Finished!

I've been working on this painting for a few months now.

It's always the same, I start off quickly, not knowing what it will be.

This is the thing I love the most about painting, I don't have to be in control or organised.

But as the painting progresses and things start to emerge, the painting slows down.

It's a bit like playing chess, and the next move has to be more considered.

This is one of the largest paintings I have done and I've really enjoyed chucking the paint around on this one!

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Mean And Moody...

This is the concertina sketchbook I was working in when I visited The Steel Rooms (which I mentioned in the last post).

What always surprises me is how unexpected the results are when you are mark- making and not completely controlling the outcome.

I felt really jolly, chatting with good friends in a beautiful studio space, but I feel that this does seem rather sombre...

Oooo hidden depths...

Ha!

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Fabi Wabi Sabi...

I spent a fantastic afternoon at The Steel Rooms on Wednesday, chatting with good friends and sketching merrily away (will tell you more about that next time.)

When I said my goodbyes and walked to the car park I was literally stopped in my tracks...

Don't you just love old, tattered bill boards!

Way more beautiful than any painting I could do!

This one is my favourite....

(well, we all run around like headless chickens sometimes don't we!)

Happy weekend y'all, don't forget to just stop for a minute and see the beauty around you (peace man!)

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Purl

It's such a proud feeling when a past student goes out there into the big wide world and follows their dreams.

Doubly proud actually, as this involves two past students.

Purl

Gwennaelle Cook

Gallery 3irty 2wo

14/2/15 - 22/2/15

10.30 - 3.30 pm (Closed Mondays)

Doubly proud indeed, as the gallery has been set up and run by another very talented past student!

It was the private view on Friday and it was very well attended.

It was also a great experience for the Art Foundation students seeing that, with hard work and determination, there are opportunities to work in the creative world.

Gwennaelle's collage work is beautifully composed, with a sensitive and refreshing response to the past and a flash of humour and playfulness.

' I am drawn to these crumpled, torn images for many reasons, their low- tech print quality, faded colour palette and the distinctive, awkward models posed on the covers.'

G. Cook

Well done Gwennaelle!

Look at those shoes!

Her paintings are contemporary, yet not intimidating, and share the exuberant and joyful quality of her collages.

I can't recommend this exhibition highly enough, Gwennaelle already has a line up of exhibitions booked and is an artist with a glowing future, (with an added dash of light magenta of course!)

Gallery 3hirty 2wo

Art In Unusual Spaces

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Not another one...

I do apologise but my hare obsession is still going strong.

This is a tiny stitched picture made from mono printing (a technique I still have lots of experimenting to do,) paint, stitch and scrips and scraps.

Happy weekend!

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Patchwork Fox

Last year I stitched a fox and he found a very good home indeed.

I missed him a little, and so decided to stitch another.

The good thing about working from a sketch though is that they always turn out a bit differently....this one looks a little bit cross I think!

I really enjoyed using some of the precious bark cloth scraps I got for Christmas.

I'm going to give my poor machine a rest now though!

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So Sorry To Be So Bold...

Do you mind if I mention that I'm teaching an abstract painting workshop?

It will be at The Ropewalk in Barton, which is a very lovely place indeed.

It will be a very busy, paint - filled day!

'From Inspiration To Abstraction' 25/4/15

(Hope you didn't mind me mentioning this...it always feels a little bit awkward!)

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Homework...

What I really love about teaching is that it makes you try new things.

I am completely useless at 3D, my biggest success being a pot I made in the third year that had a little mouse sat on the top.

I think I knew that I had reached the pinnacle of my three dimensional career at that stage and so never really tried anything else of that ilk.

But one of the BTEC Units that I am teaching involves a small element of 3D and so I had to bite the bullet.

I have kept it very simple and just fooled around with some scraps of paper and a needle and thread.

They only took a few minutes to make ( which you can probably tell!) but I had great fun.

So over the half term holiday I am going to challenge my students to have a go!

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