Comfort Painting

group jan 2021a

That’s quite a lot of paintings for someone who hardly paints. I lost interest in painting on the first year of my Art Diploma course back in the 1970s, choosing to major in printmaking instead. I always found painting a bit messy and drawing was my great love, I found more affinity between printmaking and drawing. But since lockdown started back in Spring last year, and has continued almost unbroken since, I found comfort in joining Ed Sumner’s weekly Cheese and Wine Painting Club on Facebook every Friday. I learn a lot and it’s so good natured, it’s become a real community over the months. Studying great artists and trying to copy them has taught me so much and to be honest, I wouldn’t have done it on my own. I’ve done 35 paintings so far and recently found the confidence to start an original. If you want to join the Club, it’s free or a discretionary donation via PayPal or Eventbrite for those that can afford it, that way Ed can keep it free for those who can’t.

 

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

Flicking And Faking

Waterlilies 6

Today I finished faking one of Monet’s waterlily paintings that I started last Friday with the Cheese and Wine Painting Club over on Facebook. What I really liked about this one was learning to apply paint in different ways, not just using a brush. I used my fingers to smear, nails to scratch, a rag dipped in water to dissolve, and flicked water from my fingertips to get stipples and runs. I used Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic paint onto a recycled canvas.

 

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

Layering Up

Zoom 2

I did a bit more work on the big painting I started yesterday. I’ve been improving my painting skills throughout the pandemic lockdown, joining in with Ed Sumner’s Cheese and Wine Painting Club on Facebook on Fridays. It’s been a long process, lots of fun as well, and it’s given me the confidence to try something of my own. I’ve always done drawing and printmaking, painting is quite new for me, but I feel like I’m getting somewhere now.  One of the things I’ve learned is to build up a painting with layers, if I make a mistake I can paint over it, and not to be too precious.

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

Out Of The Attic….Into The Sunset

Zoom 1

At last I’ve got the confidence to get stuck into a painting that isn’t a copy of one of the greats or a portrait of my cat. I’ve spent my life drawing and printmaking, rarely painting, so this is pretty new for me. I re-used a large canvas I tried painting on about 8 years ago – I didn’t like it and it’s been up the attic ever since. I didn’t white it out because I don’t like what I call “the tyrrany of the white”, whether it’s paper or canvas, I prefer some colour and texture to work on top of. It looks abstract now, but this is just the beginning …. there’s lots more to come.

Amber 1

After, Husb and I went out for our one-hour, government-sanctioned, socially-distanced, masked and sanitised walk and passed Amber Hiscott’s beautiful glass leaf in Castle Square glowing in the setting sun. I’ve always loved this artwork and it was exceptionally lovely today.

 

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

Faking Friday, Murky Monet

Waterlilies 5

What number is this fake? I think it’s 34. That’s a lot of painting, paint and canvasses since I started back last Spring with Ed Sumner’s Cheese and Wine Painting Club over on Facebook. Every Friday lunchtime is a different painting by a famous artist to fake in an hour and a half. I’ve never finished and always have an hour or two more work to do. But that’s fine, I’m learning so much about painting. This week is one of the water lily pieces by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet, I think it’s the sixth of his so far. I’ll do some more work on it over the weekend, it’s a bit murky, I want to lighten it.

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

And The Cat “Helped”

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And the cat “helped”. I went back to the two head drawings I did over the past couple of days and did a bit more work into them with black gouache. These are random heads and I’m going to keep building with gouache, colour is next, and see where it takes me. I’ve always loved German Expressionism, that rather brutal style but I have always found it hard to work in that way. But this mix of gouache and charcoal is giving me a lot of simplicity and brutality in my drawing / painting and I’m loving it.

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A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

Thanks Maggi

2a

I’m rewatching the BBC documentary on the artist Maggi Hambling on the recommendation of an artist chum. First time round I only watched superficially but this time I’m much more connected to it. I love the way she just picks up a sketchbook every morning and draws. Nothing planned, nothing precious, just draw. I tend to get very precious about my work, I become rigid and subvert myself with my need to plan and control what I’m doing so I picked up a stick of willow charcoal, a piece of rough Khadi paper and drew. No model, no reference photo, no prior drawing …. just drew from memory. That was cathartic. I need to do more of it. Thanks Maggi.

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

Pushing Through The Fog

1c

I’m still finding it hard to get some creative ideas firmed up, during these 10 months of lockdown I’ve done loads of cooking and I’ve been learning to paint but coming up with something original has been really difficult.  I’m still trying though, hoping that something will push through the creative fog.

Anyway, today I just randomly browsed people’s faces on the Internet for anyone who interested me and I drew in willow charcoal first, then worked on it with black gouache and finally white gouache onto some very heavy, rough, handmade Khadi paper. I’m aiming to do one a day until the paper is used up and see what, if anything, might be triggered.

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

Finally Finished Faking Hockney’s Yorkshire Logs

logs final

Here’s the finished fake David Hockney painting. I started it on Friday so I’m pretty pleased with the progress. As always I learnt a lot about painting by doing it.

I’ve been doing these paintings with Ed Sumner’s Cheese and Wine Painting Club on Facebook every Friday. Ed started it at the beginning of the first lockdown back in March 2020 and he’s kept it going to give people something to do during the pandemic. It’s fun and it’s free or a donation if you can afford it.

 

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.

 

More Faking, More Baking

logs 7

I did some more painting on the Hockney I began on Friday with Ed Sumner’s weekly Cheese and Wine Painting Club on Facebook. His work is a lot more complex than it looks, although his compositions seem fairly simple, there are layers and layers of paint and texture piled up on the canvas. I hope another hour or so tomorrow should get it finished.

Almond Raspberry 2021.jpg

After that, I was rooting around in a cupboard and found a packet of ground almonds and in the freezer, a box of our allotment raspberries from last year. So an almond and raspberry cake was a no-brainer really. There’s not much left – Husb takes no prisoners when it comes to cake.

 

 

A Chance To Own One Of My Artworks

I have some small screenprints for sale, inspired by my drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artifacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

To buy my work on the Swansea Print Workshop site please click the image to the left and to see the complete image.

Inspired by drawings of the taxidermy collection at Swansea Museum. I have given these antique artefacts a modern twist by combining them with images of rubbish – old fruit nets, bubble wrap and plastic – highlighting the problem of human pollution and how it affects wildlife.

20 percent of the cost of each screenprint sold goes to support Swansea Print Workshop, which receives no public funding.