Charles Dickens was one of the very first people to whom the word 'celebrity' was applied.  He lived in an extraordinary century, full of innovators and pioneers, and he was friends with many of the most interesting people of his day.  The Focus Day will include talks that accompany Lucinda's book Charles Dickens and his Circle which was written for the National Portrait Gallery in London.  DIscover the fascinating circle of Dickens's friends and acquaintances including artists, actors, musicians, radical thinkers, philanthropists and politicians as well as many of his fellow writers

The Focus Day will be delivered by Lucinda Hawkesley, great great great granddaughter of Charles Dickens and a Patron of the Charles Dickens Museum in London.  Lucinda is an author, broadcaster, lecturer and award-winning travel writer.

A thoroughly entertaining lecture that made our members laugh!

This thought-provoking presentation is well illustrated with carefully chosen examples taken from both popular culture and the fine arts. 

The first half of the lecture explores what illusions are, before explaining why and how they deceive us. 

In the second part of the lecture we examine how illusions have been used both ‘in art’ and ‘as art’. 

We will look at examples from artists as diverse William Hogarth, René Magritte and the extraordinary sculptures of Bruno Catalano.

Ukrainian artist  Oleg Shupylak continues to intrigue us with hidden ‘pictures in pictures’ and the beautiful transformational paintings by Rob Gonsalves will not be forgotten quickly.

Formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. John Ericson has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. Over the last decade he has been a popular speaker on the Arts Society circuit in the UK and Europe as well as a frequent visitor to the societies in Australia and New Zealand. 

In his professional life he has developed a particular interest in presentation skills including the role of pictures in learning and the appropriate use of PowerPoint. This coupled with his ability to relate well to people of all ages and backgrounds makes him an impressive and confident public speaker. 

As well as the talks he has developed from his professional background, he offers presentations on an eclectic range of topics that are derived from his diverse interests and enthusiasms such as, Art Inspired by Wine, Visual Illusions in Art and The Shakers of North America. All his talks are entertaining, highly informative, very well illustrated and presented with warmth and humour.