Palette knife workshop

I went to a palette knife workshop today. The subject was a painting of rocks amid heather on local moorland.

This is my piece, I just want to add some shadows to the white cotton grass at the bottom. We started with a lime green acrylic wash to knock back the white of the canvas board, then we had to outline the rocks. We painted the top part softly with a brush and added in pink tones at the top and pale green grass with hedges painted in gently,

Then we started with the palette knives. The small pallet knife to shape and layer the rocks and then a bigger palette knife for the grass and finally blacks purple, red and pink for the heather. You have to use the sides or flat of the knife to get various textures.

It was a really enjoyable workshop with a teacher called Jo Watson. The workshop was with the Orme Art Group.

#bandofsketchers prompt was experience. I had the experience of doing this. I think the painting we worked from might have been Derbyshire or Staffs moorlands?

Art in the window

Orme Art Group Exhibition in the display window at the Brampton museum and art gallery until the end of March 2024.

Orme Art Group is a group of local artists that meet up in Newcastle under Lyme in Staffordshire. We have annual exhibitions but also try and get our art displayed in other venues. The groups art is varied, colourful and interesting. I think we compliment each other and create beautiful pieces of work.

The Brampton museum and art gallery is in Newcastle under Lyme and has a variety of displays and exhibitions and has a lot of local historical information and knowledge. There is a vintage cafe in the museum so you can get a hot drink and hot and cold food and cakes. Worth a visit.

At Orme Art Group Exhibition

Today’s Exhibition was good. I put some work on display that I hadn’t shown with the group before and I got a good response. I also had small paintings for sale and I was painting a few replacements as the day went on. I was pleased to be able to paint despite my arm shaking. Somehow I managed it. I now have four new miniature canvases along with the original ones.

Afternoon views

A few views of where I set up to paint along side a family, gran, mother and daughter who were all painting. I really enjoyed the company. It’s good to be finally involved with other artists. We were at the top of the slope looking down at the Hall. Other people arrived and some went on to paint the lovely garden. I’ll post a few more photos later.

Exhibition news

For the second time in a few months we are holding an exhibition at the Whitfield centre in Newcastle under Lyme.

The Group Exhibition is on in three weeks. If you are around come along and see some lovely artists and their work.

I will be doing some painting for another craft fair the week after. I hope to be doing small paintings of things like bees and flowers. I generally find images I’m interested in and work from them off my phone photo gallery.

Next Saturday

Orme Art Group is having a Spring Artisan sale. There’s going to be a variety of stalls, from wire weaving, soft furnishing and painting and prints. I hope to be demonstrating minature painting, and selling some of my mini works. I also have a few glass necklaces for sale.

I don’t do craft fairs very often anymore, I went off them when covid was (still is) about and I’ve had to pluck up courage to do it again. I like space around me, not crowds, but this will be with friends so I should be OK.

The Whitfield Centre is a community centre and the people there are very friendly. I hope visitors will be impressed by the variety of work for sale and I hope we get a good attendance.

Flying dog?

As I was finishing my charcoal drawing I saw a creature in the sky. A flying beagle type dog with a white muzzle floppy mouth and long floppy ears (alternatively it could be a loping hare). I don’t know how I managed it, but I didn’t alter it, I just chuckled! I’ll post a photo of the finished drawing later…