Snowdrops in Brusho

I am preparing for my new Brusho workshop on the 20th January so working on some new subjects for the next few days and then who knows what we will do!!

We don't have any snowdrops out yet as naughty puppy keeps digging up bulbs......can't leave him for a minute in the garden before he is rooting and digging so we have no idea just which bulbs they are but our garden which is most definitely a Spring garden is going to be decimated before we even get there!!Grrrrrr!!!

Anyway like many painters I tend to paint in the seasons and always do a few snowdrop studies at this time of year. I enjoy creating the composition from nothing and seeing what I come up with and have a few studies over the years which I have created in the same way.

For this piece I drew 3 flower heads, used some wax to capture some highlights on the petals and leaves, then using Yellow, Turq, Leaf green and purple, sprinkled all over the paper leaving the flower areas blank. I then sprayed all over and some paint then bled into the flower heads but the wax kept some of the highlights and the white of the paper was also preserved in parts. I like the texture Brusho creates and decided to keep that in the bg knowing that my flower and leaves would be smoother so would create contrast in the piece.

I could barely see the pencil lines at this stage so the drawing only worked as a vague clue and allowed me to decide on the composition in the first place, so I then started to work negatively around the flowers, picking out petals and stems, keeping hard and soft edges, letting some edges bleed into the petals,  and as I was working,I saw another flower head appear towards the bottom right. I know 4 is not a good number compositionally but I really felt in this position the composition was actually improved so decided to work with it. Would be interested to hear what you think.....

I am always drawn to contrast of light and dark and I think it works really well with snowdrops and next time I will try in different colours. For workshops I work in the colours the students have which is usually the basic set of 12 but I now have most of the colours so a far bigger selection to choose from.

I continued adding the darks and also worked with some Miltons Fluid (and water) to restore some lights... but the blues will only restore to a pale turquoise whereas the reds and purples bleach out very well.

What is so fantastic about Brusho is that it challenges the artists eye. Because you never know just what will happen when working this way, it is always tricky trying to work out where to go with something and how to finish it, but I am very happy with the light on this one and the palette I used which is one of my favourites in Brusho.

Same Palette different Painting

I chose theses two particular images as I want to do some snow scene workshop pieces. Both photos are from PMP the first by Villager Jim and the second Steve Gibbs.

Interestingly (well I think it is) I have used the same palette for both these paintings.

Turquoise, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna (my favourite), raw sienna and a touch of SAA Quin Gold. I emphasize SAA as it is a completely different colour to W&N but gorgeous!!

If I hit on a combination I like, I tend to use it for a variety of things and can create different atmospheres by using the paint in different proportions as I have in these two.

The first I wanted to create a cool crisp feel as the image gave me that impression and the second the complete opposite. Even though it is still a snow scene the photo was really warm and inviting with a lovely glow about it.

This is the "cool" evening scene

It was looking a bit twee as one of the members of my local group pointed out and I have since darkened the bg and hopefully created a bit more atmosphere but my aim was to create some highlights of snow around the piece. It's important to keep the intent at the forefront of your mind then you can be constantly working towards your aim.

Here is the second

I'm not sure this one is finished....I added a yellow glaze to the sky but am now wondering if it needs a touch of yellow in the snow and some work needed to the hedgerow on our left...as always I will leave overnight and have a think about it!!

But I do think it illustrates really well how you can use exactly the same palette and create two completely unique pieces just by using different dominant colours.

Isn't colour just the icing on the cake?

The Old Shoes

I rather like painting shoes and when I saw this image taken by John Robinson I knew it was one to be painted.

The photo was from an old deserted cottage and the shoes just as John found them. I like this sort of image as there isn't too much detail, and it lends itself to my way of painting...lots of uneven edges. not too precise anywhere with scope for my wayward brush to make their haphazard unexpected marks!!  The only area which really needed attention was the shoes and even there I have left lots of white spaces which always makes watercolour sparkle.

Very limited palette with this, Cadmium red and yellow and UB. This is a palette often used by the lovely Joanne Boon Thomas and not one I often use at all but the whole image shouted those colours to me and I really like the effect. Cad red and yellow are opaque colours but because of how I mix them on the paper I rarely get mud.... check some of my earlier blogs for what gives you mud!!

I did draw the shoes on this as I wanted to get them looking right, just a quick sketch and the paint does the rest of the work.....

Adventures in the Farnworth Household and a New Guest Writer!!

Okay everyone…Chester here!! Have hijacked my human’s arty blog, she’s been a bit remiss with it recently so though I would entertain you for a bit instead!!

I am a part working, part show cocker spaniel though rumour has it there may be some Labrador/Retriever in my heritage but I am keeping quiet about that despite steadily growing larger than my humans ever thought I would… a solid 14 kilos at my last weigh in at the vets (boy do I love that place… I ran my female human absolutely ragged the last time she took me…. soooo many delicious smells…..)

Anyway they aren’t the most experienced of owners and I have been having great fun testing their good humour, their physical stamina, their emotional well-being and their sleeplessness to the limits and they have now introduced me to another human who is altogether a different kettle of fish (sounds like that would be tasty) and he has me somewhat mesmerised into submission. They call him a dog trainer but I am just in love and so happy they brought him into my life. My trainer says we puppies need boundaries and rules (but all I can do is gaze lovingly into his eyes… sigh) and my humans weren’t too good at that, letting me on their knees, the sofas the bed you name it they allowed it… all I had to do was look at either one of them with my big amber spaniel eyes and they were putty in my paws!!! 

But my new human is teaching me (and them) my place and where I sit in the Farnworth household hierarchy and assures everyone I will be much happier once I know my place as a dog!!  I haven’t been out for my daily run since he came to see me for the first time, he says I need to learn some manners and pay more attention to what my owners are saying before I can be let loose again,  I mean I’m not a bad boy but I more or less do what I want and eventually go to them when they call but they’re so slow they can’t catch me when  I am running wild with gay abandon dodging them with my rugby dummies in the fields!!

Before he came, they decided to take me to a puppy training class, what fun that was!! Full of other puppies though none of them as excited about things as I was so of course it was my job, obligation and downright duty to wind them all up as much as possible, straining to get at them all at every opportunity and generally running riot during the whole session. My humans didn’t seem too pleased about how I behaved there and decided to cut my lessons short and introduce me to one to one training where I can be the complete centre of attention even though for some reason now they seem to be ignoring me a bit and our cosy intimate sessions on their bed and the sofa have been conspicuous by their absence since he came but don’t you all worry I spy my moments and every so often, when they think I’m not looking and they accidentally leave the door open I am up those stairs before you can say pedigree chum and up on that lovely squidgy bed!!

A new device has arrived at the house, seems it’s a new lead which my trainer has suggested the humans get… it is meant to be better for me and to stop me pulling and I am such a good boy when my trainer uses it on me…. I walk I turn, I go slow and I even walk to heel when he drops the lead (he thinks I haven’t noticed but I have!!) haha,  lets see what happens when my humans take me, am not too hopeful of them managing me and I am so excited at the thought of going out again I may not be able to restrain myself!! But I am just so lovely and cute I know they won’t stay mad at me for long even  if I don’t do quite as they say!!

I must say my trainer was right, this concentrating business is fair wearing me out, it requires a lot of my puppy brain power to sit, stay, wait, leave and all the other commands demanded of me, but I secretly quite enjoy the challenge and though I still get incredibly excited whenever anyone different comes to the house I know I will make my humans happier if I can contain myself and not jump up into people’s nether regions with the potential damage I may do there!! I am finding that one difficult, but I am being so good in other respects, it has been a couple of days since I jumped on the furniture, they really don’t like that any more and I am such a good boy on my new lead, and I trot along really nicely for them……and I do seem to be getting a lot of treats, bit like a slot machine, I do good.....ker-ching.....another treat! Not rocket science and sometimes I sit, stay, lie down and leave all at once, as I am bound to have got one of them right!!

So that’s all for now, will update you all on my progress soon!! BTW am really looking forward to Christmas… rumour has it there will be 14 humans here (including 5 young ones who have lots more energy and will be lots more playful)…..and there's even another dog, he’s my cousin, another spaniel boy…….my cup runneth over !!!! 

Sunshine House Xmas Fair

It is always quite a lot of work to get ready for an event like this but I do enjoy doing them and have a great affection for this particular centre and the volunteers who work there.I run 4 week blocks and all day workshops there and am always made to feel so welcome, wanted and appreciated... no wonder I like going!!

Anyway I prepared  lots of paintings, framing one or two more and mounting quite a few....I also prepared a portfolio of older work which I put in at rock bottom prices, then I had a mid priced portfolio and finally my cradle which I had the most up to date work and some of my favourites all mounted ready for framing. I have just done a small exhibition of 6 paintings in the Horwich Art Society annual event so had already got some newer pieces framed, so I set off with a car full on Friday afternoon ready to make my mark!!

Barbara Nettleton who runs the centre works tirelessly and had mine and all the other stall holders tables set up and after a little, shall we say "friendly negotiation" we both agreed my stall needed moving to the corner with an extra backboard to complete the set up. As those who are regular readers of my blog will know, decisions are not my strong point so to get this set up in just under 3 hours was a feat of considerable determination on my part leaving the dithering at the door and marching on with uncharacteristic fortitude!!

I was really pleased with how it looked and managed to get most things on display and at least a good selection of my work and cards. The footflow was rather slow, but the other stall holders very friendly so we had no problem passing the time of day and I had quite a bit of interest not only in my paintings but also in commissions, workshops and tuition. Sometimes it isn't the sales which are of paramount importance at these events but the seeds which are sown for the future and there was a lot of interest in me running another 4 week block at Sunshine House which I shall book for March/April time.

There was a very interesting sale of a painting I did with a view to a Christmas card but  I wasn't too keen on it and never had it printed, but brought it along to sell. It was really popular and attracted a lot of interest.....a snow leopard which you can see right in the middle of the stand, I haven't even got a separate photo of it, just goes to show... what do I know!!!

I also sold a small floral I did in the Fabio Cembranelli workshop.....

It was my favourite painting of the 2 days and I was really very pleased with it so delighted it has gone to Elise a fellow local artist and tutor (check out her page....very talented lady!!)

The final sale on the first day was to Barbara at the centre who already has about 4 of my paintings and is very supportive of my work

So 3 paintings sold on the first day and a few cards so not bad at all and left me quite optimistic for the following day.

I arrived bright and early (the bacon barms were calling!!) and had new stall holders next to me who really brightened my time there and made it a very enjoyable day. The biggest shock of my day was the centre wanting to buy 2 paintings, how cool was that?  They have funds available to support local artists, and want to leave a legacy of art work for future generations, marvellous idea!! Then a lady who has been to my workshops had seen some of the work in my cradle after I had left the day before and came over to ask about prices. These two paintings had never been mounted and as I was looking through the options and trying mounts on different pieces, I realised these two looked fabulous as a pair one landscape and one portrait, so I signed them in the appropriate spot and crossed my fingers!!

They were double mounted in off white with black inset and I was so pleased with how they looked and even more delighted they sold as a pair.

So a very successful event for me, even though the centre wasn't as busy as in previous years, the hard work before hand doesn't always pay dividends but happy to say in this case it did!!

Changing my Mind and more about Working from Photos

Switzerland is a beautiful place and we are lucky enough to be able to visit fairly often and during our first visit earlier this year, we had glorious weather.  I took masses of photos always with a view to painting them. Now I'm not sure if this happens to you but only a handful seem promising when I finally get to view them on here... why is that?

Anyway I do love painting poppies and there was a huge cornfield with clumps of wild poppies growing and I did think I would have a go, even though the images didn't look all that promising.

This is a selection of photos from the field to give you a feel for the view

The last image is the one I vaguely took the composition from and as you can see there is a sea of pale brown with odd bits of green. I thought I might do the painting like that but must have subconsciously changed my mind as it progressed as I found myself adding more blues, yellows and greens to the bg and moving away from the brown shades. Whether that is because I know green and red are complimentary and I am always looking for maximum contrast or whether on viewing I felt the combination a touch boring (am inclined to believe the latter is the case!!) I'm not sure but once again illustrates we don't need to stick to the colour scheme we see....the image is there as a starting point, and in terms of colour, shape, composition, tone etc, just there as a clue, a bit of guidance but not to be followed implicitly.

The composition took on more of a square feel and evolved as I painted it. Unusually for me I worked across the piece from right to left... normally I work across the whole painting at once, trying to make sure I work on dry areas around the piece but this happened differently (no idea why!!). So the darks were added as I moved across helping to build the composition as I went along. I then decided it needed a quin gold glaze across the whole of the top... I had kept the left quite warm and yellow and realised the right side needed a touch of warmth too. This is where I don't have to be a slave to my photo, I give myself permission to do whatever I like and whatever I think will improve my painting be it the colour, the composition, the light in fact anything at all. Because all those decisions are specific to me and my perception on the day, that is why painting like this creates a unique piece of art that not even I can copy!!

Next, I plan to do a close up of one or two heads and see where that takes me. Another benefit of painting like this is that I can use the same image and produce all sorts of different paintings and trying to think of different ways to do things certainly exercises the creative brain cells!!  I am always trying to challenge my students into using their own palette... sometimes I am very mean to them and don't tell them what colours I am using and they are sometimes quite frightened of making a mistake but often find it has been liberating too and they end up quite pleased with their results as their painting has their own stamp on it.

New Directions

Inspired by seeing Ann Blockley at Patchings 2 years ago I went mad and bought a rather large selection of acrylic inks.. having seen how Ann used them I just "had" to have some... some girls need shoes......I need art materials (as well as shoes!!)

However having had all good intentions in the world I have barely used them until now... but..... having seen Ann again at Patchings again this year, bought her book and seen snippets of the DVD I decided it might be a new direction for me especially for landscapes. I have been working on buildings and features inn the landscape recently and much happier with those but straight landscapes are still testing me!! I took quite a lot of photos on our trip to Basel during the Summer and have quite a few in my "pending file" and this was such a pretty scene I decided to have a go

I'm not sure I would have attempted this with pure watercolour but felt it was something I could use the acrylic inks with mixed with watercolour. I am quite pleased with this first attempt though I'm not sure it is finished as I feel it needs some more variety of line in it but I am going to sit on it and maybe get some feedback... would be interested to hear what any of you think.....

Charcoal Workshop

I go to a lovely group near St Helens called Paint Pots (great name for a group!!) and they invited me recently to do a charcoal workshop. They really want to do a charcoal portrait class but thought the group could be introduced to the medium with a landscape lesson first.

I told Doris, the organiser, that I had never run a charcoal class before but that I would love to run one for them as I do enjoy charcoal and in the very early days of my art journey was the medium I had most success with as it suits my sketchy way of drawing. I do know Joanne does a lot of charcoal sketching en plein air as preparation for watercolour and Brusho paintings and then works from the sketch rather than the photo for her paintings and I need to take a leaf out of her book for the future.

So I went armed with a variety of papers, my blending tools (got lots of them but in the main use my fingers), putty rubber and some images for us to attempt and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed the session.

The first drawing was of an image taken by my brother in law John Robinson and is a fantastic atmospheric image of a sunset at Glen Coe and the second from one of my own photos of the Pigeon Tower Rivington. I have painted both images but never drawn them so a challenge for us all!!

This was done on a thickish smooth cartridge paper and not one I generally use but wanted to show the group the differences made by different papers. Blending isn't as easy as the charcoal tends to make quite permanent unmovable marks. I showed them all the blending tools but as ever came back to my fingers!!

This isn't finished as we didn't quite have time to complete both in the session but you can see lots more texture which I like and done on Bockingford extra rough. For what it's worth a NOT watercolour paper (rough in Bockingford) would probably be best though I do use the extra rough for portraits, unless I am drawing a very smooth haired animal in which case I would probably use graphite rather than charcoal anyway.

As usual I forgot to take photos, but the group did so well (you'll have to take my word for that!!) and I have to say they were all really pleased with their efforts as I had been all those years ago when I first tried charcoal. It is a very forgiving medium and I would advise anyone to have a go. A charcoal sketch is a great tool for a later painting, but a lovely medium to use just for its own sake. Would love to hear and see the results if any of you decide to try it.....

Sharing my Disasters?

Well maybe disaster might be too strong a word but from the minute I posted this painting on fb I could see it was wrong and it was really annoying me. I hadn't taken a word of my own advice and stupidly had drawn what I thought I saw and not what I actually saw and though it didn't look too bad on the painting as soon as I posted it and could see it properly on the computer the mistake shouted at me.

Maybe I shouldn't post this sort of thing... doesn't do my street cred much good I know, but I am working on the premise that we all make mistakes and have our disasters no matter what stage we're at, working or hobby artists and I know during the early stages of my own journey it was music to my ears to hear someone I perceived as a "good" artist still had off days and their fair share of disasters. At that stage maybe one out of ten paintings turned out for me and even then the ones which turned out weren't that good. Happily the percentage of successes is much higher now but I wanted to share this as a lesson to us all.

So a bit of background. I have done a series of paintings from photos I have taken of "The Street" in Rivington. I worked with the same three colours, Turquoise, Burnt Sienna and purple so unusual combination but I am able to get a rich variety of colours using just those three and produce quite a colourful piece at the same time. None of these paintings represent the true colours from the reference photos, however as long as I keep the tonal value correct the palette is secondary and all I need to do is to make sure the chosen colours look attractive when mixed together.  This was the first piece and one I was very pleased with (and is now with a new owner!!)

The second was one I had painted before keeping the colours fairly closely to the reference and I really didn't like it so this was using the new palette and I much preferred it.

This is the painting I messed up on...

I have no idea why I didn't see this as I was painting.. just shows you can be too close to something and also shows you really need to step back. The other thing it shows is that no matter how good the actual painting bit is, if the drawing stinks the painting doesn't work!! So no prizes for guessing the problem with this one, yes, the perspective on the gates, and here is the new version I did yesterday which I am happier with

Would love to hear what you all think about this. Is it good to share the disasters too, to admit that not everything works or should I keep them to myself?

New all Day Workshop at Sunshine House, Scholes, Wigan

Taking place on Saturday the 3rd October it will have a Christmassy feel so that any of you who may want to start producing your own cards or even paint each one individually this is the workshop for you. And even if you don't want to do that you will still learn lots of tips and hints to help you in your every day painting!!

Here are a few of the cards I've done in the past....

For anyone wondering what the format is for my one day sessions, here is is quick overview of how this one will run......

I always start by giving a quick talk with examples about how I paint, mixing the paint on the paper or my brush and how that impacts on my work and usually people have a quick go at mixing their colour on the paper and trying all sorts of different combinations.

Next we will look at washes and how to do backgrounds like these, using the water and paint to create a vibrant, lively effect which is an important part of these paintings and often looks a lot easier than it is.

We will be using masking fluid too so a few tips and hints about how best to use it.

After lunch we will do a full painting, I always bring a variety of images for people to chose from and I demonstrate one which people can then interpret with the images they choose so that everyone will have a different painting to mine. A bit of a bug bear with me, rather than trying to simply copy my work, I love it when people use what they learn to incorporate into their own work so I often suggest students use completely different colours to mine and then they at least inject a bit of their own creativity into the session.

Cost is £20 a head, 10.00-3.00, e-mail me on judesfarnworth@hotmail.com if you are interested or please pass to anyone else you know who may want to have a go. The last few workshops have been booked pretty quickly so if you are interested please get in touch sooner rather than later!!