Mevagissey watercolour

Posted on May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1996, Art, commissioned, Cornwall, harbour, Life, Mevagissey, Painting, Watercolour, wedding present4 Comments

I had a lovely surprise this morning, a message from a lady who I had done a painting for, for their wedding present. It was a commission for her and her husband by her neighbour who I used to work with. It’s dated 1996.

Mevagissey is in Cornwall in the South West of England. We drove down to it on a day trip one summer.

It’s a long time ago and sadly I don’t remember painting it, but it’s got my signature on it and is dated, so it’s definitely mine. I used to like painting landscapes like this, the detail is such a challenge, getting it accurate. I doubt I could do it now.

The lady says she still has it on display and it’s admired by her friends. Not bad for thirty years ago! It’s so good to know my work is appreciated.

Steam punk portrait

Posted on May 4, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Etruria canal festival, Fine Art, Memory, Painting, semi-abstract, steam punk1 Comment

Going through my art trying to find images with sunlight in them. I came across the this semi abstract portrait of a Steam Punk. It’s from a photo I took at The Etruria Canal Festival either last year or the year before?

I like experimenting, especially since my arm shakes, so I can integrate that into the paintings, or try something even more different if I want?

My Molly Leigh mural

Posted on May 3, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Arnold Bennett suite, Art, Burslem, Cottage, Fine Art, Leopard Hotel, medicinal plants, molly leigh, Mural, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Witch4 Comments

I painted this mural several years ago on the wall in the Arnold Bennett suite in the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The building sadly burnt down on 22nd January 2023 and remains a burned out husk of the former historical hotel.

It represents the Burslem witch Molly Leigh.

Margaret ‘Molly’ Leigh was an English property owner in the Staffordshire town of Burslem who, in her will, left substantial sums to charity. She was also accused of witchcraft, and, after her death, her grave was disturbed following claims she was haunting the town. Wikipedia

Born 1685, died 1746.

Her grave is in a Burslem church yard and is set at 90° to the other graves to indicate witchcraft.

My painting shows her old cottage and medicinal plants such as foxgloves. It’s a moonlit night and I painted a ring of icy cloud around the moon to make it more spooky. The ancient woman depicted is actually based on a French peasant woman by Theodore Gericault.

Quick owl

Posted on May 1, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Bird, bird of prey, Feathers, Fine Art, Life, Memory, Owl, PaintingLeave a comment

I’m going to try and get to an art project about Molly Leigh, the witch of Burslem. I want to try and do a painting of her, but I only had a bit of time today, and because I’m trying to get back into painting again I decided to paint an owl. I did it because it’s a magical kind of bird, the way they can fly silent as a whisper to catch their prey. It’s a small acrylic on canvas. I’m not sure of the species as I based this on a precious owl painting I did a few years ago.

Grey lady

Posted on April 27, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Art, Fine Art, Ghostly, Little Moreton Hall, Painting, self portrait, Staffordshire, Stained glass, WindowLeave a comment

Self portrait reflected in a stained glass window at Little Moreton Hall in Staffordshire. The idea was to create a ghostly image in keeping with the age of the property. I could have gone all out and added an Elizabethan headdress but I didn’t want to over complicate the idea. The painting is set at sunset when things get a bit more spooky. I do like creating narrative images.

Silver birch face

Posted on April 27, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged bark, Close up, Face, Painting ideas, Pareidolia, Pattern, Photo, Silver birch, TreesLeave a comment

My friend took this photo for me as the camera on my phone keeps glitching. I’m part way through painting a green woman for someone and I want the background behind her to be trees.

There are silver birches in the grounds of the community centre where I attend our art group so we went out and I chose the trees I wanted pictures of. It helps to see the shapes of their trunks and branches instead of trying to imagine them. The details of the bark are fascinating and I hope to try and reproduce the patterns.

I’ll post a photo of the work in progress later but I want to tidy it up a bit first, it’s a bit like a mediaeval illustration at the moment, I need to make it more subtle.

I think there’s a bit of Pareidolia going on here as I can see a face in the tree bark.

Science and Art

Posted on April 26, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1920, Fine Art, Juno probe, Nasa, Painting, Prompt, Science, triptych6 Comments

What topics do you like to discuss?

That’s why I like trying to paint astronomical pictures, like this tryptic of Jupiters pole based on the photos by NASAs Juno probe.

I’ve always been interested in both subjects, I wouldn’t say I was an expert, I will always check my facts if I write about science, but I enjoy thinking things through. And having a visual mind helps me imagine how things work.

Art is my first love, I worry that I will find it increasingly difficult to create since my diagnosis with Parkinsons disease. I would be bereft if I could not continue. I hope that better treatment becomes available, another reason for being interested in science

A green sea spirit

Posted on April 26, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blue, Green, green man sea spirit, Life, maritime, Memory, Painting, SpiritLeave a comment

Painting that just popped up on my Facebook memories today from 9 years ago. It’s a picture of a green man sea spirit. The image was based on a terracotta face I had outside my back door. There is a crack through it which was caused by frost I think. I changed the colours to reflect its maritime appearance. It has a similar feeling to the Air painting I just published, a spiritual or mythical feeling. Acrylic on canvas.

Air

Posted on April 26, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Air, Blurry photo, Clouds, Earth, Fine Art, Fire, Spirit, Water, Weather, WindLeave a comment

Blurry photo of my painting Air, part of four images including Earth, Water and Fire. I imagined the spirit of Air, rather like the faces of cherubs with puffed out cheeks blowing storms across ancient mariners maps the yellow and orange at the top is the sun being hidden behind clouds. I like the cheeky and mischievous face that stares out of the painting. It’s probably a little anachronistic, almost Victorian in style, but it’s a semi abstract acrylic on canvas. I just wish I’d taken a better photo. It is for sale.

Dragon coffee pot

Posted on April 25, 2024April 25, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1950's, Ceramics, Chinese, Coffee pot, Japanese, Memory, Mother, Pottery, Time, wedding presentLeave a comment

Something my mother collected, possibly a wedding present from the 1950’s? I’ve always loved this set. I borrowed it off my sister so I could use it in some college work about dragons.

This is a Chinese dragon I think? It might be Japanese, the way to tell is the number of toes on its feet. I think I remember that Japanese dragons have three toes and Chinese have four or five? If you know please remind me.

The coffee set was probably made for the export market and won’t be worth a great deal but I like it, it’s quirky and interesting. I think the dragon itself is quite humerous. I like the colours, also the airbrushing and the slip trailed areas.

I just Google imaged this, it’s Japanese Moriage Bone China.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Fine Art