Author: Halifax Art Society

News

Just a quick sketch

Halifax Art Society

When our members Philip and Lynne Hickin visited Parklands Primary School last December together with ‘Grandad Wheels’, Lynne drew a quick sketch portrait of head teacher Chris Dyson and now it is in his new book!

Dyson had been one of the strongest supporters of the Grandad Wheels books and so when the fourth Grandad Wheels book ‘Grandad in the Grotto’ was published, a visit was arranged to Parklands. Lynne presented him with a portrait as a ‘thank you’ for all his support.

Now Chris Dyson has written his own book ‘Parklands: A School built on Love’ about the transformation of the school he took over nine years ago. Lynne’s sketch appears in the book which will be available at the end of the month.

Guardian article on Chris Dyson

Lynne and Philip’s visit to Parklands

One of the Parklands children also drew the portrait of Lynne, from the photo in her biography in the first Grandad Wheels book!

Review

Eyes and spectacles

Halifax Art Society

On Friday 8th April our member Lynne Hickins gave a well prepared talk about how to draw portraits of people wearing glasses. As she used our microphone and camera everyone could follow with ease. We were astonished to learn that the history of glasses goes back a lot further than we had assumed.

It was first recorded in 1280 that crystal workers in Venice were creating lenses for focusing eyes. The first portrait we have of someone wearing eyeglasses was painted some 70 years later in 1352. This shows Cardinal Hugo de St Cher, and was painted in a fresco in Treviso, Italy, by Tomasso da Modena. Demand for spectacles grew after the invention of the printing press in 1452, but it was not until the 1700s that spectacles that were held in place by arms that fitted over the ears – that look essentially like modern spectacles – were invented. Before then, they had to be held in place with the hand, or perched on the nose!