The Lone Boat......

I am feeling quite relieved- yesterday's problems loading images onto the blog were nothing to do with me, and even better, sorted themselves out magically overnight. Marvellous this technology mularky. "Look Ma- no hands!"
Here is the boat I promised earlier. I stepped away from oils this time, preferring the vibrancy of acrylics. I thought this would "bouy" up (no pun intended!) an otherwise quite simple painting. I had some vague thought in my head when I began this, to make it a little more wild and manic, more lively. Something always happens in translation though! So instead it's calm and tranquil again, from Serena- well, they say it's all in the name. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy 'peaceful'- in fact I do a great impression of it most days. No, I was just highlighting how sometimes you can think one thing, but do another. Anyone else get this phenomena going on? I find it spills over into everyday life too. I 'think 'exercise, frugality and not colouring my hair badly', but in reality.................

New painting....The Lone Boat (acrylic 18x24)

No, it's not happening. For the life of me I cannot make my photo load. Shame really- I think you'd have liked this one. I'd best have a tinker and see what falls out! Fingers crossed......

A small nod to Mr Mondrian....

New boat painting is coming along nicely and I am nearly ready now for the West Wilts Art Trail hosted bi-annually by a local group called The Cloth Road Artists. A very friendly chap called Alan Spark has a lovely glass studio in the heart of Bradford on Avon and showcases lots of local talent (me included!) there. He has bagsied his spot on 'the trail' and generously given over a whole section for me to showcase the Art Deco pieces I produce. In fact it was him that started that side off. My hubby and I dropped some work off to see if he was interested in taking it on and he mentioned could I do any 'neo-plasticism' pieces? 'Why of course" we said as one, all smiles. We shot off home and immediately Googled what it all meant! Ha! I've never looked back. This last piece is of a mirror done in the Mondrian style. I know purists will say 'Sacrilege! Circles!' but I happen to think circles are more harmonious than the straight lines he favoured. It's a completion thing, I guess. I'll be sure to let him know when I meet up with him. Maybe we can arm-wrestle for the point up in the clouds one day. I digress as ever.

Here's a bit of the Cloth Road blurb......

Cloth Road Artists will run the third Cloth Road Arts Week this year between Saturday 3rd May and Sunday 11th May 2008. This one promises to be the best to date. The nine day week opens a window on the tremendous diversity and range of visual creativity in West Wiltshire and will showcase some 80 artists and makers at 34 different venues, many in their own studios.

Most venues will be open from 11am to 6pm each day and all are free.

Artists will take part in different locations in West Wiltshire, from galleries in town centres to individual studios in the heart of the countryside. Many artists will join together to offer a variety of different work at a single location. For more information visit www.clothroadartists.com.

Boats at evening time.....

Oish- I am going to have to come up with less camera glare and a better title than that. I am also going to have to come up with some mooring ropes for the boats too, can't have them drifting off downstream with no particular place to go. Took me ages to paint this considering the size. Again, detail will have to be added when the painting has dried off a little, in the meantime I can go back and sort out the toenails on my previous nude (hmm! I sound like a salacious pedicurist, not an image I am wont to promote.) This was quite a fiddly oil painting as there is a lot of content in such a small space (the canvas is 12x10,) so the next one is going to be bigger.
And only one boat.
A small boat.
Way, way, WAY in the distance.
In fact, I hear rafts are trendy at the moment.
Only joking- I'm going to paint all 60 ships in the Battle of Trafalgar onto a pinhead next. Now that, folks, would keep me quiet for a bit!



Maybe............ !

Female nude on bed.....

It feels like an age since I last posted- I've had my head down, studiously painting. I now have 3 nudes for the exhibition... and nothing else! Still, that's better than last week. I still have some detailing to put on the nude on the bed, but it needs to dry off a little first. For the first time ever I think, I haven't used black to darken the shadows etc. I feel so grown up. She also needs toenails (it's not a torture thing,) but I cannot decide which colour to do them.....Oh! the choices in life! It is an 18"x24" painting, so the stroke rate hasn't been too bad. I returned to my more traditional leaning for her, compared with the same-size, red and green modern nudes I have just completed. I've got bored of boobs now ( did I just hear a small wail of despair from my hubby?!) so I am going to play with boats tonight. With reflections. And no fiddly rigging or knots....lovely.

La-di-dah!!

Had a panic today- there are only 21 more weeks to go before the big exhibition, and I only have two new paintings so far. That's not good. Got plenty of glass, mind- just thoroughly deficient on the canvas side. Strangely, I like getting that slow sickly roll of the stomach panic brings on, because it is immediately followed by that elated, manic surge of activity. I'm all zinged up now- I could probably break rocks on my chest for fun if I had time to try. These are the last glass pieces for a while. I particularly like the Deco couple at the races... she has quite an attitude, methinks (and a habit too! One olive or two?!)
Right, where's those oil brushes then? I've got some work to do....