Artists drawn together for social street sketches

MEMBERS of the Ballarat Society of Artists are taking to the city’s streets as part of a newly-established urban sketchers group.

The group meets on Wednesdays at the Sturt Street Titanic rotunda and coordinator Sue Clarke said it brought a much-needed social aspect to the decades-old BSA.

“It’s to get people out and about drawing and appreciating Ballarat as a city,” she said. “It’s another opportunity to get together and create, and it’s another social activity.

“There’s not really many opportunities for us to properly socialise, so there’s definitely a need for something like this.

“It’s also great for people who just want to get out and draw. There were people at the meeting that hadn’t done much of it and they told me how much they enjoyed it.”

The urban sketchers meet fortnightly from 11am until about 1pm with the rotunda serving as a starting point for each session.

Denise Adams was one of about nine people to attend the inaugural session and said the group has given her a greater appreciation of Ballarat after moving to the city about five years ago.

“I saw a narrow, burnt building during the session, and just wanted to know how long it’s been there, who built it,” she said.

“There’s also the blue-tiled building I found so I was looking into the history of it and the owners I found Sue had actually done an artwork on it too.

“This has been great for the newcomers and getting to know each other and the place they live in.

“It really makes you stop and appreciate the environment you’re in instead of driving straight to Stockland then going home.”