New paintings and regular art updates.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was framed. I rarely frame my pictures, I think it’s nicer for the person buying them to chose something. If I do it’s usually quite simple. I do use ‘I wis framed’, in Liverpool Road, Stoke, sometimes as they help you chose what’s best.
On Sunday my owl painting almost sold, a lady came along and was interested in it for her daughter. She even took a photo of it to show her daughter, but unfortunately it was a no from her. I wonder what I can paint that I love that a customer would like? I try and do good paintings, but it is that balance between a commercial image and a more individual picture. I guess everyone is different, we all have our own ideas and unless I paint commissions I have to second guess the audience I have. My work is so eclectic, if I kept painting the same theme over and over again I know I would get bored x
Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt was ‘date’ I was going to draw an old mechanical calendar (one that you turn round to change the date) but I can’t find it. So then I decided to sketch a log, cut in half, to represent tree rings (dendrochronology) you can count the rings to find out the age of the tree and as the widths of the rings change with the weather you can also work out the years it was growing.
I managed to sell about six mini paintings, a medium sized one and a little jigsaw at our Orme Art Group Exhibition today. A small profit when you take into the cost of producing them. I also made a small sale at Middleport at the Arts and Minds Gallery. I just wish this was more of a regular thing. At the moment my business is really just a nice hobby. X
I was thinking about when I used to cycle several years ago. I used to be able to ride for miles. Unfortunately I was knocked off my bike and sustained a head injury. When I recovered I carried on cycling, but I did not know the brazing on the front of the bike had been damaged. I was cycling up a hill when the headset and down tube seperated. The front wheel bent forward and the forks collapsed!
I decided to have the bike repaired as I only have short legs, I’d tried getting a new bike, but it wasn’t the right size or shape of frame. Unfortunately the bike shop I took my bike to was a little disorganised. They lost the frame for a year. I didn’t have a bike, so I took driving lessons. By the time I got the bike back I had a job that I had to commute to, so I used the bike less and less. I eventually gave up. I keep thinking I will try and get on my bike again, but my hips and back are too stiff…. Life, sometimes it really gets you down.
One of my paintings has been turned into a little jigsaw by the gallery I have it in. I need to decide whether to order a few off them. I’d like to get some flat boxes to put them in so I can have a picture on the front of the box. Probably unrealistically expensive but I think it would look nicer in a box than just a plastic bag? I need to find out about sourcing something. Maybe a strong envelope?
I’ve just taken some of my paintings up to the Arts and Minds Gallery at Harper Street in Middleport. It’s opposite the Middleport pottery entrance. Some of them had been on show at Etruria, and one of them is an abstract painting of Jessie Shirleys Bone and flint Mill at Etruria Industrial Museum in Stoke-on-Trent. This is because the museum has reduced opening times in the winter and I wanted to show my work to a larger audience.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was fish. I drew a Sixty Seven pound goldfish caught in a lake in the UK this week. It was the largest one ever caught. I think it was a world record weight. It was released back after it was weighed. Quite difficult to draw in felt pen, the colours are a bit off and I should have done a better job of the background.
Sketch I did of a friends dog. He’s a cross between a Husky and a Spaniel. He looks like a giant Corgi, because his legs are a little short in relationship to his body and he has a curly tail. He’s a real personality and is called Rassie or Rasputin. He’s very handsome and dark grey and white. I drew the outline when we met him on the back of an envelope then redid it and added shading at home.
Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was Marble. I thought of drawing glass marbles but then saw a programme about Michealangelo last night. It had information about the rivalry between Davinci and Michealangelo. I didn’t know both had Sculpted David. So I drew the bust of David that I found on the Internet. I used felt pens so it’s not really smooth enough. Fifteen minute sketch.
Mallaband-Brown