I was asked by a bonsai growing friend if I could paint an image of a silver birch tree on a panel of matt black acrylic which he provided for me - about 16"x 8". I decided that it should be kept as a simple silhouette using white acrylic paint so I did two designs for him to chose which he preferred. When I showed them to him last week he chose to keep them both. Which do you prefer?
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I spent a lovely few days at Knuston Hall a few weeks ago learning about paper cutting. The tutor was a very creative and talented lady and helped us all to design and cut a variety of greetings cards using a very sharp scalpel. This is my Christmas design - approximately 8"x 6" so lots of careful fiddly cutting needed.
I have a friend who is an accomplished photographer and this is drawn from his photograph of his Lakeland Terrier, Kendal. I don't normally include background in my pet portraits but in this case the bluebells were an integral part of the image so I decided to include them. They were done with water soluble coloured pencils and some acrylic inks then the dog was added with non soluble pencils afterwards. The picture was commissioned by his wife and given to him as a surprise wedding anniversary present. This was my second time of having a stall at a bonsai show selling my scroll paintings. Not only did I have a successful day in terms of sales, but I also met lots of great people and had the pleasure of seeing some of my little paintings in use as part of people's bonsai displays. A lovely day.
I recently sold the orchid painting on the left via my Etsy shop. The buyer was really pleased with it and asked me if I could do another picture of white orchids but against a yellow background (and small enough to fit in a 6"x 4" frame) as a gift for her friend. The picture on the right is the result and I'm pleased to say that she was very happy with that one too.
These two gorgeous dogs are brother and sister from the same litter of labradoodles. Such characterful faces! It was quite a challenge to get all that fur, fluff and curls to look right but I got there in the end. The dogs live with their owners in Australia so the picture has now gone there to hang on their wall.
Encouraged by some bonsai growing friends, I have started to make little paintings for use on hanging scrolls in formal bonsai tree displays as you can see in the pictures above. The idea is to suggest a mood or season or location for the setting of the tree in the display. It is an ancient Oriental art form and traditionally depicts Eastern themes. But many European growers are moving away form copying Japanese traditions and looking for a more Western feel in their trees and displays, which is what I am trying to achieve in these paintings. I have painted a selection of different images, in various sizes, and will be having a stall at a national Bonsai Show near Heathrow in a couple of weeks time. Hopefully they will be well received - but time will tell. I have put some of the images on a new Gallery page - Bonsai Scroll Paintings and also in my Etsy shop here.
August is the time of year for our annual art club exhibition which is held in a lovely building known as The Crypt. Not a crypt in the church sense of the word but an old underground space which has been incorporated into a newer gallery building. It is well used by local groups and individuals so there is always something interesting to go and see. Last Week was Art Wave week locally so there were lots of people in the town who were interested in all kinds of art and who were visiting the gallery as well as the many local houses and studios that were open during the week. I enjoyed my sessions stewarding at the exhibition as it is always so interesting to talk with visitors and hear their thoughts and opinions on the art works on display. The club ran a People's Vote during the week for visitors to vote for their favourite picture(s). I am pleased to say that one of my pictures had the third highest number of votes which was surprising but very pleasing. |
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