Painting again

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I’ve just started this poppy painting. It’s on a black canvas about 12″ square.

I’m hoping I will be able to build up a depth of colour and detail  because of the dark canvas. It’s acrylic on canvas and is going to be big and bold. I need to work on the colours in the poppy but also in the greens of the foliage. I should finish it in the next few days. This is like a practice piece as I have another two black canvases to work on. Not sure what the subject will be.

A recurring theme

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I decided to join three photos together and duplicate them as I see the joined photo as similar to a mandala. The pattern concentrates my mind and I see faces in the resultant image. The green/red and yellow/purple of contrasting colours makes it all the more vibrant.

I’m also doing this because I want to avoid getting my paints out! I’ve got a craft stall in a couple of weekends and I have to admit I’m prevaracating. I know I’ve got to do art but I’m not sure what to do. A bit of an artists block again. I think it’s because I’ve been doing so much lately that my mind needs a rest. I will be ok though, just taking a breather.

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Talking of glass

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This is the glass drop piece that I mad in Angela Ashtons glass workshop thy I put together last week. I think it’s turned out really well. I am going to put something on about some glass marbles and my smaller glass pieces later on, but I’ve been out since 10am and it’s almost 6pm and to be honest I’ve sat down and don’t want to move!

I love working with glass. I’m so glad I’ve started exploring it. Thank you Angela x

Last rehearsal

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Almost done. Tomorrow we do the mystery play. Museum scene, travel back in time, work in a pottery, get thrown out of your house, end up in the workhouse. Escape to go to school. A Sunday school performance, finale. Songs, humour, tragedy, history.

Penkhull Mystery Play event, Saturday 13 July 2019. Free event, starts in the church at 10am then on the church green from 1pm. Stalls from 11am. Lots to see and do… Sorry to keep going on about it!

Last making session

I’ve finished painting for the penkhull mystery play, here is the willow pattern backdrop together with a school sign (set in the 1840’s). Im not the only maker, this is my friend Mark. There are others but my phone is playing up so I can’t find the pictures . Mark did the, ‘do not touch display’ sign. ( the play starts in a museum in 2019). So  having a rest for an hour.

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The process of making a pretend thrown clay pot

Started with a large flowerpot covered in glue and paper (Papier-mache). Then painted it with a base coat of pale orange / brown acrylic paint when it was dry. I had put a slightly smaller pot inside to bulk up the sides and it gives a nice ridge around the top as if the Potter was starting to thin out the sides. I’ve painted light and dark bands as I wanted to give it texture, partly to hide the crinkly nature of the paper and also to make it look like he is putting ridges around it.

I’m not 100% sure of the colour, perhaps it should be darker, it’s like a pale terracotta I think.

Papier-mache pot

In the play we are doing this weekend my partner has to pretend to throw a pot on a wheel. We don’t want anything big, heavy or breakable, so I’m Papier-macheing a black plastic flowerpot. I had to buy some pva glue but only wanted just enough, not a great big tub or a tiny bottle. So instead of the adult craft section I found a bottle of clear pva in the children’s section at a craft shop.

Got home and started ripping up newspaper. This is many layers later, I’ve added a few layers about two thirds up to give it a slight bulge. When it’s dry I will paint it white as a base coat then a pale brown “clay” colour with shading to make it look hand thrown. I’m hoping it will look reasonably realistic.

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When I was forty

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I did this self portrait. I don’t do many and haven’t done one recently. Maybe I should. At this time I had the front bedroom as a studio, until we got too much stuff and I moved my painting stuff out. My tee shirt was a recycling one but I haven’t seen it for years. I’m not sure what I think about this, but it’s another Facebook memory. It’s a bit blurred. I still have the original upstairs, will have to find it out.. Almost twenty years later.

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