"Acid Rain"

This is the piece that I just finished. I am so proud of it! I've gone back to my first love...acrylics!! I'm not abandoning oils but, right now, I just need the way that acrylics work (and, did I mention, I love them??).

For the base layer I mixed the black acrylic with a glass bead texture gel and I love the effect. Then, once dry, I started layering on the other colours, mixed with a light modelling paste, using a scalpel.

I really like how the different textures have played over each other. Scalpelling over the very textured base layer gave a lot of different effects. I am now thoroughly addicted to this texture gel. I am also super happy with this piece. It feels very different to the other stuff that I've done...like I've taken a big step forward. It's a nice feeling!!

This piece isn't up for sale on www.artgallery.co.uk yet because I have to re paint the wall that I use to take the pictures. As soon as it's done though I will post again! As always...comments very welcome!

Learning patience

Learning how to use oils has been beneficial in a lot of ways. I love the way they move and blend. I love the texture. There is one thing that I don't love though.....the time that it takes them to dry!

I'm stunned, honestly, at how long it takes. Having used acrylics for so long this is a huge contrast. I'm used to finishing a piece and having it dried, varnished and ready to photograph the same day. That's just not possible with oils. I'm still working on pieces that I started 3 weeks ago. It's a bit frustrating but I think it's worth it.

This slow drying time has led to a few other problems. Firstly, space. Having to keep canvases out for so long whilst I work on them has meant investing in some new easels to keep them safe. My dining room/studio is looking a lot fuller...and a lot less like a dining room. Secondly, it makes me feel like I'm being less productive....I know I'm not, but not having instantly finished pieces makes me feel a little like I have nothing to show. I'm sure that'll change once things start getting finished. In the meantime I just have to be patient.....and that's almost harder to learn than oils.

Broken brushes....

I love bank holidays. Who doesn't? A free day off work is nothing to be sniffed at. What I don't love though are bank holiday opening hours, as in nothing opens on a bank holiday. I know this is good for the people who work in the shops but....I need a new brush!! And I need it now!!!

Thankfully I've managed to finish 2 new pieces today, which I'm really pleased with, but I wanted to do more. I cant do more though because the brush I need has fallen apart. Sulk.

I've sketched out the other piece I wanted to do so I'm all set for tomorrow (once I've run to the shop and bought a new brush that is) but I was really in "that painting place" today and I hate wasting good energy. Spoilt brat that I am...

I have used the down time semi productively though...I've installed Instagram on my phone so I can play about with pictures. I know it's a bit sad and everyone is doing it but I like the effects and I think it's fun....so here is my first Instagram pic of my muse, The Epic Mr Pie.

Hmm...my car isn't meant for art!

I love my car. I really, really love my car. However, I am now well aware of it's short comings...it is not the sort of car that you can use to carry stuff around, unless that stuff is a handbag, or a cup of coffee....as you can see though, we found a way around it!

Doodles

I love doodling. I've covered so many notepads in random little pictures whilst waiting for phone calls to go through, waiting for meetings and conferences to start, sitting on aeroplanes feeling bored that I've probably got enough for a decent sized (although probably quite boring) exhibition.

Doodles help time pass and fill spaces, they let your mind drift and take you places. I'm also pretty sure that they say things about who you are what you're thinking. I dont know what they say...but I'm sure it's something!

I think that's why I thought this article was so interesting....I wonder what these doodles say about him?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17369334

On line art sales...I certainly like it!

I read this article on the BBC News website today. It's good to see that selling art on line is getting more popular...although I'm not too keen on the site that only sells pieces by graduates (said like a truly sour 31 year old who taught herself art after finishing her A levels due to not having a mummy and daddy who were able to pay my way for another 4 years...).

I like the idea of art becoming more accesible to more people, reaching a wider audience, and making it available on line is an important part of this. But that has to go both ways...artists who dont have connections through university etc should be able to get their stuff seen too. It shouldn't be about who you know...although it sometimes seems like it is. Walking into a gallery can be just as intimidating to an artist as it is to a buyer, so on line sales are a really important tool in opening up this world to more people.

Overall, I think the easier it is for artists of all backgrounds to connect with buyers from all backgrounds, the happier we will all be!

Here's the link....see what you think....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17311625

2 new pieces...finished and up for sale, hooray!

So the camera batteries got charged, the sky held off on the rain long enough for me to take pictures in the garden and I miraculously managed to work out how to crop the pictures before uploading them (normally this results in tantrums that only my IT expert husband can solve) and, just like that, my 2 new pieces were finished and up for sale! I thought I'd tell you about them here...comments, as always, much appreciated!

The first piece, on the left, is called Eighty Three. I called it that because, once it was finished, the colours just made me think of the eighties....eighty three just seemed right! I'm a big fan of naming pieces when they're finished because things often seem to evolve during the painting process. Anyway....I used a cool, new palette knife to apply the paint after mixing it with Liquitex Thickening Gel. This stuff is becoming a big favourite with me, it gives the acrylic so much texture and works beautifully with the palette knife. I finished it off with some gloss varnish (another thing I'm totally in love with right now!) and it was done. Part of my reason for doing this piece was based on the commission I've been asked to paint. The client really liked the texture of Rain Over Singapore so before I got onto painting the commission I wanted to have a little practice. I'm so glad I did it....this piece has really come to life for me and using the new palette knife just rocked so much. I'm so comfortable with this technique now and I cant wait to do more!

The second piece, on the right, is my first oil painting!! I've always been scared of oils...they always seemed so...almost, grown up?? Things that "real" artists use.....not me! But then I decided to get over myself and just give them a go. Nobody wants to just do the same thing over and over right? And part of this whole thing is learning to be an artist, improving myself and my skills so I did it.....and I loved it! I decided to go for a very basic shape and use contrasting colours. I worked out the scumbling that is the background after disliking my first effort and now I'm a bit obsessed with it - it looks great! My next oil piece will definitely have this too. The foreground was using my trusty new palette knife and, again, covered up my first attempt that just didn't work for me.
I feel like I learnt so much doing this and I'm no longer scared of oils...in fact I really like them. I've called this piece Icon 1 as I plan on it being part of a series...Icon 2 is already under construction....who knows what that'll teach me??