New paintings and regular art updates.
I went to our Art Group today. It was good to kick-start myself back into painting again. Struggled a bit because of my shaking arm. I’m like a wobbly jelly.
It was going to be a different painting, but when I got to the venue there was no WiFi available so I couldn’t find the reference photo I wanted to work from. This painting took about three hours so far. I’ve got to work out the reflections and the sky.
You look at me
What do you see?
Gazing out with your great
Green eyes.
Wide wise eyes,
Or evil eyed?
Which one will you be?
Your huge ego
May continue to grow.
Just be gentle
Don’t hurt me.
I can’t find the photo of a finished painting. It had more detail on the wooden supports between the panes of glass. The paint was peeling off and chipped and that’s what attracted me to the image. I’m the final version you can see me and my phone reflected in the surface. It’s an image of the Spode factory site. Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.
I love pattern so when I painted this I thought I was happy with it. THEN I decided to put it through a filter and add texture. Now I think I will paint over it and emphasise the curves and patterns. Making the most of the Holly and Ivy leaves and concentrating on the various greens. I could see it as a card or a notelet. I do love green men.
A self portrait I did aged forty but filtered to obscure it. It’s twenty years old and I can’t remember why I did it. I think I was experimenting with photoshop at the time. It’s me wearing a reuse, recycle, repair tee shirt (which I still have somewhere). My hair was in a short bob and I painted the book covers on the bookcase with the titles of all my favourite books. Maybe I will use a different filter and see how that affects the painting. I seem to do a self portrait every ten years, so a while to go till the next one. X
I spoke about doing a painting of Georges the dolphin a few weeks ago and yesterday I got a chance to take a photo of the painting which is acrylic on canvas. I forgot how much I loved painting this. I think he was a bottle nosed dolphin. They have upturned mouths that make them look like they are permanently smiling.
I think I looked at a photo of a dolphin to know where the fins were but the rest is imagined and the landscape is based on the south Devon coastline.
A funny little painting of a yellow glass bowl with blue feet shaped like ammonites or snail shells. I loved the bowl and was really upset when it got broken. I created this picture so I would have a memory of it. Some people collect things, others hate clutter. I’m on the collecting side. Mostly because it helps when creating art. If I want to paint a little rabbit skull I have one I found on a walk, or I have ammonites found on the beach. Glass ware and ceramics. I don’t think anything is worth much money, but I do like collecting objects (and dust!)
When you stand under a tree remember to look up. You might be surprised to see the pattern the branches make and how the leaves don’t always overlap so they can absorb as much light as possible. Spreading out towards the light (phototropism) is where plants bent their stems to move towards the light. Look at the different shaped trees make, depending on the species. Some even have nicknames. Ash trees are supposed to have branches like witches fingers. This was one of my paintings from about twenty years ago.
Before my arm started shaking I was doing paintings like this. (for the last year and a half or so my left arm has been gradually getting worse with increased shaking ) Then I had to see the doctor and mentioned the problem. He said it was above his pay grade! I am waiting for tests. The thing is that art and particularly painting mean everything to me. I don’t know if lockdowns have knocked my confidence? Plus illness gets to you. Making it more difficult to complete work. I’ve got myself into a situation where I will do quick pictures and sketches, but I feel nervous of doing anything more substantial. I don’t usually talk about how I feel mentally, but I’m feeling down today. I will probably be OK tomorrow?
A few years ago I did a series of paintings of pottery that were displayed in a local hotel on the Spode factory site. It was great to see my work on show in different venue to a gallery. The hotel staff were very friendly and welcoming. I liked the fact the works were hung on rough brickwork. It gave it more of a feeling of industrial heritage. I’d like the opportunity to do it again.
Mallaband-Brown