Night sky
Like a painting
Moon swirls with cloud
Like cream
in a cup of coffee
Bronze leaves glint
Moonlight sparkles down
Van Gogh imagining
Light and dark
Blackness enveloping all…
Romantic and moody night.
Night sky
Tag: Painting
Wooden bottle ovens?
I have just got involved in an Art project. #theStoke2000 project. Artists are being invited to collaborate in painting wooden bottle ovens. These can have plants put in the top of them to use as planters.
Each artist will be producing an image that relates to Stoke on Trent and they will be used as part of a local art trail. I’m thinking of painting a plaque from the Falcon Pottery Works which is just round the corner from where I live. I think I need to get some more paints before we go into lockdown again. When it’s finished I will post a picture of it.
Potbank and canal Roses
Painting, acrylic on canvas, from about three years ago. This is loosly based on the yin yang symbol. The blue is for water, the canal runs next to a lot of potbank, it was used to transport pottery around the country. The flowers are meant to represent canal Roses. They were a design that was used on metal objects on canal barges, like pots and tin watering cans and jugs. They are also painted directly onto the barges as decoration. The potbank shape curves round and is sometimes held in place by metal bands.
Autumn woman
Acrylic on canvas from five years ago. I get so excited by colours and patterns, sorry its a bit blurry. I don’t have the painting anymore. I think I did a second version of this, they both sold. I wonder sometimes whether I should do more paintings like this or are they too abstract/not abstract enough….
As people who know me know, I enjoy doing various things, that’s why I call myself an explorative fine artist, and perhaps an illustrator.
Tier Two
I was really looking forward to going back to our Orme Art Group, which is meeting for the first time in months. I was only going for the afternoon, but I was going to start doing something new. Then government decided to impose Tier two restrictions in our area. Most of the group will still be in Tier One but not me. Oh well, I have to admit I was a bit nervous of seeing people inside for the first time in months (and yet I’m happy to go shopping). Its strange how this pandemic can affect your confidence.
Maybe one day things can get back to normal, I can see my friends again. I can paint with them, spark new ideas, have fun. Do workshops learning new techniques.
Fingers crossed
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Old paintings
A couple of small paintings I did about three years ago, acrylics on canvas, sorry the colours are off. I liked trying to get the perspective on the window, and the splash of the fountain and the ripples in the water.
Negotiations for paintings
I’ve recently been commissioned to do a large family portrait for a friend of a friend, but I’m concerned about what they want to pay for it? They also sent me a great many photos in different conditions with lots of different groups of people on them. The problem is I can’t make a coherent image or composition using them.
I replied ‘That’s twelve portraits for £50?, it would have to be a small painting or a watercolour. Please can you choose the best photos that I can work from. I will do it but it will take a while. Possibly a couple of hours per portrait which works out at a cost of £4 per portrait or £2 per hour. I would normally charge £50 (normally £60) for one portrait, but I understand you might not be able to afford any more and I don’t want to ask too much. I want to do a good job for you and as you have already got a couple of my paintings I will consider only asking for a small amount for the painting. But please can you choose the twelve images you prefer as then I won’t get it wrong. “
I want to paint for people, but I don’t think they realise the work that goes into things. I would Never overcharge, but on the other hand I’d like to be paid at least the minimum wage for it!
How would you respond? Should I have questioned the request or refused it?
Note * I’m now just doing a very small painting, but I do wish people understood how hard it is to paint something like this, it’s not a snap!
Postcard from a friend
The photo is by Clive Lawrence.
My friend visited a church somewhere in Yorkshire and saw this. Apparently he’d been the week before but it was closed. Last week he found out who he needed to speak to to get access to the church. I’d like to visit it one day. The ainting was apparently very black until it was cleaned. Unfortunately my friend didn’t tell me the name of the church or where in Yorkshire it is
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Unicorn
When did I first find out about Unicorns? In a book, probably. Something about myths and legends. Always a white horse with a horn from its forehead. The closest thing in reality in nature are Narwhals, a type of cetacean with a long modified tooth sticking out forward from its head.
Unicorns are often depicted in medieval paintings, tapestries and manuscripts. Apparently the only way you could catch them was to have them lay their head in the lap of a virgin? They were a lovely idea. Perhaps the idea was influenced by antelope? It’s something I might investigate.
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A proper cup of Tea.
Quick watercolour sketch of my brown Bessie tea pot and a mug of Tea. It started out as a graphite pencil sketch but you couldn’t really see it against the black paper so…. I filled in some of it, I made up some of it. I was going to leave some of it black but I used washes of dark blue and dark red to give it more oomph.
Art is fun, art let’s you free yourself, creativity can be good for you.
