Tag: Scenery

Scenery painting

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I’m doing some backdrops for the Penkhull mystery play. I have calico to paint on, rather than static flat paintings that I usually do. This years backdrops are going to be rolled up and dropped down for the appropriate scenes.

Today apart from painting two willow pattern birds on papier mache I painted an eight foot by four foot backdrop of the church.

The problem was seeing the church through the trees. These mature lime trees have grown tall in the intervening years since the Church was built in the 1840’s. The backdrop is minus the trees. There was apparently a quarry and marl pit at the top of the hill which eventually filled with water and was a duck pond before it was filled in. There was a school on the land before the church was built and it was rebuilt at the top of Trent Valley Road (now the village hall). At the alter end of the church on the outside there were pigsties. I think these must predate the church.

More information about the village of penkhull can be found in books by the local author Richard Talbot.

More painting news will follow when I paint more.

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Penkhull Mystery Play

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A minton tile design turned into 3d by Bret Shah

Penkhull Mystery play is on again this year. This is the 15th year that we have held it up at Penkhull Church Yard and I’ve been asked to publicise it.

Penkhull Mystery Play is being held on Saturday 13th July. The play starts about 2pm.
The play is based on a book about the children of the Potteries and how a family’s life changes from working in pot banks, being forced into the workhouse to the building of the first school at Penkhull in the 1840’s. 

There will also be Harpers Titchy Theatre with stories written by locals, stalls, a circus skills workshop, a tug of war competition, a tower of music, a music morning in the church and lots of other activities. This is one if the largest community based art events in Stoke-on-Trent.

It would be great if you can come along.

Painting on black boards.

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These are two more boards that I’m painting for the Penkhull panto. This time I have black boards to paint on and it’s taking a lot of paint! I think the acrylic paints I used are a bit too thin. The colour seems to sink in, not float on the surface so that they won’t show up as well on the stage. I’m going to get some stronger paint for next week with more pigment and less filler in them.

These two took a while to paint and it was very cold in the hall. I’m ready for some warm food and a rest.

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More scenery

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Continuing the travel theme for the panto. I finished a picture of the pyramids and the angel of the North.

The photos I’m working from are good because they have lots of contrasting orange and blues.

I’ve got the panels propped up on a chair with a cloth over it. This means it’s hard to get at the bottom of the boards

Anyway 5 down, lots more to go!

2011 mysteries

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Ok  so I’ve found some more photos of scenery, this time from 2011. I think I was influenced by Van Gough for these. The harvest scenery was reused in 2013.

I hope the people putting up the scenery, the members of the cast, and my family don’t mind me using their images. I guess they have been shared a lot of times, and as this is 7 years ago they probably don’t look the same anyway!

So why Van Gogh…? It’s the energy in his paintings that I love, the swirl of atmosphere and emotion. Not all art has to be completely figurative or abstract. To me his work sits between the two. I dont know if the phrase magic realism even fits his type of art, but anyway, both he and many other artists from the same era, like Gauguin for instance, had revolutionised the way paintings were made.

I have to say I love the impressionists and the post Impressionists. As the society around them changed, they worked their magic on art. There are other schools of art, like fauvism and expressionism, cubism and surrealism. They all made a difference too. But I still think the Impressionists and post Impressionists are my favourites.

Anyway, perhaps I will stop posting scenery paintings…..

2013 scenery

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Looking on Facebook, memories pop up from years ago. These pictures were taken in July 2013. I’m not sure if I did all of them that year. I may have painted over an old one from a year or two before.

As on other occasions harvest was one of the themes. Also the industrialisation of Stoke on Trent, when canals were dug out and bottle ovens and kilns were built. I even had to paint a public house. (With working door!)

I’m not sure how many years I have done this for and its always a bit of a rush job, or my health hasn’t been good. But I feel so much part if my community that I won’t say no.

I would love to do more, make the flats more intricate, more like murals. But at the end of the day they are only on display for a few hours, one day in a year. Just as long as the scenery helps tell the story…..that’s what they are there for.

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Play Day

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Penkhull Mystery play day was hot and sunny. I missed the music morning in the church, but managed to watch the flag raised on the village green. The flag was chosen from a competition that was whittled down to 4 combined designs. The flag that won had the cockerel from the weather vane on the church on it, then an oval to to represent the roads up to the  green and around it.

Next came Penkhull village brass bands playing popular and beautiful music to the crowd sitting on the green in front of the church.

There was also Morris dancing by Black Dog Molly, and  a Hurdy Gurdy man playing ancient tunes, and a bower of song where anyone could come along and sing or play music.

It was time to get changed and ready for the play. I snapped a shot of the scenery I have been painting, but couldn’t get photo’s of the mystery play as I was in it!  It went well and we had fun singing and dancing for the entertainment of the crowd. In 20 minutes a group of children were transported back in time, became farmers, were involved in Waterloo, were injured. Had a child,  were evicted and had to live in a hole in the ground. Went through the first world war, then became Suffragettes, and eventually returned to the present.

Once the play was over there was time to get changed and listen to the Penkhull ukulele band, and watch the tug of war competition (only two teams entered from the same place as the other teams were too busy watching England play in the world cup.)

Finally I saw some short playlettes written for Harper’s Titchy theatre. This was performed as readings for two or more voices. It was very entertaining  apart from being drowned out by loud musuc from the pub. (Half time at the England game).

It is a great credit to the people of Penkhull to do this so well each year. I heard up to 400 people help organise and volunteer for this community arts event .

It’s no wonder everyone is so busy at this time of year in Penkhull!