Weald of Kent Art Society
Embracing art in all its forms
Welcome to WOKAS
The Weald of Kent Art Society is a fun, vibrant and friendly group of enthusiasts of all ages and artistic levels.
We embrace art in all its forms and have demonstrations and talks, members' painting sessions,
and painting days out, as well as exhibitions.
This website provides a platform where members can share some of their art and find
information about current and future events.
Non-members are very welcome to browse this website to find out more about the society and its artists.
We hope you like what you see and are tempted to join us via the membership page.
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News
WOKAS Art Challenges
Since the 2020 lockdown we have been running creative challenges where members have just a few weeks to produce a piece of art to a specific theme.
The results have been amazing across a whole range of media ... pen, pencil, watercolour, oil, acrylic, clay, maplewood, and more.
See Art Challenge
Summer '25 en plein air programme
WOKAS newsletter
See the current issue of our new WOKAS newsletter that is now available. Click to download your copy of issue 12.
We do hope you enjoy reading it.
WOKAS 2024 Spring Exhibition
Sunday 26th May - Saturday 1st June 2024
For our 2024 exhibition at the end of May we returned to the beautiful space of St Mildred's Church in Tenterden.
Some images and more information can be seen on the exhibition page.
Members of the Weald of Kent Art Society exhibited a wide range of mediums and techniques including watercolour, ink, oil, acrylic, pastel, pen, mixed media, and digital print. There were also some fine examples of sculpture and pottery.
WOKAS programme 2024 - 25
Full details of the demos, talks and workshops planned for the 2024-25 season are now online. Whether you want to be inspired or hone your skills further, there is something for everyone: life drawing, clay modelling, pastels, watercolour, oils, oil & wax resist with acrylic overlays, mixing colours.
We also have a varied and full programme of summer painting en plein air which our members and their guests can enjoy. In early May we enjoyed painting the motifs in Water Lane Garden, Hawkhurst, on a perfect day.
All demos, talks and members’ painting sessions are free to all WOKAS members and we are happy to welcome guests for a fee of £5.
Our Saturday workshops cost £30 (£35 for non-members) and must be booked in advance.
All indoor sessions are held at Highbury Hall, Highbury Lane, Tenterden TN30 6LE.
And more exhibitions...
Exhibitors' works from previous WOKAS exhibitions are archived on this website so you can still browse the wonderfully diverse pieces of art created by WOKAS members.
PLUS you can view art created from all of our regular online art challenges online here
WOKAS Committee Members
Graham Lock
Alison Chandler
Clive Dand
John Hamilton
Wendy Phillips
Fani Azikri
Pat Lock
President Graham Lock
Chairman Clive Dand
Vice Chairman John Hamilton
Secretary Alison Chandler
Treasurer Fani Azikri
Website Kate Rundell
Programme Co-ordinators
Alison Chandler, Wendy Phillips
Exhibition Co-ordinators
John Hamilton, Pat Lock,
John Robson
Press, Advertising, Publicity
John Hamilton
Kate Rundell
John Robson
Artist Profiles
We are building up a set of member profiles that will help you get to know us better and, hopefully, encourage you to find out more about our work and possibly even consider becoming a WOKAS member!
The profiles created so far can be seen on our member profile page and include :
Palette knife trees - guided session with Mark Fisher
In late February 2024 WOKAS met for a guided painting session with Mark Fisher who showed us how to paint trees using a palette knife.
It was a full house and everyone crowded around Mark as he gave examples of the ways of using a palette knife - the pointy ends, the sharp edges, scratching and using it flat for blurring.
Everyone then had a go while also putting their own stamp on it. Once again although we were all painting the same image, the result was very individual - the paintings took the viewer to forests, a tree-lined tropical beach, the Australian outback and even a tree-filled mountain scene. Who knew!
Much fun had by all.
Melanie Cambridge oil demo
In February 2023 full time professional artist Melanie Cambridge treated WOKAS members to a demo using oils. It was by all accounts a thoroughly informative as well as entertaining session. Melanie, in her engaging manner, set out to create a beach scene with high rocks on a canvas washed with grey. She made a point of the fact that with oils you can change your mind so one need not be afraid to make mistakes. She also showed that you do not have to be beholden to your original motif – the important thing is to make it work for the composition of your painting and to have an area of rest in the overall picture. Our members went away with lots of tips and ideas to try themselves.
Adrian Leppenwell watercolour demo
The early February 2023 watercolour demo with Adrian Leppenwell unfolded in front of a good turnout of WOKAS members. Adrian has been painting for about 15 years and doesn’t like to take too long over a picture. He says his style is ‘a little bit on the loose side’, just loose enough to enjoy it. He tries to suggest rather than paint every detail. For this demo he had chosen Bodiam Castle as the subject and as he was working the paper (Bockingford 140) he gave a most instructive running commentary. He limited himself to five colours – Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Light Red, Yellow Ochre and Hookers Green. Hookers Green proved a very versatile colour – by mixing it with Yellow Ochre or Burnt Umber Adrian produced many different hues of green.
Hash Akib - Acrylics demo
April 2025
Known for his bold brushwork and vibrant colours, Hash showcased his dynamic approach to capturing light, movement, and atmosphere.
See Hash's web site https://www.hashimakib.co.uk/.
The programme of days out going through to September 2025 is now available. There is usually no need for members to register for these painting days – guests are also welcome.
Watercolour demo with Brian Smith
In March 2024 WOKAS welcomed renowned artist Brian Smith - a fireball of energy as he swiftly painted not one, but five paintings in the two hours.
The audience were particularly impressed by the fact he did them all with no reference photos, only from intuition and memory. He draws on 30 years of experience as an advertising industry illustrator and a professional artist.
View Brian's work at https://www.briansmithartist.com.