And while we're being nakedly commercial, don't forget my E-book on Oil Painting Basics, available for a laughably modest price on Amazon's Kindle Store: Christmas present for the family's budding oil painter, perhaps?
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Downs at Niton, Isle of Wight
This is a 10" by 7" watercolour on The Langton NOT Grand Fin. Available unmounted and unframed at £40.00 plus post and packing.
And while we're being nakedly commercial, don't forget my E-book on Oil Painting Basics, available for a laughably modest price on Amazon's Kindle Store: Christmas present for the family's budding oil painter, perhaps?
And while we're being nakedly commercial, don't forget my E-book on Oil Painting Basics, available for a laughably modest price on Amazon's Kindle Store: Christmas present for the family's budding oil painter, perhaps?
Monday, 28 October 2013
I have been working, honest
Trouble is, it's a bit dark here in the Batcave, and I need to take paintings outside to photograph them; just a bit difficult, that, in this weather.
A small crop is offered below, anyway.
Quarter Imperial watercolour, on Bockingford Rough, of one of our upsy-down hills - the dark shapes beneath the trees might be cows; or bullocks.
A small crop is offered below, anyway.
A skew-whiff acrylic on watercolour paper. Seasonal, I thought.
Through the Gap - Watercolour of the Niton Landslip: this was once part of the lawn at Reeth Lodge.
Watercolour on Fabriano Rough, around 8" by 6", based on a drawing in my sketchbook, location - I've forgotten!
Watercolour on Fabriano Rough, 8" by 6" approx., Through the Branches to the Sea. This was painted just before the storms hit, but I anticipated them by bringing a tree down.
More will follow, when I can actually take a photograph of the bigger ones.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Back to Watercolour
I'm on something of a watercolour jag at the moment - working on my third this week, and will post pictures next time.
Watercolour paper comes in various weights, one of the most common being 140lbs, otherwise known as 300gsm. This gets confusing to someone like me, who struggles with figures and symbols. In short, this paper is one of the thinner ones (there are even thinner). This can be - and invariably is - a problem if you use a fair amount of water with the paint (which by definition, you do). The thinner papers cockle - they corrugate horribly when you're painting and only gradually lie back down as they dry. So if you're trying to paint a straight horizon line (note to all learner painters: horizons must be level - water doesn't flow uphill) it's the devil's own job to get it right: you can't really see it properly until the paper dries out and goes flat.
To counteract this problem - I wish I could say entirely defeat it, but that's something of a matter of chance - many people stretch their papers, soak them in water (and that really means SOAK) lay them down on a board, and stick them to the board with gum-strip. There are video demonstrations of this on YouTube.
Apologies to all who know this already.
When the paper has dried out, the idea is that the gummed paper will hold it in place as it shrinks, thus giving you a flat surface on which to paint which won't cockle. But it doesn't always work: the gummed paper lifts, or the paper wasn't wet enough so that all the fibres were saturated, and you still get cockles; but should get fewer of them.
Stretching paper, however you do it, is however a bit of a faff .... and as soon as I reach the last sheet of my present batch of paper, I'm going to buy some heavier weight paper (300lbs or so) which is more expensive, but doesn't cockle and doesn't need stretching. What I want to know is - WHY do so many artists' suppliers offer only the lighter weight papers? And why are they so conservative in the range of papers offered? There are many more than the standard Bockingford and The Langton (nothing wrong with those, mind). Arches, Fabriano Artistico, Saunders, Schoellershammer, Hahnemuehle, Two Rivers, and more. I can understand why art shops don't carry all the ranges available, but could the bigger companies who trade online not offer more ranges and weights, so that beginners don't get lumbered with the most difficult papers to paint on?
Watercolour paper comes in various weights, one of the most common being 140lbs, otherwise known as 300gsm. This gets confusing to someone like me, who struggles with figures and symbols. In short, this paper is one of the thinner ones (there are even thinner). This can be - and invariably is - a problem if you use a fair amount of water with the paint (which by definition, you do). The thinner papers cockle - they corrugate horribly when you're painting and only gradually lie back down as they dry. So if you're trying to paint a straight horizon line (note to all learner painters: horizons must be level - water doesn't flow uphill) it's the devil's own job to get it right: you can't really see it properly until the paper dries out and goes flat.
To counteract this problem - I wish I could say entirely defeat it, but that's something of a matter of chance - many people stretch their papers, soak them in water (and that really means SOAK) lay them down on a board, and stick them to the board with gum-strip. There are video demonstrations of this on YouTube.
Apologies to all who know this already.
When the paper has dried out, the idea is that the gummed paper will hold it in place as it shrinks, thus giving you a flat surface on which to paint which won't cockle. But it doesn't always work: the gummed paper lifts, or the paper wasn't wet enough so that all the fibres were saturated, and you still get cockles; but should get fewer of them.
Stretching paper, however you do it, is however a bit of a faff .... and as soon as I reach the last sheet of my present batch of paper, I'm going to buy some heavier weight paper (300lbs or so) which is more expensive, but doesn't cockle and doesn't need stretching. What I want to know is - WHY do so many artists' suppliers offer only the lighter weight papers? And why are they so conservative in the range of papers offered? There are many more than the standard Bockingford and The Langton (nothing wrong with those, mind). Arches, Fabriano Artistico, Saunders, Schoellershammer, Hahnemuehle, Two Rivers, and more. I can understand why art shops don't carry all the ranges available, but could the bigger companies who trade online not offer more ranges and weights, so that beginners don't get lumbered with the most difficult papers to paint on?
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Computer Chaos
If anyone out there has sent me an email in the last 2 weeks, and not had a reply, or only a holding reply, please send it again because I've lost the lot, plus my email contacts - I knew there was something I'd forgotten when reinstalling Windows, and that was what it was - computers seemed like such a good idea at the time; I'm now finding the quill and parchment strangely attractive....
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
A Few Recent Additions
From the top - Into the Marsh, acrylic; then Dream House, oil sketch on paper; then Memory of River Thames holiday; and finally Dream House, Carbon pencil, conté crayon and acrylic black and white on cartridge paper.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
The Old Tower
This was the main entrance to Reeth Lodge, until it was demolished as a dangerous structure - I live in the other half of the house, or part of it; this wing is the older part, which was unfortunately undermined by the landslip in ca. 1995. Since then, the land has been drained, and rock armour has been installed in Reeth Bay, so it's as safe as ..... a slice of steak in a dog's bowl...
The tower came down a few years ago: what's left is a hole, like a gap in a row of teeth. But don't talk to me about teeth. I said - don't talk to me about teeth!
.JPG)
Drawn in charcoal, A3 size.
The tower came down a few years ago: what's left is a hole, like a gap in a row of teeth. But don't talk to me about teeth. I said - don't talk to me about teeth!
.JPG)
Drawn in charcoal, A3 size.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Friday, 30 August 2013
Pictures from an Exhibition
These were taken at our recent Vectis Artisans exhibition at the Presentation House Gallery in Ryde, IW. One shows a couple of my paintings, another shows paintings by Becky Samuelson, Tony Westmore, Murray Ince, and others; and the ceramic models are by Juliet Collins.
It has to be admitted that we did not do well at this Gallery, which is a new venture and unfortunately situated in a quiet part of town (other parts of which can be anything but) and has not yet made a name for itself as a venue. It is however a beautiful building, and I very much hope that in time it will become the premier venue it so deserves to be - a bit more work on publicity is required before that's likely to happen; but although it wasn't profitable for us, on the whole, it was a pleasure to spent time with other artists in the group, whom I'd not got to know well before, and to learn about their techniques and approach to painting.
We learn a bit more from each exhibition, and although these are hard times for anyone working in the visual arts, I hope we'll have more financial success next time.
It has to be admitted that we did not do well at this Gallery, which is a new venture and unfortunately situated in a quiet part of town (other parts of which can be anything but) and has not yet made a name for itself as a venue. It is however a beautiful building, and I very much hope that in time it will become the premier venue it so deserves to be - a bit more work on publicity is required before that's likely to happen; but although it wasn't profitable for us, on the whole, it was a pleasure to spent time with other artists in the group, whom I'd not got to know well before, and to learn about their techniques and approach to painting.
We learn a bit more from each exhibition, and although these are hard times for anyone working in the visual arts, I hope we'll have more financial success next time.
Sorry, old age! I've forgotten who painted the picture on the far right in the second photo - pity, as I DO remember it received a lot of very favourable comments.... I had the name when I started this post, but it deserted me minutes later. Oh dear. I'd take a memory pill, if I could remember where I put them..........
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Get Well Roger....
A get-well card to Roger Skidmore, who had the inestimable privilege to be my optician for some years, who has suffered a detached retina. As I've had the same operation, I fully sympathize: it takes a while to recover from this. I hope his surgeon was as good as mine.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Vectis Artisans Exhibition, August 23rd to 28th, Ryde, Isle of Wight
Vectis Artisans (Vectis being the Roman name for the Isle of Wight), a group of 11 island artists founded by Murray Ince, are holding only their second joint exhibition from Aug 23rd to 28th at the old Nunnery (Presentation House), 55 High Street, Ryde. Doors open between 11am and 4pm. Paintings, ceramic sculpture, photography - come and pay us a visit.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Oink!
Painted this Capitalist Pig for a birthday card for a friend of socialist leanings - well, I say leanings ... if he leaned any further he'd be out of the window. One Stephen Edward Moorcroft, to be precise, who has adopted C. Pig for his Facebook homepage. Or is it Steven .... could well be...
Am I getting old and forgetful? Well - yes, obviously.
Capitalist Pig is an oil painting on a cigar-box lid - I'm running out of cigar boxes, so this would be just a splendid opportunity for all my many admirers (hallo....? Are you there.....?) to send me more boxes; with cigars in them, naturally. Big 'uns, I like .... All right, I appreciate you may not run to Havanas, but the Nicaraguans do a very satisfactory range. Don't stint. No sense in spoiling the ship for a ha'port of tar, eh?
Wood - at least at this size, at which warping isn't much of a problem - is a very satisfactory surface for oil paint, once it's primed and sealed of course. It takes the paint well and allows detailed drawing, if you want it: canvas, at least the cotton duck variety which most of us use, isn't so forgiving or accommodating. I think I'd use wood all the time, if I could get a reliable supply - must investigate.
Am I getting old and forgetful? Well - yes, obviously.
Capitalist Pig is an oil painting on a cigar-box lid - I'm running out of cigar boxes, so this would be just a splendid opportunity for all my many admirers (hallo....? Are you there.....?) to send me more boxes; with cigars in them, naturally. Big 'uns, I like .... All right, I appreciate you may not run to Havanas, but the Nicaraguans do a very satisfactory range. Don't stint. No sense in spoiling the ship for a ha'port of tar, eh?
Wood - at least at this size, at which warping isn't much of a problem - is a very satisfactory surface for oil paint, once it's primed and sealed of course. It takes the paint well and allows detailed drawing, if you want it: canvas, at least the cotton duck variety which most of us use, isn't so forgiving or accommodating. I think I'd use wood all the time, if I could get a reliable supply - must investigate.
Friday, 12 July 2013
loose watercolors The Wesson way
Great video demonstration by Alan Owen, one of my favourite watercolourists who deserves a wider audience even though he's conquered YouTube, which is more than I've done!
Friday, 5 July 2013
Mick Saunders
Rest in peace Mick, also known to many of us as Bloodaxe (and well-named!), a talented pastellist and oil painter, a fellow devotee of lead white oil paint, and a watercolourist until a stroke robbed him of manual dexterity.
He'll be much missed on Painters Online - deepest sympathy from all of us to Marilyn Saunders and family.
He'll be much missed on Painters Online - deepest sympathy from all of us to Marilyn Saunders and family.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Wide Blue Yonder
Posting this latest acrylic with Chromacolour, from a photograph by Bob Blake of an area I well know but find it difficult to get to these days..... 30cm by 40cm. And for sale (of course) - I must put it on the website, which sorely needs an update...
A fellow-artist was wondering the other day whether, in view of the expense, it's possible to go on painting in oil. Trouble is that if you get a bit better at it, you want better paint - and the better paint costs a lot more than the basic student grades, like Daler Rowney Georgian and Winsor and Newton's Winton. It IS a problem, but I'll never abandon oil unless it just becomes prohibitive.
Acrylic, fortunately, remains affordable and has its own advantages. I'm told that art buyers favour oil over acrylic, but if they do they're going to find the cost of work steadily climbing. Working on a small one at the moment - it'll take longer to finish than this acrylic did, because of drying times.
A fellow-artist was wondering the other day whether, in view of the expense, it's possible to go on painting in oil. Trouble is that if you get a bit better at it, you want better paint - and the better paint costs a lot more than the basic student grades, like Daler Rowney Georgian and Winsor and Newton's Winton. It IS a problem, but I'll never abandon oil unless it just becomes prohibitive.
Acrylic, fortunately, remains affordable and has its own advantages. I'm told that art buyers favour oil over acrylic, but if they do they're going to find the cost of work steadily climbing. Working on a small one at the moment - it'll take longer to finish than this acrylic did, because of drying times.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Nervously waiting .....
An exhibition looms with Vectis Artisans on Wednesday pm (set-up), from June 13th to 18th, at Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, in which I'm supposed to be taking part.
Well, I WILL take part, one way or the other, but am awaiting framing pieces which, as yet, haven't arrived... They would have done, of course, if I'd ordered them earlier; or I could have got the pictures framed professionally - am just reluctant to provide any more than temporary frames, because I like buyers to choose their own frames: a minority view, probably, but then most of my views are minority views.
I'm not, for various reasons, quite ready or prepared for this exhibition - thanks solely to my failure to pay attention, I was planning towards another exhibition we're to hold in August, in Ryde town itself, and allowed this one to creep up on me.
Anyway, this photograph taken by my landlord, one Chris Hayes-Davis, shows me waiting anxiously at the gates.....
Well, I WILL take part, one way or the other, but am awaiting framing pieces which, as yet, haven't arrived... They would have done, of course, if I'd ordered them earlier; or I could have got the pictures framed professionally - am just reluctant to provide any more than temporary frames, because I like buyers to choose their own frames: a minority view, probably, but then most of my views are minority views.
I'm not, for various reasons, quite ready or prepared for this exhibition - thanks solely to my failure to pay attention, I was planning towards another exhibition we're to hold in August, in Ryde town itself, and allowed this one to creep up on me.
Anyway, this photograph taken by my landlord, one Chris Hayes-Davis, shows me waiting anxiously at the gates.....
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