Poppies near Argenteuil.

Posted on June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Claude Monet, Fine Art, French impressionist, Life, Monet, Painting, Poppy field, Relaxing, Summers day, Walking7 Comments

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Monets’ painting of a poppy field is such a ubiquitous image, but beautiful nonetheless. The figures at the top of the hill are the same couple at the bottom of the hill, though I doubt that he painted so quickly that he managed to paint the rest of the picture by the time they had walked down the hill.

The trees in the background and the house set at the back of the field frame a beautiful summers day. It always seems so calm and peaceful when I look at it. I feel joyful and relaxed, thinking of glimpsing a view like that in Devon or Yorkshire. I know many wildflower meadows have gone, but maybe we will restore more of them in the future so people can enjoy walking through them again.

Stressed. Two hours to upload a photo!

Posted on June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Computer, Confused, Learning, Practice, Thinking2 Comments

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This isn’t a good photo of the picture I was uploading but it shows you what I wanted to add. I am starting a college course and the first task was to upload an image and analyse it. I chose this picture of my gran as I feel a bit overwhelmed. I described myself as an old lady, feeling a bit defeated by technology. I know I will be OK with practice. Practice after all does make perfect. Its a learning process. Once you know how to do a thing (like driving), it clicks. The skill goes from one part if your brain to another, and you get to know what buttons to press. It’s just a struggle sometimes to pick up. And I’ve come to the conclusion, I don’t like Windows 10.

Wish me luck, I’ll need it. X

In happier times

Posted on May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, happy times, Memories, Photo, Spode, Spode studio, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, TimeLeave a comment

I haven’t been to my studio for months , I’m keeping away from people as much as I can. That said, it was lovely to come across this photo. I was at tge studio at Spode. It must have been cold because I was wearing a hat. I don’t know where the jumper went to…..

It is clear I was happy in the photo, something had made me chuckle. Someday things will get better. Some of the paintings have been sold, but I can’t do craft fairs or exhibitions at the moment so I haven’t been replacing them. Maybe I will have a go again soon. I have got a course that I’m taking which starts in June. Hopefully that will get me going again.

Portrait artist competition

Posted on May 10, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Drawing, Forty minute sketch, Pen and ink, Portrait, Portrait artist competition, Quick drawing, SketchLeave a comment

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The Sky portrait artist of the year competition is on. Its not something I would do, but I did a quick forty minute sketch of the sitter, Rankin, to see how I could do. Working with a 0.5 unipin ink pen. Not too bad a likeness. I think I’ve got his nose too long and his eyes are a bit small…. But it’s good to practice.

Remembering

Posted on May 5, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Beech, Bovisand Bay, Devon, From life, Landscape, Painting, Plein air, Poem, Poetry, Sea, Seaside, SummerLeave a comment

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Bovisand Bay, painted from life several years ago. Acrylic on canvas. This is what I remember…

The beach at Bovisand.

Warm sand beneath my feet.

Gritty rock, specks sparkle in the sun.

Water laps my feet.

Feet sink into soft sand…

Cove enclosed by cliffs.

Blue sky and tiny clouds.

Close growing plants are sheltered.

Back of the bay, a valley nestles in the hills.

A golden grass snake basks in the heat.

I remember.

I remember the thunder storm.

Lightening strikes in dark night.

Watching flashes over the sea.

Awesome beauty.

Remembered.

Setting up a still life.

Posted on April 14, 2020April 14, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Looking, Melamine?, Metallic plastic, Oil on board, Painting, Setting up, Still life, Tin cansLeave a comment

These are a few pictures I took when I was at college. They are pictures of objects I considered to turn into still lives. I finally did a painting based on the shiny plastic melanin? These pictures were taken almost forty years ago in my studio. The final one is oil paint on board. In one corner if you look closely is the painting of a hill covered in terraced houses that I did a copy of recently.

It’s good finding an old sketchbook with old hotis. It reminds me of what I was doing then. I also found pictures of old friends. I might post a couple of photos of them.

Stay safe and do Art!

Today it’s a selfie drawing.

Posted on April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Life, Mobile, Phone, Selfie, Selfie sketch, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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Wow, I look quite sad in this drawing, but I’m not. It is just my face falls into a slight frown whan I’m concentrating.

Faults with this, my eyes are probably a bit to far apart? Looking at my phone to do this. It’s not the same as looking in a mirror. The image is quite small and the screen kept switching off. The background is a more than thirty year old painting I did at our previous house.

This was today’s challenge for the urban sketchers group in Stoke-on-Trent. Day twenty. Hanging in there.

Face…

Posted on March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artist, Digital art, Digital drawings, Drawn at sketch fu, Influence, Thinking, What do you think?2 Comments

Thought I would share one of my old digital drawings from a few years ago. Might do a few more. Experiment is fun! FB_IMG_1555027532618

What is your favorite art or Artist?

Is there anything that influences you to create new images?

Just thinking….

Possible painting.

Posted on March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Life, Light, Painting, Self isolating, Still life, Subject matter, ThinkingLeave a comment

I need some inspiration for new paintings. Now I have to stay indoors or in my garden because of the orders to self isolate if you have underlying health issues, I can’t get out and look at things, I can’t go and see the sea. I’m trawling through my phone to see if I can find images to paint. This is a strong candidate (taken at the waiting room gallery, which is closed for the time being). This has an old fashioned look of a still life, with strong shadows and modelling with the sunlight.

I will try and find a canvas for it. I’m worried that the shops I get them from might close? I will have to go out tomorrow and panic buy canvases! And that is not sticking to the self isolating rules!

Painting I did a few years ago.

Posted on March 14, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Auction, Blogging, Dog, Dogs, French bulldog, Fun, Life, Painting, Pet portrait, Watercolour on paperLeave a comment

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I think it says 2005.

There had been a massive Tsunami on Christmas Eve in the Philippines. Our offices decided to do an auction I think for a fundraiser and I offered to do a painting for whoever bid for it.

The winning bid wanted a painting of three dogs. I think they are French bulldogs? They were named after characters from Buffy the vampire slayer, which was a popular TV programme at the time.

It’s funny the little details you remember. But yes, I used to love doing pet portrait. Contact me if you are interested….

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Fine Art