New paintings and regular art updates.
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!
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.
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.
X
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.
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.
X
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.
X
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.
X
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..
Oh I love pattern and colour,
I love birds, flowers and trees,
Green men, phoenix, mythical beasts.
Who wants bland and boring?
Who wants pale and wan?
Why not get those colours
Under your skin.
Life is so exciting.
Life can be such fun.
If only we embrace it
Under the sun.
Never give me plain things
Always give me jazz
Living in a coloured land
Magic has begun.
Here are some photos of my exhibition at Etruria. The show looks pretty good. I’ve sold a few pieces and talked to lots of people. I had a chat with someone from tourist information who was very helpful. I’m hoping that I can do more work and that people will enjoy what I do. I’m sure I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m always willing to take on commissions so the choice of subject matter can be yours.
X
Mallaband-Brown