Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Thanking my lucky stars!

Painting away at the ROI painting evening

Well I said I would have a lot to tell you after my second visit to the Royal Institute of Oil painters exhibition, but I didn't expect to be telling you this!

These photos are all from the annual ROI painting evening. I had such a great time! Three models were placed around the gallery for artists to set up around and paint from. In order to get a good view you really had to set up before the models arrived, so we had no idea who we would be painting.
You can see I had my Open Box M and tripod with me, I brought all my kit along in the wheelie suitcase that I used all over Venice. 
Everyone was very friendly, but it was especially nice to have friends David Pilgrim, Adebanji Alade, Tim King and Graham Webber there.
I was delighted to meet online friends Tim Benson (I'm a big fan of his work) and Katherine Tyrell (if you are a fellow art blogger you will surely know of her Making a mark blog). 
Katherine sat on the stairs near the entrance and did a fantastic sketch throughout the evening of the painters painting! In fact I take quite a starring role in the drawing, and I look very relaxed painting with my left hand in my apron pocket! You can see the drawing on Katherine's sketchbook blog :-)


Many painters painting! That's Adebanji Alade sitting in front

We painted for a couple of hours but also had rest breaks for the models. It was such a great atmosphere. I haven't mentioned the onlookers to you yet have I? People buy tickets to watch and have a glass of wine and a mince pie while chatting to their friends or to the artists. I love it when people interrupt me for a little chat, I think it's a really useful break to take your eyes away from the painting for a couple of minutes and then go back to it a bit fresher!


The finished painting

Our lovely model

I used my tripod and Open Box M, and a linen canvas

There is a prize awarded to the best work of the evening by a non ROI member, voted for by a small panel of members, and you'll never believe who won!
Adebanji took this photo of me seconds after they announced my name! I think you can see how surprised and delighted I was (and am!).

Adebanji took this photo as soon as they announced my name! You can see
how surprised I was!

My prize is £200 worth of Winsor and Newton art materials, what an amazing Christmas present and what an amazing night... and what an amazing year this has turned out to be!!!




23 comments:

  1. Congratulations - it's a lovely portrait!

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  2. Bravo Haidee! Really well done and well deserved from what I can see - superb portrait! Would love to have been there painting with you all, but I'm up to my eyeballs completing commissions. Next year!I shall be looking up to you in a downwardly fashion again!

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    1. Thanks Peter! Can't wait to get together with you and David for some landscape/ townscape painting next year! :-)

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  3. Oh WELL DONE Haidee!!! You are a star and well deserved recognition. What a fab year your having ...... how exciting next year could be?? Have a really good one and will keep watching your very brilliant progress.
    Love Joy Londonuk

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    1. Thank you Joy! Next year looks exciting already - lots booked in! xx

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  4. It's not luck, Haidee, it's your talent and hard work! Well done, and very well deserved, a beautiful portrait. And you look great in Katherine's sketch as well. Indeed, what a super year you are having. Well earned, my dear new friend.

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  5. CONGRATULATIONS! So happy for you to have this delightful experience!

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  6. Toutes mes félicitations ma chère et bien méritées...
    La joie se lit sur votre visage et j'en suis très heureuse... Si seulement nous pouvions lire ce sentiment sur la face de chacun de nous...

    J'aime beaucoup votre interprétation... Bravo!

    Gros bisous à vous et joyeuses fêtes.

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    1. Merci beaucoup Martine et joyeux Noël à vous xx

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  7. Sounds like a brilliant end to an exciting year. So glad you finally got your OBM easel. Many best wishes for 2013, Haidee....

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    1. Thanks Maggie, I still need to use those pastels! Next year maybe...

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  8. Lovely account of the evening and a well deserved award, the painting is first rate.

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    1. Oh Haidee that is such a brilliant and beautiful portrait!! I hope your sitter loved it. With all good wishes for 2013, what will that bring!!

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Thank you for your words!