Rook Lane and back again: A year (and a bit) with the Frome Sketchers…

Frome Sketchers present their first group exhibition at Rook Lane Chapel this November, including studies of the town’s unique buildings, beautiful views and unusual street-furniture.

Frome Sketchers came into being when NVB director and Chair of RIBA Wessex, Giles Vallis, persuaded art tutor, David Chandler, that Frome’s idiosyncratic character and architectural heritage would make the ideal subject for a one-day sketch crawl during RIBA’s Love Architecture Week.

Claire Carroll,  arts coordinator at Rook Lane said, “In a town stuffed to capacity with artists of all shades and stripes, an urban sketching event would also be a great opportunity to bring like-minded people together and to create greater public awareness of the pleasures that await us all if we would only stop for a moment, lift our heads a little and look around.

“On the first Frome Sketching Day in April 2013, torrential rain and leaden skies failed to dampen the spirits of the 25 sketchers who gathered at Rook Lane Chapel to draw the town from Bath Street to Whittox Lane. Since then, Frome Sketchers has more than doubled its membership and even teamed up with fellow sketchers in Lyme Regis to spread the message that we all need to pay more attention to the places where we live and work and love.”

Artist David Chandler said, “You don’t need any great skill to be a Frome Sketcher. Just a pencil, a folding stool and a willingness to eat cake!”

Rook Lane and Back Again: A Year with the Frome Sketchers will run from Saturday 8th November until Saturday 15th November (opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 10.00am – 4.00pm).

All are welcome to the preview on Friday 7th November from 6.00pm.

For more information visit Frome Sketchers Facebook page.