Painting is like knitting.

Posted on August 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Design, Mars, Painting, Planet, Polar ice cap, Pole, Red planet, RustLeave a comment

The complexity of trying to paint the surface of Mars is like trying to knit a complicated pattern of cable stitch, pearl and plain knitting. I don’t know exactly how to do that, and with this painting I’m trying to get craters and ridges at least vaguely in the right place, which is like knitting the whole thing.

If I had large images of the planets I would use tracing paper to copy the main features, then transfer the tracing onto a canvas by drawing on the other side to have at least an outline to follow. But no, I do it the hard way. Holding my phone up with the image then trying to paint the right colours and features and attempting to get them in the right place. You also have to keep tapping the phone to stop the picture going off.

Well so far I’ve splodged in whites, violets, blues, rust colours and dark areas. It’s starting to work but it’s got more complicated as I’ve gone on. I have overpainted several areas. I can see that it will take a while yet.

Orme Art group and Spode studios Open Days.

Posted on August 28, 2019August 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Exhibitions, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Orme Art group, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, The BramptonLeave a comment

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This is what I’m working towards at the moment. I’m really looking forward to it. We will have some space on a wall in the Brampton museum and art gallery. I’ve got a tryptich of Jupiter ready and I’m doing a painting of Mars. Then on the 7th and 8th of September I’ve got a painting at Spode during our Open Studios weekend.

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I will also be exhibiting art at The Orme Group Christmas Exhibition, dates and details to follow. Today I’ve also had confirmation that I can put more paintings in an exhibition at the Brampton in November to December for Christmas. I’m just waiting for a poster for that. All I need now is to see if people like them and get some commissions.

Trying to paint Mars

Posted on August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Astronomy, Carbon Dioxide, Craters, Mars, Painting, PoleLeave a comment

Mars is often shrouded in planet wide dust storms, its rusty red colour is due to just that -rust. Did you know that the sunshine turns the sky pinkish in the daytime on Mars then bluish at sunset?

The painting is one of Mars poles, it’s just a generic photo of Mars that I’m trying to work from. I’m not sure which ole it id. The ice is carbon dioxide. I don’t know if it contains water ice?

The detail is quite hard but I hope I can capture it. Wish me luck!

Been to the studio.

Posted on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Astronomy, Design, Environment, Jupiter, Life, Planet scape, SpaceLeave a comment

I’ve been back to my studio after a couple of months being too busy and hot to go there. This is my Jupiter tryptich which might be on show in the Brampton museum and art gallery soon, as part of the Orme Group of Artists exhibition.

Art and astronomy seem to be getting under my skin. I have tried to accurately depict the planet Jupiter, but I don’t use airbrushing so everything is hand painted with various sizes of brushes.

It’s not perfect, I can see where I’ve gone wrong, but the whole point is that these are paintings, and I love patterns so trying to depict the fluid dynamics of Jupiter’s atmosphere is a real challenge.

I like the idea of having a tryptich. It can be hung vertically or horizontally, or as in this case on the diagonal. I also like using the floor at Spode. I think it makes a great background.

Little giraffes

Posted on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Fun, Giraffes, Landscapes, Painting, Tiny paintings1 Comment

_20190822_022803 they still need a bit more work. I was painting till 4am. There are things wrong with them, I think the heads are too small slightly, but when you are painting on a matchbox sized canvas it’s hard to get things quite right. A couple of tiny brush strokes and it’s wrong and you have to start again. I left these early this morning as I wanted to see them in daylight. One thing I did notice is the moon on the blue one. I’ve got it curved the wrong way. The light is from the left so the curve needs to be in that direction. I’m also thinking of adding a few specks of white to another one to indicate stars. The one with the yellow sun might have some vegetation added.

Even though they are tiny I treat them like full size paintings. I doubt if it’s cost effective but it’s fun!

Finished

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Black, Blue, Eleanora st, Landscape, Painting, Spode, Spode exhibition, Spode Reflected, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, What Spode means to me, White2 Comments

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Took all day but I finally finished this. Spent a lot of time painting the old, flaking window frame. I’m not sure the sky colour is right. I might get up early and tone it down. I’m handing it in in the morning….

It’s called Spode Reflected.

Almost done, painting update.

Posted on August 17, 2019August 17, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Design, Painting, pprogress, self portrait, Work in progressLeave a comment

I’ve added myself in the bottom right hand side of the painting. I’m there as a ghostly shadow in the photo, so why not? Trying to get an idea of cracked paint on the frame. 15660661997191669111920713503871

Can you see my phone?

Painting upside down.

Posted on August 16, 2019 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blogging, Computer, Design, Landscape, Life, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Work in progress5 Comments

Sometimes it’s hard to see whether something looks right in a painting. Then I try turning it upside down. It really does give you a different perspective. In the case of the painting I’m doing it also allows me to get closer to the top of the picture as I’ve got it propped up on a chair.

Eyesight is another problem. If I’m staring at my phone looking at the image it’s hard for my eyes to accommodate (called presbyopia) where the lenses in your eyes get stiffer as you get older, so they don’t focus as well.

I’m now starting to paint the cracks in the window frame paint. I may come back to the clouds (thanks Martha, a bit of finger painting helped).

I’ve rotated the photo back to the vertical on my camera so I can look at it without moving the canvas. Eventually I will turn it back the right way so I can paint the bottom half. It’s going to take a while…..

Progress?

Posted on August 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Limited pallette, Painting, Spode, Stoke-on trent, Work in progressLeave a comment

I’m having a rest and trying to decide whether I’m happy with this. I think the width of the frames of the windows need widening….. Also I’ve been using quite a thin white paint which does not have enough pigment in it. I think I will need to strengthen it. At the moment I’m just using cobalt blue, titanium white and a black. I don’t know whether to add a bit of yellow into the sky and window frames, or some violet. But that will happen as I build it up. The image is slightly stretched horizontally. I’m wondering whether to strengthen the blue.

I’m quiet because I’m painting.

Posted on August 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Blue and white, Eleanora street, Landscape, Muted colours, Painting, Spode, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, WindowLeave a comment

I’ve decided to paint this one. I like the reflections and the blues and whites which remind me of the Willow pattern colours. I’ve turned the canvas to landscape rather than portrait and I’m concentrating on the lower two thirds of the photo.

I like the photo, but I wanted to simplify what I was doing. I’m hoping to get a good representation of the clouds and I want to get the flaking paint and the other details in the reflection in the windows visible but subtle. I will try and post updates and I might take a break later to blog.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Acrylic on canvas