An imagined cat on a white wall. The plants make it feel like a courtyard. I had fun with the paint mixing different tones and colours . The cat is a ginger tabby staring out of the painting. Acrylic on canvas.
Ginger cat
Tag: Fine Art
Green woman self portrait
This is the partner painting to the green man portrait of my hubby. They mean a lot to me. I intend to put them up together in my house once my exhibition is over. It’s about A4 size, probably a little bigger. I used some silver metallic paint on it to give it a slight shimmer. Acrylic on canvas. Painted a few years ago.
Peeling paint
The window panes are solid, but the wood is old and the paint peeling. One of my paintings of Spode, I just had to paint it with the blue and white reflected sky. I put a photo of it onto the peeling paint group online, but they were a bit sniffy because it wasn’t actual peeling paint, but a painting of peeling paint. I was let off with a gentle warning to photograph the real thing, which is strange, because a photo is just another representation, and as we have seen on the news recently photos can be manipulated with filters (I’ll say no more!).
If you look closely you might see my fingers clutching my phone as I took the picture (bottom right hand window pane).
Feeling a bit down in the dumps so decided to post this, it’s a favourite X
Lands end
The end of the land, a toe dipping into the Atlantic Ocean, most South Westerly point of Mainland England. The destination or leaving point you can go to or from if you want to travel the length of Britain. The other end of the trail is John O’Groats in the very far north of mainland Scotland.
We only visited once in the 1990’s and didn’t get to the actual Lands End sign because the area had been taken over by a company and we couldn’t afford the admission fee! We went up the coast into the next bay and stopped off for a clotted cream tea before going back to out camp site. I’d like to visit again one day, although I think that’s a remote possibility, (pun intended!). This is a painting I did after the visit.
Exhibition was lovely
Lots of friends came to my exhibition and it was lovely to see them. I’d taken a box of wine and some orange juice and I really was scared that no one would come. It’s strange how anxiety can affect you, but I shouldn’t have worried. I think its like a performance anxiety, stage fright, having to talk about your work, explain the thought behind it. I luckily knew most of the people there so I didn’t need to panic!
The exhibition is on for another week so I should be able to show more people round during the week. X
Exhibition
I didn’t show photos of my hubby when he was alive, but here are a few of them that I painted over 40 years of us being together.
The exhibition is now going to be on next week aswell. I’m pleased because it will give people time to get there. The closing night is now the private view. This Friday 6.30 to 8.30pm.
My art is for sale, except for ones of my hubby, they are my memories of him, I don’t think I could part with them.
Spode
Have I mentioned that I have an exhibition at Spode, it can be viewed this Friday between 6.30 and 8.30. It’s at Acava Studios, up the yellow stairs, at Spode Works, Elanora street, Stoke upon Trent, ST4 1QD (I think).
If you are in the area and would like to come along you are very welcome.
It’s eclectic and interesting, with one work from 1982 that is an oil painting on an old cupboard door because I couldn’t afford a canvas. There are several portraits of my hubby from over our life together.
I’ve also included landscapes and portraits, abstract paintings, views of Spode works, and views of a nebula and Jupiter and Mars. There are also watercolours and batik prints. I’m interested in a lot of things and I hope this exhibition will show my explorative fine art practice.
Memories
I’m finding old portraits
Portals to a previous time
Not photographic images
But paint on canvas
You made me smile
You made me laugh
And cry too
So I hold onto these
Small tokens of love
With all my strength.
X
Mend him
From the Internet ‘Kintsugi, (literally gold seams) is a traditional repair method that takes the broken or chipped parts of cherished vessels, glues them back together with a Japanese lacquer, and paints the seams with gold or silver powder.’
I’ve taken that idea to create this possibly last portrait of my hubby. It’s called ‘Mend Him’, and it’s my wish to put him back together again. It’s a bit rough and ready, but it expresses my feeling of loss. I think it captures his tiredness as he got older… I started this a few months before he died.
I miss him so much and if I could I would mend him, turn back time, use any power available to restore him to his best. X
Retrospective
I’m holding a retrospective of my art at Spode studios next week. It’s because I am leaving the studios after 7 years this April. I have enjoyed my time there but circumstances mean that I cannot continue there.
The retrospective will run from Monday 4th March 2024 to Friday 8th March. There will be a closing viewing of the exhibition on Friday from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Most of the works will be for sale. Please join me if you can at Spode Studios, Spode Site, Elanora street, Stoke upon Trent.
Mallaband-Brown 