It’s been quite a while since I last posted on my blog. But I have been busy with my art work. I have had a couple of low key exhibitions. Currently I have work on display at our new shop, Keepers Preloved, at Farrington Gurney in Somerset. Here are a few images of my work, and I will post more later. Though they are all framed, some are only temporary. It’s good to get work on display, and I have had some very positive comments.
The latest additions to my collection of leaf drawings. Rowan, and Chestnut this time. A bit trickier as they are of course constructed from multiple leaves, so smaller and more detailed. Still more to come…
Haven’t posted any of my own work for a while. Mainly because I haven’t had time to do much. So here are some drawings I have been completing of leaves. They are drawn on pages from a biography of Thomas Carlyle, which has lovely thick paper. I had originally planned to do a drawing of the whole tree on the opposite page, and may still do this. But for now I wanted to complete the images. The images are drawn lightly in pencil, then inked over with different size pens.
I decided to give this commemorative spoon, which I have posted about earlier, to a friend who was with me at Priston festival (whether he wants it or not!) So I had to mount and frame it. I used scans from the festival programme to create a mount, and set the spoon back behind this, and managed to find an appropriate frame from my collection. Although I was initially focussed on presenting this individual spoon it has suggested ways of presenting my other “tree-painted” wooden spoons. More to follow.
And he was very appreciative of the gift.
What to do when you are sitting behind a stall at a vintage and flea fair. Decorate the cutlery of course!
Finally the last page of the St Ives Holiday Scrapbook 2012. Sad Saturday!!
We had time for a trip into St Ives in the morning, for brunch by the beach at Porthminster, a purchase of some art, and a general browse around the town. We stopped off at the newly-opened Heartlands, a converted old mine, for lunch and a look around the craft workshops, and Urban/Street festival(!!). And then the long drive back, and home, just in time for Dr. Who on the telly.
Our major purchase whilst in St Ives was a limited edition, hand-finished print by Matthew Lanyon, son of Peter Lanyon. His work is in the tradition of his father, a textural and semi-abstract response to the observed landscape. Unlike his father’s work, there do appear to be more representational motifs in his work, suggesting some vague, undisclosed narrative, or a specific viewpoint or feature within the landscape, or else some historic or ancient presence. Formally he creates strong compositions of bold patches of colour. A keen hang-glider like his father, his paintings mix aerial and earthbound viewpoints and perspectives.
We would have loved a larger work, perhaps a painting, but lack the space to display and appreciate it properly (Ok, we lack the money as well). He lives locally, towards Penzance, and is building a reputation for himself. We purchased the print from Porthminster Gallery who were very helpful, informative and friendly. Here are also a couple of his paintings in the gallery, both quite large in scale.
Nocturne is the title of the current exhibition at the Bo Lee gallery in Bath. It is showing the work of two of its artists, Rose Sanderson and Patrick Haines. These artists have overlapping concerns and influences. Both draw inspiration from the animal kingdom and Natural History, both often make use of ready made objects, and both have a dark and sinister side to their work. Patrick Haines’ sculptures are the most overtly strange and unsettling, while Rose Sanderson’s deal more with fragility and mortality.
In this show Patrick Haines is exhibiting work that is larger in scale (includes more objects and items) and has more narrative (suggests a more detailed story) than I have previously seen.
Rose Sanderson has also moved from small intimate paintings of birds and butterflies on single book covers, to larger scale paintings which spread across several covers.
Patrick Haines creates delicate and detailed sculptures of birds and other feathered animals, and juxtaposes these with various everyday objects. Often he uses books, his sculptures eating into the fabric of the object. Other times he uses light fittings, rulers, and, in his largest piece here, furniture and fixtures from a Botanists study, which is alive with sinister beasts, and sinister animal parts.
Another double page Apocalyptic Illuminated Initial. I have drawn these more fully in pen prior to adding colour. It was started a while ago, along with several others, and I am in the process of attempting to complete them before I start new works.
I have it in mind to make a colouring book-An Illuminated Apocalyptic Colouring Book, of depressing and fatalistic images.
Progress on actual art work has been slow of late, but I have made some progress with reproduction and presentation. I have had several images digitised in preparation for Giclee prints. Having worked on colour balancing and refining the quality and scale of the images they have printed some out for me. It isn’t a cheap process, but will allow me to produce good quality reproductions of my paintings and drawings. I don’t know if you can see the quality, or the comparison with the originals in these photographs. The colour and detail is very good. The only thing you lose is the texture and fragility of the paper they are painted on, and the gold, whilst an accurate colour copy, doesn’t have the sheen of the original.
I have also, finally, chosen a moulding for the paintings, so that I can move closer to having them framed and completed. I have had two thicknesses or widths made, in plain, unfinished wood. If these work I will experiment with the finish. I think I have a good idea of what I want, but haven’t been able to find it in any framing or art shop, so will have to get them custom made or do it myself. I envisage a dark frame with gilding. Upon the advice of people whose opinions I value, I am also considering dark coloured mounts, sympathetic to the colours of the individual art works.
At the moment I am leaning towards the larger, wider frame. I want the works to almost feel architectural, like panel paintings or altar pieces, that require the viewer to lean in and engage with the image at a very close and intimate distance, having been initially struck by the overall impact and “splendour”. Any feedback gratefully received.
