All posts tagged: artist

An Artist’s Paint Palette

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I love the way that a palette can never really be tidy. As an artist that does not have paint thrown everywhere, but has different liquids, brushes and materials all compartmentalised and all surfaces clean of paint, the one element that stays the same with all artists is that there is no neat way to maintain a palette of paints. The way I lay out my palette has become habitual rather than symptomatic of the colour palette or any functional order. I line the paints as a spectrum, originally because I thought it looked pretty. Take away the colour (greyscale photography) and I can see that different mounds have been more exhausted and spread around than others, I can see how little tone has to do with my arrangement and it makes me wonder what elements of my work might change if I were to pre-think my colour palettes and order the paints accordingly… Contemplating the palette gives a lot more away about the artist, and maybe about why their work in the way that …

New Work!

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I have a lot of new work on the go! A series of elegant and detailed wildlife work with areas of serene calm. Here are a few examples of the backgrounds of these paintings (looking for a more dreamy and opulent style)              

Odilon Redon

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One of my favourite artists and the biggest influence on my work are the ethereal and textured works of french artist Odilon Redon. (1800’s) I just LOVE his work! I love the colours, the textures, the abstraction!! I love how calm these pieces seem to be although heavy with other worldly qualities that aught to make the pieces seem more abstract than they look. It is these ’embellishments’ and  loose playfulness that I love to experiment with my own work. These are the main 3 pieces that have inspired me hugely that I thought I would share. ‘Flower Clouds’   ‘Ophelia’     ‘La Naissance de Venus’     If you know of any similar artists or have any thoughts on Redon’s work feel free to drop a comment below and let me know what you think!

Using watercolours (From an oil painter’s perspective)

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I didn’t realise how lucky I had it, to have thrown myself in at the deep end and learn to paint with oils as quickly as I did. It was a medium I wanted as my friend and I threw it around until I made it work. I was going to shoehorn my work to intertwine with oils and do whatever it took. Luckily the shoe fit. It wasn’t until I went back to materials I had previously used before I taught myself how to paint properly, that I realised it is not how the material works for you but how you work the material. Watercolour painting is oil painting flipped on its head. This is my own interpretation. Where oils are malleable, subject to complete change in consistency and shape of the mark you just made, watercolours are not. With oils you could alter that one mark up to 3 or 4 days later. With watercolours you cannot. You have a matter of seconds to decide if the mark you just made was ‘correct’ …

Lately…

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Lately… Here are a few images of whats been going on lately! In between setting up my new place, working on commissioned work, original work, and as much wildlife work as possible for a new gallery taking on my work; I have had to fit in meetings and general life. Its been hectic. The Eden pieces are starting to come along well, the detailing has been building and starting to take form with intricate marks thrown in. I have been working just on the Eve piece mainly, establishing the embellishments and look of the pieces, and will start to add detail to the Adam piece to bring them both together. Eden started off blonde, then went brunette, then turned vibrant red. It seemed to suit her so much more!     This hummingbird piece will be available in The Little Red Gallery in the Bailgate in Lincoln very soon! It is currently being framed and I am very excited to see it complete and on the walls. For commission enquiries you are welcome to contact …

Progress Pictures – Stag Oil Painting

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Recently I have been working further on my wildlife pieces. After the great reaction to my ‘Galloping Horses’ piece I wanted to work more on an atmospheric element whilst integrating factors of the idea of ‘The Golden Ratio’ and detail and space in close proximity. I recorded my progress, as usual, with this particular stag piece of the 3 sessions I have done so far. This piece has taken into consideration my recently learned word ‘phosphenes’ (the sensation of a ring of light and colour as a result of pressure on the eyeball) to bring about an abstract colour palette with glints of light as embellished detailing, also depicting beams of light on a forest floor. It is always useful to look back over the progression process of a piece, it shows how far it has come along, as well as what has been added in terms of atmosphere and general aura, over just likeness and realistic correctness. As for the subject, stags have been close to my heart since finding my footing as an artist. Stags have …

‘Phosphenes’

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A word that finally makes sense of the ‘abstract embellishment’ I aim to create in my paintings – ‘Phosphenes’ phos·phene   (fŏs′fēn′) n. A sensation of light caused by excitation of the retina by mechanical or electrical means rather than by light, as when the eyeballs are pressed through closed lids. [French phosphène : Greek phōs, light; see phos- + Greek phainein, to cause to appear, to show; see bhā-1 in Indo-European roots.] The sensation when you rub your eyes and see colours and lights actually has a name. I remember doing this as a child and seeing a kalaidoscoptic range that didn’t actually exist, there was no presence of light, it is in fact a bit of a phenomena. On learning this word it made sense of my colourful detailing that I throw into my paintings, which before was described as abstraction. I felt there was more of an elegant and rich description for the marks I aim to make in my work . It was less about creating abstraction and more about ’embellishing;’ a word I use a lot when describing my work. I …

The Garden of Eden – Adam & Eve – A set of two oil paintings

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For my birthday I once received a box of chocolates; They were Thornton’s Eden Collection and were one of the most decadent concepts I had ever known.   The label read ‘Divinely Sinful’ with a golden fig leaf and the packaging was more than enticing. The chocolates inside read names like Passion, Seduction, Desire, Lust, Original Sin, Temptation and Obsession. I knew at some point, when I had become enough of a seasoned artist, that I would be able to portray a Garden of Eden concept painting with justice. I decided to finally take this project on the other day in order to decorate my new bedroom with a piece just for myself (something I have never done before) as a personal colossal challenge. I do not meet challenges on a small scale. The piece is made of two canvases, both 40×50″ inches, each holding the figure of Adam and Eve individually. I took on this project not because I regard myself as a seasoned enough artist to now start it, but because I am learning new things …