Bruton Art Society

Christmas Lecture
2026-12-02 14:30 - 16:30 (Europe/London) | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
CHRISTMAS LECTURE
Followed by seasonal refreshments. A time to welcome all
NEW MEMBERS and to thank our EXHIBITION HELPERS
Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary
BA7 7JJ Members free Guests £5 2.30pm – 4.30pm

'PORTRAIT FROM LIFE' Demonstration
2026-10-28 14:30 | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
‘PORTRAIT FROM LIFE’ Demonstration : Wednesday 28th October
Artist : James Budden
Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary BA7 7JJ
2.30pm – 4.30pm
Members free. Guests £5 payable at door

‘The (not so) Still Life, Unwrapped’
2026-09-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Friday 18th September 2026. 10am – 4pm. £40
Tutor: Sally Ridout
Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW

A one day talk/workshop with Sally on the subject of the ‘Still Life’ genre as practiced in Western Art over the last few centuries. After the talk there will be guided (and hopefully fun) practical work based on the styles and approaches learnt.

Materials provided

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Collection Day of unsold Exhibition work
2026-08-30 10:00 - 13:00 | Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, Plox, Bruton, BA10 0ED
Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, BA10 0ED
Collection times: 10am – 1pm

73rd Annual Exhibition
2026-08-22 10:00 - 2026-08-29 16:00 | Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, Plox, Bruton, BA10 0ED
Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, BA10 0ED
10am – 4pm daily, inc. Sat and Sun
Exhibition closes on Sat 29 August 4pm

Handing in Day, 73rd Annual Exhibition
2026-08-15 10:00 - 13:00 | Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, Plox, Bruton, BA10 0ED
Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, BA10 0ED
Handing in times 10am – 1pm

Paint & Sketch Day, Wells Market
2026-07-08 10:00 - 15:30 | Wells Market, Market Place, Wells, BA5 2SG
Wells market, Market Place, Wells, BA5 2SG
Historic Wells Market
A regular venue for painters and sketchers where we can hone our skills for drawing moving parts of people, colourful market stalls and a variety of cafes, all set against the medieval architecture surrounding the cathedral. Be transported – conjure up Paris Montmartre in Somerset !
Cafe refreshments available or bring your own lunch and
usual materials.

‘Marine Creatures in Clay’
2026-06-19 - 2026-06-20 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
19th & 20th June 2026. 10am – 4pm. £80 + £5 for materials
Tutor: Marianne Bareham
Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW

Marianne owns the ‘Trouvaille Gallery’ in Cheap Street, Sherborne, where she also offers workshops in clay. She will guide you through the process of modelling ‘Marine Creatures’ of your choice over the two days – her favourite being the octopus! and if you wish, she will fire your work afterwards for a small fee.
Materials provided.

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Paint & Sketch Day, Sturminster Mill
2026-06-17 10:00 - 15:30 | Sturminster Mill, Newton Hill, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2DQ
Sturminster Mill, Newton Hill, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2DQ
A popular venue for those who love the opportunity to paint the river Stour and Sturminster Mill which is a fully working Mill. Both provide a variety of stunning opportunities for the landscape painter. Cafe and facilities are on hand .

Paint & Sketch Day, Knowle Rock Farm
2026-06-03 10:00 - 15:30 | Knowle Rock, Shepton Montague, Somerset, BA9 8JA
Knowle Rock,
Shepton Montague, BA9 8JA
Your host for the day Corinna Leigh – Turner will show you round her stunning garden with its stupendous views across southern Somerset. Perched at the top is the craggy Jurassic rock which gives it its name. There is something for everyone here and Corinna will provide coffee etc. to sustain us.
Refreshments and facilities provided but bring your own lunch and usual materials.

'Natural materials into paint and ink'
2026-05-23 - 2026-05-24 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Saturday 23rd & 24th May 2026. 10am – 4pm. £80 + £5 for materials
Tutor: Fiona McIntyre
Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Join us for this two day course where Fiona will cover the making of plant material into natural inks, and earth pigments into watercolour paint. Over the two days, you will learn about the alchemy and variety of mordants which enhance and transform natural ink material into a range of different hues and colours. You will use plants – utilised for centuries to extract dye for fabrics and to make inks for painting with.
Materials provided.
Fiona will be publishing a book this year called ‘Sacred Earth’ which some of us have helped to fund. This is very exciting and she will be bringing copies to the workshop.
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Paint & Sketch Day, Lordsmead House
2026-05-19 10:00 - 15:30
Lordsmead House, Edgebridge, Mere, BA12 6DB
This beautiful garden and paddock owned by Shelagh and David Leakey, will provide an intimate view of a quiet corner at the back of Mere. Besides the various stunning little ‘rooms ‘ of different gardens, there is a possibility to find sheep in the paddock and a strong chance that the gorgeous white Wisteria will be in flower. Shelagh will be your host and will provide coffee etc. but bring lunch and usual materials.

BAS Trip to Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition
2026-05-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Mall Galleries, London, SW1Y 5AS
Mall Galleries, London SW1Y 5AS
President’s Tour with Anthony Connolly RP
Thursday May 14th 2026
Anthony Connolly has again very kindly offered to take members on his President’s Tour of this year’s RSPP Exhibition at the Mall Galleries.
Details are now to hand of this exciting opportunity for BAS members.
Transport to London is the responsibility of the individual member; Berry’s Coaches, Great Western and South Western Railway offer suitably timed services.
The admission cost to the exhibition is £3.50 per person, payable at the time of booking.
Anthony’s tour will commence at 2pm and last approximately one hour. Please meet beforehand at the entrance to the galleries.
Members will be able to access the exhibition prior to the tour and afterwards. Please explain to the ticket desk that you are part of the Bruton Art Society party if arriving before 13:30.
The number of places on the tour is limited to 25. Booking below.
Click here to book and pay

Paint & Sketch Day, Kilver Court Gardens
2026-05-06 10:00 - 15:30 | Kilver Court Gardens, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5NF, Kilver Court Gardens, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5NF
Kilver Court Gardens, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5NF
Formal and informal gardens, including a massive rockery, surrounding a lake, combine to create a stunning landscape set against a viaduct built in 1874.
Scope for serious sketching here. The viaduct is framed by mature trees and the gardens provide a wealth of texture.
Entrance fee £5 or free to RHS members and cafe facilities for coffee or lunch.

‘Oil and cold wax painting’
2026-04-09 - 2026-04-10 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
9th & 10th April 2026. 10am – 4pm. £80 + £5 for materials
Tutor: Jenny Graham’
Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW

This workshop will cover the process of working with oil paints and cold wax medium, which Jenny uses in her work to great effect. Quote: “We will be using a combination of layering and scratching to create images with depth and vitality. Please bring your usual oil paints, scrapers or redundant credit cards and several boards to work on, I will provide the wax medium.”

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'Gouache Paint' Taster day
2026-03-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Friday March 13th 2026. 10am – 4pm. £40
Tutor: Kate Cochrane
Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW

If you have often wondered what ‘Gouache’ paint is like to work with or you would like to learn more about it, Kate is a master in this medium, exhibiting widely here in the South West and is back by special request, having given us a workshop two years ago. If you have gouache paints do bring them, otherwise Kate will provide them.

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‘Nikki de Saint Phalle - Rebel with a Cause’
2026-01-23 14:30 - 16:30 | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
Friday, 23rd January 2026. 2.30 – 4.30pm
Lecture given by Arantxa Sardina, a credited lecturer of ‘The Arts Society’.
Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ

We are very grateful to Aranxta who we asked to come especially, to coincide with the Exhibition on Nikki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely at Hauser and Worth, which closes on the 1st February. This will give our members who wish to attend this lecture the opportunity to see Nikki’s work in real life, if they haven’t already been.

FREE to members £5 for guests payable at door

Annual General Meeting followed by a talk from Anthony Connolly RP
2026-01-14 14:30 - 16:30 | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
Annual General Meeting of Bruton Art Society; Reports, Elections, Future Planning etc.
Followed by a talk from our patron Anthony Connolly RP:
Why drawing matters and when it doesn’t.
‘I can truly say that a single drawing changed my life.’
Anthony will explain why that drawing was so seminal. He will illustrate his thoughts as to why a drawing might have such a profound effect on anybody and how the encounter continues to inform the way he looks at the world.
Members free, guests £5 to be paid at the door.

Christmas Lecture by David Chandler
2025-12-03 14:30 - 16:30 | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
Lecturer : David Chandler
Wednesday 3rd December, Caryford Community Hall, Castle Cary BA7 7JJ
2.30 – 4.30pm
Members are free and guests are welcome for a small fee of £5 on the door, no need to book.
David is a well known artist/teacher and lecturer based in Frome. He will give us a talk about the book he wrote in collaboration with the Tate gallery in 2023, on Masters of watercolour based on his research at the Tate.
This will be followed by our Annual Christmas party.

Autumn - Printmaking, using a variety of techniques including monoprinting and foil collagraphs
2025-11-13 10:00 - 2025-11-14 16:00 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Tutor : Jackie Curtis
Thursday 13th and Friday 14th November, Hadspen Village Hall BA7 7LW
10am – 4pm
Book £75 online
Jackie is a regular and well liked Tutor of the Society. She is an innovative artist /printmaker based in Somerset, inspired by the natural world.
We will be shown and experiment a variety of printing techniques including monoprinting and foil collagraphs, around the theme of ‘Autumn’.

Coach trip to the 172nd RWA Annual Exhibition
2025-11-08 | Royal West of England Academy
Annual Bruton Art Society Coach Trip to the Royal West of England Academy
Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1PX. Saturday 8th November
It is a regular feature of our calendar that every year a coach trip is organised to allow Bruton Art society members and guests to spend a day together perusing the galleries at the RWA annual open exhibition.
This year a 36 seater coach has been booked and members are invited to book their seats if they would like to participate in what promises to be a very enjoyable day out.
The coach will leave Wincanton Memorial Hall Car Park at 9am promptly. Parking there for the day is free.
A second pick up point will be in Castle Cary Millbrook Gardens Car Park in the centre of town (opposite the Fire Station), leaving at 9.15am. There is long period free car parking there too.
The Coach cost per person is £20 for BAS members and £25 for guests.
The entrance fee at the gallery is £9.90 and is not included. Members should pay this individually at the desk on arrival.
If you would like to book seats for this trip please complete the form below which will allow you to book and pay for up to 4 seats.

Gelli Printing
2025-10-18 10:00 - 16:00
Tutor : Jenni Richards
Saturday 18th October, Hadspen Village Hall BA7 7LW 10am – 4pm
Book £40 online
Jenni is a Founder member and Tutor of the South West Art Courses Centre at Compton Studios in Sherborne. She is an experienced printer and textile artist, who will delight us with a day of ‘ Gelli printing’ ; a relatively new( to some ), quick and easy form of printing which people are talking about and want to try.

Adventure, travel and sculpting with Mark Coreth
2025-10-17 14:30 - 16:30 | Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
Friday 17th October, Caryford Community Hall, Ansford Park, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ
2.30pm – 4.30pm
Members free, guests £5.00.
Mark is internationally recognised as a master sculptor of animals in motion. As a child he grew up on a farm in Kenya which is where his love of animals was awakened. He works in clay directly from his subjects, which he says captures the spirit of the animal as well as that of their environment and energy.
Mark will be giving us a 1/2 hour talk and movie based on one of his many projects and or commissions and will also be sculpting an animal for us during the afternoon.
Note: This lecture was originally scheduled as a workshop at Hadspen Village Hall but has now been relocated to make it available to all members. Attendance is free for members who are also welcome to bring guests for a small charge of £5 payable at the door.

Botanical Illustration in watercolour - Autumn
2025-09-25 10:00 - 2025-09-26 16:00 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Tutor : Sarah Sherrington
Thursday 25th & Friday 26th September, Hadspen Village Hall BA7 7LW
10am – 4pm
Book £75 online by the 18th September.
Sarah creates beautifully detailed botanical illustrations that inspire and connect with nature. She has chosen ‘Autumn’ to work with us, so we will be concentrating on Berries, Conkers and Autumn leaves.

Life painting - the clothed Figure
2025-09-18 10:00 - 2025-09-19 16:00 | Hadspen Village Hall, Lime Kiln Lane, Hadspen, Castle Cary, BA7 7LW
Tutor : James Budden
Thursday 18th & Friday 19th September, Hadspen Village Hall BA7 7LW
10am – 4pm
Book £75 online by 11th September.
James is a well known local artist and teacher and has become one of our most regular and popular Bruton Art Society Tutors. Under his guidance, we will be painting a clothed figure directly from ‘Life’.

72nd Annual Exhibition
2025-08-16 - 2025-08-23 | Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, Plox, Bruton, BA10 0ED
Open daily from 10am – 4pm including Saturday and Sunday
Showcasing the work of many of the members of Bruton Art Society, this is one of the best regional exhibitions that you will find. Over 300 pieces of art for sale, paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings set in the historic Memorial Hall at Kings School.
Exhibition closes at 4pm on Saturday 23rd August.

Handing in day for Annual Exhibition
2025-08-09 10:00 - 13:00 | Memorial Hall, Kings Bruton, Plox, Bruton, BA10 0ED
Handing in times are between 10am – 1pm
Successful entrants will be sent more specific details beforehand. Please keep to your time slot if you are given one.

Painting Day at Sturminster Mill
2025-07-17 10:00 - 15:30 | Sturminster Mill, Newton Hill, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2DQ
(Image: Marilyn Peddle/Sturminster Mill)

Painting Day at Parsonage Farm
2025-07-02 10:00 - 15:30 | Parsonage Farm, Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, SP3 5NU

Painting Day at Zeals Green House
2025-06-25 10:00 - 15:30 | Zeals Green House, Zeals, BA12 6NH
