Youth

Posted on October 26, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Humour, Painting, Rag weekLeave a comment

IMG_20181026_235033_749

Once, many years ago, I was young. I was looking at some old photos today and came across this article, from when I was on my foundation art course. I clearly wanted to be a painter even then. I think I was slightly amazed to be chosen. I guess no one else was willing to have their picture taken. I’d never been in an article for a paper before so it was quite strange, especially seeing my face looking back at me. There was another article in the same paper with some of my friends so I wasn’t a total show off!

The college had a rag week when people did mad things. Our town had a new statue of a hippo in the town square for some reason, so a group of students made a pink papier mache gorilla to be its friend. Another lot roped themselves together and pretended to climb up the local hill (almost flat) on their hands and knees….

Wild days

Working on them

Posted on October 25, 2018 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Cat, Painting, Portrait of cat2 Comments

One problem with being ill is that sometimes my energy levels are not good. I’m often tired, and if I get a cold like I have now I just feel washed out. I end up looking at the canvas instead of painting it.

That being said I’ve promised to finish these two this week. They have come on well, but I think they will need daylight so that I can see the colours properly.

So I will take my time but work hard to finish them. Until I’m happy with them.

Jupiter tryptich

Posted on October 24, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Jupiter, Painting, Spode, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent, TryptichLeave a comment

While painting the autumn woman I started this. It’s three long thin canvases and I’m trying to work out how to paint the new patterns on Jupiter on them.

The latest photos of the planet are amazing and I think it’s going to be a real challenge This is going to be old fashioned painting, not fluid painting that has become popular. One of the paintings will be exhibited and the other two will be painted during a couple of open days down at Spode Studios.

With luck I will be able to do this!

New picture wip

Posted on October 24, 2018 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Brown, Colours, Gold, Green, Green woman, PaintingLeave a comment

Wip, work in progress. Someone has asked me for a painting of a green woman in green, brown and gold. I’m letting a little bit of red creep in. And turquoise too.

I want to model the shape to make it a bit more 3d so I will need to spend more time on it but it’s come on a lot considering I only started it today!

I actually went to the studio despite having a cold. Once I was in there I pout all the heating on. Snug in there but freezing in the corridors Plus I’m planning a painting of Jupiter. We’ll a tryptich actually. 3 long canvases.. Photos to follow.

Richards painting

Posted on October 23, 2018 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Cheerful, Life, Love, Painting, Reflections, Thought2 Comments

This is my partners painting of our old cat from about 30 years ago.

It’s oil paint on hardboard. He doesn’t paint but when we had this cat he decided to have a go. He also did a large painting of sunflowers at the same time. I love this , it’s up in our bedroom. When I wake up in the morning I remember her.

To anyone who thinks they can’t paint or draw I would say it doesn’t matter. This is a loving attempt at capturing a sweet cat. It’s the feeling behind this that matters and I love Richard for painting it.

I can’t “sell” myself

Posted on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Choice, Decision, Painting, Work10 Comments

I just found out I haven’t been successful in another one of my applications to get my art seen. I just don’t think I know how to sell myself. I suppose each time I get knocked back at least I’m less disappointed. If people don’t like what I do that is not my fault or theirs x. It’s just a case of taste. I’m not going to let it get to me I shall just try harder next time and try and do better research. Being an artist is not easy, but it’s good to be creative. I won’t give up.

Old painting

Posted on October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged 1980's, Art, Cats, Friends, Oil on canvas, Painting, Portrait2 Comments

FB_IMG_1539300014441

This was a painting I must have done in the summer of 1983 or 1984, soon after I finished college I think.

My friend had lots of cats so I did a portrait of her with them.

I wanted to do the painting but didn’t have any stretched canvases to hand so I got some linen canvas and stretched it over a horseshoe shaped chair back with an extra peice of wood nailed in place at the bottom.

The painting was in oils This was before I started using acrylics. After it was finished I gave it to my friend.

A year or two ago it turned up. It had moved house with my friend and she had got it propped up in the kitchen when I visited one day. It was starting to deteriorate because it wasn’t proper canvas and had a couple of holes in it. Bearing in mind it had been painted about 34 years before I guess it has done well. I took photos of it and left.

Sadly the painting got damaged beyond repair when they moved again. But at least I have this photo and I did a small copy which another friend purchased.

It feels like I am letting children go when they go to new homes .You never know if they will survive. At least I know this one’s history.

Random photos

Posted on October 8, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Elephant, Lake, Painting, Photos, Random pictures, Screen, WindowLeave a comment

Searching through my files found these old photos that were saved in a file that was on my old phone. Some of them I recognise, others must be more than 3 years old. I need to work out how to transfer them across to the other files…..

So there is Westport lake, a wooden screen at a cafe, a window in St Thomas Church, penkhull, a cumulo nimbus cloud, a drink flask, paper butterflies I cut out for a birthday and a painting I did of my friend decorating an elephant she made for the penkhull mystery plays.

I’m sure I will find more to share.

Fuzzy brain

Posted on October 7, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blog, Design, Life, Painting, Reflections, WorkLeave a comment

Finished or almost finished? Not sure. I’ve spent the last two days painting this while having my studio open to the public. In the end you lose track of what you are doing. What you are saying. I can waffle forever but it stops making sense after a while.

I like people to ask me questions about art. But then I get nervous. It’s like a fog descends over my head and I can’t articulate or describe what I mean. I hope my paintings are pretty self explanatory but I still try and explain what I am doing. Artists on TV seem to be able to tell people what they are doing, but I can’t do that. I’m a painter not a public speaker…..

So anyway, I finished this painting today. It’s called mermaid.

Work in progress, mermaid

Posted on October 6, 2018October 6, 2018 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blue, Mermaid, Painting, Portrait2 Comments

I decided to paint a mermaid but didn’t want it to be Disneyish. So I’ve used a photo of a victorian painting to work from. Obviously that face was not blue and I have changed the image in other ways to make it more interesting. I don’t have much more to do to it but I have left it for the moment. I will probably finish it off in the next couple of days..

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Painting