December blues

Soon it will be the shortest day and we will begin to come into the light again.  It is a struggle, these dark days, to work by decent light.  Even the daylight is murky, or, on a sunny day, the sun is so low that everything is distorted.  Sometimes I simply cannot see clearly what I want to draw.  The studio at The Cube is too different from home with all round light.
Here is my effort a la Rory McEwen.  I don't appear to have signed it so maybe it is not finished here.  Coloured pencil over watercolour.

I did another in similar style of Monks House, Rodmell.
At present the project is to design a Christmas card.  And surprisingly difficult it is too.  

Equipment

I won £50 on a local lottery recently and spent the lot on paper.  It's not that much paper as it happens, not when the paper is hot pressed Fabriano.  Whenever I make an order from +Jackson's Art Supplies I add on a few coloured pencils (to make the postage worthwhile).  Most of my art stuff is gathered along the way.  I buy sketchbooks at The Cube, pencils and brushes from the shop in Folkestone's Old High Street, a feather from the garden, a magnifying glass from Specsavers.
We have a new lady in class.  She arrives and sets up a very posh big magnifying glass on a stand.  It has a row of LED lights.  Then she stacks up her black zipped cases of pencils and brushes.  There are four of them, identical and pristine.  She has a plastic storage box - not a rejected tupperware job like mine, but a proper affair with trays and drawers.  She comes and goes with a small suitcase on wheels to carry all her gear.  At home she has a workshop in which to artisticate.  I have a small table squeezed between the spare bed and the window, and a daylight lamp from Amazon.  No wonder the bed is strewn with materials and work in progress.
I think I shall start referring to the spare room as 'my studio'.

Working on three pictures in my 'True Facts From Nature' series (see +Rory McEwen ).  One is from our garden, one from Monk's House, Rodmell - home of Virginia Woolf - and the third is from Toby and Zenah's garden.  Also on the go - 'Seed shells' in ink.  Wish I had more time though.  The dark evenings are a struggle even with my daylight lamp.

Real artist now!

I put two pictures in an exhibition in the church in Great Mongeham.  Today was the first day of the exhibition and I sold a picture!  I am over the moon! It was my Sweetheart cabbage, which I rather liked and was pleased with. Someone else liked it too and it will be hanging on their wall.  I hope it goes to a good home.  It is a wonderful feeling to know that something I made is appreciated.  Apparently it is going to hang in the 'green room' in a house in the village.  The picture attracted them because the cabbage is vaguely heart shaped - which I had not noticed!

Last week I went to see the Rory McEwen exhibition.  It was fabulous.  The most amazing thing was his use of space.  The leaves or vegetables seem to be falling or floating.  He thought nothing of putting one leaf in one corner of the vellum and nothing else.  He painted leaves that were damaged and almost skeletonised.  He painted mouldy and decaying vegetables.  He did flowers too but the leaves and veg were my favourites.  Truly inspirational.

End of summer

Although I no longer have a teacher's holidays I still plan as if I did!  I intended to do so much!  I completed an artichoke, flowering, in coloured pencil, but it is not right.  

Artichoke
coloured pencil

The seed pods picture is almost done.  
I am working on a depiction of the cliffs at Capel where I was bowled over by the dark silhouettes of the alexanders  (Smyrnium olusatrum) among the golden grasses.  I am using a big piece of paper and the plant material is tall.  The only way I seem to be able to manage is sitting on the floor, the board resting on my knees and against the table edge with the plant material in a vase also on the floor.  It is all very uncomfortable! There should be an easier way.

Smyrnium olusatrum or Alexander on the cliff top.

Cannot wait for the class to start again but meantime I am going to Florum at Sevenoaks and to +Kew Gardens  to see the Rory McEwen exhibition.

Summer

Our homework for the summer is artichokes but after a week or two of doodling I have ignored the remit.  It is not that I don't want to do artichokes, it is just that there are so many other things I want to draw as well.  
I have been working on Nectaroscordum, a Berry 'bombe', a birthday present of Periwinkle and a selection of summer seed pods.  All are in coloured pencil. At present I do not have enough free time to do everything I want!
Nectaroscordum is not on blue paper and I do not know why it has come out like that!
The 'Berry Bombe' is finished but I am wondering if it was better a piece of fruit ago.

Berry Bombe
coloured pencil

Nectaroscordum siculum sp. bulgaricum
coloured pencil

Periwinkle
coloured pencil

Doodling and artichokes

We have had our last class of the year and the holiday homework is artichokes. With the whole summer ahead I feel no pressure and artichokes are casual at present, one drawn in pencil, three in watercolour with no drawing, one mad splashing colour about in what could be called a loose style or could be called messy.  None of these will make it on to here, too public a space.  Next, an artichoke in ink.  
Meanwhile I am drawing Nectaroscordum siculum bulgaricum, one of my favourite plants, and Periwinkle (Vinca major).
It is good to have some time to experiment.

Goddess done

Flora is now complete.
At the art class Claire asks who has finished their Coming of Spring piece and I have to say that I need her to tell me if it is finished!  It is, just about.  The face has been the hardest part but a tweak here and a tweak there and she is done.  Spot the snail!

Flora, Goddess of Spring
Coloured pencil

Flora, Goddess of Spring

Is she finished?  I think she is almost.  I take a coffee and sit and look at her and try to decide.  The face is the hardest part.  She must look like marble.  I will have to see what Claire says next week.  Then it is artichokes....

Bought the catalogue for the Rory McEwen exhibition at Kew which we are planning to visit.  Wonderful stuff.  Such talent, and not only as an artist, but also as a musician.

Artist's block?

I have come to a dead halt.  I have twiddled and tweaked but added nothing new.  I have drawn lovely things in my sketchbook but they don't seem to fit on the finished piece.  Cannot seem to move on at all and I don't know what to do next!  That marigold intimidates me.  Maybe another periwinkle flower?  I would like blossom and I have drawn cherry, damson and apple.  None seems right.

Flora

Flora is moving along quite well.  We are supposed to be working in watercolour but coloured pencil is so much easier for me when my time is often snatched.  I can do 20 minutes in coloured pencil, but for paint I feel I must have some sustained time.
I am trying to depict marble becoming plants, death to life, dark to light.  The plants I am using are of spring, some with their own symbolism - primrose, marsh marigold, hart's tongue fern, periwinkle and strawberry.
I wonder if that big yellow blob of a marsh marigold is rather a mistake.

Hart's tongue fern, Clematis montana,
chionodoxa, primrose, marsh marigold

Celandines added, also veronica umbrosa.

Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition

Inspired!  There was some fantastic work and already I am beginning to find names of people whose work I like.  There was a wonderful coloured pencil picture of Lords and Ladies in autumn by Ann Swan.  One of my favourites was a square picture of tulips and wallflowers coming in from the sides, by Susan Christopher-Coulson in coloured pencil.  I also loved a garland of hops and lavender by our own Elizabeth.  Billy Showell included images of pencils and pens in her works, as if just laid down on the paper and also used trompe l'oeil to make you think there were layers of papers creating a collage effect.  Julia Trickey is another eye-catcher, often depicting decaying flowers.  She did a big picture of leaves from Bath Botanic Gardens inspired by the work of Rachel Pedder-Smith. I loved a huge dead Rodgersia leaf by Robert McNeill.  He won a prize for another of his paintings shown in the exhibition.
There was a huge range of work and although much was superb, some of it was of quite an ordinary standard.  I can aim high!
We had a good day, Sue, Sheila and myself.  We met up with Eileen and her family too.  Her son is an extraordinarily good-looking young man!

Pineapples and lemons

I was fired up with enthusiasm, but went from Wiltshire to Lancashire where I was not able to indulge.  We ate the pineapple.  I was very excited about an Amalfi lemon, complete with large leaves, at Booth's (surely the best supermarket in the world).  But the leaves fell off at the checkout and I demanded a refund.  Back in Dover I bought a giant pineapple and began again.  However, a pineapple is so difficult!  I think I may be giving up again.  We are eating it tonight.  I wish the hot pressed paper were not so expensive.  Each failure is another sheet wasted.  Or practice, depending on your point of view.

Ann Swan workshop

I had a brilliant two days on a workshop at Ann Swan's studio in Rowde.  It was all about graphite pencil and the project was to draw a pineapple, which was very difficult.  By the end I had about four square inches of finished work!  However I have learnt so much more.  I know how to set myself exercises to get started on a piece of work and free up the right side of the brain.  I know how to sharpen my pencils!  I discovered that I have been using the wrong side of my expensive paper and that colours can be blended with baby oil for under-painting.   I now know that Mozart in the background will improve my drawing and that I must practise every day.

The food was lovely and lunch was in the restored Victorian greenhouse on the first day, which was sunny.  It was too cold on the second.  It was a treat to work in the purpose built studio surrounded by Ann's pictures, many of which are reproduced in her book .  I bought materials and some of her cards and have every intention of buying a print some time.
Find her at www.annswan.co.uk

Ann Swan workshop

Excited and nervous, that's me today! Leaving for Ann Swan two day workshop at Rowde, Wiltshire.  I have packed paper and paper pads and sketch book, pencils, sharpeners (plural), erasers of three types!, plus a new magnifying glass, feather and cotton buds.  Wonder if I have everything!
This is a Christmas present, so really hoping that it is friendly, informative and improving.  Also that the food is good.

Helleborus orientalis in ink

Here are the ingredients, each on a separate piece of paper and then stacked.  

Flower

Seed pods

Pollen grain x 2000

Helleborus orientalis

                 

Finishing touches

Just had my cabbage picture and my sweet corn, both from the beginner year, framed. The man at Wood Works in Dover is brilliant. The pictures are transformed. I had previously framed the corn cob through an on-line framers, but I was unhappy with it.  He put in a new mount and stained the frame and it looks great.  He charged me £3.    He said that he would do me a deal if I want several pictures framing for an exhibition....
Find him in Tower Hamlets Road or email: wood_works@hotmail.co.uk

Pagan spring

It does not seem like spring if you venture out.  There may be daffodils and crocuses blooming, but the wind is at its most spiteful and icicles are forming on the shed roof.  However, for our next project we are to consider celebrations of spring, May Day, Green Man, Jack in the Green etc.
To my mind the Green Man is of woodland and spring is definitely feminine, so I am going with Flora, Roman goddess, and the festival of Floralia which is the same time as May Day.  She is going to be a green woman.  I think I will have to work hard at avoiding the twee or that style of fantasy art that I loathe. Coloured pencil will be my medium.

Ink

I am enjoying the Helleborus orientalis in ink.  I have done a pollen grain enlarged 2000 times, seed pods about double size and a flower ditto.  The snow played havoc with the plant material so I also worked on a dead maple leaf which has the advantage of not altering!

Maple leaf

Tribute to William Morris

Here it is, after a lot of effort and a flat wash that seemed more than disastrous to me.  It is not going to get a frame, but will sit in a big bag with the rest of my stuff, to be looked at occasionally in the hopes that I have learnt from it, which of course I have.  I have learnt that watercolours is not my thing!  The 'tile' background is inspired by Morris.  Some of the others in the class had done the most beautiful work, especially Eileen who did nasturtiums in a Morris wallpaper style.  
Pleased with the irises though.

Exhibitions

I am still struggling on with my 'Pre-Raphaelite' effort and also working on a layered ink depiction of Helleborus orientalis.  I like ink.  I joined a trip to see Manet's portraits at the Royal Academy.  It was very interesting.  We came to the conclusion that Manet did not like doing hands.  They are almost always hidden or indistinguishable as hands.  A trip to the Society of Botanical Artists' Exhibition is planned and the exciting thing is that four of our group have had work accepted!  Maybe next year I could try too.

Pre-Raphaelite inspiration

In early January six of us headed for Tate Britain and the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition.  I had read half the catalogue (it's huge) but was still not prepared for the size of the exhibition - brilliant value for money.  In fact by the last room I could hardly take it all in.  I would have liked to go again.  
Our inspiration is the PRB and we must choose a painting, take the plants from that painting and do our own interpretation.  Considerations are symbolism, colour, pattern (William Morris for example) and availability of material of course.  We are working in graphite and watercolour.  I have done masses of work so far with almost nothing on the finished piece.  I have bought a new brush too!  As usual I cannot seem to visualise what I want and everyone else's work is far superior.  I particularly admire Elizabeth's work.
My chosen painting is 'Broken Vows' by Philip Hermogenes Cadoran and my plants are ivy, iris and rose, but the rose has now been dropped!