Friday 19 December 2014

A creative connection in Cumbria


The Lake District is really special and means so much to so many. Personally I find great solace and creative inspiration in every corner of Cumbria especially in the Western Fells and non more so than along the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake.

My joy for this special corner of Cumbria was shared in the summer of ‘14 with enthusiastic art students having a creative residential art break with me at Higham Hall in the Western Fells with Bassenthwaite Lake forming much of the inspiration for our outdoor painting during this superb art holiday.

Strathmore papers were used time and time again to create really expressive paintings with all sorts of different media on Series 300, 400 and 500 papers for both outdoor and studio paintings with exceptional results created by all throughout our creative painting week.

Of particular merit was Strathmores 300. The surface of the paper reminds me of a very fine canvas which I really liked and lots of wet in wet techniques and reworking are easy to achieve on this paper. 

I used Strathmore 300 Series warercolour paper on location one June morrning when painting along Bassenthwaite Lake in notorious changable Lakeland weather. The fluctuating light was pretty tricky for everyone to handle but by using Strathmore Series 300 Series the subtle changes in the weather were easily to handle and for all to paint with confidence since the strength of this heavy weight paper allowed a great deal of reworking to create paintings with a really expressive approach.

The painting I demonstrated was later finished in my studio in Leeds and formed part of a visual reference for a full review of Strathmore Series 300, 400 and 500 papers (amongst others) as commissioned by ‘The Artist’ magazine, which has just been published (January ‘15 issue) which is featured below.


Sharing the merits of these professionally produced American made papers, Strathmore can now be shared with a much wider audience thanks to ‘The Artist’ magazine and the Strathmore paper review. 

For me there is an extra special bonus - my painting of Bassenthwaite Lake on Strathmore 300 Series created along the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake, feature in ‘The Artist’ magazine, now hangs, pride of place, in Higham Hall for all visitors to Higham Hall to enjoy! 


Strathmore Fine Art Papers in the UK and EUROPE are distributed by Creativity International Limited
16 Narrow Boat Way,
Hurst Business Park,
DY5 1UF UK


For further information for my residential art courses at Higham Hall throughout 2015 
contact the administration team on 017687 76276
admin@highamhall.com
Office hours 09:00 to 17:00

Higham Hall,
Bassenthwaite Lake,
Cockermouth,
Cumbria, CA13 9SH


‘The Artist’ magazine printed by The Artists’ Publishing Company Ltd.
Caxton House
63-65 High Street
Tenterden
Kent TN30 6BD
United Kingdom

Subscriptions
http://www.painters-online.co.uk/Store/The-Artist-Subscriptions/_cat35

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