2010
Last year over £3700 was raised in support of Twyford based
Daisy's Dream, a charity that supports children and their families
both facing and following bereavement throughout Berkshire and the
surrounding areas. David Cotton, the Rotary Club organiser, said.
"We are delighted with the outcome of the Exhibition and Sale. It
was great to provide an opportunity to buy original art at an
affordable price and showcase the super local talent we have in the
Thames Valley."
For the first time we used St. Joseph's College and the new
venue is super - great natural light from both sides and good
artificial lighting coupled with more stands enabled us to display
the paintings to best effect. Artists and Art Lovers appreciated
this and we had record numbers of visitors to the Preview and on
the Public days on Saturday & Sunday. Over £7000 worth of
paintings were sold - more than 12 % of the value on offer. The
ceramics and sculpture added a worthwhile new dimension to the
Exhibition and good sales were made of these too. The event was
opened by Sir John Madejski, who said he was impressed with the
standard and diversity of the exhibits. He announced the winners
and spent some time talking to artists and visitors.
Tim Simpson, President of the Reading Maiden Erlegh Rotary Club,
said "I was delighted that Sir John Madejski found time to launch
the Reading Art Exhibition and Sale which has been so successful in
helping us to support this worthwhile charity that adds such value
to the community.'
THE WINNERS WERE:-
1st PRIZE of £150 - Kate Eichler-Jaiteh for her collage In the
Garden
2nd PRIZE of £100 - Colin Castle for his gouache of Rose
(the pig)
3rd PRIZE 0f £50 - Ann Emmons for her mixed media of The
Bird In Paradise
2009
The second exhibition in 2009 proved even more popular than the
first and was extended to cover the whole weekend with public
viewing days on Saturday and Sunday. Over 500 art lovers visited
the exhibition. Most of the pictures exhibited were offered for
sale and over 50 pictures were sold which helped to raise over
£3000 for the Shaw Trust, which provides employment services to
disabled and disadvantaged young adults. The event was formally
opened by John Redwood M P who paid tribute to the excellent work
on view and presented a cheque on behalf of the club to James Bryon
of the Shaw Trust. The first prize in the professional artists
section was shared between Carole Stephens for Passion Flowers and
Howard Birchmore for Seascape 2 and the winner in the amateur
section was K W Wright for the Forgotten Ones.
2008
The first Reading Art Exhibition and Sale was held at the
University of Reading in 2008 and was a resounding success. It was
well supported by both local artists and art lovers and a local
charity THRIVE which helps disadvantaged youngsters and the
elderly through gardening was the beneficiary. The Amateur
Winner was Martin Rolfe with Through the Garden Gate
JUDGES
From the outset we have had an excellent panel of judges -
Alun Rowlands head of the Fine Art Department of the
University of Reading, Jenny Halstead President of the
Reading Guild of Artists and Julian Mitchell, a well known local
artists.