Julie Tyack (left) from Kingham with her painting "Daffodils" and Sarah Thacker
from Shipton under Wychwood with her mixed media painting "Pheasant"
at the Albion Centre

If you visit nothing else in Artweeks please promise me that you will call in at the Albion Centre in Cattle Market - just next door to Gossip. Adult students with learning disabilities are exhibiting their art - paintings, sculpture, mosaics. On a rainy Saturday morning I was lucky enough to be shown around by Sarah Tacker and Julie Tyack. Sarah is into all sorts of stuff - woodwork, beautifully made bird boxes at 6 each (an unbelievable bargain), wonderful brightly coloured mosaics and strong bright acrylic painting. Sarah goes to the centre twice a week and obviously loves the chances it provides to work with simple basic materials - ask her to describe the satisfaction of painting natural wood - and the opportunity to express herself. Her picture of a pheasant is so confident - pure joy in colour. Julie Tyack is at the centre four days a week from 9 to 3.30 and is very serious about her art. She paints animals and flowers and local buildings. (The one of the Town Hall should be in the Council Chamber). She often draws from life - going out to find suitable subjects. Other times she works from photographs. You can see here from her dog and cat paintings that Julie really loves her  subjects. They are painted with humour and affection. She paints in a primitive style where the distortions serve to emphasise the features we are asked to appreciate most. The compositions are carefully balanced but mostly it is the wonderful colouring which demonstrates what a terrific artists eye she has. Julie's picture of Daffodils is the best work in the show and is a wonderful blend of colour and composition. Totally original. When you consider how many paintings of daffodils you have ever seen in your life, it is amazing that Julie manages to see them in a fresh way. This is one of those shows where you feel privileged to be invited in. Don't miss the opportunity. I shall go back again and hope to meet some of the other painters. When I came out it was still chucking it down but the world seemed a much brighter place.