My finished frames

Today I've been finishing the frames for two of the pieces going into the show 'Borrowed Blue' at Sam scorer Gallery, Lincoln on Monday. I ordered the frame pieces and accessories from Ashcraft Framing and put them together myself. It was simple and straightforward...brilliant! 

Remnants of a mosaic

This piece is something I've been working on for the past few days and yes...it is finished! The idea behind the piece is to depict not an entire mosaic but the remains of a mosaic. The subject is the Roman god Bacchus (also Dionysus from Greek myth). I was reading about Bacchus' travels through India and came across this quote from the Latin tragedy 'Phaedra' by Seneca, 'Thou Bacchus from thysus-bearing India, with unshorn locks, perpetually young, thou who frightenest tigers with thy vine-clad spear and with a turban bindest thy horned head'. So this is my portrayal of Bacchus from that description. I used a drawing that I made a while back but which came immediately to mind as soon as I read the quote. Not only is the subject conveniently wearing a turban but I feel the character has an androgynous quality that is often associated with Bacchus/Dionysus. This piece is 30cm x 40cm.  

'Girl in Blue Jumper'

40cm x 30cm

oil on stretched canvas

I've been working on this piece this afternoon, getting it ready to put in 'Borrowed Blue' at Sam Scorer Gallery in Lincoln. It's an interesting show to take part in because the requirements for the show are as follows: four pieces in total from each artist - one has to be an older piece, one a new work, one borrowed from someone else and one containing a blue element. I couldn't resist when I was invited to participate! The painting above is my 'blue' piece and the drawing in the painting that you can see on the wall on the right of the girl will be my 'borrowed' piece. It's a charcoal drawing by a friend and artist Rosie Burke. I love the drawing and was delighted when Rosie agreed to hang it in the exhibition!

'Borrowed Blue' 

Sam Scorer Gallery

Drury Lane 

Lincoln

2nd September - 15th September  

All those who can get along to the 'invitation do' on Sunday 8th September 2.00pm - 4.00pm are very welcome. Please come if you can. There will be yummy tubs of ice cream (dairy and non-dairy) and lots of soft drinks too. Should be a fun afternoon! :) 

Work in progress for next year's exhibition

I've been working again on my idea for the exhibition happening next year. The subject in this piece is Venus/Aphrodite. It's just over a third finished. It's a slow process and has taken quite a number of hours already. Making the drawing is pretty quick, it's the cutting up and sticking that's slow as I'm cutting each piece individually...approximately 660 pieces in this work so far!! I like the unevenness of the pieces that results from this method. I'm still not sure where this is taking me but I do enjoy exploring new ideas even if they might send me a little crazy by the end of them!! :O 

'Market - Saturday Morning' finished

20" x 30"

oil on canvas panel

Click to buy

I think I've pretty much finished this painting now. I'll check again tomorrow incase there's something I've missed.  I've spent three sessions working on it. You could probably carry on forever with a studio painting like this but you have to call a halt at some point and sooner rather than later before it becomes overworked and laboured. Some of the fruit and veg are invented because the boxes that were visible were mostly filled with vegetables in plastic bags and I wanted more colour. That's the magic of being an artist...if you don't much like the reality around you, then you can change it!! 

Saturday Morning Market - next stage

20" x 30"

oil on canvas panel

I managed to get to this stage this afternoon. Nowhere near finished yet with still much to resolve but I thought you might like to see the painting nonetheless. There's a stronger narrative content in this piece with the crowd scene and several characters to focus on, all with their own tale to tell. I'm reasonably happy with it thus far :) 

Saturday Morning Market

20" x 30"

canvas board

I'm taking a different approach for this piece. I've drafted out the composition in charcoal which I don't normally do. I usually go straight in with paint, but the composition was fairly complex and I didn't want to leave too much to chance. Contrasts, both colour and value will be key in this piece in order to separate the abstract shapes and create the distance. I'm looking forward to painting all these different individuals from the man in the foreground reading his shopping list (buying for his dinner party that evening?)...to the woman way in the distance holding a cup of tea. You may recognise the two characters on the far right, the mother and son from a previous painting 'Ice Cream on a Cold Afternoon'.