Art exhibition!

October 7, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I’m very pleased to write here that I’m going to be exhibiting five works in a local show, which is to be held towards the end of October. I understand up to a hundred artists take part in this exhibition, so this is a brilliant chance for me to meet and mingle with fellow painterly types and make some connections (I hope). I’ve had very positive comment from the curator of the show on my work. I’m going to be showing the following pieces:

One large work:

And four smaller paintings:

Doodling

July 30, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

“In the field”

10″ x 8″

Acrylics, Inks, collage, gels, gold foil on acrylic canvas board/panel.

Close ups of texture:

I’ve been in a bit of the creative doldrums since I returned from South Africa, artistically speaking. Pottering about with clay hasn’t really helped, it’s just made me work small and that’s not what I’m about. I decided yesterday that I needed to put all the clay away and get back to er ‘making art’ … lest I forget how.

Again, I’m working small, so I wasn’t feeling very confident. I started working with tissue and forming the texture, the ground … I wasn’t really sure where I was going other than I wanted the little panel to express a feeling of wide open space and emotional depth. Then I got to thinking about the other evening when my daughter and I were travelling home from doing our shopping. It’s almost harvest time here and the wheat and barley in the fields is very high, golden brown and thick. In this vast expanse of golden beige, there he was just popping his head out of the grasses to have a look around. So he became the inspiration for this final bit of rather naive collage.

I hope to be able to get going with a very large canvas I have sitting around downstairs next week, it’s calling to me.

Collage on paper

May 12, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Field study”

15 ½” 10 ½”

Acrylics, inks, found objects (threads), aluminium foil and gels on acrylic paper.

Close ups of texture:

The rape seed fields are now turning a glorious golden / electric yellow – I took this picture whilst out on my own last week, when I went to go and find some bluebells in our local woods.

Bluebells at Tyrrel’s Wood

Abstract on canvas – large

April 27, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Sea”

47″ x 39″ x 1 ½”

Acrylics, metallic paints and inks, on stretched deep wrap canvas.

Ground has been highly textured over a period of months, resulting in a very robust, cured surface that is quite hard. I used caulk, modelling paste and other gels to get the texture. It’s currently hanging in my bedroom (swamping my room as well because it’s quite a large painting), ‘cos I don’t have anywhere else to put it!

Close ups of texture detail

Abstract on paper – mock up for larger work

March 29, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

Close ups of texture:

UPDATE: After weighting the painting last night, it’s not as rippled as in the previous photograph – so I’ve updated this post with new photos.

Another reason why working on acrylic paper is not always the best thing for me to choose but I didn’t have any canvasses lying around that were ready and as I’ve got kids home for the Easter holidays, time is limited. The paper (even though it’s like linen and thick) wrinkles something horrid – despite the gesso, binders and what not … anyway, this is a ‘sketch’ really. I want to work on a very large canvas that I applied texture to several years ago in the form of waves and spray. With this mock up, I wanted to see if I could get the colours I need for the ‘sea’ with inks.

I only used white acrylic paint, the rest is ink and pencils and globules of texture paste (actually grout). The finished thingie is about 11 1/2″ x 7 1/2′ and needs to be weighted, which I’ll do in the next couple of days (to flatten it out). The colours are much richer in natural light, it looks dull in the photo.

Abstract on paper – A3

March 8, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

“Rocks”

Acrylics, inks, thick bonding agent (sort of like grout), gels on A3 acid free paper.

Some close ups of texture:

I may have finished this series of abstract on paper paintings for now, as I would like to get back to using a more robust support, like canvas or board. This particular piece has not yet cured, so it is still a bit rippled and wrinkly, it will settle down eventually and be completely flat. However, I need to start preparing a body of work that I hope to exhibit and hopefully sell 🙂 in the spring/summer (not sure where yet).

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who visits this blog and ‘likes’ or comments on my work, it is very much appreciated and if I don’t automatically go to your blog and like your work it’s not because I’m a cow, it’s perhaps because I got a bit busy and didn’t have time. I look at all the blogs by the authors who visit this site and all of them are spectacular. I feel really privileged to have such a strong, experienced and talented ‘peer group’ of people who regularly make the effort to pop by here and look at my work – thank you all very much!

Abstract on paper – A3

February 21, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Abstracted Pebbles”

Acrylics, inks, gels on 140lb A3 size acid free Acrylic paper

Actual size of painting: 14½” x 9¾”

Close ups of texture detail:

This started out a bit of a mess …

but I think I saved it okay. 🙂

Abstract on paper – small – study for larger work (I hope)

February 20, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

“Gold waves”

9 ½” x 6 ½” (Actual painting size)

Acrylics, gels, inks and metallic effect Pebeo paper on mixed media paper.

Detail of foil work

I did a large canvas a few years ago that I’ve never been entirely satisfied with. I used bronze metallic paint to highlight the texture but it isn’t working properly. So I now want to bring it up to speed. The smal piece on paper that I did today is a kind of mock-up for the work I want to do soon on the older large canvas – which looks like this at the moment:

This canvas is 47″ x 39″ and about 2″ deep – I haven’t really had anywhere to work on it because of its size but I’m determined next week to take it downstairs and get started. Wish me luck!

Abstract on paper – larger -A3 size 2

February 14, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Flight (for Laura)”

Inks (metallic and standard), acrylics, irridescent medium, on 140lb A3 size acid free Acrylic paper (Oh and I did so cheat, using a Google search for line drawings … wickedness. Laziness. Well it’s Sunday)

Actual size of painting: 14½” x 9¾”

Close ups of texture detail

Thanks for the inspiration, Laura 🙂

Abstract on paper – group

February 13, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

These are experiments with resists (vaseline), inks, layering

“Hedgerow”

Mixed media paper – small

“Coral”

Acrylic paper – A3 size

This one was an experiment using printing technique – so the paint is applied on another surface, then lifted off with waxpaper or foil and then printed onto the paper that I’m using for the composition.

“Field 2”

Acrylic paper – A3 size

Reworked “Tree”

Mixed media paper – small

Used to look like this:

Abstract on paper series – 3

January 28, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“A little bit of sea”

Fine sand/grit, bonding agent, acrylics, irridescent medium, metallics on watercolour paper 300grams Grain Fin Cold Pressed NOT Acid Free

9¾” x 6¼” (Actual paper size is 11.7″ x 8.3″)

Close up of texture detail.

Abstract on paper series – 2

January 27, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“the vestry window”

Modelling gel, acrylics, metallics on mixed-media paper (250gm/169lb)

Approximately 12″ x 8″

Close up of texture detail.

One thing I learnt here is that you must use acrylic medium between layers – I don’t have any at the moment, hence my new found knowledge! Otherwise, the underlying layers become muddy and hard to work on. So I’m off to get me some new medium just as soon as I can – cos all my other stuff is finished!

New Mixed Media

November 9, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Mixed Flowers”
20″ x 16″
Watercolour, inks, acrylics, gold outlining medium, on stretched canvas

Mixed media

November 1, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A new mixed media study:

Field “

“Field”
16″ x 20″
Watercolour, inks, acrylics on stretched canvas

More fiddlin’ about

August 16, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I like working with watercolours and acrylics, in the abstract at least. So here’s a few doodles from this week. Promise to get better materials for the next attempts and take the pics in good light (I’m lazy, it’s Sunday and it’s not like I’m actually going to sell any of these)

All 12″ x 9″, acrylics and watercolours on 300gsm acid free watercolour paper.

Slight return

July 10, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

A friend of mine suggested that I do a better job with the images of my work, as this is one of the primary reasons why art doesn’t sell on the internet. I had a look at one painting in specific (Windy Day at Caister on Sea) which has received a lot of likes and so on but no purchase. The original photos were very dull and in fact, when I checked them out most of them had shadow on and were taken in low light. I took this painting out into my garden this morning (the sun is particularly bright today) and redid some photos – I didn’t use the tripod but I will for all future photos of work. I think the difference is quite obvious – any comment from my peers (i.e. you 🙂 ) would be welcome?

Old photos of this painting:

Driftwood

June 5, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

“Driftwood”

51cm x 41cm x 2cm

20″ x 16″ x 3/4″ (approx)

This is a heavily textured piece and a lot of reworking went into its creation. There are many layers of material that I have sculpted. The layers were made from caulk, modelling paste, fabric, threads (metallic and cotton), sand and paint. I used acrylics, as well as metal effect paints and the base is a stretched canvas.

This image taken in reflected natural daylight with tripod.

Anyway, hope you like.
Textural detail:

New painting

March 20, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Been having something of a hiatus of late … too boring to go into the reasons why. Anyway, I got stuck into the oils AND acrylics today and the result is this one:

“View from Seletwane, Drakensberg”

30cm x 30cm x 3.5cm deep

Acrylics and oils combined (yes, they do mix)

Silk fabric scraps (collage), pastes and gels on stretched canvas – gallery wrap style.

Unvarnished.

Photo taken with smart phone – better quality image will be uploaded when I have a bit more time.

New work

January 14, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Mixed media collage with silk hand dyed fabric and acrylics on boxed canvas. — Mixed media collage with silk hand dyed fabric, heavy pastes and acrylics on boxed canvas.

“Summer Norwich Cathedral”

21cm x 26cm x 4cm deep

Beachcomber

January 7, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

Hi everyone, hope your 2015 has started very well. I am going to try and post one painting a month from now on … ‘try’ being the operative word.

This one I finished today and am pleased with it, so will sign it later. For some reason, I seem to be veering towards pink in this work, a complete change for me. I was thinking about the sea, flotsam and jetsam on the beach, when I was making this picture – hence the title.

Hope you like – I would really appreciate some comments if you have time, or the inclination!