interactive painting commission

I'm currently working on a commission-long distance. To keep my client involved, I'm posting up-to-the-minute photos as I paint, so they can chip in with how they want the work to progress. Do join the journey...
simply click on the link below

www.portraitofapainting.blogspot.co.uk



the painting so far....3 hours in



Duck in a flap v black swan: yup, painting birds again!

One of the ways I take the fear out of starting on a bright white blank canvas is by giving myself permission to mess it up.

I just launch out, no drawing or plan, massive paint brush in hand [you know, the type for painting walls] and let myself go. Yes, my goal might be to eventually paint the whole thing, but I'm not going to do that neatly. Not when I can mess about creating new compositions first!

And that is the story of how these birds came to be. That and my antique book of animals. I propped the hefty tome open, hoping to avoid covering it in paint, and used the illustrations as a springboard for the swan. As for the crazy duck-she just came from a strange corner of my head.

 'Duck in a Flap' is extra special because I finished him off with a gold leaf beak and a black freshwater pearl eye. A little experiment. I'm not sure whether jewellery and paint will ever sit easily together, but its the contrast and the unexpectedness of it that brings this little quacker of a painting to life.

As for Black Swan,[my version of Chinese art] - I've hung him above my desk and would quite happily keep him, but I think I might sell him online at £60 when my business launches, maybe to the Queen, who seems partial to a good swan. 

Book Haul-Not Afraid of Aardvark!

My latest find-a big stack of the most glorious battered antique books packed full of brilliant illustrations! Only 25p each, and enough to keep me in card-making material for the rest of my life. That'd be selfish though, so I'm thinking about running a vintage collage craft class/party. Then everyone can share the fun, whether its cards or art. See the tab at the top of the blog for more details.

'Not afraid of aardvark/hard work-
I've been writing my CV-can you tell?

The images are so old [well over 100 years]
that they dissolve when I cut them
if I'm not careful,
and the paper is musty and faded to a mid sepia. 

Its time travel.
What people believed to be true, how they presented the world;
 its a glimpse 'through the looking glass'
to a quirkier, quainter, and more inquisitive time.
Back then, cutting up books was for political rebels and madmen.
 Now a paperless revolution has been Kindled [ahem!}
and trees are more important than paper-its come full circle, baby!

Crammed full of sketches of peeved looking tribesmen.

So much potential...

To the rat-mobile...but had she paid her road-ent tax?

'Me, a poser?!Never'

Its a lot of fun leafing through the pages thinking up captions and scenarios for the different animals. 

Perhaps too much fun. 

You should try it. 

But not with library books. 

Although that'd be a great art concept. Hmmmmm, hang on a minute...I'm at the library now! Hold me back. Hold me back. Hold me ba... 

York Art Gallery-Drawing on the walls

Cloud: York Art Gallery is closing its doors to the public until its grand reopening in 2015.

Silver lining: before they completely redo the interior, York Art Gallery allowed, nay, encouraged, the good people of York to draw on its walls. 

There were pens, oil pastels, chalk, and charcoal. Miriam and I popped along for this one day event on Saturday, and it was brilliant! She drew a history of the world in the round, with a globe, an apple and an ark, as well as creating general mischief with words and height charts [now it looks like Goliath visited, thanks to some chalk and a chair].

Meanwhile, I whipped out my phone as I'd taken a photo of a hippo from a vintage book, and I was simply itching to do some art with it. My weapons were a grey and a brown pen.

I couldn't resist adding my new art mural website address

[nothing is sacred to the rampant entrepreneur].



A while later, an adorable little girl

decided to perfect Mrs hippo.

Gotta love a joint effort!

Mischievous Miriam and her hand of light!

                     

I've never seen the gallery so busy.
 Graffiti makes the bourgeoisie and the rebels come together, it would seem.

Antique Collage Art at Pyramid Gallery

It can be tricky to find original art that is also affordable. Limited prints are a great way of collecting real art, for example. Only a handful of other people will own the same thing. However, if you want completely one - off unique, it gets a bit more of a challenge to buy on a budget. What I'm finding is that people like to frame my collage cards, and I think its partly because they know they are unique. So it seemed like a good idea to do some collages especially for display in frames. Here are three that I've done for Pyramid Gallery in York. I'm so pleased with them that its been a real struggle to let them go. Partly because I can't reproduce them. But thats the bittersweet allure of unique.

Cold Snap - Polar Bear

Brrrrr. Cold snaps a-comin'. I'm British, so please excuse me whilst I talk about the weather. I'm a little excited about the prospect of the freezing cold as I need an excuse to wear my 8 pairs of gloves. On a rota, not all at once (I know my limits). Also, its the ideal moment to show you this-my bear-ly there polar painting. 

A postcard sized canvas, acrylic under household emulsion. Off whites, a lone silhouette of a bear walking through an arctic blizzard. Half seen. Close encounters and near misses. The silence and noise of the storm. Isolation. Enchantment. 

Feeling cold yet?

Tidings of Great Joy: Peace on Earth. Dove Art.

One thing I'd like to try more of is art that reflects my faith. It'd be a pleasure painting about the things dearest to my heart. I had a go last week, and came up with a triptych of doves. Birds are among my favourite things to paint anyway, and doves seem to encapsulate so much of the peace, lightness and freedom I find in living for Jesus.

I painted quickly, trying to avoid the laboured overworked stuff that is so easy to produce when you're pouring your heart into something. I painted wet into wet, which is tricky with fast drying acrylic. I'm pleased with the result, and, oddly, they work best under artificial light, which is a bonus in an English light-starved winter.

The next challenge would be to try the same subject matter, but in oils.

Bar Lane Studios Exhibition now on

 l'm now officially an exhibiting artist. With the help of the minion l hung the works quickly on my little rented patch of perfection.

There are tiny canvases you can hold in the palm of your hand: a feather painted in greys, and, on another, a bright yellow butterfly wing. A cross, a star of David, sackcloth and real pearls, gum wrappers and goats hair are all firing out their imagery in this collage of conflicting parts. Its precious, but edgy; lyrical but slightly dark. Think Angela Carter, modern takes on old themes, myth, legend and mystery.

The tactile theme continues with more collages, this time postcard sized, and the occassional painting, splashed out graffiti-quick in contrast to the labourious assemblage. These raw works sit uneasily next to the polish and anonimity of the found collages, creating tension and a change of tempo.

Confused? Curious?Drop in to create your own visual narrative. Its scrabble but with images x

Stretch the greyhound

The first painting l ever did in York is of a greyhound; stretching as luxuriously as any of Degas' women and in a strict monochrome palette (mixed from colour rather than a tube of black acrylic to make it sing), this hangs in the house of a very chic friend, and I get to visit it from time to time.

A Christmas Craft Fair at Garland Street

On thursday, the lovely Nick and Gillie Clarke are throwing a craft party-its open house so you are all invited: 4 Garland Street, York. I've done a little mock up of the stall I'll have there...

There will be animal cards I made yesterday, painted in acrylic and Tippex on Grimm's fairy tales. Don't really want to part with them, as they'd make great xmas cards for my family.

                                                

Looking forward to eating my first mince pie(s) of the season, as well as peddling my wares!

Bar Lane Studios Exhibition: Ruthy rebels

The exhibition goes up Friday! Being faced with the prospect of a blank wall to fill is a whole lot more intimidatiing by a blank canvas. Nothing to spar with, rebel against or bounce off. Like performing live, blindfolded. To be left to speak in images, to hear nothing but my own voice-yes, a luxury, but a petrifying luxury.

                                               


Which brings me to those basic, awkward questions 'who am l and what do l do? '. I've not exhibited just for me for so many years. Making an entrance into the York art scene might pin me down to a particular visual language. But l suppose, much like this blog, you just start and discover as you go.

 

Surpressing such embarrassingly teenage angst, l knuckled down to painting birds (see Being an Exhibitionist post). It was all lovely, very feminine. The sort of stuff l'd want to produce for others. But truthfully, it wasn't engaging me. I did not feel it summed up the Moth And Magpie Way (http/www.etsy.com/shop/mothandmagpie). So yesterday l hid all the paintings and started on some bijoux little collages that l like so much l don't mind if thet don't sell. Its win/win.

Plus, they are small enough to be budget friendly. And considering that at the Affordable Art Fair everything will be selling for under £100,  they'll fit in nicely. They'll be cheap enough to buy a small collection to sprinkle over a wall, like little jewels for the home. That is, if l can bring myself to part with them...picturing Gollum type arguments as I hang the works.

Art In The Heart Of York

Here is my stall at York market. I bought my painting gear ready for any emergency commissions!

       The Long View

 Setting up

The market was super quiet (perhaps because of the gale force winds) so l set about painting the amazing view from the end of my stall...

And also did a quick paint sketch of the stall opposite, manned by an inspiring entrepreneur called Richard who gave me some handy tips!

By the end of the day l was painting fruit- perhaps being behind a fruit stall had something to do with it.... who knew that a market stall would make the ideal pop-up studio!

Being an exhibitionist

I am delighted to announce an upcoming exhibition at the Bar Lane Studios in York. Best get painting then!

A little sneak preview...at the moment l'm working on a bird and collage themed exhibition.