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'Studio Chatter' - Starting an ‘Art Club’ and the joy of painting with a buddy

Writer's picture: Suzie CummingSuzie Cumming

Last year I started spending time with a good friend, painting together in my studio. It became a regular occurrence and the most fruitful time of the week. For a couple of hours a week we painted together, talked about our ideas, our lives and consumed copious amounts of tea and biscuits. We worked across acrylics, watercolours and oils, working on paper, board and canvas and sowing the seeds for many a project.


Working alongside somebody else made making the art a less serious activity. We focused on flexing our bravery muscles, trying new things and exploring ways to overcome feeling stuck. We laughed a lot, sang a lot and it felt more like being back at art college. We called it ‘art club'.


Now we have yet to start ‘art club’ for 2025 as other things in life have cropped up. We are both feeling the void of not having this sacred time at the moment but feeling grateful that we got to experience so much in 2024. I thought I would share a little of our experience here in the hope that it may inspire others to make art together. I will work on manifesting the beginning of ‘art club’ 2025 and when it happens will share our new ideas and experiences.



When ‘art club’ is in action this is how we roll:


We light a candle, clear the decks, reflect on the previous weeks work and set an intention for the afternoon. Then it's a crazy few hours mixing colours, painting and sharing our discoveries along the way before the school pick up.



This approach to working rekindles my passion for creating art. I come away from it with an urgency to make more art and to resolve some of my paintings by the time the next 'art club' comes around. It gives us both a sense of commitment to our art practice and a responsibility to ourselves to show up and make progress.


I can fully recommend this way of working if you are stuck with your art practice, if you want to shake things up a bit or if you simply want to talk art unapologetically with somebody and share your highs and lows. I know that working on your own as an artist can get lonely.



I encourage you to give it a go, if you know another artist and can set aside a few hours each week to meet, you will be sure to find some joy in making art together.


Here are my suggestions for starting your own 'art club'.


  • Aim to set aside 2-3 hours each week with a fellow artist or friend interested in exploring art further.

  • Clear a space before you start, it could be a kitchen table, patio area in the warmer months or studio if you have one. Organise some supplies; basic paints, brushes, water containers, pastels, pencils, use whatever you have to hand and ask your friend to bring what they have too.

  • Light a candle, brew some tea and have some biscuits on hand. Home baked banana bread with chocolate chips has become the favourite bake for our ‘art club’.

  • Talk about what you are inspired by and what you would like to try out. Make an intention each week. You could make a list of things that you would like to try and pick one each week. For example, find different ways to mark make, produce some collages, discover new colour palettes, explore watercolours or try your hand at oil painting, mono printing, gelli printing, en plein air painting, the list is endless. It's up to you how you roll!

  • Think about trying to paint on different surfaces; paper, board, canvas, unprimed canvas, cardboard. Play with size and scale too. It could be mini collages, small studies in a sketchbook, or trying out painting techniques on A1 sheets.

  • The key objective is to enjoy being free from any preconceived ideas of how your art should be made and just explore the supplies and tools that you have there and then.


A few hours a week of making art really does add up (in fact if you did three hours a week for a year, it equates to working full time for nearly a whole month!) Collaborating with another artist during these creative sessions is highly beneficial for both your artistic development and mental well-being.


This year we have plans to get out on the coastal paths with minimal supplies and be inspired by the beautiful Cornish landscape. I’ll be sure to share some of these moments when they happen.


I would love to hear from you if you have set your own 'art club' up. Feel free to say so in the comment section below.



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