A Vision, A Pandemic and Zoom:
The Birth of London Creative Club
It's not ideal to launch a social club during a pandemic. We did it anyway —partially because we’d already shared many a latte working on the idea of a bringing people together to support the arts while learning and having fun. It seemed a shame to waste all that effort.
Plus, we’d met doing charity work. The pandemic made reaching out to each other and encouraging a sense of well-being even more relevant. Sharing and caring and bringing people together is what we believe in.
So we thought: let’s give a go and see how it works. And it’s been fabulous.
Our first art classes happened on Zoom in the first lockdown in 2020 , when COVID restrictions lifted it went back to open air painting classes, and then back to Zoom. We are happy to be able to operate classes in the studio again!
Lockdown or no lockdown, we added more events and activities.
In December 2020, we launched our first literary series, A Winter with Tolstoy, hosted by Anna Rioland. We deepened our commitment to the written word with author Sara Grant leading the workshop, Crash Course in Creative Writing.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Roxane Shymkiw launched a Culinary Tour with a ‘Chocolate Around the World’ class. As tasty as it was informative.
We’ve added in more social events with a regular calendar of creative outings and learning opportunities. These events and classes are for adults only. We love kids but the London Creative Club is a space for adults.
We also plan on promoting local artists via studio visits, pop up events and selling affordable art on our own London Creative Club website. And a host of other fun activities, social events, and classes.
Hope to see you at one of our classes or events!
Pamela Campbell
Curator and Co-founder
Pamela is a business creator. As a teenager, she started off designing jewellery on her family’s dining table and furthered her design skills at an art college. At 21, Pamela co-founded an art gallery in Calgary promoting local artists. Shortly after, she helped a friend co-found a women’s centre and gallery. These early days started her love for the arts.
After university, Pamela founded and built companies in retail, internet, digital and branding sectors in both the UK and her home country of Canada. Her clients have included corporations of all sizes in the cities of Calgary, Toronto, New York and London. Pamela and her companies have won numerous awards in entrepreneurship, design and e-business. At 31, Pamela was named as one of 'Canada's Top 40 under 40' recipients.
A Londoner for over 20 years, Pamela has been a trustee and board member for numerous organisations and remains active in her community. She loved belonging to swim and water polo clubs, and hopes to play again one day.
Pamela loves painting (even though she can't draw!) and is working on a film script.
Lee Fether
Fine Arts Lead and Co-founder
Lee began her career as a designer, training at Central School of Art and Design, London.
After having children, she went back to college and began studying drawing and painting. She found an affinity with portraiture, and in the following years began taking commissions and entering competitions. In 2009, her portrait of Gail Porter was selected for the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery.
It was in 2012 her portrait of Michael Rosen was also selected for the BP Portrait Award and then subsequently acquired for their Primary Collection. The portrait is normally on display there. Her work has also been included in Art UK, the online home of every public art collection in the UK.
In 2018, Lee was selected as a participant for Sky Arts' Portrait Artist of the Year. Lee's sitter, Paralympic gold medalist Kadeena Cox, chose Lee's portrait as her favourite.
When she's not painting or teaching London Creative Club classes, Lee enjoys gardening and designing the odd product or two!