Winter Exhibition...nearly ready...

Everything up on the walls now…just need to clean up…Opens tomorrow at 10 :)

Winter Exhibition 2011

Open Every Saturday From 26th November to 17th December.
Hope you can come along :)

Sketch of Lucy

I wanted to have a small pencil portrait to show alongside the portrait of Chloe & Ruby during my winter exhibition, so I’ve done this little sketch of Lucy. Next I need to get some prints done of the main paintings I’ve done this year & then order lots of framing things so I can get them all framed up nicely…I’m going to work on the portrait of Matthew & Meagan during the exhibition, as that will hopefully get people asking ‘oh, do you do portraits then?’… there’s the experiment for the book project to get back to…and some sort of Christmas print to think up and produce…lots to do :)

Framing Chloe & Ruby

I’ve been working on the framing side of things so far this week. Lots of moulding samples arrived so I’m building some boards to display them on. I’ve framed the portrait of Chloe & Ruby, the main frame is oak which I’ve sealed and waxed, this is over a dark wood floater frame, a sort of contemporary take on a traditional framing material. I’m really pleased with the way it’s come out, the oak is gorgeous and really suits the painting, and the furniture in the room where the painting will eventually hang :) I had a little of the floater moulding left over, so I’ve used that to frame the picture of Bex, I’ve left a much larger gap around that which sets the painting off very nicely, I’ll do some more like this :)

The Painted Book...

Started work on a new piece today. This is a test for the next series I want to do… Basically I’m planning on making a series of paintings based on familiar stories (eg Red Riding Hood) and linking all these separate story paintings together with an on-going narrative (the story of an artist meeting the characters in the paintings, by painting them…)This will then be presented as an exhibition and as a book… Am also experimenting today with some video of the painting as it develops…hopefully it’ll work… :)

Mr & Mrs Rice

I’ve been working on the portrait of Matthew & Meagan today. Again working from dark to light. Also varnished the portrait of Chloe & Ruby and Gesso’ed the canvas I made yesterday…time for a beer now I think :)

Custom Canvas

Opened up a delivery of art goodies this morning and found the 5 litre pot of Gesso had broken…very messy!!! Once that was all cleaned up I started assembling a new canvas for the start of a new series of paintings (more on what that series will be soon…) As well as developing the framing side of things, I want to be able to offer other artists a custom canvas service. As an artist if I knew of somewhere I could get a canvas made exactly the size I wanted and get a frame for it at the same time, I’d be a very happy bunny…I don’t know of anywhere like that, so I’m going to do it all myself :)

Chloe & Ruby portrait finished

Chloe & Ruby all finished & a photo of the wood all cut for the frame :)

Golden Hair...

Golden hair done, just need to do the flower in Chloe's hair & work over Ruby's top :)

Stripes

More work on the clothes today, Chloe’s top is pretty much done. Ruby’s stripy top is much more complex so that’ll take a couple of passes to get right. I’m working from light to dark on it initially, mainly to work out where all the stripes go, once that’s done I’ll go back over it from dark to light to get the folds correct.

Graham's Dog Kennels...

The main pass on the faces is now done & I’ve started on the clothing, this is going to be painted more fully than the recent paintings and will (fingers crossed) be the style of the next set of paintings…and as you can see from the other photo, if the painting doesn’t work out, I can always open a kennel ;)

today...

Todays progress...

some mid tones...

Building up the mid tones today…

Dark to Light

I’ve been working on the painting of Chloe & Ruby today, I’m working from dark to light, nearly finished the shadowed areas, more tomorrow…

studio stuff

Last week was all about the framing side of things. Went out and bought the remaining kit I need and then build a great big framing bench…all done now, so I will be back to some actual painting this week I promise ;)