AT their June meeting, members of Newton St Cyres Art Group enjoyed a pastel demonstration by local artist, Heather Irvine.

Heather lives in Shobrooke, but her reputation as a wildlife artist is international. Her website displays stunning examples of her work, done both in the UK and abroad and her passion for drawing, as well as for her wildlife subjects, shines through.

During the break we were able to look through prints Heather had brought along. Her “sketches” were what many of us would consider to be “paintings”, and captured the spirit and personality of the creature she had chosen to draw, the loose style comfortably blending with detail.

The demonstration began with a quick charcoal sketch of a miniature dachshund, using photographs for reference.

After checking the proportions and perspective, Heather continued to work on the darkest areas with charcoal, then began to apply colour, using a variety of marks.

The little dog sprang to life before us. This sketch will be one of many she will do before working on the final oil painting she has been commissioned to do.

Her warmth and humour together with her skill provided us with a very enjoyable demonstration. We anticipate plenty of animal portraits in our exhibition at Bernaville Nurseries in August!

Jenny Hallam