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.

Plein Air - Old Stable in the Paddock

Attempting plein air painting with water mixable oils again
 

After my disastrous attempt at plein air with water mixable oils in France I didn't want to leave it too long before having another go.  A bit like falling off a horse - get back in the saddle asap!  I have fancied the old stable in the paddock as subject matter for a while, and in the sunshine it looked very inspiring.  I loved the leafy shadows cast by the overhanging willow branches onto the old weathered wood.  

A very busy scene

As you can see by the photo there was a lot of detail that would need simplifying - I was definitely going for an impression.  It is very different attempting a scene like this from life compared to working from a reference picture.  Everything seemed high definition yet in a constant state of change as the sun kept disappearing behind clouds and there was a frisky breeze.  Mistake number one - the sun was very bright and very strong.  I should have used my easel umbrella to shield the canvas board, then paint colours could have been assessed more accurately.  Mistake number two - I probably needed to either work on a larger board, or, considered the composition more carefully and made the old stable a bit smaller to allow for more context to surround it.  A quick value sketch would have organised this.  Anyway I started brushing on a diluted wash of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt umber feeling very optimistic.

As I wanted to keep everything loose I decided against any detailed drawing and opted to lift out the pale shape of the old stable with kitchen towel from the damp wash.  

Mid tone wash with pale shapes lifted out
(apologies for the dark photo) 

A slightly more concentrated wash of the same colours was used next to block in and define the main dark areas.  At the time I was quite happy at this stage but with hindsight I would definitely have preferred more room for the foreground grasses.  This canvas board is A4 size and I have found these proportions tricky in the past, if I am working small scale my eye prefers the 8" x 10" ratio (20 x 25cms) for some reason.    

Main dark passages blocked in

My strategy was to have thin darks and thicker paint for the light areas so the work progressed through various shades of green (all made from blues and yellows, sometimes toned down with burnt sienna) and pale neutrals for the weathered wood.  I had to try and capture the cast shadows when the sun blazed, but tricky as they constantly swayed and danced.  By now I realised that this would not be a masterpiece... my heart sank a little.  In frustration I utilised a palette knife to apply linear marks with naples yellow to suggest some of the long blonde dried grasses and finally dotted in the pale blue 'skyholes' in the trees.  At least both these actions gave the work a little boost! 

 

The Old Stable, water mixable oils on canvas board, 21 x 29.5cms

So there it is.  I spent an hour and forty minutes out in the open air, totally engrossed, and although I ended up with a painting that will probably just get stored away somewhere I thoroughly enjoyed the process and learned a few valuable lessons along the way.  Somme, the Labrador, had a whale of a time.  He was either charging around the field or taking shelter in the shade, accompanied by several balls of varying sizes from his collection!

There is still something I find inspiring about this scene and I may try it again with my soft pastels, either working from life again or maybe directly from the photograph.  Perhaps this is an exercise you might like to try - work on a subject you have tackled before but in a different medium?

Painting still life - Clementines in Acrylic

Classes this week have been very enjoyable.  Every term I like to include a session working from life and the mixed media group were asked to bring fruit or veg to set up a simple still life.  I had specified acrylic as the media to work in, and encouraged members to try small canvas boards which are lovely to paint on.  I had painted an example myself and photographed the stages as a suggested method of working...

Stage 1: Create mid-tone and sketch composition

Backgrounds can be a problem with still life, so I advised painting a diluted acrylic wash of colour over the whole board to create a mid-tone (and to get rid of the 'scary' white canvas).  This is a preliminary layer but can be left to play a major or minor role later...  Once the wash has dried sketch out the composition, either with pencil, pastel, or directly with diluted paint and a brush.

Stage 2:  Block in base colours

Block in the basic colours of the subject - go for generalised light, mid, dark tones to start to suggest the form.  Cast shadows are important, get them in early!  They are part of the design process and can be used to create drama, interesting shapes and / or can act as a linking device.

Stage 3:  Scumble background colour

I find people often set off painting the objects to a high degree of finish, sit back and then think "oh, what shall I do with the background?"  In the class situation there isn't room to create elaborate 'sets' with draped fabric for each individual still life arrangement.  Backgrounds are really being invented.  For this next stage I suggested they might like to try scumbling a paler, thicker paint mix over the mid-tone background to create some interest and texture whilst keeping it simple.  I like to use a big flat brush for this and use my brushstrokes in an almost criss-cross fashion allowing some of the first wash to show through .  I paint right up to the objects and around the cast shadows.  Apologies for the cool tint of the photograph, it was getting dark and I forgot to take another picture before carrying on work the next day.

Stage 4:  Bring the painting to life with subtle colour, tones and detail

This is the bit everyone enjoys - working with a wider range of colours and tones and gradually adding detail to bring the painting to life.

Clementines, acrylic on canvas board, 8 x 10 cms

I really enjoyed working on this little painting in acrylic.  The warm limited colour palette is certainly uplifting on a chilly February day.  I find the orange / purple colourings exciting and more pleasing to the eye than a true complementary pairing of orange / blue.  In fact with the addition of the green in the leaf this colour combination is known as a triadic colour harmony.

If you have never tried painting from life, look for some fruit or vegetables in the fridge (or next time you're in the supermarket treat yourself to something you would like to paint) and have a go.