Ayton Art Club has been in existence for close on half a century. It was first stirred into life in 1963 by a small group of keen artists who met to paint in a back room of the Forge Valley Hotel in West Ayton. The original group included Nathan Brown, Tommy Clarke and Percy Sykes, all accomplished painters and draughtsmen.

By 1967, because of growing interest, a club was officially formed and named Ayton Art and Social Club. With a group now numbering about thirty keen artists its meetings were transferred to Ayton Village Hall.

The club flourished and grew, exhibitions were staged, and demonstrations by visiting artists took place several times a year. The very keen amongst the members arranged occasional outdoor painting days. These activities continue to this day, and the club’s Annual Exhibition is an eagerly-awaited local event. Over the years the club has grown to a membership numbering around seventy, always with a waiting list of would-be members.

The aim of the club is to promote art as a social activity, and to this end we meet in Ayton Village Hall each Monday evening to draw and paint. Help and advice is always at hand for the benefit of any member needing it. A flourishing still-life group tackles anything from portraiture to floral arrangements and other still-life subjects, while others work on their own preferences. All media are used by members of the club, including watercolour, oils and pastel as well as some collage.

Since the time of its origins the club has produced many outstanding artists of whom we are justly proud. Above all the aim is to foster the love of art in a friendly and convivial environment.

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