Members of Market Drayton Art Club, who meet each Monday morning at the community centre, have painted six incredible, iconic and recognisable scenes from the town which have been framed and now displayed in the Beacon’s main hall.
Creations include a painting of the famous Buttercross, a St Mary’s Street snowy scene, and paintings depicting the town’s beautiful buildings and canal.
A thank you coffee morning was held on Monday after the paintings were unveiled at the centre.
Secretary at the community centre June Edwards first asked members of the art club if they would produce some paintings for the site. Originally, the plan was for the art work to be displayed inside the Beacon Community Centre’s committee room.
But, after seeing how good they were, plans changed, and the paintings have been given a more prominent position within the community centre’s hall, for all to see.
“They were so good, and the room we meant them for is the least used, so we decided as a committee to have them put in the main hall,” said June. “They are fantastic.
“I think they are wonderful, they are scenes of Market Drayton. We have got six different themes with buildings and things that are relevant to Market Drayton’s history. They really are wonderful.
“We have had a great local man from Glyn’s Framing frame them for us, we had a local historian provide some historic background of each picture, and we have put them all up and had a thank you coffee morning. They look brilliant up on the wall.
“They should be seen, they are too good to be tucked away in a little committee room.”
The art club was formed during 2005 and was based at Market Drayton Methodist Church before moving into the Beacon Community Centre.
The group has utilised its facilities for several years and currently has more than 40 talented members.
“We are really proud to have an art club that can do the work that they do,” June added.
“They are very proud. They are always having workshops and teaching people other things.
“At the bottom of the hall we have a display commemorating the war celebrations with lots of poppies on. We are very proud of that. But, these pictures do make the room look very colourful, warm and interesting.”
June expressed her love for each of the spectacular paintings, but is particularly fond of the snowy St Mary’s Street scene that was painted by the art club’s chairperson, Jill Allsopp.
The artist said: “June’s husband said he liked a painting he had seen in the past of St Mary’s Street of it in the snow and said would we be able to do something along the lines of that. We managed to get along of that picture and I did one based on that for him.”
A committee of 12 people work to keep the busy community centre functioning, and they are extremely proud to host the art club and its talented members.
Chair of the group, Jill was extremely pleased with the way the paintings turned out, and to see them sitting proudly on the hall’s wall.
“The work that everyone has done is really good.
“We are very proud of them. We are all there because we love art, so it is nice to see.
“It is great that we have the text with the history of each site with them too which was done by the historical society and we really appreciate, and they were beautifully framed.
“They weren’t always done at the art club, members did them in their own time at home too. It is very much appreciated.”
Members of the art club come together each week to share ideas, work together and socialise.
And, it was a time in the week that members really missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jill said: “When we all couldn’t meet during lockdown, we all missed it. It is nice to network with other artists to see what other people are doing, and it is a prompt to say ‘come on you have got to get something done for art club’.”
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