Finished waterfall..

I can’t do more. My brush is wearing out trying to add texture and colour (I exaggerate!) But I need to stop, I don’t want to overdo it. I have plans for a few more in this style. I’m enjoying the challenge of working out how it fits together. Too much texture? Not enough? Are there places where your eye can rest or is it too chaotic? I noticed I was using yellow and purple complementary colours. Can you even tell its a waterfall…. I hope so. Dorothy Clive Garden waterfall in Willowbridge, Staffordshire, England.

Handing in day.

The day is coming when I have to take my painting ‘coast’ into the Burslem School of Art so that it can be hung for the three counties open. I hope it will be OK and be displayed in a good place.

I’m thinking of doing a series of these paintings in this style. I might do some images based on the pottery factories in this city. Stoke-on-Trent is known as the ‘Potteries’ and it might be good to celibate its history. I will see.

Waterfall work in progress

I cooled down enough today to do some work on the waterfall painting based on the Dorothy Clive Garden. I’m trying to get movement and texture into it. I’ve been busy today, painting the sides of the Coast painting which I need to take to the three counties open exhibition in Burslem tomorrow. I have still got to add mirror plates onto the back of it so it can be hung. I need to add more colours to this painting to reflect the wonderful view we saw back in May. I’m enjoying learning more about how to use this style. Someone’s said it looked a bit like a Van Gogh but I hope it has a bit of uniqueness to it.

MA celebration

Lined up to throw our caps!

I haven’t been around much for the last three days because I had travelled to Cornwall in England because I was graduating from Falmouth University after studying for my MA in Illustration.

We travelled down with @Ivans_UK_tours because I’m struggling to drive any great distance. We must have done around a thousand miles by travelling to Cornwall and back, plus driving around when we were down there. I would not have gone but I decided it was worth it. I’m glad I did. A hectic itinerary was well organised by our tour guide, Ivan Dale. We had real fun and it was am overwhelming experience. Especially seeing Dawn French who is Chancellor of the University.

Reflected on brushes

I saw this rainbow light reflected on my brushes this morning. It was being caused by a holographic sketchpad that was on the cupboard next to the brushes. The pad has been there for ages but I’ve never seen this before, it must just be because of the angle of the light. I might try and base a drawing or painting on it. Today’s

Experiment

When you’ve got a painting partly done it’s interesting to use a photograph app to play with it and see if there are things you can do to change it. Having done this I don’t think I will take it in this direction, but I may change things a bit. I need to have calm areas as well as jazzy patterns, otherwise I think it will be too much just an all over pattern.

Three counties open

I’m very pleased to say I have had my painting ‘coast’ accepted in the three counties open exhibition in Burslem School of art later this year.

Burslem School of Art is famous for teaching artists their skills in the early twentieth century. I think Clarice Cliff was one of their students. I know the artist Arthur Berry studied there before becoming famous as the potteries ‘Lowry’.

It’s great that a physical exhibition will actually be held this year. I hope many people will be able to come and see it.

Quick sketches (life drawings)

Warning contains nudity.

A ten minute and fifteen minute sketch I recently completed at a life drawing group a few weeks ago. Looking at them now I can see that the details are not correct, but not too bad. The leg lengths on the second sketch are definitely too short. You can see how I tried to extend them a bit. When you draw a figure it’s a good idea to work out where to place the head. If you are too low on the page you run the risk of losing the lower half of the figure as in the first, ten minute sketch. But these were swift sketches, drawn on pale brown Ingres paper which is suitable for the mid tones then drawn in black ink fine line pen and shaded with pencil crayons.

One thing I hate with life studies is when artists leave the head off. Especially when it’s a female study. To me, they may not be able to draw facial features, but by leaving the head off it makes the figure look more like a slab of meat, disturbing and disrespectful of the female model.

New work

New painting, based on the lower photo of Dorothy Clive Garden waterfall. I’m working from a filtered photograph of it that has added texture to it. I will try and post an update later. I was trying to find an image to work from for the afternoon at the Orme Art Group today. I was worried about the yellow and green and purple colours, are they to muddy….? But now I’ve started adding a pop of red in places I’m happier. It is something that is making me happy, so I will carry on.

My Burslem Angel mural

Thank you Sharon Crisp for sending me a photo of my Burslem Angel mural (lost in the fire in the Leopard Hotel in Burslem). It was painted in emulsion directly into a framed area on the wall that had originally been filled with flock wallpaper. I had asked if anyone had images of my murals a few months ago. This one was missing as was on of a woman standing outside a pottery with a row of bottle kilns. I’m really pleased to see this again.

I think it’s interesting how the clouds in the background look like smoke or flames.