Gaston Balande Copy

 I am doing so many seascapes at the moment that I needed a break. Today I copied a Gaston Balande painting in oil to have a complete change. I changed colours a little

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international Print Exchange

 

My print is on exhibition online

Still Life

 During lockdown I took my time to set up a few still lifes and patiently paint them in wn artists acrylics. All are 20cm by 20cm

The next two were painted in different ways, the first one was using grisaille first and glazes of colour while the second was painted onto a white background

At last I have got round to finishing this rather large portrait. Its called "That Feeling" 

Still in Lockdown

 

I received my certificate for completing the 30 works challenge.

Many artists are passing time doing challenges and they are so useful for expanding skills and ideas and influences. I did keep to all the briefs, more or less but some were a bit annoying as I was trying to keep a positive frame of mind. Not seeing anyone and having to order everything was a challenge in itself. Its still the same now as although we have just moved to level 3 and are allowing a bubble buddy (my son Jon) to be with us we are relectant to take chances. My doc has warned me personally. We have just had our triple birthday week and have risked meeting up with grandchildren who were over the moon to see us. I have all the time in the world to paint so are working on a still life a week using tiny brushes and acrylic.

Thirty Works in April

Thirty Works

What a time, all our plans turned upside down and the world in lockdown with Coronavirus.
I am keeping busy with crafts and art and stamps and trying to keep food getting to us while under lockdown. I have accepted a challenge to do 30 works in April. Here they are

The world is under lockdown due to Corona virus. This is the challenge for the first day, what work would I be scared to make? I need sympathy cards and are not advised to leave the flat for 11 more weeks except for one walkI am scared to make these because I already need one and may need more. I have to make some.

 An interesting challenge, I immediately thought of the Triang dolls house I used to have but decided that a more contemporary home was required so I chose our local pub which we miss but don't visit much nowadays and arn't allowed to anyway at the moment under lockdown. Pubs are shut, all that beer will be going stale. A small painted model of our local pub with its green tiled exterior, tall chimneys and irregular windows

 What do you need to make your work? Basically I need to breathe, something that I have to work a bit harder at nowadays and especially with the current threat of coronavirus and previously with pollution in the Midlands. A pen line illustration of a head in silhouette with the words I need air throughout. Air swirls outside the face in colourful patterns with the clearest entering the mouth

Todays brief is to cheat. So today I decided to work from an excellent demo by a generous artist Robert Brindley RSMA who is sharing his technique. Not really cheating but cheating myself by being lazy and not original. Its not finished as tea arrived and the settee is more comfy so I'm settled now to watch TV. Its taken all day as many layers need to dry during the session. Still its great to focus on this and not the terrible news. Playing Scrabble online too with many strangers who are trying to to beat me, he he! I will call it 'the second walk' as we are only allowed one a day under lockdown, two walks would be cheating but I don't suppose this man would meet anybody.

What does failure look like to me ? Well "failure" is the actual brief itself, what a negative brief to set when we all need cheering up while social distancing, and on such a lovely day when everyone could be out enjoying themselves!!! So here's my response, FAILURE today would be all my little people not social distancing. These little characters exist to raise money for Shine Cancer Support which helps young adults in their 20s 30s and 40s

I never finished this post with the rest of the works but here are some more textile works. I received a certificate eventually for finishing. It was good to have the distraction. I also made masks at this time as part of a group.

the first masks