Get Jingling them Bells …

November 24, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

This year has been a good one for me, can’t really complain, at least i’m still alive. It’s just the hanging about waiting to see family, give people hugs and sloppy kisses, that’s what’s been crap about it. I made the decision in February to sell my ageing car and whilst that was a good financial move, it has created a lot of frustration. Gone are the days when I could just take myself off to the nearest wood for a wander about, or go shopping by myself somewhere out of the usual supermarket slog. Pathetic to whine about crap like that though, hey?

I have worked from home for the last twenty years of my life, so that has not been an issue for me – other than the fact that I’ve had no work since February! I share this home with my daughter and son-in-law, plus two grandchildren, so I’m fortunate not having to worry too much about the massive dip in my earnings, I have definitely not gone hungry. Her Majesty has been kind enough to provide a couple of hand-outs this year and I believe another one is on the offing soon, I would never look a gift horse in the mouth (sorry, ma’am) but I really want to get back to earning my own dosh soon.

We’re being told that lockdown measures may be relaxed somewhat over the festive period, allowing us to be close to loved ones and in our case have more than one person visit. The ‘rule of six’ has been a gut punch for us, as there are already five of us in this house, so only one visitorwas ever allowed.

If you pass by this post between now and 2021, know that I wish you a very pleasant festive season. I hope you are safe and well and that 2021 is kind to us all.

updating

November 12, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

that’s such a weird word, ‘updating’ … does it mean you are upping your dating game or dating above your station …

Anyhoo, I am frantically working on my final assignment pieces for the course I’m doing at the moment with OCA (Uni for the Creative Arts) … and it’s taking up a lot of my time – nay, I can’t even get back to knitting jerseys! My world’s gone mad, I tell you.

I am doing A LOT of art projects but I can’t post pictures of them on ‘ere until after my final projects for this course have been assessed, which will be in March next year. Crikey, what a to-do ‘ey?

So, that’s why you haven’t been seeing much of my work getting posted up on this website for a while.

Over and out.

Framed!

October 27, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I found a local framer in Norwich who did a really great job with my large soft pastel painting of the Norway Fjord and it’s now on the wall:

I is quite chuffed

Norway, fjord – coursework – soft pastels – large!

October 15, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

At long last I’ve completed my fourth assignment for POP1 (Practise of Painting), I am now heading into the final stretch and the bit I’ve been most looking forward to, so whoopee doo for me hey!?

I decided to do a large (the brief was for something about 90x60cm) soft pastels landscape (that was also in the brief) and chose as my subject a scene from a trip I did to Norway a couple of years ago. This is how it ended up:

‘Norway, fjord’ soft pastels on 100cmx70cm Pastelmat

I ordered special paper from Clairefontaine in a sienna tint for this work and it’s really quite large. I have had quite a fight getting quotes to frame it that are below £200 – most of the framers I’ve spoken to want up to £300 to frame it, which is a bit much. Anyway, I’ve found someone in Norwich and hopefully going to take it there soon, it will still cost me over £100 to frame but I think will b e worth it. I will take a photo when it’s on the wall with furniture so you can get the idea of scale.

Gnarled old trees – soft pastels

October 15, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I love Wales! I go there as often as I can to visit my aunts and uncle, cousins and assorted hangers on. I’m not Welsh (at least I don’t think there is any Welsh in my immediate past) but I adore the place. This little sketch was inspired by a memory I have of walking about ‘on the top’ of a steep sheep covered hill, coming across these two old trees huddled together against the wind.

‘Old Gnarled trees on a Welsh hillside’ soft pastels on Pastelmat about A4

It’s in my shop over here

Be your easiest self

October 13, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

‘Be your easiest self. My work isn’t angry or shocking because I’m not.’
Brian Rutenberg. From his book ‘Clear Seeing Space’ page 288 – Meetings

For many years I’ve had the misconception that in order for my work to have any degree of artistic merit and clout, it must be dark and angry, which is why I have battled to find my own voice – that’s not what I’m about. I’m not a cynical nihilist (a la Gerhard Richter), I don’t have a cross to bear or a point to prove, I’m not out to save the world. I just want to paint. I want to feel the paint or any other art medium on my hands every day, I don’t want to do anything else, never have. I want to paint things that make me happy and in turn make the people who view them happy too.

I like creating non-representational paintings, many times they end up being a big mess. Is that then how I was feeling that day? A big emotional mess? I have had days, sometimes running into weeks, where everything I painted was a waste of time and effort (at least I thought so at the time). I’ve struggled with something just there at the edge of my grasp, battled to pull the truth out of what it is I’m trying to convey and it’s felt like I was trying to ram the proverbial square peg into a round hole. But this is not lost effort, I’ve come to realise that now. It’s experience, it’s learning, it’s the wonderful job of being an artist.

When you create a painting, no matter whether it’s a drawing or a painting with actual paint, you are projecting your history, your knowledge of the world, your feelings about the world and your fears of the world into that painting. Whether you like it or not, your subconscious creeps in and forces you to make little signs. You might not ever even see those signs but when someone stands in front of your work, they are witnessing first hand how you were feeling when you painted that picture. They are picking up on all the little hidden signs and messages that your subconscious self has forced you to include in the artwork. It’s a bit like magic, almost smoke and mirrors really. With your art, you are transmitting a message to the world, no matter what the subject matter of the painting or drawing is, a part of you is reaching out and trying to touch another person, another mind and trying to make a connection on some deep primordial level.

And you just thought that drip you made with the cerulean blue was a slip-up.

Brian Rutenberg’s book on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clear-Seeing-Place-Studio-Visits/dp/0997442301

Light at the end of the lane – Soft pastels

October 13, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I took inspiration for this little study from an image I saw on the Internet, it’s not from my own source photos. I used Sennelier, Rembrandt and Art Discount soft pastels on Pastelmat for this one:

‘Light at the end of the lane’ Soft pastels on Pastelmat about A4

WIP x 2

October 12, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

I’m busy trying my very best to do art every day at the moment, it doesn’t always end up being anything I can display on here but I’m working, that’s the main thing. in any event, I am busy with these two pieces at the moment, they are both about 50cm x 40cm on repurposed stretched canvas (that was a process in and of itself let me tell you!).

‘Out there somewhere’ WIP 50x40cm mixedmedia on stretched canvas

‘Out there somewhere 2 WIP 50X40cm mixed media on stretched canvas

I have used acrylics, pastels, inks, alcohol, red tissue paper collage. The tissue paper was used by OCA (Uni for Creative Arts) to package up my coursework manual. I knew i’d find a good use for it one day.

No Middleman Art Gallery

October 12, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I’m really pleased to announce that the No Middleman Art gallery, which is a project of Edge of Humanity magazine, is now featuring a selection of my work in their Portfolio section. Here is the link

Glenfinnan monument – soft pastels

September 24, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I was in this beautiful spot last year and have many reference photos. I decided to do a study in soft pastels yesterday, as I received some new Sennelier landscape colours and had to give them a whirl!

Red Kite – Soft pastels

September 21, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Another small painting done today, this time I used watercolours, soft pastels and tinted charcoal pencils for this study of a Red Kite, also available from my shop:

‘Red Kite’ watercolours, soft pastels and tinted charcoal pencils on Pastelmat card +- A4

Poppies – soft pastel

September 21, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I’m really loving Pastelmat card/paper. Here’s a small painting I did yesterday but forgot to upload! This is also available at my shop:

I used various soft pastels makes for this little painting but I do find that the Sennelier brand is becoming my favourite.

Soft pastels on Pastelmat

September 15, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I got me some Pastelmat paper this week and a few new soft pastels (budget brand – Art Discount, they’re not bad though). Did some plein air work (as part of course exercises) today – a scene in our local wood, very early morning. Obviously wasn’t going for realism, just an impression of the atmosphere of the place.

Early morning wood – soft pastels on Pastelmat paper – +-A4

Skimming the Surface

September 14, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Decided to do some abstracts over the weekend, as I am doing a lot of landscape work in oils and other medium at the moment for coursework and the acrylics were getting a bit neglected. I tried out working in a series – doing two paintings on a similar theme/colour palette.

Skimming the Surface 1 – acrylics on paper – =- A3

Skimming the Surface 2 – acrylics on paper +- A3

Both available on my shop over here

Brush pen work

August 12, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

I’ve been interested in brush pens, ever since I got the ‘greys’ set of Tombow pens for coursework a while ago. I obtained a Pentel Pocket Brush pen (comes with 2 refills) yesterday via uncle Amazon and have been fiddling around with it.

Tombow and Pentel brush pens on scrap Clairefontaine paper

I wonder if anyone else in my circle of WP mates use brush pens and if they know anything about the ARTEZA brand? Tombow are a bit expensive (I was going to get a range of colours to take with me on holiday soon for sketching purposes). ARTEZA brand products keep popping up in my search results for brush pens and I’d be interested to know if they are any good?

Keep safe peeps

River light

July 28, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Inspired by a photo my grandson took on his holiday yesterday … they are in the Peak District. I was trying to go for a very loose style with the brushwork and lots of water mixed in with the paint.

Acrylics on stretched canvas.

50x45x1cm or +- 19x15x 1/2″

Not for sale.

Rape Seed, Tyrell’s Wood

July 28, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Been itching to do a study of this scene for a while now, one of my favourite places hereabouts.

Acrylics on stretched canvas. 60cm x 45cm x 1cm +- 24″x18″x1/2″ ready to hang

Available to buy on my shop here.

Some advice?

July 27, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I was contacted by the curator of an organisation called ‘Edge of Humanity’ magazine a while back and was asked to contribute a series of images of my work for their ‘No Middleman Gallery’. I am so suspicioius these days of anything that may or may not resemble a scam but from what I’ve been able to see online, these establishments seem to be genuine. Has anyone in my circle of WordPress friends come across this lot before, could you offer any comment that might help me? The scope and standard of artwork in this virtual gallery of theirs is mindblowing, can’t imagine why they would want my stuff!!! 🙂

Surf’s Up

July 27, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

This little piece was inspired by the wonderful Norfolk coastline. I used superior grade encaustic beeswax and damar resin medium (sourced and imported from the US), as well as resin pigment inks and encaustic paints. The wave effect was produced using a thin application of imported shellac which was then heated to produce the delicate lace-like patterns as seen in the close up image below.