This one is for me, place to muse, share ideas and interesting images.
Its a big job getting an art trail set up in your home but after an exhausting week getting ready I did it but at opening I was still running round like chicken with its head cut off. Inspire a a gale and lashing rain the first days great especially as I sold a big painting right at the start of the day.
I’m busy getting ready for this and after taking part in two trails last year I swore I would not do it again as there is so muck work involved but here I am supporting my local community. Sadly my year has been artistically barren as I have been having treatment for Macular degeneration and during the winter with energy prices so high I could’t heat my studio. I have a couple of new works and a lot of older ones inspite of the record sales last year. My venue is Number 18
To my horror I see that I have not posted on this blog for a year. I am ashamed but will work to put this right. One of the reasons has been my deteriorating sight. I have been having eye injections for the last 18 months to halt Macular Degeneration. I have lost the central vision in my left eye but the right is good though I did have injections in that too. With cost of fuel I did not use my studio in the winter but now I have started painting again. I have only two new works to showcase so far both of my garden and started over a year ago.
The top Painting is titled ‘Summer Garden’ 80×80 cm. oil on cotton box canvas
The lower painting is titled ‘Spring morning in the Garden’ 80x80cm 0il on cotton box canvas
Today is the fist day of the Bognor Coastal Art Trail and I have been up early getting ready. Almost there!
It can’t be too difficult to hang a few pictures up I hear you say, or at least I imagine it. Nothing could be further from the truth! 2018 was the last time I was able to take part in this event and I am painfully aware that I am not as young as I used to be. There are pictures to be unpacked, edges to be painted on new works and hanging fittings put on, browsers to be mined out from the depth of the garage and filled up. Price list up dated, cards priced, and on top of everything else the house to be cleaned. Emerging from the burrow of lockdowns and coming blinking into the daylight one is suddenly aware of all those jobs left undone over the last couple of years, As well as all this there is the endless job of feeding us, mowing the lawn and tidying the garden and studio ready for visitors. The trail starts on Sat. 30th and is on for the first two weekends in May including bank holiday Monday. Wish me luck!
I feel so frustrated and upset with everything going on at the moment and the fact that we seem to be moving at snail pace tackling the biggest threat to our existence, Climate Change, that I had to express it with art. I didn’t want to be neat but rather rough and immediate. Oil Man is the result. Oil and oil pastels on canvas 80x100cm.
Whilst distressed and angry about current events I decided to work more on an idea I had a couple of years ago. I did a small digital sketch with a view to working it into a painting later, then covid happened and threw a spanner into my creativity. Now with this charcoal rough sketch I have made a start towards turning it into a large painting. It’s called ‘Oil man’ though I may find a better title later, the main thing is that I’m making a start so watch this space for progress.
I started this painting nearly two years ago in the wake of the terrible Australian bush fires but it represents the condition of the world we are living in. I use harlequins to represent humanity in various conditions but in this there is a nod to the sleeping politicians who have many words but continue in their stupor of inaction.
I started this painting at the start of 2020 after the distressing forest fires burning in Australia and other places in the world then covid took off and lock downs happened and somehow my painting dried up in favour of growing vegetables. At last I have started to work on it again though its quite a daunting task as it is a very big canvases big I have to stand on a small stool to reach the top. So far I have had two sessions on it and have made progress but there is a lot more work to do. Watch this space!
There is a value in keeping a painting you think is finished hanging around the studio where you can see it because it will talk to you sometimes screaming until you pickup a brush and correct the offending area. This painting was such a one. It didn’t look right and had a sort of empty space in the middle. I had tried to keep the area with the golden marjoram in the centre clear but just ended up with a hole so I decided to extend the white umbels using oil pastels instead of paint. I won’t work on it again however loud it tries to make itself heard I have had enough it.
Oil on Block canvas 80x80cm
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