I am working 24/7 framing work, designing and ordering postcards, printing cards, writing lists etc. for ARTWEEKS.'Artweeks' is Oxfordshire's Open Studios and for two weeks of the year the public can see and purchase work directly from the artists. I have been working on a panel for Snells Woodland since January and it has come together just in time. This is in conjunction with Tessa Case who is doing the text and info and Carole Findlay who has done some beautiful bird photography. I'll show … [Read more...]
Wild Flowers 5 – wild garlic
Oh I just loved painting the wild garlic. Its so pretty. I am drawing it from photos - sadly; as its out of season and I have a commission to complete. I'm playing with overlapping shapes, stylisation and simplifying it. Its drawn in pen and ink (Talenz Ecoline) then painted in watercolour so that the ink bleeds into the paint. And here it is in situ in a detail of the design - with the sycamore and hazel. You may notice that I flipped it - so nice to have photoshop! Now no more of the lovely … [Read more...]
Wild Flowers 4
Another two silhouettes for the woodland notice board; this time, trees. These are a coppiced sycamore and a very gnarled elderflower tree. They were copied from photos of the actual trees so that people can recognise them. I think that winter trees have such a lovely calligraphic feel about them! … [Read more...]
Wild Flowers 3 – Lords and Ladies
Arum Maculatum: The Common names are Lords and Ladies, Devils and Angels and Adam and Eve; the flower being the Lord and the berries being the Ladies. It is a woodland plant that is widely spread in Oxfordshire. This is the first completed painting on an A3 sheet of Fabriano Artistico (Not). I outlined it with Ecoline watercolour inks then painted it, controlling the bleeding by doing some quick mopping up. The first version was outlined in black waterproof ink and it seemed a bit sterile to … [Read more...]
Wildflowers 3 – Teasel drawing
This is the drawing for the final painting which I will outline in ink using a lightbox, then add colour. I need the final result to be a bit stylised which, in a composition will be more exciting than realistic watercolour paintings. This is quite a challengs as I have no idea at present how the final painting of the teasel head detail will look. It was impossible to reduce it to a line drawing while maintaining the accuracy without loads of detail, so I added tone. … [Read more...]