ART, Everything you don't have to do.
This term at my art group we have been looking up at the skies, trying lots of different media, pastels acrylics watercolour mono printing and lots more.
We started sky diaries looking up everyday from the same viewpoint well worth doing just to appreciate the changing skies.
Tried reusing one of my old canvas boards, by painting on a couple of layers of gesso, it covered the original ok and seemed to give a ok surface, but painting on it was like painting on gritty sandpaper, so not the way to go for future recycling.
Thanks to Iain McKell for his reference picture of modern Gypsies.
Back at my art class and trying something new again. This week we were painting with credit cards, pushing scraping and dragging the paint around. Took me a while to get used to using this cumbersome little bit of plastic but I think l started to get it in the end. Using the card and a loaded brush dragging it over the paper worked well, wearing gloves is a good idea as it does get a bit messy, some finishing touches with a brush and some enjoyable splattering; I think it worked out ok.
I have been working on and off my senses project painting over the summer, started with a few sketches my first attempt didn’t really work, inspired by my visit to Upfest and all the wonderful urban paintings I had another go, this seams to happen a lot with my pictures, anyways its about done now.
Spent some time working out how to paint some of the elements, its been a good learning picture.
Spent a wonderful day painting with Chris Guest in London. A first for me painting all day from a model, picked up a new approach to painting , a few tips on materials and how to mix candy floss pink. All in all a good day.
Thanks to Chris for his instruction, I have gesso and board ready to have another go. Just need to find me a model with candy floss pink hair.
The standard of work in this exhibition is tremendous; I always come away appreciating the skill and talent of the artists. I have taken a few pictures of my favourites to add here.
It is a competitions so you have to select your own favourite, mine was (Rhyming slang for worth nix) by artist Janne kearney
I have been trying my hand at painting for about 3 years now, so I thought it might be interesting to go back to the beginning and attempt another version of an earlier painting.
I have always liked this portrait by photographer Ronald Vogal who kindly gave me permission to use his photograph as reference.
I have use oil paints on canvas as apposed to Acrylics on paper but still I am pleased with the marked improvement in my technique.
I am certainly looking forward to trying this benchmark again in another 3 years.
I have been working on my art class summer project Senses.
I had the idea of creating 5 tarot like cards one for each sense, trying to add a little twist to each illustration Sight being blindfolded in the dark and Smell being roses and something rotting in a bag, I guess you get the idea.
The sixth sense is just suggested by a downturned card and the tarot.
Thanks for dropping in.
We have come to the end of our art class pathways project, its been another interesting term first looking at perspective line and colour, then looking at maps and aerial views finished up exploring something alternative.
Working with the idea that the body is full of pathways, I found some vintage anatomy illustrations and used these as the starting point for my painting,
Had a go using acrylic inks on paper in a very loose style, with big brushes and many layers, I am pleased with the results and it should create some reactions on the little gallery wall : )
I try to think of a different approach to my paintings and this idea came when I was photographing my pictures, I noticed the great distortion you get from selecting a strange view point. The idea was to start with the distortion and perhaps return to reality when viewing the picture.
It didn’t really work, l need to think this one out again.
like all my paintings it went through a few different looks, I am pleased with the final slightly graphic feel.
