Gaston Balande

 I was in France last month and saw a news item on Gaston Balande, a French painter from the time of Impressionism, Post Impressionism and Fauvism. He painted over 4000 works, many are scenes from the Saintonge. Its worth googling his name to see all the different styles he painted in. His work made me feel happy and this was very welcome at that time. Anyway, I just had to copy a few to see if I could get the feel and colour of them, although I didn't always keep faithfully to the original. I was working on my knee in front of a wood fire, trying to keep warm, (awful weather in France about same time Sandy was bashing New York) so oils were out of the question as I get in such a mess, I used gouache instead. I hope you enjoy them. 

Heres a link to his work ...

http://www.gaston-balande.com/diaporama-gaston-balande.html

Towers and Lighthouses

Going through my portfolio I noticed a common theme. I think I must like towers. They make good strong verticals in a composition. Here are a few in different mediums.

Collioure... 2 Acrylics

 The Pepperpot in  Upton on Severn. 2 gouaches of a night time scene

An exercise in pastel and pointillism

Oil Painting

I love oils, I think its my favourite medium but I do get messy. I produced a portrait of me from an old photo recently but I look very sulky (and need to change it) and one of me gardening while my husband cleaned the VW. Neither are finished really buts that's how it is with me and oils.

Watercolour Exercises Charente Maritime

I decided to produce a few watercolours while in France. It was very rainy outside for quite a few days so I had to rely on logs, photos and books for inspiration. I enjoyed painting the summery scenes but found it harder to work from collections of pics than from real life. Select photo to view a big version

Exercises to explore washes

Noisy Seagulls

The cart was fun so I produced another below

I added white gouache to the sky

When I was an Art Student

When I was an Art student I was always hungry.I remember once getting back home and a flatmate's cat stole my sausages while I was out of the kitchen. I saw it disappearing through the window with a trail of sausages following it. Its a good job the cat didn't come back that night as I might have eaten it.

Anyway here are two crayonworks of me posing in Queen Mary's chair in Packwood House. I was modelling for a photographer friend, Elizabeth MacGregor (who now runs a plant nursery in Scotland, just click here for a visual delight on her website). I have added a painting theme to one and a textile theme to the other which didn't exist in the original photos. You can see how thin and hungry I was and I'm sure I'm daydreaming about food. I think Liz cooked me a meal in payment.

Hubby has bought me the easel. Isn't it grand!

The leather bag of paints is made up but I would like one like that.
You can also visit my website at www.gaykettle.co.uk

Poetry and Logs

I write a lot. I keep a sort of visual diary/log with sketches, comments and stories of our travels. I have done this for years and they are taking up space now, I wonder what will happen to them eventually? I started them because hubby and I were always wondering where the time had gone and what had we done. Of course my Art ideas soon got mixed in with travel records and I have started to include small paintings as I don't know what to do with them otherwise. I don't really want to part with my work as its about my life. They look good in the log.

Anyway, I have also written poetry over the years and it doesn't fit in the log so well so I have put it onto
Jottify. I have quite a few works on there and I have had fun making the book covers. My children gave me a lovely sketchbook for Christmas and I have filled the first two pages with images from a recent trip to Dorset. I tried to write the poems neatly round the images.

You can also visit my website at www.gaykettle.co.uk

2011 St Jean D'Angley Competition Success

Here's a link to an article about my success in this year's St Jean competition. My work was exhibited in the Tourist Office.
http://www.sudouest.fr/2011/08/29/les-artistes-ont-eu-une-journee-pour-creer-485097-1552.php

I am keen to produce another still life drawing of a similar nature with symbolic meaning. This one was about creative inspiration, the germination of an idea, (the competition theme) and I rather enjoyed the challenge.

I have been practising thsi style of drawing, inspired by Hilberry's work and book (link below images).

Its been a good discipline. I especially love how he draws the masking tape. I found compressed charcoal was the only way I could get the rich background. Luckily my friend Marion gave me some as it would have been quite a drive to find somewhere to buy it in France.

This is a similar work but without colour

This is a small section of the above drawing. I love the charcoal background and the detail in the stone mantlepiece.
You can also visit my website at www.gaykettle.co.uk

  Here is a link to the book I learnt this technique from, its invaluable.