Thursday 29 January 2015

Muddy colours no more. 13 colours advised to help your luck change!

Absolutely great to see the first three of my series of thirteen monthly articles for 'The Artist' magazine now in print!



We started with Paynes Grey printed in the January 2015 edition of 'The Artist' magazine featuring a winter landscape of the Pennines (great fun to do that one from outdoor sketches), followed by 'Prussian Blue' in the February 2015 edition which features a finished painting to be shown in our 'All Creations Great and Small' exhibition at North York Moors Visitors Centre in Danby near Whitby 16 April to 4 May 2015.

As an acrylic painting on board of the beautiful and dramatic Bempton Cliffs, East Coast of Yorkshire this painting was an absolute joy to create, particularly since the Prussian Blue bias added some superb depth to the shadows adding to the drama of the painting.


This month in the March issue of 'The Artist' magazine as the third in the series, 'Cobalt Blue' - the indispensable blue in my palette, is featured alongside an expressive semi abstract seascape painting which absolutely glows - another for the show!

Next month we feature Cerulean Blue. Another beautiful blue for you to use with lots and lots of creative uses!

Watch this space!


To subscribe to 'The artist' magazine or other superb artists magazines published by 'The Artists publishing Company' please visit http://www.painters-online.co.uk/






Featured paintings


January 2015 issue of 'The Artist' magazine
Pennine snow Flurries
Acrylic on board 16 x 21 inches (45.6 x 53.5cm)




February 2015 issue of 'The Artist' magazine
Tide in, tide out - Bempton cliffs, East Yorkshire
Acrylic and mixed media on board
16 x 16 inches (45.5 x 45.5cm)



March 2015 issue of 'The Artist' magazine
Incoming Tide
Acrylic on boxed canvas
20 x 20 inches (51 x 51cm)

Sunday 25 January 2015


Moor moorland please!





The North York Moors! The one true place I just want to be at this time of year - the colours and the atmosphere is just fantastic. The dramatic landscape of this unique landscape in any season are inspirational but the wild weather, the cold sharp light, the shorter exhilarating days really make you 'up your game,' work faster and think quicker and work very inspirationally!

Working with Liquitex acrylics mean they'll be dry as well (unlike oils) by the time you pack everything up and head down the hill back to your warm car. Need I say more! 

Featured
Moorland Autumn sunrise
15 x 15 inches
Acrylic mixed media on boxed canvas

Another painting now glazed in the studio and heading off to the framer on Wednesday. 

Another good one I reckon for our exhibition at Danby in April.

'All creations great and Small' 
16 April - 4 May '15
The Moors National Park Centre
Lodge Lane
Danby
Whitby YO21 2NB

Tel: 01439 772737




I thought I'd mention...


I think you've got the picture by now, well you'll certainly have 30 of them at least from me come April when they'll be exhibited!

Here is another brand new one!


It's been a long time awaiting to happen this one from the sketches and paintings I did some time ago so when I finally got the chance to create it you could say it was thrilling, especially when from start to finish every mark just fell into place! 

Back to it....

Thrilled to be part of the Creative World!


A little while ago I got the chance to review some quite superb and brand new charcoal called Nitram made in Canada by Dr Sally Bulgin (chief editor of ‘The Artist’ magazine) who kindly asked me to give the readers of this excellent art magazine an in depth appraisal of the new charcoal.

On completion of the article everyone was thrilled with what I wrote and I was thrilled by the work I created with it too!

Since then I’ve been in touch on a regular basis with managing director, entrepreneur and owner of Nitram charcoal Jerzy Jerzy Niedojadlo helping in any way I can to promote this superb charcoal and bring artists attention to its superb and superior drawing qualities, I was thrilled when Jerzy offered me an opportunity to have two of my charcoal and mixed media drawings to be exhibited on the Nitram stand at this years International Art Festival in Frankfurt called ‘Creativeworld’.

This is why Nitram is so good...
...much to the delight of serious artists everywhere, the renowned Nitram Fine Art Charcoal is returning to market. This product’s renaissance comes strictly adhering to the methods and traditions of Nitram’s time-tested processes. Brought back from France to Canada by artist and entrepreneur Jerzy Niedojadlo in January of 2011, the charcoal’s return to the art market has been celebrated by professional artists the world over.

Here are the paintings which will be on show with Nitram at Creativeworld.

Above
Title: Wind blown Pennine landscape
Media: Black and white media on watercolour paper
Size: 24 x 22 inches


Above
Title: High winds over Malham Cove. The Yorkshire Dales
Media: Mixed black and white media on watercolour paper
Size: 22 x 24 inches

The Nitram article will be feature in the April ‘15 edition of ‘The Artist’ magazine so do look out for that. Other drawings and lots of my findings are illustrated and featured in the article.

Oh, and by the way, it was Nitram charcoal that helped me get my work accepted into the prestigious Pastel Society at ‘The Mall Galleries' in London for the 2015 exhibition.

I was thrilled about that too!

To learn more about Nitram visit www.nitramcharcoal.com
Nitram charcoal and products can also be bought from www.jacksonsart.com



Out with the cold...and in with the new!


It’s January and another favourite time of year for me. It’s the start of a new term teaching and with lot’s of other ‘arty’ things going on and up and coming it’s pretty much a lock down here at HQ between my teaching classes!

I’m working hard (and all my fellow exhibitors are too) on the ‘big’ show’ - our exhibition at ‘Inspired by...Gallery’ at the North York Moors Visitors Centre at Danby near Whitby on 16 April to 4 may 2015.

The clock is ticking and the paint is flying! The studio production line is in full force with shipping in and shipping out back and forth to the framers, canvases being pushed and pulled this way and that as paint is dripped, poured, scrapped, sanded, scratched, brushed, layered, mixed...and so much more to create my expressive interpretations of the North York Moors landscapes.

With the start of the new year now in full swing, it really is a great time to look ahead to brighter weather and the shape of things to come. For a start there will be 30 brand new paintings as my contribution to our mixed exhibition ‘All Creations Great and Small’ on the walls of the main gallery at Danby. 

Exciting times ahead. Sleep just gets in the way at the moment!


I’ll keep you posted of proceedings!

Friday 16 January 2015

A double take for the 'Look again' Pastel Society 2015 exhibition at the Mall Galleries

Well, I'm pretty chuffed and much over the moon! I received notification in the post today that one of my 3 submissions to this years open arts exhibition for 'The Pastel Society' (sponsored by Caran d'Ache) held at the Mall Galleries Annual Exhibition 2015 from 24 February to 7 March '15 has been accepted! 

It's a great feeling to have the this mixed media painting (using Nitram charcoal, pastel, black water soluble Caran d'Ache, Unison pastels and ink created on Strathmore 300 Series 140lb paper) hung next to the great and the good and amongst many artists I hugely admire. 

A 'feather in ones cap one should say' and what's extra special for me about this particular painting is that it is one of the 'Gritty North of England landscape' series I've been creating recently purely with black and white media.

Great news to tell my students on my drawing and painting course at Higham Hall very soon http://rdcreative.co.uk/art_holidays/expressive_drawing_art_break_higham_hall

This year the Pastel Society received record numbers of entrants from artists all over the country wanting to have their work on show in this highly acclaimed and prestigious exhibition. 

Only 100 paintings have been selected from thousands of entrants this year to the Pastel Society. These carefully selected 100 works of art will now be shown along side full and associate members of the Pastel Society. I'm totally delighted!

Although all three of my initial online submissions were accepted this one caught the eye of the judges. 



Featured
'Winter Trees and Pennine Snow'
Mixed black and white media on Strathmore 300 series 140lb (300gsm) Watercolour paper
16.5 x 16.5 inches (42 x 42cm) 


I'd better get my shoes polished for the preview on 23 February right now and make sure my glad rags are ready...I'm sure glad to be on my way down to the big smoke very soon!

I look forward to the show, it's going to be fantastic! 

For further information about the prestigious Pastel Society and all its members visit
www.thepastelsociety.org.uk 

Mall galleries
The Mall, London SW1 (near Trafalgar Square).
www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Sunday 11 January 2015

A sneak peak...

...of our 'All creations great and small' exhibition at Inspired By… Gallery, North York Moors Visitors Centre, Danby near Whiby,17th April 2015 – 4th May 2015!

We've all been busy creating in our studios lots of new and exciting work for our exhibition at 'Inspired By...Gallery' at the North york Moors Visitors centre at Danby which is happening pretty soon.  

With the show just around the corner its regular trips to the framers, printers, suppliers with deliveries from distributors and a whole host more to create this fab major show for you bringing the North Yorkshire Moors landscape and its wildlife under one roof for a thrilling exhibition.

This is an exciting opportunity for us all. The gallery is a big space with a light and airy shop and craft area.

With over 30 works from each artist its going to be a real thrill for all of us to share with you our creative, expressive interpretations of this beautiful and dramatic wild part of Yorkshire!

One for all the family and everyone is welcome!


The Moors National Park Centre
Lodge Lane
Danby
Whitby YO21 2NB

moorscentre@northyorkmoors.org.uk
Tel: 01439 772737
http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/see-and-do/the-moors-national-park-centre

www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/inspiredby

Twitter @northyorkmoors
Facebook northyorkmoorsnationalpark

Google+ +northyorkmoors


Wednesday 7 January 2015

Back in the groove...




Great to collect another finished painting from the framer today for our 16 April - 4 May '15 exhibition 'All Creations great and Small' at 'Inspired By...Gallery' within North York Moors Visitors centre, Danby near Whitby.

Thought I'd give it the wall test and wait for the thumbs up from my better half. A positive nod and now wrapped and stored for the show. 

Back into the studio again...brushes at the ready...

...next!









Illustrated above:
Coastal Gorse
Acrylic on board

19 X 19 inches 48 x 48cm plus boxed frame

Tuesday 6 January 2015

As Elvis once said...

..one for the money and two for the show!

A pretty good start to the New Year. These two fresh from the framers have been put to one side for our exhibition 'All Creations great and Small' 16 April - 4 May at the North york Moors Visitors Centre, Danby, North Yorkshire and another - on its way to a new home. 


















Title: Above the sea - Bempton cliffs, East Yorkshire
Media: Acrylic and oil pastel on board
Size: 23 x 19 inches
SOLD

I'm delighted about selling the seascape 'Above the sea - Bempton cliffs, East Yorkshire' since the lady I have sold this mixed media painting to has admired my work for years and has very fond memories of Bempton cliffs and knows the area well. 

Her greatest and kindest compliment to me (besides buying the painting that is) was 'how wonderfully well I captured the atmosphere of the area so magnificently in my work.' A very kind comment that makes me feel very proud indeed.

I'm on a 'rock and roll' for the exhibition now that's for sure!

'Inspired By...Gallery' 
The Moors National Park Centre 
Lodge Lane 
Danby 
Whitby YO21 2NB


moorscentre@northyorkmoors.org.uk
Tel: 01439 772737
http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/see-and-do/the-moors-national-park-centre

www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/inspiredby
Twitter @northyorkmoors

Facebook northyorkmoorsnationalpark
Google+ +northyorkmoors