New paintings and regular art updates.
I really like this, my friend Julie painted this sign for part of the scenery for the play we are doing in May. It definitely gives a feeling of rusty metal, although it’s just painted in acrylics on a piece of cardboard. She’s definitely given it a spooky feel.
Look what I found rooting around in a carrier bag, two large tubes of brown and green paint that were needed for the treetrunks we have made for the play.
Not a bad find at 2.30am last night. I’ve got so much art equipment and supplies that I have accrued over several years. I really need to try and sort it all out.
It’s a bad trait sometimes, I’m like a kid in a sweetie shop, I can’t resist!
Making spooky hats for an upcoming play.. My friends bats on a hat.. Very random.
We are recreating the Mystery Play we put on in July, but as a bigger production. One scene has bats causing mayhem so my friend created this. They will also have bat shaped cloaks and we have a backcloth with skeletal trees and a witch flying in front of the moon. One lot of scenery done, about 8 more scenes to do!
Penkhull Theatre Group. February production.
Of me painting.
Stitching an image together
Section by section
Gradually integrating
Joining blocks together
Like a jigsaw puzzle.
Pieces don’t always fit
They have to be adjusted.
The progress of a rake
Is in jeopardy!
Today I painted a fire for the play Who is Molly Leigh…. Not the fire surround or the hearth, or the objects around it, but a piece of cardboard with a brick chimney backing painted on it and a coal fire burning strongly in the grate.
I asked another maker what she thought and she felt the flames should be more yellow and red, but the photo I worked from showed bright white flames surrounded by glowing yellow, orange, and red. It’s funny how people’s imaginations have stereotypical ideas of how things should look. I really enjoyed adding bright colours in between the coals to make it look really hot.
How do you know it’s creepy? It’s written on it…
Mystery Play set. In the past I would paint 2 or 3 8x8ft panels for the Mystery Plays. The last time was 5 years ago just before Covid struck. Then a year ago I was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Now it’s taken me all my time to do this and a cottage scene on the back of it. Luckily we have old bits of scenery to fill the gaps. I wish I could do more….
Loose copy of a “square” cow. Farmers didn’t have photographs of their animals so they often had portraits painted to show how much flesh the animals had. This led to distorted images with massive, square bodies and small heads and legs! I’ve seen paintings like this in old pubs in the countryside.
It’s a small acrylic on canvas covered board. I’m helping a group create some paintings about the witch Molly Leigh and they wanted pictures linked with the countryside and farming. I’m doing more. I’ve also done a square pig!
We had to reinforce the scenery for the play because it’s only made of hardboard and it is stored in a shed leaning up against other props and developed an shape. The wood needs overpainting but I think I can sort it out. X
What paint to use on scenery? It would be cheaper to use emulsion paint, but the tins are too big for the Mystery Play job as we only have a few pieces of scenery to paint, so I got out my trusty acrylic tubes. The palettes are a bit of a mess, but I have to admit I like peeling the paint off to see what the back of the paint looks like (shiny and smooth, multicoloured).
More to do, tired…
Turned a block built stone wall on the back of the cottage scenery into a creepy cave today…. With the help of three other people. It was so good to get help. I’m physically shattered and would have struggled for days to get this done. But with a little help and much appreciation it’s done. It needs a bit of wood to support it. By the way it reminds me of Cezanne in a way. X
Mallaband-Brown