Back to craft fairs?

Posted on August 22, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Anxiety, Art, Craft fair, Fine Art, Future, Help, Life, PaintingLeave a comment

I have tentatively put my name down for a couple of craft fairs later in the year. It’s taken a while because I’m still concerned about covid and being in crowds. I’m trying to lower my anxiety levels. I went to an outside event at the weekend but still put a mask on when I went inside. As the craft fairs will be inside buildings I will be very aware of the situation. I’m still not going into my Studio at Spode and I think it’s the same thing. My shaking arm appears to be caused by anxiety (I do feel very tense), I might be getting some help, I’ve got to find out what’s available but hopefully I will be able to get back to normal eventually.

Got to paint more

Posted on August 16, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Commission, Craft, Design, Fine Art, Ideas, Painting, sales, small paintings, ThinkingLeave a comment

I’ve been asked to paint some of my small paintings, bees, birds, cats, maybe dogs, flowers. But I might add a few small mechanical paintings too.

How can I know my audience? Mainly by what has sold before, but also what is liked on social media. I cannot paint exactly what someone wants without getting a description of a commission from them, but I can try to get an inkling of what is interesting. For instance I have been painting more abstract images, but I feel they are more fine art subjects. If someone buys a tiny painting is that more of a craft piece. I need to know because if I carry on I need to earn a crust or two, even if it’s only a crumb sized one! We will see.

Another memory.

Posted on August 14, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Emulsion on lining paper, Fine Art, Leopardess, Memory, Murals, Painting, Stoke-on trent, the Leopard Hotel in BurslemLeave a comment

The Leopardess at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem. She was supposed to be a mixed race woman that married the owner of the hotel and came to England to run it. I was told several tales by the landlords of the Leopard while I was painting murals there and I really wish I had written them down. But you know what it’s like. You are standing on top of a set of stepladders and chatting while you paint. You have ideas for each mural and have to fit in with what the owners want you to paint. Sometimes I was in the Arnold Bennett suite on my own for hours (I’d go up after work), listening to old creaking timbers and odd noises. It could be spooky in there. My memory isn’t what it was.

Riot outside Leopard Hotel…

Posted on August 14, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Burslem, Burslem riot, destroyed, Emulsion, England, Fine Art, Fire, Leopard Hotel, Lost, Mural, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Still proud of this mural that I painted in the Leopard Hotel in Burslem in about 2006 or 2007. The hotel burnt down earlier this year ans all my murals were destroyed. Someone asked if the murals had been removed from the building? No they were painted directly onto the wall with emulsion paint. These were some of my favourite works and I was devastated when they went up in smoke. The root crowd included local people and staff of the Leopard Hotel plus my hubby. A lady called Margaret Moxom used an image of it for her book. The riot was in 1842 and a man was shit dead during it.

Lion

Posted on August 14, 2022 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Big cat, Fine Art, fur, Hair, Life, Lion, Painting, safariLeave a comment

I’m in another group of artists who come u with challenges to post to every week. The pictures don’t have to be recent (thankfully). This was for #safari, I painted it about four years ago and it went to the local ‘Lions’ club which is a local charity. What else can I say? It’s acrylic on canvas, about A4 size. I don’t paint every single hair or piece of fur, but I try and get an impression of how the animal looks. I generally do cat and dog portraits but am not too bad at most animals x

I love steam

Posted on August 11, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Fine Art, History, Industrial archaeology, Metallic, regulator?, Steam engine2 Comments

Small painting from 2018 that was on display at Etruria Industrial Museum. I used an image off the Internet to work on. I think it was from a photo of a pumping station in Derbyshire? I loved trying to get the metallic reflections. I looked at the price and I wad only selling it for £25! The amount of work I put in means I constantly undersell myself, but people just don’t seem to have money for art these days. As to what it is I think it’s a regulator? Ith weights hold the arms down if it starts to spin too fast?

Cat plant support

Posted on July 31, 2022 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Etruria forge, Etruria Industrial museum, Fine Art, Gardening, Plants, Sculpted Steel, SculptureLeave a comment

I bought this beautiful cat plant support today from my friend that runs #Sculptedsteel (on Instagram). I already have a larger cat sculpture from her but I think this is really elegant especially with the curl at the end of its tail. It’s about a meter tall and ideal for a climbing plant to support it as it grows. I will find something to train up it.

At the exhibition

Posted on July 29, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Burslem School of Art, claustrophobic, Crowd, Exhibition, Fine Art, Hot, Humid, Painting, People, three counties open exhibition, Tired4 Comments

Me with my coast painting at the three counties open. It’s got a red dot ( not on the photo) because it’s sold. I have to day I felt privileged to be amongst such talented artists. There were around 100 pieces of art and maybe 300 people? It was very hot, humid and crowded. We stayed till the speeches were over but then I had to get out.. I felt overwhelmed and claustrophobic. I was ready to run! At one stage a wasp came in the window and I almost knocked a man over trying to dance out of its way! Pirouetting with a glass of wine in one hand and flapping uselessly with the other. I wish I’d worn a mask. Nice to see old friends but after just over an hour we escaped…

Jewellery for sale

Posted on July 28, 2022July 29, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Craft fairs, Etruria Industrial Museum cafe, Fine Art, For sale, gazebo, glass pendants, Jewellery, outletsLeave a comment

I’ve got some of my glass pendants for sale at Etruria Industrial Museum cafe. I also have some cards and prints. It feels good to have work accepted by them, I don’t have many outlets available in the area. I need to find some more places and try my hand at craft fairs again, but I want to work towards more fine art.

I like doing craft fairs but if you don’t sell enough and you have to provide your own table, or even gazebo, it’s hard to make enough to cover the costs of the fees, plus I am not capable of putting up a gazebo on my own… Possibly a Sun Umbrella, but that might not be suitable!

Heron WIP

Posted on July 28, 2022July 28, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Fine Art, Heron, Life, Nature, Painting, Reeds, Work in progressLeave a comment

I decided to transform the reeds painting, an abstract picture I thought I had finished yesterday. It was a bit abstract but it didn’t fit in with the other paintings I had been doing. What to do? It needed some more colour and a focus. I added glittery, shimmery paint between the reeds to try and make the water behind the reeds stand out. I was thinking of adding a small bird like a Reed Bunting, or a Coot. But in the end I decided on a Heron. The colours fit in, it’s camouflaged but recognisable. This is still a work in progress.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Fine Art