Stewarding TODAY!
Today, Tuesday 24 May, I’ll be stewarding at the Loft Gallery from 2pm until 5pm.
If you expect to be in Salcombe then, please drop by and say hello!
Where is the Loft Gallery?
The Loft Gallery is situated behind the Fortescue Inn, and above a popular shoe shop, on a delightful footpath called Victoria Quay, which overlooks one of the best views in the UK including the mooring berth of the RNLI lifeboat Baltic Exchange III.
What is the Loft Gallery?
The Loft Gallery is the home of Salcombe Art Club and, every year since 1960, the Summer Exhibition opens at Easter and continues until the end of September.
An incredible number of visitors climb the 15 steps to view the exhibition, and more than 200 paintings are expected to be sold during the summer months. A percentage of the proceeds of each sale goes to the Art Club funds and, after expenses have been met, the club donates amounts to local charities. So, buying a painting benefits the artist, the club and the town – and provides a beautiful reminder of a visit to Salcombe. Prices range from £1 for a postcard up to £1000 – and the club now has the facility to accept payments by card, rather than ‘cash only’ as had been the practice for many years.
In the winter months, the Loft Gallery reverts to being a working studio with a full programme of workshops and classes for its members.
Who can join Salcombe Art Club?
Salcombe Art Club comprises a mix of artists: some professional artists such as those who teach our classes but also many amateurs and some very new to drawing/painting. Everyone is welcome!
Membership of Salcombe Art Cub is not limited to those living in Salcombe. Anyone within striking distance is welcome to apply for membership, but it makes most sense for those who live near enough so as to benefit from the classes in the winter, and – if they intend to become exhibiting members – to fulfil their stewarding obligations during the summer.
Step 1 is to enrol as a Lay Member – that’s the first rung of the ladder! Then Salcombe Art club has three categories of membership.
- Lay members (for a subscription of £12 per annum) may take part in workshops, courses and social activities and generally assist in supporting the club but may not exhibit, nor vote at the AGM.
- Associate members (for a subscription of £17 per annum) may take part in most club activities including exhibiting in the Little Studio section (but not the main gallery) of the Annual Summer Exhibition.
- Full members (for a subscription of £27 per annum) may take part in all club activities and exhibit their works in the Annual Summer Exhibition when they are required to carry out their share of stewarding duties.
Who exhibits at the Loft Gallery?
Essentially, exhibiting is limited to the associate and full members of Salcombe Art Club. Full members are invited to display up to five of their works in the Summer Exhibition. This is me with some of mine:
Full – and associate – members may also book a week or more in the Little Studio. My one-man show commences on 28 May. In the Little Studio also, our teachers exhibit material of works produced by the various class groups; this inspires other club members to enrol for classes during the winter months.
How do you progress from Lay member so that you can exhibit your art at the Loft Gallery?
The selection panel meet annually (usually in February) to select from Lay members who wish to become Associate of Full members. The usual progression is to become an Associate member for a year and then on to Full membership the following year. Sometimes, the panel may decide to admit a member straight to Full membership.
For more information about Salcombe Art Club, visit their website.
Featured image: Start Point Lighthouse
The original of Start Point Lighthouse was while on display at the Loft Gallery.
However, it is available as a fine art greetings card, on sale at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio).
As you walk the short distance from Salcombe to Batson, you’ll see the view that inspired me to try to capture this idyllic setting. 
At the top of Batson Creek, a collection of thatched cottages delight the eye. They sit around a triangle of grass complete with its old-fashioned telephone box. (At least, the phone box was there, the last time I visited!) The reflections of these cottages in the water only serve to enhance the tranquility of the scene, and this inspired me to paint