like most visual artists, you tend to play with similar shapes and forms and explore them through scale and medium. exploration is part of the process… today finding myself making the florals more like the abstract compositions. bourne out of a mistake really, but, a happy accident.
EASTER.........
my past career life was in fashion. I love the fluidity of fashion drawings and their simplicity of line to form silhouettes and attitude on paper. A simple profile here with an easter theme and some help from nature!
DARK AND LIGHT.............
in a weekend of organizing, it’s good to look back at some old work. I try not to throw things out. I worked with someone at one point who would rescue my discarded pieces from the bin. Sometimes looking back can help move things forward.
COLOUR PLAY.............
doing some paint sketching today in not so natural colors and trying to switch it up with medium, always makes for an interesting day.
POPPIES.........
I started painting poppies initially as Wesh poppies, the yellow variety, which in fact is not actually a true poppy but a member of the meconopsis family of flowers. I have a love if their simplicity and their meandering wobbly heads on slim stalks. Long associated with remembrance ( as with the red poppy) they can also represent sleep and peace. The two paintings here are 18 x 24” ink and acrylic on Strathmore printmakers paper 280g. Please message me if you are interested in purchasing.
INK............
thinking ink rather than paint today, ink water and gravity.
THINK BIGGER...........
a friend messaged me the other day and said “paint bigger”.. in a world of tiny screens, it was interesting advice. in my work experience, I usually paint on quite a small scale….. this one will be a challenge. everything changes with scale, the impact of color, the movements you physically need to make and the brushes to make the marks… its going to prove interesting. not that you can see the difference here on the screen, but the three vessels is a small piece approximately 8” square. the jug + poppies 18 x 24”…quite a departure from the norm. more to come..
PURE.........
cleaning out the studio today, getting ready for the new year and new things, but came across an old project that I loved. the pure project took inspiration from a number of abstract watercolor and botanical paintings and translated them into dinnerware. I love how the use of glaze and the brutal firing temperatures in the process transform the original ideas into new pieces of art themselves. Each piece is unique out of the kiln, no two are the same… much like paintings.
the inspiration…………
the product…… all images anthropologie
OF THE SEASON.........................................
the year has whizzed by, and here we are at Christmas. Some wonderful connections made in the last month with group of artists from my past, all work or live with nature in mind.. so feeling melancholy for hills, forests and valleys.
COMING ATTRACTIONS...................
a long work in progress, but a snippet of things to come. The on-line gallery with original art is coming soon. In addition ( shown here) a selection of small framed originals will be available. Each in a unique vintage found frame… stay tuned!
FEELING THE SEASON...............
what’s the best part of fall? pies & tarts.…simply seasonal apples + pears
SIMPLICITY...........
often, the hardest thing to do, is to forget what you know, or to pare back and to simplify. inspired today by the post of a friend, some abstract compositions in mark making. thank you @bryony_lowth for the inspiration.
SCENICS
some scenics today… trying to be simpler, more straightforward, registering color and texture only
TOWARDS FALL.........
definitely a feeling of changing seasons in the air, from tropical storms to cool nights in one week…. changing seasons, colours, moods and techniques
SIMPLICITY STILL LIFE...........
still experimenting with this white acrylic ground and loving what it does to the inky mark making florals
WHITE HEAT..............
the fifth heatwave of the summer, and I find myself reading a novel set in the midst of winter snowstorms and ice fishing . So botanicals today have a cold edge and nod to winter. I also spend much of my time in the design world thinking of cups and plates, but rarely get the opportunity to explore some more artistic looks. the nine of cups is part of an on-going series of paintings and drawings of vessels.
SOFT FOCUS...............
after a lot of experimenting and playing with different medium, returning to watercolour and botanicals…..
UPCYCLED ELEMENTS.....................
I have folders of scraps, illustrations, discarded doodles and today, came across a box of discarded 3d elements. A perfect opportunity to combine them with some ink illustrations…. maybe for a future editorial idea?
ALWAYS LOOKING.............
cropping and close-ups are a great way to work on new layouts cropping and looking at sections of artwork with a view to new compositions… and compositions.
NEW MONTH FOR NEW IDEAS........................
as we rolling summer and everyone emerges from last year’s cocooning, there’s a feeling of hope and change.
