New paintings and regular art updates.
Work in progress. Needs work on the beach which I think is a bit dark…. I was trying to get a feeling of sand. This is a small commission so I’m trying for a realistic look. It’s based on a drone photo I saw online but it’s not an exact copy, just using it to see how the wavelets ripple onto the shore.
This came up on my memories today. I remember this was a cold and sunny day just like today. I was taking part in a craft fair outside Stoke Market. Things were better then, people had a bit more money. I think I sold a few paintings. I have to say they were a bit random… I think I had done a all exhibition earlier in the year so I’d painted all sorts of things, some better than others. I’m trying to be a bit more selective in what I paint these days. I’m also not keen on sitting outside in the cold as much!
This is the Cratchetts stove, a bit of painting I’ve done for the ‘a Christmas Carol’ performance this weekend. It’s a little bit splodgy, but the surface of the foam board was strange to paint on. Plus I’m very tired after not sleeping last night then getting up early because the gas engineer was coming round to service out gas boiler. Weird that I’m painting an old heating system at the same time as getting ours checked out. Serendipity? Maybe.
I’m hoping to get some cards made from my pottery paintings. I need to start selling things, but it’s a balance between what I can afford and what I can sell. The cost of living is making life difficult for everyone. This painting is loosely based on a Burleigh ware design although it’s not an actual copy. It’s totally imagined so I had to decide on where the shadows would fall. The background is meant to look like wooden panels reflected in a desk or table. The minds eye is an interesting concept. I actually can imagine how things look, and by talking my way through things I can generally get a good idea of what I’m doing.
We are rehearsing A Christmas Carol and hubby has got the part of Christmas Present. He’s a bit anxious so he will have a scroll to use with the script on to get through it.
It’s a bit strange to be doing this after three years of Covid, especially being among people who have got bad colds! We sort of sat across the room as much as possible to keep out of range of a cough. I’ve managed to avoid Covid since it emerged in 2019, I hope to carry on in safety.
I have a couple of small parts but my problem isn’t learning the lines as much as following the cues from the line before. But only two weeks to go. I’d better practice more!
Spode reflected and my willow pattern painting. I like pattern and design so doing both of these a few years ago was a delightful challenge. The window frame in the bottom painting was old and peeling and it was fun trying to get a likeness of it. The top painting was a willow pattern platter but using two different images to meld together to create a unique image. The border around the painting was all my own design. (There is a teapot painting on the table but the details are not visible). They are being photographed so I can have cards and prints, they are up for sale at the Arts and Minds Gallery, Veterans Support at Harper Street in Middleport.
I’ve just dropped off a few paintings to the Arts and Minds Gallery at Harper Street in Middleport opposite Middleport Pottery. I have asked them to do some cards from them and they have also taken the pictures to sell for me. It’s really pleasing to have my work included there. The galley has a wide range of beautiful art work. It also is part of a network that supports local veterans and their families. I have been able to show and sell work there because my hubby has a link to the military.
The gallery is warm and friendly and are always supportive. I think it helps that it doesn’t feel exclusive and snobbish. It’s in a great place too, helping to expand the creative area around Middleport pottery in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
On Sunday my owl painting almost sold, a lady came along and was interested in it for her daughter. She even took a photo of it to show her daughter, but unfortunately it was a no from her. I wonder what I can paint that I love that a customer would like? I try and do good paintings, but it is that balance between a commercial image and a more individual picture. I guess everyone is different, we all have our own ideas and unless I paint commissions I have to second guess the audience I have. My work is so eclectic, if I kept painting the same theme over and over again I know I would get bored x
Starting a painting of a beach and the sea from above. It’s going to show the surf and the pebbles and sand. I want it to be gentle, a meditation, no words, no footsteps in the sand, just the quiet lapping of water as the waves roll in and out. A peaceful memory as a painting for a friend.
Matchbox sized dinosaur. A stegosaurus. I hope the lady who asked for it likes it. A bit fiddly because holding a mini canvas whilst trying to paint and having your arm shake made for a few smudges and bits to repaint. But I’m proud I can still do things like this…. I called it Stegi.. X
Mallaband-Brown