View of Dartmoor

Posted on July 29, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Acrylics, Art, Dartmoor, Devon, Landscape, Painting, Painting on canvas5 Comments

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This is a painting I did a few years ago of a friend standing beside one of the outcrops at the top of a hill in the Dartmoor national park.

The rocks have been weathered over the millennia to create flat plate like structures stacked up on top of each other. Sometimes the base will be of softer rock and so the stack will be formed above a narrow neck of rock where the surrounding stone had been worn away. Another place to find these sort of outcrops is in Yorkshire. You can also get limestone pavements where the rock is at ground level but there are large cracks going down deep between the rocks with plants growing up, taking shelter between the stones. These can be found up at Malham cove in Yorkshire.

My friend used to fly gliders over Dartmoor, so he knew his way around the area. It is a beautiful part of the world, high up above the surrounding countryside with rolling hills and wide skies. Sometimes it snows up there and it can be very bleak in the winter . I can imagine trying to shelter behind these rock on a cold winters day with an northerly wind blowing snow and sleet at you. I guess Dartmoor ponies might even have sheltered there.

The painting was quite small and was painted with acrylic on canvas. It went to a good home.

Today’s drawings

Posted on July 28, 2018 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Colours, Earth, England, Landscape, Pencils, Pens, Portrait, Sketching, StaffordshireLeave a comment

Today I had the pleasure of going out with The Orme Art group for our annual trip to a landscape venue at an old house and its grounds in Staffordshire.

The weather was very windy, so I decided to take a small sketch pad and coloured pencils, soft pastels, and fine tipped ink pens. I thought I had my portable chair in the back of the car but it wasn’t there when I opened the boot. Luckily there were chairs in the garden of the large house for us to use.

The other artists there were either painting with watercolours or acrylics, but we were in a reasonably sheltered spot, so they were not affected by the wind. There is something wonderful, sitting in a green space, looking at the landscape, the shapes of the trees and leaves. Noticing where the shadows fall, which direction the light is coming from. Choosing the medium which is most appropriate for the drawing you are doing. I find using black pens are good for quick sketches, and outlining and shading shadowed areas. The pastels bought out the colours on an old tree, where only one section of bark was still attached and so only a few branches were still in leaf. I used the coloured pencils to try and give an impression of the solidity of the house with feathery leaves superimposed on the walls and windows. Finally I drew a quick sketch of one of the other artists as she painted the tree that I had drawn.

Having a small A5 sketch pad that is ring bound is really useful. You can draw across the whole page without it flipping shut on you. Yes the holes and wire can get in the way a bit, but being able to fold the whole book back allows for easier handling. You can use it in portrait or landscape positions, and it is easier to fold shut if you get caught in a sudden rainshower.

I spent about an hour on the drawing of the house, and 20 to 30 minutes on the landscape/tree. The quick sketch of my friend took about 15 minutes.

The one thing I should have worn is sturdy shoes! There were a lot of insects about and I’m lucky I didn’t get bitten!

Sea view

Posted on July 19, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drawing, Landscape, Pencil drawing, Pencil sketches, Seascape, Urban sketchingLeave a comment

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside/estuary.

Lovely sunset, tried to capture the colours but because it was getting dark I couldn’t see the colours if the pencils and if I had put the light on I would not have been able to see the view….

I do like sketching instead of photography but in this case the coloured pencils did not do it justice…

Anyway it was another gorgeous day in the sunny UK. I have just read a short story by another blogger about the world drying up through man’s insatiable needs. I do wonder if this is further proof of global warming.

So much to mull over….

Maiden castle

Posted on June 12, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on board, Landscape, Maiden castle, PaintingLeave a comment

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This is a painting of maiden castle that I painted a few years ago. The place is an ancient monument, an iron age hill fort, near Dorchester in Dorset which is in the south of England.

The dancing figure in the foreground is meant to signify the age of the place. Her bones, and the rabbit skull below her are collapsing into the ground, what would archaeologists find if they dug there. The slopes of the hill fort are built up in steep steps. Like huge waves breaking on the coast of an island. The grass really does like to grow in waves and clumps.

So why did I paint it? I don’t know. Except that the place is full of mystery and ancient history. I probably would just paint the landscape if I was doing it now, but I’m glad I added the figure.

Poppy painting

Posted on June 8, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Flowers, Garden, Landscape, Memory, Painting, PoppyLeave a comment

This is a painting I did 6 years ago outside in the garden. I love these large poppies. I had decided to paint outside because it was a beautiful day and why not paint in situ instead of from a photo. I think then decided to take photos of the process. I guess I painted the poppy first as it was the focal point of the painting.

I added all the other flowers to make it more interesting. One of the things with creating art is the idea if artistic licence. The other flowers were in different parts of the garden and I wanted to add their colours to the mix.

I’m not sure whether I like this painting, its a bit flat, maybe I should have used more shading as the colours are all of very similar tones, but I was looking at a shady garden and the light was changing over the time it took to paint it. it reminds me of an illustration in a book or magazine, I almost coukd see it next to a children’s story.

I love to paint, and it is always a challenge to improve.

Drawing with Stoke Urban Sketchers

Posted on May 7, 2018 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Burslem, Drawing, Landscape, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban SketchersLeave a comment

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There are apparently lots of Urban sketchers groups around the world. I am a member of Stoke Urban Sketchers (USK). We meet every few weekends to draw interesting places in the Towns and Cities around us.

Today we had a stall at Burslem, and members sat and drew the view and also were scattered around the town trying to draw some of the old buildings and crowds. There was also a classic car rally so these became the subject of drawings too!

I made the mistake of just taking a sketchpad and a HB pencil and a broad black marker pen. I had to borrow some coloured pencil but I think my initial sketch was not that good.

I did get into trying to draw the crowds of people, including a man with a cup of tea or coffee who kindly stood still while I drew him. I finished by drawing the old roofs across the square. I could have done more..but I was too hot and bothered. I think it got to about 28 degrees Celsius. ..thats about 10 degrees hotter than normal. Phew!

Commission’s welcome

Posted on April 16, 2018April 16, 2018 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Commission, Design, Fine Art, Landscape, Pets, PortraitLeave a comment

Please feel free to contact me if you would like a picture.

I love painting as you know and I pride myself on detailed work. I am not a photo realist but I think my portraits are pretty accurate and my landscapes are intricate.

So if you feel you would like to invest in something artistic, that is your choice, your vision, let me know.

I am currently working towards exhibiting a few peices at Spode, and an exhibition in June at Etruria in Stoke on Trent. I am happy to consider painting landscapes and portraits and I am also able to paint in various styles, so if you would like an abstract painting perhaps I can help? I also paint animals, so pet portraits are also available, just ask….

Misty cows

Posted on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Film, Landscape, Photographs, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Standing in the cold, waiting for friends out at Heath House in Staffordshire, I decided to take photos of the view of the mist and cows on my phone….

When I was chilled to the bone I decided to take photos of the trees across the road, the board advertising the Heath House, and the drive up to it. These have also been posted to Instagram, so I used a couple of their filters to change some of the pictures to black and white, and also slightly pink or blue. I think this heightens the misty feel.

Some if the cows in the feild opposite were scratching their heads against the trunks of the trees . What an itch they must have had. As the mist came down I realised what an ideal location this was for our expedition. …..

We have been extra’s in a local film, and we had gone to The Heath House to be filmed in some exterior shots.

The trailer for the film is at humanus.uk

I hope the link works!

This took a while

Posted on January 22, 2018April 11, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Canvas, Etruria Industrial museum, Industrial art, Landscape, Painting, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I have just finished this painting of Jessie Shirley’s Bone and Flint Mill.

The building is at Etruria in Stoke on Trent and has the last remaining steam engine which was used to grind bone and flint to use in bone china pottery. Its an impressive building and is quite complicated to paint. The mortar and bricks were particularly difficult.

The steam engine is going to be working later in the year.

Its a small wide canvas to give a panoramic view. Acrylic paints help speed the drying and allowed me to paint clear details with fine brushes, I hope people like the result. 20180122_020733

Paintings for sale

Posted on January 18, 2018April 11, 2018 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Animals, Art, Design, Earth, Landscape, Miniatures, Newcastle-under-LymeLeave a comment

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I have some of my tiny and mini paintings for sale at the Place to Be in Newcastle, Staffordshire.

Painted on small matchbox sized canvases, and some about 4 or 5 inches square. If you don’t have a wall to display pictures on you could choose something tiny and unique.

You will also be supporting the shop and the YMCA.

There are tiny paintings and the miniture paintings for sale.

Find them at The Place to Be, York place, off Merril Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 2AH.

Facebook page @YMCANSThePlaceToBe .

I hope to produce more of these in the coming months.

I am also going to produce some greetings cards which will be for sale alongside them

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Landscape