Welcome to Frome Valley Art Group’s Artist of the Month page.

We are pleased to announce our Artist of the Month for June 2023 is LESLEY SHARMAN.

Lesley is an excellent art teacher no matter what medium she uses, and paints a wide variety of subjects. She is always up for a challenge, particularly when trying a new technique or method. Examples of some of her work are shown below, each using a different medium. About her art she says:

“From a very early age I have always drawn, coloured, shaded and created. This was due to an inherited talent and being an only child of a military family, always moving – country to country, house to house, school to school. Pencils and paper were always available, as they are now. Inventive thinking by my art teacher meant that A Level Art students could develop skills at the Medway School of Art at weekends, so I was fortunate to attend life drawing and painting sessions which were not readily available in grammar schools.

Careers advice for girls in the early 60s was very limited and although I was encouraged to do a Fine Arts Degree at Goldsmiths, I realised that to support myself financially I would have to teach. I attended Brighton College of Education and again was able to develop drawing and painting skills at Brighton College of Art. What a fun place to be in the ‘Swinging Sixties’.

However, teaching art all day to teenagers who didn’t really enjoy the subject did not appeal to me, so I embraced a younger age group who show enthusiasm for everything. This enthusiasm appears to re-ignite when people reach mid-life and want to participate in further learning, as is the case of Frome Valley Art Group and its membership. I was introduced to the group through Sue Gilmore Powell’s classes.

It has been a great pleasure for me to join the committee and take on the role of Programme Secretary and Afternoon Steward. We have grown in numbers as well as confidence and achievement. Over the years my aim has been to develop all aspects of art, both personally and for the group, as my paintings reflect. We all support each other’s achievements through friendship and kindness. Many of our “in house” workshops are over-subscribed which is a testament for the desire to learn and try out different media, methods and equipment.

I pass on my role to a younger team who will, I’m sure, continue to nurture this philosophy.”

Please note, the paintings shown here are a small example of the excellent paintings Lesley creates but are not for sale and subject to copyright.

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