New studio in the countryside!

Most beautiful view framed by the large door!

Less than a week ago we moved house and moved studio so we've had a fair busy old time of it, packing and organising things for weeks and weeks on end. Now we are finally here and although we  are going to be living in chaos for a fair while longer we are enormously happy with the new place and on a sunny day there is nowhere we'd rather be! We have moved less than a mile away, only to the next village so we have the advantage of knowing the whole area and yet still there is something exotic and holiday-like about our new situation and we are loving the views.

I'm feeling very inspired and can't wait to get those paintbrushes moving again, and soon I'll have to get into a new routine that allows me to get my work done alongside getting jobs done for the house and studio.

Tuesday

Sunday - I have some floor space! Yay!

Sketching with friends

Jose de Juan, Glenn Fitzpatrick, Adebanji Alade, Peter Keegan, Graeme Messer, Nur Shodaj, Edward Ofosu
and in front Michele del Campo and me

I had a Christmas treat last week when I was invited down to my friend Michele's studio in London. Michele gathered a little group of artists together and we had a sketching evening, each taking turns to be the model for around 12-15 minutes.

It was really good for me to get out as I hadn't been anywhere or seen anyone since the ROI preview at the beginning of December. And it's always good to get the sketchbook and pencils out, and I had slipped out of the habit recently with so much else going on this month.

My 15 minute sketch of Peter Keegan

My sketch of Edward Ofosu

My sketch of Glenn Fitzpatrick

My sketch of Nur Shodaj

My sketch of Michele del Campo

It is surprising what can be achieved in a sketch in so little time! Not all of my sketches from the evening worked out but I was happy with these ones.

Portrait of me by Adebanji Alade

Me and Adebanji sketching Michele del Campo
Photo courtesy of Peter Keegan

My 2014 review January to March

Exhibition portraits January 2014

It's that special time again, time to look back over what I've been up to in 2014, take note of my achievements, remember fun times and travel, see what direction my paintings have grown and yes, pat myself on the back for a job well done before putting it all behind me and forging ahead with the exciting and new!

January 2014 got off to a cracking start with my solo exhibition in Nottingham and a whopping 30 paintings sold and off to new homes. I painted a different portrait in oils each day for ten days of the exhibition, while also handling sales and enquiries and putting the kettle on frequently! I was very grateful to my patient models!

Andrew

Jenny

Painting Ant who also painted me!

The large gallery with about 80 of my paintings hanging

February included a ten day holiday in France with the family, some plein air painting in Norfolk and some coastal studio paintings, plus an article I wrote about gouache painting was published in The Artist magazine.

Crab hut at Brancaster Staithe
Private Collection

Whelk sheds at Brancaster Staithe
Oils 11" x 14"
£650

By the boat sheds, Brancaster Staithe
Oils 16" x 20"
£1095

I was really starting to get somewhere with studio paintings and actually enjoy doing it. I found ways to keep much of the freshness of plein air paintings and yet on a larger scale. I realised I needed as much background information as possible, e.g. paintings and sketches made on site, to help me keep the excitement and inspiration alive. The more I do of studio work, the more possibilities present themselves to me. It could never replace plein air of course, but I feel they both feed off each other. 

Kevin Macpherson describes it so well in his book 'Landscape painting Inside and Out':

"Many outdoor attempts fall short of successful, yet possess qualities that can be improved on into a grander statement in the studio. Each truthful colour note on a plein air study is a priceless seed of information that can transform your studio work to higher levels. Also, in the studio you can practise picture-making principles and experiment in a controlled environment.

Indoor and outdoor painting are complementary experiences. As memories of nature breathe life into your studio work, the disciplined approaches and principles you practise indoors will enable you to attack the canvas outdoors in new ways."

End of a perfect day, Sennen beach
Private Collection

In March I had two trips - first to Cornwall and then to Essaouira in Morocco with a group of painter friends. In Cornwall the weather was a bit disappointing but I managed to get some plein air work done and also enjoyed a fishy still life when it was pouring with rain outside.

Fairmaids of Mousehole
Private Collection

Towards St Michael's mount from Mousehole
Private Collection

Silver light, Mousehole
Private Collection

In contrast the weather in Morocco was dry, warm and idyllic for plein air painting, and I had a fabulous time. The locals were on the whole very interested and kind, and several remembered me from the year before. We even got invited to the private view of an art exhibition with an artist friend who I'd met while painting the year before and kept in contact with via Facebook, and I made some lovely new friends too. Plus of course the enormous benefit of having artist friends painting at the same time there from the UK, USA and Spain. What a great trip! 

One of my Essaouira friends, Monsieur Bouabid

Butchers shop Essaouira - poultry
Oils 10" x 12" £550

Butchers shop Essaouira - mutton and veal
Oils 11" x 14" £595

Boys diving into harbour
Private Collection

I'll finish this first quarter of the year with this bobby dazzler, companion painting to the one you know well that you'll be seeing again in the next instalment, when I take a walk back through April, May and June. I warn you now it might be a long blog post with a lot of excitement and exclamation marks!

Heading out of harbour
Private collection

Oasis in Chelsea

Oasis in Chelsea
26" x 28"

This is a recent studio painting, the inspiration for which came from my visit to Chelsea in July for Pintar Rapido. This is the market place that I painted but the day before the event there were no market stalls and instead children played in these water jets. I was absolutely captivated by the subject with the bright sparkling water seen against the dark buildings in shadow. 

I really enjoyed building up glazes of colour for the darks, something that is only really possible in studio paintings with the benefit of drying time. The wet and dry, sunlit and shaded pavement area was a challenge! I tried to give the children's figures a loose treatment, to add an element of confusion, movement and splashing water.

I'm not altogether decided if it's finished, but it is hanging on my studio wall so I can glance at it occasionally and maybe I'll dip back in.

I'm taking a little holiday from Facebook so I am sorry if you are used to seeing me on there. My blog posts will still automatically update to it because frankly I can't be doing with figuring out how to stop that right now! I will be popping back on from time to time. And if you miss me you can still find me on twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Why? Well I find those easy to dip in and out of, they just don't take up my time in the same way. 

Today (Wednesday 12th November) I will be painting a portrait demo at Patchings art centre. Still a few days left if you haven't seen my big exhibition there yet - it finishes on the 23rd.

Thank you Paul for coming all the way from Canada - you should really get a prize! :-)

Fabulous studio gadget

Waste not, want not

Every now and then something very cool comes into my life that I want to tell you all about, because I think you will love it too. I've recently invested in a tube wringer and I'd certainly have got one sooner had I known how easy it makes completely emptying a paint tube - saving every precious drop for the palette!

Crinkle cut

It was fairly expensive to buy but it will save me so much paint that would otherwise have been wasted, and when you use professional and handmade paint you know that's well worth saving.

Not only is it economically sensible but it is SO much fun to crinkle up your tubes like crisps!

All wrung out

I warn you it's strangely addictive... and it was one of those purchases that I wasn't sure when I ordered it how much I would actually use it...

The tube wringer is made in the US so I'm sure it will be easy enough to purchase if you live over there, and here in the UK it is available to buy from Jacksons Art ... and no, I'm not getting paid commission! Click here if interested :-)

I'm still here...

I'm just dropping by to say hello quickly... hope you didn't miss me too much ;-)
I've had a ten day holiday and been to France with the family while celebrating three birthdays! Back in the studio this week which has been lovely. Lots of busy goings on as you can see in the picture, including a new painting of Sennen beach which I will show you shortly.
I'm packing up to head to Cornwall again on Sunday where I will no doubt get some new work to tell you all about :-)

More work on boat sheds

Work in progress

I continued with various thin coloured glazes such as greens on the grasses and trees and blues on the boat and sheds. Each time the painting would be left alone for a few days afterwards to let the glaze dry. Again this is a luxury of studio painting. The whole course of a painting is making a series of changes, and if you have time on your side then one of the options open to you is using a glaze to subtly alter the colour tint of an area. 

I then mixed up thicker, more opaque paint for the bright light greens of the sunlit areas of grass.

I also mixed up an opaque lavender grey for the shed doors. Later I decided this was too light in value and so (when really dry) a glaze was applied to darken it down at which point it 'sat' better in it's surroundings.

The painting was left like this for all of January as I was fully occupied with my Nottingham exhibition. So near and yet still so far!

A return visit to Brancaster Staithe last week gave me the chance to look again at the subject and gain some fresh ideas, and also the impetus needed to press ahead and get it completed.

The plein air study perches on top of the easel

The first change I made was to alter the whole sky area to a sort of light valued warm grey, but I left areas of peachiness breaking through. 

I had also seen the light coming down through the gap in between the sheds this time and thought that would definitely be beneficial to add. Also the roof on the left had sustained further damage and I happily let more sky show through with the new gaps. I had a firmer idea about the shape of the trees in the background too.

Tomorrow I'll show you the end result of all these layers and adjustments...

St Clements studio

St Clements studio
Oils on Arches huile paper

I've been breaking myself in to working in the studio again after my long absence in France with some small and quick paintings while preparing for my next big studio paintings. I'm particularly pleased with this one! I think it's a classic example of a painting which says everything it needs to say and no more, which is the message I'm always trying to preach. 

In fact yesterday fifteen brave souls attended my 'Painting faster with oils or acrylics' workshop and tried to do just that - making essential decisions and simplifying the subject down to it's important elements. They tackled all my mad projects with gusto and did the most fantastic job! Seventy-five paintings were produced throughout the day and here's just some of them... the results speak for themselves!

After the water spout, Eastpoint

After the water spout, Eastpoint
Oils 24" x 30"

This is a recently finished studio painting, based on sketches and photos from the plein air event in Florida. The early morning light was glorious and I had just finished painting the oyster boats facing towards the sun when I turned around and saw this subject right behind me! I wasn't able to paint it at the time but I thought it would make a perfect subject for my venture into studio paintings.

I started off with thin turpsy glazes of colour. I do enjoy doing more of this thinner work in a studio painting, because you have the luxury of being able to walk away and let it dry in between layers. 

The beginnings

Soon after establishing the mid tones and darks I wanted to put the sky colour in to get a better idea of how it would all be working together. The sky had to be dark enough to eventually show off that white side of the building that was lit by the rising sun.

Moving on

Nearly there

From then on it was a case of building up the darks and the lights, until the painting said what I wanted to say. I did at the last minute decide to add a figure and a car, but tried not to make them stand out in an obvious way. If you didn't even notice them, that's great!

Detail

It was important to me not to go too far and add all kinds of extra details that I wouldn't be bothered with if I was painting the subject 'en plein air'. The sketchy treatment of this foreground feature probably sums it up.

'Say what you need to say in the painting then get out. There is no use chattering on after you have made your point'

I never remember who said that, but I always remember those words!

Summer studio

Garden studio!

 It's a big one! I've been battling on with some studio paintings recently. I'll be honest with you I feel I'm on a huge learning curve!
Here are my main aims with studio paintings -

• To paint on a much larger scale
• To carry to a further point ideas I have gathered from plein air painting sessions
• To keep the same simplicity and lively brushwork in the studio paintings that I have in my plein air work

My main difficulties with this presently are -

• First and foremost to keep the excitement and inspiration going when one step removed from the beloved subject
• Related to the above point and also due to working on a much larger scale, the awkward middle period when you really don't know if the thing is going to work or not goes on much longer and so...
• It's harder to break through the pain barrier!

We're still roasting hot here so I have to leave my studio by 11 am at the latest as it's an oven by then, and move kit and caboodle outside.
The only drawback with painting in the garden is really that I have to keep kicking the football for Maisie. And sometimes I have to sit down with an ice cream or a glass of ginger beer. Ho hum.

Mini Mousehole exhibition!

Mini Mousehole exhibition

Well I spent yesterday evening and this morning painting frames and framing up my Mousehole work here in the artist's studio I am staying at. It looks not a bad little show for three days work. There are several other paintings that didn't really cut the mustard but I'm happy with this lot and have lots of ideas to take back for future studio works. It's a bit of a shame neither of the cameras I brought with me are working though! I have missed taking a load of great photos.
Anyway I am now packing and heading off to beautiful Portscatho to see what treasures await me there...

(Strange thing happened last night, two badgers ran right past me! Literally, right past my legs and boy were they fast! I've never seen badgers up close and personal before, and they pant like dogs when they run!)