All White Now

After redecorating my studio in white from top to bottom, it was a pleasure to go along to the local Carol Concert and see my Candle Wallhanging put to good use in the church.

The piece was 'the prize' in a free draw I ran during NEOS 09, my Open Studio event in September, and the young lad who won it decided to give it to the church. It matched their other Christmas decorations beautifully and was very tastefully hung as you can see. The concert was fabulous and we were made very welcome.

Now I am busy painting and drawing again and have put some pastel work for sale on my gallery. It isn't taking long to fill the white walls with colourful pictures!

Capturing an Atmosphere

I started this painting this morning and I'm happy with it already. Not that it's finished, of course it isn't; but this is definitely going to be a case where less is more.

Working upstairs in the cold, bundled up in layers of clothing and restricted in space to move around the easel (and use its flat-table facility) made me think about my dad.

The only space he could paint in, at one time in his life (there were worse, but this one I saw with my own eyes) was a dark garage in a row of six others. It was completely full of paintings - his life's work, as there was no room in the small house with us kids and an elderly aunt who he cared for as well - and his easel and stool were shoved up against the up-and-over door which had to be half-up to allow light in when he was painting. It didn't matter what the weather, snow, ice, rain, fog, he painted for as long as possible every day. Cyril Hamersma worked his socks off.

There will be a smattering of a bridge, cottages in the distance and who knows what before this painting is finished. But it's starting to feel right already.

Happy Accidents

Bursting to paint but with practicalities holding me back, I've been making some small pastel studies from the photos I've taken in Skye.

Whilst waiting for the fixative to dry I went upstairs to print something on the computer and thought I'd bring down with me this troublesome picture which "isn't really me", although it would be if it was much bigger and more dramatic... What could I do with it? The plan was to take a photo and ask a good friend for impartial advice.

My pastels were still scattered on the floor so it felt right to try something which I'd earlier tried using a dark piece of cloth .... Nothing to lose as I could always wash it off again.

The result completely transformed the picture, giving it an atmosphere and moodiness that it deserves. Instead of washing it off, I've sprayed it with fixative to preserve it. The weird thing is that - so far anyway - the fixative has turned the blue to violet.

Here is a sample from it. There's more to be done to the picture before it's finished but it has definitely turned a corner and the purple is - well - a happy accident!

Emotional Work

Let there be no doubt about it: the true artist paints from the heart and with deep, genuine passion. Funny thing to say? Maybe, but after an enforced break from my creative life, caused by travel and other lovely things, the urge to paint returned to me with a vengeance.

It’s an artist’s job to experiment. What’s the use of churning out numerous similar pictures? If I wanted to work on a production line I’d do that (and get a proper job’s wage too) but I cannot, I follow my heart, my instincts, and paint what I need to paint.

This means that everything I create is unique, often vastly different from what I made last week; it’s individual, thought-out, personal, and born of an idea from a stage of living. What matters to the recipient of each painting is the emotional connection they make with it. What does it make you think of? There is something in that painting that appeals to you, that matters to you, that makes you feel right.

Experiment

Remember I told you about an experiment I was trying?
I'd seen a demo by a very experienced watercolour painter who was hailing the beauty of acrylics. I'd been aghast to watch her use exactly the same methods with this medium (acrylics) as for her usual watercolours! So I decided to try it myself. I painted some flower shapes on the white-primed canvas, with a (yellow-stained) rubber solution.

Then, when it was dry, I painted the background with an assortment of rich crimsons and cadmiums - this bit I enjoyed!

Then I rubbed away the rubber solution to reveal the flower shapes, but didn't like the three blobs below so began to put some marks where I felt there might be rocks ...

I didn't get much further than this when I decided it really wasn't 'me' and certainly wasn't the direction I
wanted my painting to take.

So this one is put down to experience and won't be visited again.

Pastels

I've been experimenting with pastels and, after an initial frustration with a small (A4) sheet of white paper, I took the bull by the horns and splashed out a small fortune on a pad of good 'pastel paper' in different shades, A3 size. This "Snowy Headland" was created on an indigo background.

9 Skies

When I opened out the huge canvas with all the different skies painted on it, the sight was quite breathtaking. I wanted to hang it up outside! There were some visitors here at the time and they pointed to the skies they liked best, then changed their minds ... it was great fun.

For the moment it will be tucked away but at a later date I might try adding the silhouettes they cry out for - a bird here, a steeple there - but for the moment I'm happy to have just experimented and be able to use the results in skies for my paintings in the here and now.

A Memorable Quote

"God works through the artist to open His children's eyes" ~ Cyril Hamersma

Sky 5

Skies are delicate, subtle, gentle, translucent, iridescent. Acrylic paint does cope with them but a heavy, gritty support to paint on really is not conducive to conveying the soft brilliance that moves above us all the time.



This sky was never going to be what I wanted it to be but it was a useful experience to create it. I decided to stop here rather than add more paint as we can all see what sort of sky I'm after.

Sky 4

I had a headache yesterday UNTIL I did some painting and within minutes it had gone away, as if washed out of my bloodstream.



This sky was urgent and necessary, to restore my faith in my painting after yesterday's naive output (and other work hampered by many interruptions). It hasn't completely worked as a sky but was a very useful experiment.

I also started another experiment on a small canvas which I might show you when all the stages are photographed.

New visitors might like to note that if you follow my blog and comment (say hello!) I will send you a free e-book entitled "I Wish I Could Be Artistic". It's very liberating and good fun.

Sky 3 - Some you Win....

...some you lose. Sky 3 isn't much to look at but it was magnificent in the sky! Clear blue, very simple; with a pale grey, pink-lined cloud hovering gently like a balloon.



It was my day off and I was so lucky with the weather. I drove down the coast to visit some of the other artists' Open Studios. I knew I couldn't do justice for this simple sky but experimented on the rough canvas surface with some pastels followed by fixative, then acrylic paint.

Looks like it was done by a three year year old but that's nothing to be ashamed of!

Sky 2

NEOS visitors are arriving in a steady flow so that I'm able to talk to them individually, which is good. I'm also getting plenty of breaks in between, giving me time to get on with painting and today's sky was a lovely, messy experiment. The lady who turned up while my hands were still mucky from this one said, "Oh that's lovely," - meaning the painting, not my messy hands.




Although the photos don't look too good, this exercise is a great experience in experimenting to find effects that I might use more seriously on 'proper' paintings at a later date.

Paint a Sky a Day

I've run out of canvases & boards and run out of space until I sell a few paintings so my project for the nine days here in the studio for NEOS is to paint a Sky a Day. It was recommended by the 19th Century artist Sir Alfred East Sir Alfred East and I'm doing it in 9 separate rectangles on a mural-sized canvas screen I made ( a while ago) to hang from the staircase. Every work of art is an experiment and each of these will be no exception!



The constraints I felt immediately are: working on non-stretched canvas means the creases will dictate some of the texture; it's hard work covering it as it's more absorbent (less well primed than professional canvases); cumbersome to handle and even more prone to the problems I have in my room with the light - too much or too little.

And I thought this would be a GENTLE challenge.

Signs and invitations

It uses a different part of the brain to have to think about signs and advertising instead of actually creating artwork, although both are creative skills. My stronger half, i.e.,my husband, put his mind to my Open Studio challenge and has created a sign to go outside the house. I can put posters and pictures on it to entice people in, and change the display as often as I like. It is waterproofed and can be put in place each day and taken down again but is firm enough to withstand all weathers.

Look out for my sign! I am No. 179 in the NEOS (North East Open Studios) brochure where you'll find my opening times.

Dancing with Colour

I am delighted to have a new follower who is so likeminded she could be my sister - doh! she IS my sister. I am proud to refer you to Impasto Studio and, especially if you're an artist, pick up her hints on working with paint. Like me, she learned a lot from the wise and prolific Hamersma.

Fran Hillman is a talented and committed artist in her own right and is the co-author/artist at www.thetreasuretree.co.uk , an interactive, animated teaching resource. Great fun for adults too! (And beautiful.)

Sold

Sold these two - Lovely.

Every Day, Any day

Inspiration for a painting - given the time and freedom of expression...



Silly how it looks dark, but that's where the skill of an artist creates a wonderful picture. Hopefully.

Loosen Up

I decided I must do lots of quick drawings that don't matter so I dug out an old roll of wallpaper. It was very liberating because I didn't have to worry about making a mess or ruining an expensive piece of cartridge paper, I could just let loose and do what I liked on it. As it happened, I liked!

 

Town Hall Exhibition

Can you see which two are my paintings?

Paintings on the Go

Here are two very unfinished paintings. The dogs looked like sheep at first and are gradually starting to come to life but ooh, they make it difficult. Their owner might prefer a photo . . . but I'll persevere.

The rocky seascape is much better than this now and will soon have a title and a reason detre (sorry can't do the accents with this keyboard).

And today I made two Christmas puddings complete with beer and brandy and wishes thrown in.

Playing Cards

Today I am designing some cards to be printed to sell in my Open Studio. Simple reproductions of some of my paintings and one or two other ideas.

Ah ha! You'll have to come and see, browse around and buy them to know what I come up with!

Busy Busy

My Open Studio (just one day a week - Thursdays) is working well as I'm finding a small trickle of friendly people trotting in to have a look. I just love to know they're interested in what I do. A couple of them summed it up yesterday when they said they 'could never be so creative' but if I were to put them behind a counter to deal with customers and money, such as in the bank etc where they'd worked, they'd be fine. Me - NO! I couldn't EVER cope with a job like THAT! Give me a blank page or canvas and paintbrush instead.

As well as stuffing a cat doorstop I've been finishing paintings for an art exhibition at the town hall, completing the entry forms etc, designing a promotional postcard, painting a couple of pictures to make into Christmas Cards, taking six paintings to a photographer in preparation for getting some giclee prints... putting my St Bernard dog painting for sale online at Affordable British Art and making a few printed signs for my workroom so that visitors can read what I forget to tell them.

E.G.:- Checklist for your visit

Have you seen . . .

Drawings in the mag rack
Photos and prints too
Boxy bags made from jeans
T- shirt bags
Odd bags for useful bits
Books
Play Scripts
Published articles in the Portfolio
and pictures on the walls everywhere

Have you tried . . .
Drawing
Painting
Printing with rubbish
French Knitting?

Have you thought of commissioning ...
a picture
or a print
or something made of textiles
or a special unusual item?

Oh and I've been writing letters and sending them with posters and leaflets to various local B & B venues to alert them to my Open Studio. Something for tourists to do in Stonehaven when they're fed up with the beach and other local attractions or driving to far off stately homes.

Stuffing a Cat

Okay, it doesn't look much like a cat; and I haven't appeared to be doing a lot here for ages but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. This white looking thing is going to be a doorstop made of canvas and it will free up something else (that's currently being used as a doorstop) which I want to use to make a sculpture, because my studio needs something tall and unusual near the window.

Complete Change - for a Rest

Painting this little Schnauzer worked out so well I thought I'd have a go at a big dog . . .

Of course he isn't finished yet and his right ear is a bit big but I like him already. He doesn't bark or bite either.

More Work

This piece isn't quite finished but taking a photo is a good way of checking the tone and seeing the flaws. There's something not quite right with one of the shadows and the headland needs some definition but I know what I'm going to call the painting: "Fetch!"

New Work

For ages I'd been wanting to paint a large version of my much-sought-after picture entitled Still Standing, which was only about 8" x 10". I was astounded at how challenging it was to achieve the same effect on this size 24" x 30"; and it took me ages to get it right, the solidity of the structure and the light on it. This version is called Still Standing Tall.

You can see the mess in my workroom too but that's because I'm so busy. See the next blog entry!

On the Up

This week my endeavours seem to be working for me. I've sold the mountain whiteout painting along with a boxybag, and I've picked up a commission to do another diamond shaped beach painting. Woohoo!

Need to buy some more square canvases and go to the special place for ideas to get the right atmosphere for the beach painting.

That's STYLE

I think there's a lot of twaddle spoken about 'style'. You might think I'm about to add to it and if so that's fine but at least my attitude is inclusive and down to earth.

For an artist who paints from the heart, i.e. not solely for commercial purposes without regard for his or her artistic integrity, every painting is created with the materials that are:

• best for the job
• easiest to hand
• favoured colours
• preferred size

An artist is sure to have a favourite type of paint, not to mention a limited array of paint due to financial constraints, and a usual support such as canvas, board, mdf, paper, card, recycled packaging et al. Lesser materials are used frequently when necessary or when 'caught short'. There is nothing more annoying than finding you've done a masterpiece on the back or side of something that will deteriorate in ten days or is too confidential to be shown elsewhere. Painting and drawing can get you like that, you have to do it and you have to do it now.

So there's the preferred paint, preferred colours, preferred sizes, favourite subjects and ways of weilding the brush or not, as the case may be: these are what make the artist's style.

Personally I avoid using a brush whenever possible and apply the paint in some other way. I use mainly acrylics (heavy body) at the moment but sometimes my method works with gouache and I know I could move on to oils if I had the money and patience. Style? Make of it what you will but I'll paint what I want and continue to surprise people - as well as myself.

All in a Day's Work

A fairly typical day here: pieces cut and pinned ready to make a (self designed) shoulder-bag; a new painting started (still needing some work done on it. The finished products are only shown on the Affordable British Art website or for sale in my studio here); and an experimental life-drawing.

These were all done as well as a long stint of heavy gardening and the usual domestic chores of cooking and cleaning. I even vacuumed upstairs! Oh and I finished sewing my velvet blouse

Exhibition

This is the display of my work at the Inverbervie Art Show ...

Work in Progress - April

I turned this one to monochrome to check the tones were right . . . It's nearly finished but needs a few more final touches.

Er, well quite a few more touches but you get the gist.

So and Sew

Aaargh, where does the time go? I have two paintings at a half-way stage and more than two sewing projects queuing up to be done. Sometimes I have to get one of them out the way before I can get on with the next and I'm wishing I had the energy to stay up all night to do them.

Alas, I know better than to try and do that so I will work my way through the tasks fairly.

Who said I was patient?

A Lovely Start

A Selection

A bit of a disaster

After a public reading of one of my plays, some years ago, I learned that unless it’s done really well, an experimental work of art will seem amateurish rather than unusual, provocative, or avant garde, and the artist ends up feeling an idiot. So my latest painting was never going to work - because the scene in the distance was too small and the wrong shape to look anything but pathetic.

Hence, I decided to paint over it - even after I’d thought up the right title for it – and will shelve the idea for the perfect shaped (and bigger) canvas it deserves.

Now the canvas has a ‘history’ impregnated on its surface so it needs impasto . . . and I have just the right texture and idea to adorn it.

Come back some time to see what emerges. Better still, become a 'follower'.

'Fairytale' Dunnottar Castle

I feel a strong connection with Dunnottar Castle and this is important to me when it comes to creating a painting. My work comes mainly from observation, memory and the feeling I experience whilst there, although I’ll use reference photos and sketches as well. I walk on the coast often and the castle feels almost like ‘home’, being only a mile away.

I’ve painted Dunnottar a few times now but I really wanted to try a large canvas; and 24" x 32" (60cm x 80cms) is my biggest as yet. I also felt it time to edge closer to realism in the way of colour without trying to emulate a photograph.

This painting is going on display at the Inverbervie Art Show in the first week in April, i.e. 4th to 11th

Some pics of my workroom

Before I tidy it up and get organised to display more stuff more neatly or tuck it away to keep it safe, or sell it and start on new works . . .