Tag Archives: portrait painting

What A Lovely Day – Twice!

Today was brilliant. Today made me feel like all these years of plugging away at my arts practice is worthwhile. Today I won a prize at The Workers Gallery Open (in Ynyshir) and the GSA 9to90 Open (in Swansea). The Workers Gallery has awarded me a voucher for art materials and a gallery show towardsContinue reading “What A Lovely Day – Twice!”

Some Historic Masking…

This is from my archives, March 2014 and Husb and I were invited to a party where people were asked to wear masks representing an artist or art work. I bought some cheap masks from the kids’ section in a supermarket and got to work with some acrylic paints. Husb did his with felt-tip pens.Continue reading “Some Historic Masking…”

Sketchbook Archives: 40

Technically, not sketchbooks, they’re paintings, although they started out as sketches so I’m stretching it a bit 😀 I made these paintings of fellow Swansea artists between March and May 2014, and in between I spent April on an artist residency in Pakistan. They were exhibited in the Fringe Arts Bath festival later that year.Continue reading “Sketchbook Archives: 40”

Celebrity Portrait In 2 Hours.

I taught an adult education class this afternoon with the 9-to-90 Creative Community at the excellent GS Artists on Swansea’s High Street. The theme was to paint a portrait of the Divine Diva, Dame Shirley Bassey. In TWO hours! A bit challenging 😀 But we did it. The results will be in the venue’s nextContinue reading “Celebrity Portrait In 2 Hours.”

Done At Last….

Finally finished copying Edouard Manet’s “A Bar At The Folies Bergere“, it was hard but I learned loads about painting from one of the great painters. Of course, now I’ve decided that it’s done, I can see a lot of things that I could improve, but I have to call a halt to it sometime.Continue reading “Done At Last….”

Another Day, Another Segment

I moved onto another bit of Manet’s “A Bar At The Folies Bergere” painting that I’m copying today, upside down because it’s easier. The oranges are almost finished, the glassware is shaping up and I’ve laid down a base coat for the bottle. Still-life painting is new to me and much more complex than IContinue reading “Another Day, Another Segment”

Details And Fiddly Bits.

I’m still copying Manet’s painting, “A Bar At The Folies Bergere” and still working with the picture upside down. It’s certainly easier than painting it right way up, but it’s so complicated and it’s taking ages. It’s not just a portrait, it’s also a series of little still life groupings and these are the thingsContinue reading “Details And Fiddly Bits.”

Too Polished.

I carried on painting another segment of Edouard Manet’s “A Bar At The Folies Bergere” this evening after work. I didn’t do much because I’ve been so tired since I went down with Covid19 back in March, but I’m getting better bit by bit. Now that I’m studying Manet’s painting upside down, the roughness andContinue reading “Too Polished.”

Doing It Upside Down

I started this painting ages ago, back last year, when we were in lockdown and I was painting weekly with Ed Sumner’s “Cheese and Wine Painting Club” on Facebook. It’s a famous work, “The Bar At The Folies Bergere” by the Impressionist painter Edouard Manet. I’ve been putting off finishing it, partly because of life,Continue reading “Doing It Upside Down”