A juggling act....

 

I don't ever like to complain about what I do, as I feel very fortunate to have the career that I chose, but it would be lovely if just occasionally I was able to catch the tail I'm constantly chasing! This blog is a little feast or famine for me (how is it possible that social media can make you feel guilty for neglecting it?) but all I can say is that I'm now back in the land of making, painting and teaching. This week the studio is frantic with planning for Dorset Art Weeks, which opens on Saturday 24th May, and it will not only be the first year for the studio but will be the first year that I will exhibit independently.

I am really excited about opening up to the general public and getting my first set of visitors, other than those who come for classes, it will be a lovely opportunity to meet new people and show what I do. I will be posting regularly during the event, so please do pop back to this blog. I will be a much better blogger (unless I'm painting, of course)......

Not what you do every day...

Sometimes an opportunity comes your way which you would be nutty to turn down, no matter how much it scares you. What is it people say? 'Feel the fear and do it anyway', well yesterday I was given the great honour of being invited up to Newark, to the headquarters of the Society for All Artists, to film for their very popular programme 'A Splash of Paint' which airs on the Painting and Drawing Channel on Sky.
I had been before to film a web clip ( which you can see here ) but this was going to be very different as I had prepared 3 paintings to demonstrate, all 26 minutes each. Yes, 26 minutes. Not 25 or 27 or 'that's near enough' but 26 minutes of what I hoped was going to be encouraging and useful information for all abilities of painter. Now, those of you who know me well will appreciate that when I'm given a set of instructions, I do tend to make sure I'm well prepared, but this isn't as easy as simply practising. How do you anticipate how long a wash will take to dry? What if you have to deviate from the plan and paint elements in a different order? How would I be able to show something worth watching for that period of time? (I couldn't decide if it would be all over in a flash or feel like an eternity).
All I can tell you is that once I was in the swing of it and my nerves were pushed to one side, I had the most fun I have ever had demonstrating. That would not have been possible however, if it had not been for the team at the SAA, who were just phenomenal. They are warm, friendly, professional and fantastically efficient which made my job there a joy and I would not have had nearly as much fun without their patience and willingness to help me out. I would particularly like to thank Gary and his team in the studio who taught me so much about presenting and were encouraging and fun whilst being incredibly professional at all times.
So my contribution will be aired next year sometime, and don't worry I will keep you informed, but until then, pop over to channel 191 and watch this very informative programme. Alternatively you can catch up on-line at any time via this link http://www.thepaintinganddrawingchannel.co.uk/ Enjoy!

Exciting Experiments

After 'Thirty Days hath September' it has been a complete joy to be able to get back to what I do best - painting and teaching. The promotion and marketing aspect of my job is always good fun but any time away from my palette makes me artistically itchy and longing to get back to being creative. This week I have been testing 'Millford' watercolour paper on behalf of the Society for All Artists (SAA) as the paper is relatively new to the art materials market. It is produced by the St. Cuthberts paper mill as a replacement to the old 'Whatman' paper originally used by JMW turner. I was a huge fan of Whatman when it was around as I loved the quality it gave to my paints, it lent itself very well to my impressionistic brush strokes and the fact that I like to use soft edges in my work.

Millford is everything Whatman was and more! I can imagine that people might be afraid of it due to its cost but believe me, it is worth every penny. Yes, it is a very different surface and you have to be nice to it but this is only to my advantage, as it means I can't 'faff' (my favourite artistic term) about with it too much and have to trust that it will grab hold of my paint and diffuse the colours as I want it to.

So here is the painting I worked on last night:

We have a herd of deer at the back of the farm where we live and I have been desperate to paint a stag ever since I heard him calling last week. The Millford paper has given me the soft, foggy atmosphere I was looking for with very little effort from me and I am really pleased with the result.

I have used a variety of techniques here, but I won't talk about them yet as they are still in development and I want to make sure I am confident with them before passing them on.

So please keep your eye on the blog as I'm sure there is lots more to come with this paper, I can see it fast becoming my favourite!

If you would like to have a go on this paper, you can order it through me or by visiting the SAA's Home Shop: www.saa.co.uk