Getting Back to Blogging...

Spring... a time of renewal.

It seems that cycles of writing regular blog posts interspersed with weeks/months of being incommunicado affect many bloggers, and unfortunately I am no exception. Apologies. It is not due to being inactive on the art front... in fact the pause often happens initially because of a very active phase and not having the time and energy. Then it becomes harder to get going again. So a very quick update and then I will move on and re-commit to this blog as I do love the way it can act as an online diary and record of a life in art, while at the same time inspiring others, hopefully.

If you pop onto my page for Art Events & Teaching you will notice that I am running regular classes and workshops throughout this year at Norfolk Creative Arts, an exciting new venue in Grimston, West Norfolk. There are a wide variety of tutors, subjects and media so if you wish to investigate visit www.norfolkcreativearts.co.uk and there is sure to be something to tempt you!

Spring Term Wednesday Weekly Mixed Media Classes
at Norfolk Creative Arts are now in full swing! 

Aside from all the planning for these classes I am also busy with personal artwork as a joint exhibition with another artist is looming on the horizon in May. More details will follow in the next few weeks but we are both creating mostly new work for it and the beautiful village hall in Thornham is quite spacious, so the pressure is beginning to mount.

Some images of work that may be included in the upcoming exhibition...

Woodland (North Wootton) in compressed charcoal & white pastel © Tod Evans

Barn Owl, using limited watercolour palette and charcoal pencil
- a quick animation here to show you how it built up...

Close crop of Teasels in pencil, white gesso and acrylic 

© Tod Evans

Views of seascape in watercolour, gouache & Inktense pencil
as it built up © Tod Evans

Roydon painted in acrylic with palette knife
© Tod Evans

The beach at Old Hunstanton in acrylic © Tod Evans

So a little sneak peak at some of the contenders to be included, there are works still in progress (not shown) and I am excited about work yet to be created! Will keep you posted on new developments but if you are in Norfolk over the weekend of 14th and 15th May, 2016 we would love to see you at our exhibition Into the Woods & Beyond to be held in Thornham Village Hall, PE36 6LX.

Sketchbook work continues as well, and possibly may be included for perusal...

Sketchbook work continues...

Finally, a recent exhibition visited by myself and family was Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse at the Royal Academy in London. There was (and is) a close connection between many artists and their gardens and it's natural that they wished to explore ways of depicting the colours, shapes and features, often working in them as outdoor studios. Monet is the key artist in this fine exhibition but there are examples by Caillebotte, Pissaro, renoir, matisse, Van Gogh, Klimt, Bonard etc. Also some artists I had not encountered before, Joaquin Sorolla being one and I plan to research more about him. It is Monet, however, who resonates the most and the work inspired by his lily pond is sublime. Despite over exposure on packaging and household items over the years, to see the paintings in real life is to fall in love with them all over again. The fusions of colour, the abstraction of motifs and the free brushwork is totally absorbing. The finale, the triptych, in the last room is breathtaking - the sheer scale - so that as a viewer you are compelled to move up close and study the fragmented textures and colours before stepping back right back to appreciate the whole again. Like a little dance forwards and backwards we go repeatedly, drinking in the artwork with the senses. I really did not want to leave that painting and having visited Monet's garden in Giverny it is as relevant today as it has ever been.

Superb exhibition, well worth a visit.

The exhibition runs until April 20th so I encourage you to go and see it if possible!

Owl Sketches & Painting on the Patio

Tawny owl & long-eared owl - taxidermy specimens.

These two visitors have been gracing my studio recently. They are taxidermy specimens (borrowed) and offer a great opportunity to study these beautiful owls. However, when working from taxidermy be aware that there can be discrepancies to the real thing - in this case both suffer from flattened feathers as they usually live in a local school and have been stroked a lot I think! The long-eared owl also has a rather alarming list to one side which I tried to correct in my drawing...

Tawny owl sketch, pencil.

Tawny owls are woodland birds and make the characteristic owl hoot. Several years ago I was fortunate to spy one sitting in a tree in the front garden at dusk. 

Long-eared owl sketch, pencil.

The long-eared owl does often have the long, thin appearance of this specimen and feature head feathers which are known as ear tufts. These are not actually ears, but get raised when the bird is alarmed. I have never seen one in the wild although they do live in Britain but don't seem to be as common as the tawny or barn owl.

Pericallis 'Senetti', charcoal on A3 cartridge paper.

Today I was determined to have a play with art materials and as the weather was warm and sunny I decided to work on the patio. To 'warm up' - artistically, not physically - I started with a charcoal drawing of a delightful potted plant. I was attracted by the simple flowers with long curvy petals and the leaf shapes. I blended charcoal onto the paper surface first to create a mid-tone and then used a charcoal pencil for the line work with an eraser to lift out the lights. The work builds quite quickly with this method and helps prevent fiddly detailing.

Fern in a patio pot, placed on the table for easier observation.

After a break for a cup of tea my eye fell upon this fern which lives in what I call my damp 'woodland' area of the patio... actually it's just a dank corner which never gets any sun, but the ferns and hostas seem happy there. I have added some logs, rocks and pebbles which have been colonised by mosses to support the theme. I began again in my 8x8" sketchbook by observing the curve and unfurling of several stems in pencil. Then moved into watercolour, initially using just the brush and paint but this seemed rather weak in terms of an image so I introduced pencil once it had dried.   

Fern drawn in pencil in sketchbook.

Fern in watercolour,
drawing directly with paint.

Added pencil to strengthen work,
but seemed lost on page...

Extended pencil work beyond
painted areas and finally
a rather wobbly 'frame' to anchor on page.

As I had hoped to get into actually doing a painting of some sort I decided to continue with the fern and taped two A4 size sheets of 140lb Bockingford watercolour paper (Not surface) to a board and placed this on a metal easel. As I wanted to get away from a totally representational image I chose to work with less realistic colour in a limited palette. I worked on both paintings simultaneously but present the sequences as Fern 1 and Fern 2 so the stages are easier to follow. 

Fern 1 - watercolour variegated wash & when almost dry
spattered clean water to create visual texture.

Fern 1 - added some strokes of colour with pastel sticks
then brushed clean water over this to disperse.
Once this layer had dried I began to draw with pastel pencil. 

Fern 1 - continued to build up fern motifs
until I felt I had 'said' enough.

And finally Fern 2...

 

Fern 2 - watercolour underpainting,
again spattered with water to create mottled effect.

Fern 2 - sweeps of pastel sticks then water brushed over
which creates drips and granulation. Once dry, pastel pencils
to describe fern forms.

Fern 2 - continue to build up painting
with addition of more pastel pencil.

Having experienced a bit of a drought on the creative front recently I am pleased with the results of this afternoon. I enjoyed working in the sketchbook first and certainly feel observing and sketching the fern before attempting the two mixed media paintings helped to create a looser interpretation. I certainly won't be exhibiting or framing them but feel there is some merit in the layering and textural qualities that appeal to me.   

If you also feel stuck in a rut or the creative well has temporarily run dry, take the pressure off and give yourself permission to be side tracked by small studies and experiments... who knows where they might lead?

Exhibition Round-Up and First Effort at Time-Lapse Video!

WNAA 'Small Works' exhibition in Shakespeare Barn, King's Lynn

The latest art exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre are now in full swing.  All four galleries are showing work by local artists - so much talent in West Norfolk!  I have already done several sessions invigilating and always enjoy meeting visitors and getting feedback on any of the work on display. 



Pattern of Light, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 cms
My painting with selected grey background square in the
WNAA Small Works exhibition

Almost everyone comments on the novel approach to display in the WNAA Small Works exhibition.  I find it fascinating to see which colour each artist has chosen to enhance their work.  It is amazing how each becomes a little jewel in its own setting.  We have had a few people asking what the accompanied paint colour is called (perhaps inspired to use it as a feature wall in their home?) and in a previous year one artist who sold his artwork was invited to paint the square too.

'Wildlife in Art 2013' exhibition in The Fermoy Gallery, King's Lynn

A very different display for the Wildlife in Art 2013 exhibition - not an easy task to create an exhibition that flows with such an array of media, styles, shapes and sizes.  Congratulations to Peter, Ann and David - you did it!

In the photo above you can just about make out my owl painting.  I treated myself to a little camcorder a few weeks ago and made sure it was one that had a time-lapse recording function on it.  This enables a long period of time to be condensed into a much shorter time frame by only capturing snatches of images at pre-set intervals.  I have had a go at this while painting Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  I am offering this short video to you for viewing, but apologize for any frustration it may cause - unfortunately I ran out of battery before I even started working on those gorgeous orange eyes!  I had been playing around with the camera and getting used to the various functions; I should have charged the battery before filming the painting session.  Learning a lesson the hard way...

To try and make amends I finish with a photo of Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  My original reference photo was taken when Paul and I were in the Lake District and while exploring Kendal we came across an owl recue association promoting their work that had some of their magnificent birds with them.  Paul had the opportunity to have a large leather glove on his fist and Monty sat there quite content while I took some photos.  We left a healthy donation to support their work!

  

Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl, acrylic on canvas, 
(copyright Tod Evans) 

The exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk continue until Sunday 15th September, closing at 5pm, so if you are visiting the area I urge you to go along and have a look - there is something for all tastes and you will definitely come away inspired.  You may even be tempted to purchase some original art to hang in your own home.