Photo Essay - Catching Up News...

Aaagghhh... busy, busy, and trip to France is imminent, but I want to quickly catch up with the news of recent activities! So, here is an edited photo essay...

Tried some more nature printing. This one shows the ferns laid on acrylic inks,
which should have resulted in a lovely print. You can also see the rock salt particles
sprinkled on, intended to leave interesting textures when dry and brushed off.
However, the ferns just stuck fast in the acrylic and broke as I tried to prize away from the
dried inks - although a failure I learnt something at least!  

At the same time I was repeating the exercise with ferns and rock salt with watercolour.
This approach worked much better. The feather at the top was created with black printing ink
and the work felt very unbalanced as this dominated the image. After the addition of some black
coloured pencil in select areas around the ferns it seemed to come together.  

I also cut up some heavyweight cartridge paper to print on and made them into cards.

Social Sketchbook event in June at Castle Rising. Well attended and finally some
reasonable weather. An area worth visiting again as there is much inspiration. 

This double page spread is pure watercolour, no pencil drawing first, and was
also completed at Castle Rising. It took about 40 minutes, is very sketchy but a memory of
looking across to Babbingley.  

Selected sketchbooks by the group at castle rising. We all completed several
sketches each so going with the intention of drawing is certainly productive.

My five paintings at Welborne Arts Festival with other members of
West Norfolk Artists Association. A well organised and supported festival but weather
was sunshine and showers. Lots of families, interested in our artwork but not looking to
buy art on a fun day out... Difficult to see the work in this photo due to reflections
on the glass, apologies.

I was treated to a marvellous day out at Mundesley on the North Norfolk coast
by two friends and we sketched on the beach. This is watersoluble pencil over a
pre-prepared gesso base tinted with acrylic. Lovely company, great scenery and
fantastic food - once again "thank you" Kay and Sue!

Social Sketchbook event in Old Hunstanton earlier this month.
Hottest day of the year so far! 

Pen and wash sketch looking towards the famous Hunstanton cliffs.

Looking out to sea. Watercolour washes then dip pen and walnut ink to capture some
of the figures.  

An amazing hollyhock that has grown outside my studio this year. It must have
been a amongst the wildflower seeds I sprinkle each year (usually in vain).

Charcoal drawing from the hollyhock.

Loose variegated sweeps of neocolour crayon and
charcoal pencil line drawing on top. Yes, the hollyhock again. 

I'm feeling happier now, we are all up to date. Note to self: try posting shorter entries but more often!

Please feel free to comment on anything in this blog, I would love to know your views or if you have any questions. In the meantime, France awaits so - Au Revoir!

  

When Life Gets in the Way of Art... Don't Panic!.. 6 Strategies to Help

Happy event...Wedding of eldest daughter!

The summer break is in full swing. No classes until mid September, and I should be spending long productive days in the studio... except I'm not. Don't get me wrong. Life is good. Our eldest daughter got married last weekend. Our middle daughter has returned after over a year teaching English at a primary school in Mexico, and with us for the summer is her delightful boyfriend. As we visit local areas of interest it is as if we are seeing with fresh eyes, which can be a bonus. We have been visualizing and planning a new kitchen which is now ordered and likely to be installed in September... So lots going on, but none of them really to do with art. Potentially this is a period of art-making drought and it would be easy to hit the panic button. But I am now starting to get comfortable with the idea that creativity often waxes and wanes in cycles. And sometimes life just gets in the way. It is how we view this hiatus and what we do with it that is important.

1. Stay connected by using a sketchbook. Small portions of time can be treasured by opening the pages of your sketchbook and quickly recording something... anything... an idea, a view, a person, an object or even just jotting words, reminders, an experience.

Rodney in pencil and watercolour, from a photo
- a real character, full of life and fascinating stories...

Quick pencil sketch on another P&R bus journey.

Overcast, breezy day on Hunstanton Beach.
Note the minimalist art equipment I had in my handbag so I could work on location.

2. Visit inspiring events and make notes. During this period I visited Art in Action in Oxford with my family on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year to date!!! Lots of amazing creative arts and crafts people, so plenty to inspire... My sister and I attended a free one hour lecture about writing, all rather timely as I have been harbouring vague notions of sometime writing a book (non fiction and yes arty!) but all ideas still very nebulous... Out came the sketchbook for scribbled notes during the talk.

Notes made during a short lecture titled 'The Principles of Writing'.

3. Visit art exhibitions, even if a 'whistlestop tour'. Whilst visiting Norwich Castle Museum with family we did pop into the current exhibition about birds. This was a fascinating insight into how birds have inspired art in many forms and the clean lines of one sculpture particularly called out to me. A few pencil lines in the sketchbook and a note made of the sculptor so I can look online later were enough. I also nipped into the contemporary bird exhibition and again made note of artists whose work intrigued me... which neatly leads onto the next point.

The briefest note can be made and researched online later...

4. Research art / artists / blogs / videos online. Keep your interest alive by looking online and following some of those threads that take you on a tangent - I have discovered many new exciting talented people, jotted down notes on things worth trying and watched techniques being demonstrated. Plenty of ideas for my own work and/or classes in the future.

One of the things I keep track of is ideas and internet searches in my gorgeous 'fauxdori'.
 Look this up online (or midori) to read about this resurgence of 'commonplace' style books. 

  
5. Stay involved with your local art Association. If you belong to an art association, club or society try to stay involved. Submit recent work if possible for current exhibitions, attend social events and enjoy spending a short time with other artists. As a Committee member I was responsible for compiling the invigilation rota for the West Norfolk Artists Association Summer Festival Exhibition, although I was unable to assist with the hanging of the work this year. However I was back in Norfolk for the Preview Evening and manned the Enquiry/Sales desk to make up for it!

Recent painting exhibited in
WNAA Summer Festival Exhibition July 2014

 6. Take time out for 'art day' or even a short course. Earlier in the summer break I did seize the opportunity to be a volunteer for Tara Leaver as she wanted to work one-on-one with people who had an issue they would like help with. She is training to be a Creative Counsellor and is currently working under the guidance of Eric Maisel. I was delighted when she accepted me for the four week session with my proposal of wishing to find a way to create animal 'non portraits' (as we decided to call them). The sessions were all conducted via email with photos of work created as evidence of the processes / techniques tried during this period. Although Tara's work is very different to my own, her blog and words of encouragement / motivation / guidance were invaluable and I hope that the experience was mutually beneficial. I certainly never expected an instant answer to an ongoing issue I have periodically tackled for years but I have definitely felt a shift in vision and attitude and (when I get more time) new avenues to continue my explorations. A big heartfelt 'thank you' Tara for your insight, suggestions and feedback! Take a look at http://taraleaver.com and visit her blog...

Red squirrel 'pulled out' from wash of walnut ink
with sepia pen work for minimal detailing
and gouache to emphasize negative shapes.   

Blind contour drawing.
 Looking only at reference photo, as eyes travel around image,
the hand mimics this movement and drawing implement leaves traces as evidence.  

The technique below was tried first as a single drawing...

Charcoal sticks get placed between two sheets of paper...

The charcoal sticks are crushed - a mix of fine powder and small slivers.

Tip some of the charcoal mixture onto the drawing surface
and smear with hand to suggest essence of pose.

The end result - on this occasion a Perlin that looks rather pigeon-like, oh well...

The sequence below shows the stages of a drawing as several poses of the Perlin (Peregrine Falcon x Merlin) get superimposed over one another. Crushed charcoal is used to suggest the essence of the bird before a charcoal stick and eraser is used for mark making to suggest further detailing. The next image gets started over the top, but elements of previous work will act as a palimpsest and create a subtle influence. This drawing could never be repeated as freedom of marks, speed and intuition all come into to play to create such an energetic image. I loved this technique!  

1st stage

Result...

2nd stage...

Result...

3rd stage

Finished drawing. Such movement and energy - a non-portrait!

Detail of head showing tone, line and subtractive mark making.

Detail of mark making with eraser
- large sweeping movements of arm to produce corresponding marks in wing.

Well, that has brought us all up to date. Next week I have reclaimed a day for art by committing myself to a life drawing day in the village hall at Castle Acre. This will be an untutored session with a clothed model. As I haven't done any (human) life drawing for quite some time I am really looking forward to this and will let you know how I get on.

If you are also going through a time when art is having to take a bit of a 'back seat', I hope some of my suggestions will be useful and help you to carve out a few creative sessions, to maintain the connection with your creative self, and keep the panic at bay.

When Nothing is Working... Try Something New!

A new approach...

Last weekend was earmarked for Art with a capital A. With the West Norfolk Artists Association Summer Exhibition fast approaching, and the deadline to get entry forms in almost here, I was running out of time to produce some new work. If I had high expectations, they soon came crashing down. Nothing was working out, I felt rather uninspired and it showed. Frustration and disappointment set deep by Sunday evening. My long suffering husband had to put up with 'woe is me' and lots of sighing. "I don't know what my personal artwork is about..." and "It's all got a bit lightweight and flimsy" were some of the words muttered.

My mind must have been in overdrive while I slept, however. Monday morning I woke up, and a little mental pep talk whilst in the shower gave me whole different mindset for the day. Deep down I do know what I want my work to be about - contrasts of media, translucent versus opaque, detail versus abstract passages (for a start). I would try something different. I would experiment. Take the pressure off. I already have one pastel being framed so at least I have one work to enter. If nothing else I will at least have some fun!

Taking my theme of 'Artist in an Acre' I selected two photos as inspiration. I planned to create an abstract underpainting, then bring some semblance of order out of the chaos by working on the top but allowing passages of the initial layer to show too... These step by step photos demonstrate the stages one of the paintings went through. I started by laying the support on a waterproof sheet, on the floor, for the initial work - I planned on getting messy!

Diluted acrylic washes painted on to a canvas board - not pretty.

 

Thicker paint sponged on in selected areas.
Once dry, liquid acrylic ink is squirted and diluted on the surface,
drips encouraged.

Oooh, now things are getting interesting... dribbles of white diluted gesso.
The yellow acrylic ink wasn't as dry as I thought and mingles - I like it! 

Once the previous layer dried more acrylic ink is added...

Assessment time... 

Taking charge, now referring to reference photo more -
need to keep things loose though

Ah, now there is some context.

Keep the work loose. Spatter and droplets of brighter colour
for suggested leaves...

 

Tinted gesso for skyholes, needed some more 'pop' generally
 and more emphasis on sunlit grass. Out come the Conte crayons and
 finally 'Ta Dah' - finished!
Stream of Light, 35.5cms x 46cms, acrylic & Conte on canvas board.

I have also completed another artwork, a diluted acrylic underpainting on gessoed mountboard then worked up with soft pastel. Unusual for me, I did no blending of the pastel layers. So, when nothing is working... try something new. A different approach could work wonders. I am delighted with the results of the past two days, fingers crossed the selectors like my work!

Late Light, Spring 59cms x 54cms, acrylic & pastel on gessoed mountboard.

  

Open Studio - First Weekend

Inside and out... studio ready for visitors

As I write and look out the window, heavy rain is lashing down and it takes me back to the start of the weekend when Paul and I struggled in the wind and rain to fix laminated notices to gateposts. However it cleared by early afternoon and Open Studios was up and running. I had a quiet first day and only two visitors so finished the day wondering if my fears of being too 'off the beaten track' were well founded. Sunday dawned bright and clear and I had a lovely day with a steady flurry of interested visitors. Some were members of the art classes I teach and keen to see where I create the sample work for the sessions delivered at the Henderson Art & Framing studio in Gaywood. Others were members of West Norfolk Artists Association and having met me, or heard of me, seemed to enjoy chatting about the challenges of being an artist and viewing my personal artwork. Neighbours called round to find out more about what I 'get up to' and, of course, the dedicated art lovers who browse the NNOS14 brochure to find studios they would like to visit.

Studio view... happy to put the kettle on while you look at work
and feel free to take a seat and chat about any aspects of being an artist.

Yesterday, Bank Holiday Monday, was once again bright with sunny spells despite showers forecast. I was delighted to receive visitors again interested in art and artist studios. I have Work in Progress on my table easel and floor standing easel, but haven't made much progress as I do love to chat! A major highlight of the day was when my mum and sister surprised me with a flying visit, they had travelled all the way from Hertfordshire.

Blocking in base layers for dog portrait using soft pastel

So, what can you expect if you visit? The walls display my personal artwork which includes many animal portraits, a particular passion, in a variety of media. There is a browser with mounted (but not framed) work and these include studies and still life subjects. A Bargain Basket contains loose work of mostly experiments or workshop studies. There is a stand with cards/postcards for sale and a display of artwork samples to promote the pastel and mixed media classes I teach. Further round is an area devoted to my Artist in Acre Project - self initiated and an ongoing task for the whole year. This brings us back to the Work in Progress, this will change as artwork gets completed and a new challenge gets underway.

Read the programme for current classes,
and view examples of work from previous sessions

I have also set up a table with natural objects and examples of drawings done with dip pens and Quink Ink. Feel free to have a go and experience the amazing properties of this permanent ink - ideal for use in a sketchbook (but not work for hanging as not lightfast).

Try your hand at drawing with a dip pen, and Quink Ink

This weekend has proved that there are family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances and art lovers who are local or from further afield, interested to see what Open Studios is all about. Thank you all for your interest and support, it is greatly appreciated and I look forward to meeting more of you over the next two weekends.

Visit www.nnopenstudios.org.uk for more information on participating artists.