Hello everyone! Welcome to another year of Friends of the Towans Art Club!
Here is a summary of the Art Club’s wonderful events during 2022, our first year.
With our heartfelt thanks to Andy Nelson and Pip Cook from Dynamic Dunescapes for their funding, help and advice, without which none of this could have taken place. We’d also like to thank Towans Ranger Martin Rule for his continued ideas, encouragement and support.
FOTT Art Club first met in April at Gwithian Chapel, followed by a marvellous time drawing in the churchyard and on Gwithian Green. An afternoon drawing on Mexico Towans on Saturday 27th May in the most beautiful weather was next. On Wednesday 22nd June the Summer Solstice beckoned us to St Gothian Sands to depict a glowing sunset. Our fourth meeting found us lying on the rabbit nibbled grass drawing and identifying many precious dune plants including Southern Marsh Orchids during World Sand Dunes Day at Gwithian Towans on 25th June.
During the year there were also marvelous walking opportunities provided by FOTT to discover more on the dunes with botanist Dr Colin French and archaeologist Jacky Nowakowski. Dominica Williamson (Dom) worked tirelessly throughout the first two weeks of August to deliver four superb family workshops at Gwithian Green.
In September we met on 17th at Mexico Towans to draw and for an Autumn Equinox sunset on 23rd at St Gothian for some colour! Our grand finale was the Big ‘Dune’ Draw and a celebration of Art Club at Gwithian Chapel, when we took part in the Official Big Draw on the beach at St Gothian Sands, drawing and writing in sketchbooks before warming up afterwards with tea treats in the chapel with an exhibition of sketchbooks.
FOTT Art Club went from strength to strength growing in numbers and reputation. You helped to make it a joy and as someone remarked, we became ‘a community’. This year is the last year we can access Dynamic Dunescapes funding so we need to think about how we can take FOTT Art Club into the future.
We have some ideas and favours to ask.
After October 2023 sadly our funding won’t be renewed and it would be such a shame not to continue meeting, as we are a creative community now, brought together by shared passions in art and our beautiful Towans. We’re already very fortunate to have Bridget sharing Art Club events via WhatsApp, but any other offers of help would be great! This is your club, so can you offer your strengths and suggestions to help us run it?
Any ideas about how we can fund ourselves would be very welcome. Dom, Bridget and I are happy to put in our time but to proceed we will need your help to go forward. We can have other functions like workshops, a quiz, an art raffle, and art talks? Fundraising events and more exhibitions at Gwithian Chapel could be an option, especially in the winter months but we would need to make a donation when we use it. We could benefit from a treasurer, a few cake makers and setting up a car share.
I’m very happy to continue to organise regular FOTT Art Club sketchbook sessions in 2024 but in an informal way. I would set up themes, meeting places and dates, with an introduction and little review at the end. Dom and I would be joining in by drawing too.
We are funded for another year, with thanks to Dynamic Dunescapes. Please add these dates to your diaries. We are limited to 15 places per session due to health and safety and facilitator support. Do look at what you’d like to reserve but remember to let us know if you can’t make it so someone else can have your place. And please do spread the word, thank you. To book please email .
Please bring your own equipment to sessions as well as plenty of warm clothes, including hats, gloves and a cushion or two or something to sit on. And don’t forget snacks, a warm drink, and sun tan lotion and plenty of water for a hot day! I will lead informal sessions; I’ll be drawing too, but give tips, advice and feedback if required, with a review at the end. Want to join our WhatsApp group? Please share your mobile.
Thank you
Hilary Gibson
Date Month Day Time Session type Description Location
26/03/23 March Sun 10.00 – 13.00 Informally led British summertime Mexico Towans
23/04/23 April Sun 13.00 – 16.00 Informally led Spring plants Gwithian Green
05/05/23 May Fri 16.00 – 18.30 Informally led Sunset and flower moon Godrevy/St Gothian Sands
24/06/23 June Sat 10.30 – 15.00 Workshops* World Sand Dune Day Godrevy Warren
03/07/23 July Mon 15.30 – 18.00 Informally led Buck Moon Mexico Towans
03/08/23 Aug Thurs 10.30 – 15.00 Workshops Botanical art for families Gwithian Green
05/08/23 Aug Sat 10.30 – 15.00 Walk Sketchbook walk Godrevy Warren
10/08/23 Aug Thurs 10.30 – 15.00 Workshops Botanical art for families Gwithian Green
08/09/23 Sept Fri 10.30 – 15.00 Workshop Sketchbooks Gwithian Chapel
22/09/23 Sept Fri 18.30 – 21.00 Informally led Autumn equinox sunset Godrevy/St Gothian Sands
28/10/23 Oct Sat 12.00 – 16.00 Informally led The Big Draw Gwithian Chapel
