How do you decide what to paint? Inspiration is easier at Keighley Art Club, as we have themed weeks chosen by members. Reference matter varies, from paper to tangible objects, even a skeleton and a bicycle, so it can be fun.

Keighley Show took place on September 7 and one member, Lorraine Harding, a steward at East Riddlesden Hall, took this as an opportunity to support one of her favourite compositions, sheep.

Of the five pictures she has sold from her painting hobby, three depicted sheep. Some of her unusual-breed sheep sketches are exhibited in Keighley Picture House’s coffee lounge.

At Keighley Show, I spotted Lorraine photographing an orange-dyed sheep in its pen, for source material.

During the sheep theme night, we dipped into interesting material from Lorraine’s collection of photographs of agricultural shows, greeting cards and dozens of postcards of sheep, offering a wide selection for us.

Lorraine pointed out the huge number of breeds of sheep, a fact not always appreciated.

She brought two amazing books – Henry Moore’s Sheep Sketchbook, which clearly set out in facsimile form his inspiration behind the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s ‘woolly’ items, and a hardback entitled Beautiful Sheep by Kathryn Dun, which is full of colour photographs of sheep.

We congratulated member Lorraine for winning two prizes at Keighley Show (flora and fauna and landmark) and Janet Horton for winning a prize for a seascape in the novice section.

If you’re without art classes in central Keighley, why not go to Keighley Healthy Living for meetings on Wednesdays from 6.45pm to 8.45pm? For those who have attended ten-week courses, what happens afterwards? You can extend your knowledge with us. You will be most welcome.

Pat Konrad and Jeanette Bray have set up a programme within the budget from treasurer John Wyeth. Visitors can attend their demonstrators’ evenings at reasonable cost.

There will be practice sessions with tuition to help members develop.

Sessions are on October 30, when Alison Drake will conduct a landscape/sky watercolour work-along, and November 27 when Nigel Overton’s acrylic seascape is the skilled demonstration.

The diary page in the Keighley News features the Art Club’s events. Call 01535 669914 for further information.