Derek Ayling
Fordingbridge Art Club
Established 1946
Fordingbridge Art Club welcomes artists of all abilities - from beginners to professionals - who enjoy a shared enthusiasm for art.
Members can enjoy demonstrations, workshops and plein air sessions and have an opportunity to exhibit and sell their artwork at our annual exhibition.
Augustus John OM RA
The Art Club was formed in 1946 by a group of artists including Augustus John OM RA and his partner Dorelia McNeil who donated the Augustus John trophy to the Club.
Augustus John moved to the New Forest in 1927 and his home at Fryern Court, Fordingbridge, became an open house for travelling artists.
His subjects included Lawrence of Arabia, who also lived in the Forest in the 1920s, Dylan Thomas, W. B. Yeats, Thomas Hardy and Luisa Casati (Marchesa Casati).
Photo courtesy Michael Dibb
A bronze statue of Augustus John, created by Ivor Roberts-Jones in 1964-7, stands on a limestone plinth on the east bank of the river Avon in Fordingbridge.
Lucinda Nicholas