In July I took part in events by two of the main players in the art teaching world, Search Press and the SAA.
These were opportunities for artists who work for Search and the SAA to compare notes. The Search Press day was a get together for a lot of people in the business, with catering laid on and artists entertaining with live painting.

The SAA event, "Its All About Art", was staged near Islington Green in London, at the Royal Agricultural Hall, now the Business Design Centre. This happens every year, at a venue which looks like a large Victorian railway terminus. I did three days of teaching there, and the day before starting I did my annual Wednesday Field Trip, this time to Bosham on England's South Coast.

Thousands of people came for three days of live painting at Islington. The emphasis was on getting people started, building their confidence, and showing how easy it can be to paint. Organization was by Jean Ellison of the SAA, and it was superbly done. The artists were very well looked after.

SAA artist of the year was Robin Storey with a great watercolour painting. Young artist of the year is Francis Martin with a portrait. Other winners were all exceptionally good. Where do they go now? I don't know but the SAA has given them one of the biggest audiences obtainable in Britain. Art materials manufacturers may want to use some of them. Hashim AKib who won last year is promoting Daler Rowney. He is a very good painter.

The SAA has been a great inclusive organization, which is one reason why I like it so much. It has always been the ambition of the founders to help open up art for everyone, and the SAA has been very successful. It has also seen some tremendous painters, with members becoming well known artists, writing books, and selling their work worldwide. New artists include the suddenly very well established Hashim Akib.

One of the greatest successes, I feel, is that people from across the spectrum are coming. At my own classes I talked to Asians including Brits of Punjabi background from the West Midlands, (Wolverhampton), Gujarati from Leicester, and Tamil from Ealing Broadway. There were also Afro Caribbean peoples including Bajun and Jamaican from around the London area, and Japanese, Phillipino, South African, Chinese, and others. These came from regions from all over Britain, and other parts of the world. It seems to demonstrate the universal appeal of art, and the SAA's success in engaging peoples artistic aspirations.