Hull Art Circle members.

Kerry shares with me; “It is a very friendly group of artists working with various levels of art experience. We don’t have a tutor, but we share ideas on the artworks. We all work with different materials, so the collection of artwork at the end is very varied. Some people draw, some use pastels & some paint. Some of the group also meet up in Hull to sketch various city scenes. I really enjoy the friendly & creative atmosphere in the group when we meet. We are all inspired by seeing the artwork of our fellow artists.

My role as Chairman is to help organise the art sessions, group meetings, events & exhibitions. I also help with the Hull Art Circle Facebook page. I’ve made lots of friends in Hull Art Circle & I welcome anyone who enjoys drawing & painting to come along to see what we do.”

We meet twice weekly, on a Monday and Wednesday evening. Our studios are at the Civil Hall in Cottingham and the Methodist Church Hall in Hessle.

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