Computers: A Beginner's Guide

Coffee Mornings

Second Saturday of the month: 10.30am - 12.30pm.

Coffee mornings are held monthly and are open to all. It costs £4 each. So why not join us for good coffee, good cakes (homemade) and good company - you will be made very welcome.

Our next coffee morning takes place on Saturday 11th July when there will be a stall selling books, jigsaws and craft items.

Latin Group

First Monday of the month: 10.15am - 12.15pm.

Anybody with an interest in language, at whatever level, will enjoy both the ambience and the journey of a carefully paced introduction to the Latin language. It is estimated that 30% of English words have Latin roots and there are about 51,000 Latin-origin words in English. Why not join us to find out more.

£3 for members. £5 for non-members. 

Book Club

Watercolour Group

The first and third Wednesday of every month: 10.30am - noon.

The group is run by Robert Turner, on behalf of the Plymouth Watercolour Society. 

Materials provided if necessary with informal tuition for beginners.

£3 for PPL members. £5 for non-members.

History of Art Group

The fourth Monday of every month: 1.30pm - 3.30pm.

Exploring art movements with artists of all genres and their techniques.

You do not need to be an expert on art to be a member: an interest in learning more about art is the only qualification. 

During 2026 the group are looking at the four seasons spread over the first four months until May. This month, January, we are looking at Winter through the artists, paintings and other media and forms of art.  This will be followed in order of Spring, Summer and Autumn. 

£3 for PPL members. £5 for non-members.

Here is your June update and the 2026 exhibitions are as follows:

• Tate Modern -  James McNeill Whistler – 21 May 2026 - 27 Sept 2026;    Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon - 25 June 2026 - 3 January 2027.

• The National Gallery – exhibition of  Zuberan from 2 May - 23 August 2026.  Very good write-up, he was a contemporary of Velázquez and Murillo.

• The Wallace Collection at War  - 15 April - 25 October 2026.  Free Display. Also on at the Wallace Collection:  Winston Churchill: The Painter  - Saturday 23 May - Sunday 29 November 2026. The first major retrospective of Sir Winston Churchill's paintings since his death. 

• Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2026   - 16 June - 23 August 2026 at the Main Galleries | Burlington House.

• Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A South Kensington, London  28 March - 1 November 2026. Explore the inventive world of Elsa Schiaparelli, where fashion and Surrealism collide in unexpected ways. The exhibition showcases over 200 objects, including iconic garments, accessories and collaborative artworks by Dalí, Man Ray, and Jean Cocteau.

• The Bayeux Tapestry will be at the British Museum from 10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027 in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery. Advance booking will commence as follows: Members from 16 June; Public from 1 July.

• RAMM – Exeter's fine art collection: Highlights from the Collection. New display from 28 March 2026 – 9 August 2026, a selection spanning over 450 years.

• Penlee House Gallery & Museum "Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art"  (30 April – 27 September 2026) This exhibition includes works from Dame Laura Knight, as well as Dod Procter and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. NB This project highlights only female artists.

At the meeting in April Karen kept us spell-bound with information and tales about her trip to China, we all admired the lovely souvenir book which she had made en route from photos she uploaded during her journey.  Jinny introduced the artist André Derain (1880-1954), a French painter, printmaker, theatrical designer, and sculptor. In the first two decades of the 20th century he was near the centre of avant-garde developments in Paris: Derain was one of the creators of Fauvism, an early adherent of Cubism, and one of the first to 'discover' primitive art. She took us to Collioure in southern France where he spent some time, this was another artists' favourite of the time. Terri then gave us the history of the RA Summer Exhibition (see above) from its inception in 1768 at Burlington House, Piccadilly.  She included some of the fascinating tales about the exhibition and explained the 'Varnishing Day' incident which caused notoriety through the squabble between Turner and Constable and the red dot.

Sue told us about her fascination with swings, which took us all back to memories of our childhood, she had some very interesting artwork featuring the simple swing which led to very amusing conversations.  Kay ended our session with a look at the "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady " which had been handwritten by Edith Holden during 1906.  The first publication of the facsimile reproduction of Edith Holden's naturalist's diary in 1977 was a publishing phenomenon.  Edith Holden's handwritten works, including her favourite poems, personal thoughts and observations on the wildlife surrounding her Warwickshire home, are exquisitely illustrated by beautiful paintings on every page of flora and fauna of the countryside through the seasons.

The next meeting is on 22 June 2026.  We will be looking at Autumn after hearing from Karen who will hopefully be telling us about viewing "The Summer Palace in Beijing – Summer from the 4 Seasons".   

"Autumn lingered on as if fond of its own perfection." - Winston Graham, English novelist.  I will start with a small PowerPoint of Autumn examples; Jinny is looking at the abduction of Persephone, and I now await some other subjects.

This meeting will bring us to the end of the Four Seasons, so ideas are needed at the next meeting for where we venture in July onwards.  Thank you for the suggestions which I have already received.