Come and join us at the Highnam Community Centre Trust  for this Study Day when we will examine the artistic tastes and art collections of three kings, King Charles I, King Charles II and King Charles III.

Tickets will be on sale from our October lecture.

Guests can buy tickets on Eventbrite

Without King Charles I’s passion for collecting, we would not have the Royal Collection, the largest privately-owned art collection in the world: without King Charles II we would have lost the magnificent collection his father had amassed, and King Charles III is the owner of the Royal Collection today.

The day will consist of two morning lectures, lunch, and an afternoon lecture. We will hear how Charles I started the Royal Collection, and how Charles II recovered much of what had been purloined. The afternoon lecture will compare our present King's predilections; King Charles III is our most culturally attuned monarch in over a century. 

Barbara Askew is a Historian and London Blue Badge Guide since 1988. Lecturer, Examiner and Course Director on Blue Badge Guide Training Courses and an acknowledged expert on Royalty and Windsor Castle. The only Blue Badge Guide accredited to guide the Albert Memorial.

Lecture One: On becoming King, Charles I purchased the fabulous art collection of the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua. 

Lecture Two: On being restored to the throne in 1660 Charles II’s first act as monarch was to recover as much as possible of his father’s magnificent collection of art.

Lecture Three: King Charles III is a keen artist and has painted watercolours since the 1970’s. In 2000 he co-founded the Royal Drawing School to address the lack of observational drawing in art education and he has set up a Traditional Skills Centre at Dumfries House. 

Tickets price £34.99 are available on Eventbrite

A printable booking form is available by clicking here.

Come and join us at the Highnam Community Centre Trust to discover the evolution of landscape painting! From the ancient city of Pompey to the revolutionary works of Cezanne, this event will take you on a journey through centuries of artistic innovation. Discover how landscapes have been depicted and transformed over time, and gain a new appreciation for this timeless art form. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to delve into the rich history of landscape painting!

Landscape painting was not considered seriously as a subject until the sixteenth century. Until this time, it remained a background for the religious and mythological paintings of many artists such as Jan van Eyck and Titian. By the middle of the seventeenth century in the works of Claude Lorrain or Jacob van Ruisdael, landscape painting has developed into an independent subject, admired for its own sake. We will begin looking at these early developments followed by an analysis of the work of English landscape painters and theirFrench and German successors in the 19th century.

CLARE FORD-WILLE has been a lecturer for Birkbeck College, London University for over 30 years and is well known for her lectures for The Art Society, the Art Fund and the National Gallery. She has led numerous study tours abroad.

Highnam Community Centre (Gambier Parry Hall), Newent Road, Highnam, Gloucester, GL2 8DG.

This event has proved very popular and is now sold out,

In this Study Day we chart the development of Impressionism from its disastrous beginnings to its gradual acceptance.

This wonderful river often referred to as “The River of Light” was a major influence on the development of Impressionism.The day features three lectures following the course of the river; a travelogue with the Impressionists at its core. Starting at the Estuary, as this is where it all began with Open Air Painting, moving on tracking the rise to recognition of this new wave of artists, introducing little known facts about them. 

Carole is an experienced guide and lecturer on combined history and art tours in France with 20 years experience. Having lived and worked on a number of bespoke river vessels and converted barges there she has used them as a platform from which to research her lectures. She uses art in all its guises to explore the characters who shaped France and likes to delve behind the scenes to discover hidden truths.

10.30am Session 1:  The Seine Estuary Capturing the Imagination Looks at the host of artists who flocked to the picturesque harbour of Honfleur and its surroundings to capture, in Baudelaire’s words “this green and rose vastness which goes to my head like an intoxicating drink”.

11.30am Coffee Time

12.00  1pm Session 2:  Belle Époque Paris the Cradle of Impressionism to the West In this second lecture we first look at the Capital which Haussmann had revitalised into one of the most elegant and outwardly prosperous cities in Europe, and then look at the context in which the artists worked. “The Modern Age”! From there we move onto a tiny loop of the Seine nicknamed the cradle of Impressionism where our artists struggled to make a living and gain recognition; a far cry from the universal popularity they have today.

1pm – 2pm Lunch

2pm – 3pm Session 3: The Path to Success Collectively or Independently Explores how our artists came to terms with a radically changed and depressed art market and economy following the Franco Prussian War and how they continued nevertheless to grow their careers in art. They gradually started to drift away from each other often following the course of the Seine to pastures new, sometimes even a tributary of the Seine in search of that ever-special motif; and in their wake a new wave of artists would follow hot on their heels.

Please note: this is a week later than the date previously advertised.

Tickets are now on sale

Price £25 to include morning coffee and lunch.

 To purchase tickets please follow this link to Eventbrite   

In this three-session special interest day, find out how experts look at paintings with art historian Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe.

This an abridged version of the highly acclaimed course that Chantal led for the National Gallery, London in Spring 2021.

What role does the signature play, and what are the key clues to look for when deciding who painted the picture?

What we will cover:

• Session 1: Looking with Eyes Wide Open 

In the first session, art historian Chantal  alerts us to the stylistic clues in a painting, from the colouring or lighting that distinguish a Caravaggio from a Rubens, or the signature details of Canaletto or Leonardo, to the brushwork which helps us tell a Rembrandt from a Vermeer.

• Session 2: Looking More Closely 

It is vital to be able to tell the difference between something the artist himself put on his canvas, and something that was added - or removed – in the subsequent decades of the painting’s life.

In this session, we will explore whether what we are seeing is what the artist produced, or whether time or other humans have altered it, as well as discussing the problems we face with forgeries and fakes.

• Session 3: The day ends after lunch with a chance to try out your skills, identifying artists in“spot the artist”

Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe - an Art Society accredited lecturer, taught full-time at the Sotheby's Institute of Art for 29 years and is now a consultant lecturer. Her areas of expertise are 16th and 17th-century painting and she is also trained as a painting restorer. Combining this experience with her knowledge of the history of Old Masters, she teaches with an emphasis on historical painting techniques. Fluent in French and Italian, she lectures regularly for a wide range of courses and Institutions in London, the United States, and Europe. She is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA).

Special Interest Days are ticket events open to memebers and guests, with three seperate lectures and refreshments and a light lunch are included. 

Booking details available shortly.

 “The Origins of Venetian Art”

 “The Golden Age”  

“Poets, Painters and Private Lives”

For three hundred years Venice was the most powerful city-state in the Mediterranean, and much of its wealth was put towards ornamenting itself with works of art. Art was the outward proof of status, the symbol of the city’s prestige and influence. These golden years of Venice’s history were to produce the works of Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.

Later, painters from all over Europe came to Venice to paint its quiet back waters, its crumbling plasterwork, shadowed doorways and sunlit reflections, and the city was reborn as a romantic vision.

This Study Day looks into the artists who have lived and worked in Venice, their styles, their techniques and how each added his own unique contribution to the artistic legend of the city. It covers the origins of Venetian art, its Golden Age and the years of decline when great artists rediscovered the magic of the city.

Douglas Skeggs has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980. In that time he has given over 5000 lectures to universities, colleges and art societies. He was the director of The New Academy of Art Studies for three years. Among his more improbable venues for lectures are the bar on the QE2, MI5 headquarters, the Captain's Room at Lloyds, and an aircraft hanger in a German NATO base. Overseas he has lectured in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain, and has taken numerous tours around Europe.

He has written and presented various TV documentaries and three one-man exhibitions of his paintings have been held in England and Switzerland.

Their history, architecture and paintings are traced as Moorish mastery gradually gave way to Christian Reconquest.

Andalucia conjures orange blossom, flamenco, fountains, patios and decorative plaster work. For nearly 800 years from 711 the Iberian peninsula was dominated by the Moors. Seville, Cordoba and Granada became centres of culture, learning, luxury and magnificence. Their history, architecture and paintings are traced as Moorish mastery gradually gave way to Christian Reconquest. In many intriguing ways, centuries of Moorish rule are still visible in Andalucia, and are vital to an understanding of the diversity of Spanish culture.

 In 2015 Gail was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Catolica (the equivalent of the CBE) by the King of Spain for promoting Spanish culture among British audiences.

An art historian, and painter. Lecturer for The Arts Society since 1992, lectures regularly for the V&A High Renaissance and Baroque course, Art Pursuits, and the Art Fund. Has taught on Cambridge University International Summer Schools, the Courtauld Institute Summer Courses, Inscape, Gainsborough’s House and other arts organisations. 

This Ticket Event will consist of three seperate lectures covering:

• 10.30 - 11.30 A broad look at Chinese Art and Architecture.
• 12.00 - 13.00 Jade
• Lunch
• 14.00 - 15.00 Overview of Oriental decorative art.

Tickets will be on sale at our September and October meetings. Price £30 for members and visitors £35.

Or Contact: Sue Giles for tickets. The Longhouse, Pendock, Gloucestershire GL19 3PR

(A stamped addressed envelope appreciated) Cheques payable to TASWG.

E-mail: jamgiles@aol.com Telephone:01684 833701

Porcelain, jade, jewels, architecture, gardens and a few surprises are featured in our Special Interest Day, which encompasses the wonders and exoticism of the East, which enthralled the West for over two centuries.

The Meridian line of the Forbidden City, the pure white marble path, double hip roofs, and the importance of the number 9 are all discussed together with court ritual. Also considered is the importance of the beautiful artifacts that surrounded the emperors and some of the gifts that were given by the ‘Barbarian’ Westerners in exchange for trade agreements.

Peter Le Rossignol has degrees in Decorative Arts and Historic Interiors and Fine Art Valuation; he also holds a DPhil in Art History. He has forty years’ lecturing experience and has given talks on local radio and held antique road shows for various organisations. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

At Highnam Community Centre

The Thames has always fascinated English and foreign artists alike.

No River Thames, no London –

and the history of Britain (and the world) would be very different.   For centuries, the river has been at the heart of London life and it is no surprise that artists from Canaletto to Whistler, from J.M.W Turner to Monet have felt compelled to represent it in all its moods and activities. We will explore how these great names together with lesser known artists such as Samuel Scott, J. Atkinson Grimshaw and Andre Derain have portrayed the world’s most historic thoroughfare.

With Andrew Davies

Andrew read law at Oxford, but he only ever wanted to talk about was history and art.

He has been very fortunate in turning his passions into his job.

The author of nine books, he appears frequently on television and radio.

At Highnam Parish Room

With Mark Hill

Miscellaneous expert on the Antiques Road Show since 20007 An auctioneer running 20th century design auctions in partnership with Dawsons Auctioneers. Has lectured across the world, including at the V&A in London, and contributed to many newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programmes. A Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and a Freeman of the City of London.

·      Session 1, Curves,Colour and Cool –

Looks at furniture,ceramics,glass,lighting + metal. Key Designs & Designers.

·      Session 2, Cracking Glass –

Big Four post war glass companies: Whitefriars, Wedgewood, Caithness & Dartington

·      Lunch

·      Session 3, Personal Road Show -20th Century Glass and Ceramics –

Please bring your own 20th Century items for Mark to discuss and value.

Tyrants and Martyrs of Imperial Russia: 
A History of the Romanov Dynasty from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II 

With Douglas Skegg

Throughout the day Douglas will use fine art illustrations to bring the dramatic events to life.

Catherine had no right to rule Russia.  She was a minor German princess who had been brought to court to marry a dull-witted heir to the Romanov dynasty.  Within years she had deposed her husband and set herself up as Empress of Russia, establishing a regime that would dominate Russia for almost two centuries.

These talks look into her turbulent reign and those of the generations before and that followed, from her paranoid son, Paul, through the lavish courts of Nicholas I and Alexander III to the poignant figure of Nicholas II whose assassination brought the Romanov dynasty to a tragic end.

 1:  The Blaspheming Bear - The Life of Peter the Great

 2:  The New Byzantium - Russia at the time of Catherine the                      Great

 3:  The Last Romanovs - The Life and Death of Nicholas and Alexandra

Cost of the day - £25 including morning coffee, a pastry and a light lunch.

(Ticket Event)

This lecture tells the story of 20th century fashion design, tracing how clothes, textiles and accessories were influenced by contemporary history.

It includes the elegant fashions of the Edwardian era, the glamour of the 1920s and 1930s, the austerity of the 1940s, the futuristic fashions of the 1950s, the liberating styles of the 1960s and the avant-garde fashions of the 1970s to the present day.

Dr Sally Hoban

Sally Hoban has a PhD in History from the University of Birmingham and is a specialist Art & Design Historian and Antiques expert. She lectures regularly to Arts Society groups both in Britain and abroad and she has broadcast on BBC television and radio.

Sally writes widely on her special interests which include antique clothing and textiles, and English silver. She has published articles in The Antiques Bulletin, national and international media, and she is the author of Miller’s Collecting Modern Design. Dr Hoban is an Honorary Research Fellow at Birmingham University.