Painting with fibres

As a regular member of the International Felt Makers (IFA) I got the opportunity to do a workshop with professional artist Valerie Wartelle  Valerie.lehipduhop.com . This took place at our regular venue in Arnesby.

Wool is an amazing medium and is used for practical items as well as art. Valerie took us through ideas on composition and colour, something that is very familiar to members of the HAC. She gave us with a few tips about her adaptations of a very basic technique.

The photograph is of the work I produced, and I am pleased to report it got 32 votes and sixth place for a favourite artwork at a local exhibition. I am delighted with this on a personal level but more that I feel textile art is becoming more acceptable to the public. Craft and art is one kind of discrimination that is addressed in the current exhibition Criminal ornamentation: Yinka Shonibare MBE being held at the Richard Attenborough Centre till 16 December 2018.

Working towards -

Haiku - Japanese poetry.


The format:

Line 1 - 5 syllables
Line 2 - 7 syllables
Line3 - 5 syllables

The haiku is to help me focus on that one moment in time, that inspiration to paint. Working towards best describes my attempts to match emotions, words and images.

 Hills

Misty September
A blue, a pale blue hills rolling
At the old zebra

Heather

Humid aurora

A wild, mauve heather attend

near the lavender.

September - art windows

This time of year I always exhibit a painting with the Market Harborough Artist Cluster. This year I have been given the shop window of the 'Little big bra shop.'


I had thought about doing a lady in her underwear, but decided against it. The title of this painting is 'Warrior,' not just because she is posing in the 'Warrior yoga pose, and she is doing so whilst heavily pregnant'  but more importantly it is my statement about today's women.

Thunder flies

I had to abandon the plein air painting summer this year. There were so many thunder flies that met their doom by attacking my paintings.  Now autumn has arrived I am beginning to think about plein air painting again, I love being out doors interacting directly with the environment.

A selection of plein air paintings exhibited this summer at Lamport Hall.

Developing the drawing

• ·      Contrast dark trees against light sky.
• ·      Groups of odd number of trees.
• ·      Trees leaning into the picture.
• ·      Ridge and furrow moves the eye to the horizon.
• ·      Bungalow divided in unequal portions.
• ·      Addition of fence gives perspective.

Thinking about composition

Reconsidering ‘Fred’s home’.  What made me want to paint this scene?

Firstly the brilliant blue sky; secondly the bottle green pine trees against the sky. The patterns made by the ridge and furrow, which was emphasized by the snow. Without a doubt Fred’s brick bungalow will be a focal point. The format is 10 x 20 inch, which I feel is restful and peaceful. I have started the sketch on paper, devoting two thirds of the space to the sky (as that was my inspiration), and on third to the land. Now I need to resolve how to make the eye travel across and around the work to make an interesting composition.

Painting from photographs

02.04.18 Weather forecast rain – all day!

Yesterday’s study was a tutored piece and I used ultramarine blue for the sea and sky. If you want natural colours it is not a recommended for English skies.  I was given an old oil painting book for beginners, written by distinguished artist Adrian Hill. He stated,

            ‘Ultramarine should not be used to match the blue of an English sky’. 

There is far too much purple, no matter how much Flake white is added, and he also says the colour clashes with nature’s greens. Adrian recommends the use of Prussian blue.  For paintings done in the Netherlands Impressionist artist Roos Schuring doesn't use ultramarine blue either.

I took the photograph of Holkham beach Norfolk in January and intend to interpret it rather than copy it.

The limited palette I used was: Michael Harding’s Flake white, Old Holland Blue grey, Mussini bluish grey, Mussini brownish grey, Burnt Sienna, Prussian blue, and pale yellow ochre. Definitely no Ultramarine blue.