ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2025 REPORT

The Mayor of Surrey Heath, Cllr Louise Ashbery, was invited to a Reception Evening on Thursday 11th September to open this year’s Annual Exhibition at High Cross Church. This was followed by Friday 12th and Saturday 13th September when the exhibition was open to the public.

The Society was very honoured to have Dr. Al Pinkerton, the MP for Surrey Heath, in attendance. He kindly agreed to present the prizes to the exhibition prize winners.

There is always a Themed Competition and this year the theme was “Music, Movement & Emotion”. There were lots of interesting interpretations of this theme, many of them depicting dancers and dancing. The winning painting was by Tracey Allen, and the artist chose to depict the theme in an interesting abstract way with this painting called “Aria”.

Every year Mrs. Leonie McGuigan has generously sponsored the prize for the best Watercolour/Mixed Media Painting in the exhibition with a prize of £100. This year the prize was won by Lianata Nagy, known as Nat, for her painting “Trainspotting”.

The winner of the Graham Scandrett Memorial Prize for the best oil/acrylic painting went to Martin Singer, for his painting “March Sky North Yorkshire” . He also won this prize last year.

Merle Hattersley was the winner of the Val Brookes Memorial Prize for the best pastel painting but she was not at the exhibition to collect her award for her painting entitled “I’m All Ears”.

This year for the first time there was a display of paintings from the Disability Initiative in Camberley which is a charity that has been supporting adults with complex physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries for many years. Isobel Glasser, the Deputy Manager of the centre explained how the creative arts play a vital role for expression, connection and discovery and the artwork displayed is an inspiring example of how art can unlock potential.

It was a delight to discover at the end of the exhibition that it had been one of the most successful in recent years. There were twenty ready-to-hang paintings sold, seven portfolios, 25 artists’ cards and numerous small items. It was also announced that the votes for the The Jerry & Jill Seward Trophy, more often called the People’s Prize, had been counted and won by Carole Head for her painting “London Calling”.

There was one member of Frimley & Camberley Society of Arts who used to be at the exhibition from start to finish for many years and his skill at putting together the display panels around the pillars was second to none, and that was John Stacey. He was a long standing member of the committee and he is greatly missed. His widow, Angela, arranged for one of his paintings “Lee Bay from Lee Abbey” to be displayed in his memory. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the Skin Cancer Research Fund.

The Committee would like to thank everyone who was involved in mounting what has proved to be a very successful 2025 Annual Exhibition. Thanks must go to Alan Meeks of the Windlesham & Camberley Photographic Club who kindly took the photographs used in this report.

Report by Carole Head