Time to collect

Time to collect my painting blue Jupiter tomorrow. Its been up for a month at an open exhibition in Newcastle under Lyme and I’m hoping people liked it. I think it will be up in my exhibition at centre space at spode visitor centre in a couple of weeks.

If you look at my art you can see I’m not painting to a theme. I just love images. I love experimenting and trying new things. I like challenging myself.

That’s exactly what I’m doing now.

X

Australian kestrel. Wip.

I’m having fun painting this Australian kestrel.

About half way through. I went out to paint with some artists called the Orme art group. Today was a self development day which means you could paint and draw what you want. I had seen the photo of the kestrel my friend in Australia had taken. I asked her if I could paint it and she said yes. It’s quite difficult but I’m getting there.

X apparently it’s a Nankeen kestrel at Woolangong Harbour.

Working on something else

DSC_1987

Don’t ask what I am?

I’m not what you think

I was to be

The Tiger that hid.

Now I’m out in the open

Between land and sky

I could be a tiger

Flying up high.

I could be a kite

Streamers in the wind

Kicking back and forwards

Strings all spinned.

I am a little painting

Of a tiny tiger face

Or a cat with whiskers flaring

Out into space.

The grey lady

I’m still in the process of painting this, but I wanted to add a presence to this painting… _20190511_004612

There are tales of grey ladies haunting old buildings. Why does she look slightly surprised? Perhaps she hasn’t seen her own reflection for centuries, but the dust motes caught in the light of a setting sun have made her image come to life in their brownian motion. Is she looking out over her land, not realising that the past is gone? Seeing people in outlandish clothes? Women in trousers or short skirts? Men in more dowdy attire than she remembers? I toyed with trying to paint a ruff from Tudor times, and her hair up in braids, but I decided she would be in a night shift, hair down, caught between dusk and dawn.

More work to follow on this and other paintings.

X

Red horse, after a black and white photo by Eve Donnadieu.

DSC_1980

This cheeky horse appealed to me the moment I saw the photo by my friend Eve. I was going to paint it in naturalistic colours but started underpainting it in red and that grew on me. I added a metallic blue sky to give contrast and atmosphere. Grey ground to make the land look dark and gloomy. This is another work in progress. I have a lot of ideas but I’m not sure if I will get them all done in time for an Exhibition at the end of May. X

Half ‘n’ half, work in progress.

DSC_1975.JPG

I’ve started a new painting. My cat decided to climb up being my easle and popped his head out from behind a pastel drawing I’m doing. I decided to do a painting of it.

I’m going to try and do some different paintings over the next few weeks.

X

Of course I’m using artistic licence tto change the background.

Plains Zebra

The weather here is very wet and windy so I’m concentrating on doing some painting. I decided to paint a zebra yesterday. I sketched it out last night but didn’t start on it properly till today. I’ve extended the muzzle and made its mane black and white. It seems to be shaded with brown dust. Possibly it has been having a dust bath. I hope to finish it and my owl painting today. It’s also taking my mind off a toothache I have after eating a cashew nut.

Etruria Artists

_20190425_164018

Etruria Artists logo by Robert Cochrane.

Etruria Artists is on tonight. Starting an hour early at 6pm. If you want to come and have a go at painting, drawing or pottery come to the warehouse by lock 40 (summit lock ) of the trent and mersey canal.

Most art materials are provided or you can bring your own.

I’ve had some good times there creating art. It is an old building though and we do close over the winter as it’s only heated when we are in the building so the water has to be turned off in case it freezes and bursts the pipes. I’ve also helped people with advice for using different paints like Acrylics, Watercolours and Gouache…. I’m not trained as an art teacher but I do have some knowledge.

New business cards

_20190422_210540

I’ve had some new business cards. Shiny, new and based on one if my paintings.

My previous set were based on a painting of a spode plate but it’s good to have a change.

Not much else to say really. I’ve decided to just sign my paintings Mallaband-Brown as fitting the Christine or C in takes up a lot of space. These also reflect my love of colour and experiment.

Maybe one day I will be better known, but I’m trying..

Druid revisited

DSC_1847

I’ve done some more to this acrylic on canvas. I have added more definition around the leaves but tried to leave some of the subtlety of colour in other places. It has some sparkle in the paints to give it a slightly frosted appearance as if leaves have piled up, but the face of the druid is emerging from it.

About 16″ by 12″ this is one of my more abstract pieces based on the green man theme.

X