Seedheads and Boats ~ A New Painting

'Seedheads and Boats' acrylic on paper ~ 34cm x 34cm


Hello friends,

I've just had the nicest possible morning ~ I managed to get a little time to myself in which to finish this painting that I've been working on in fits and starts over the summer.  It seems a long time ago since I began this one, and if you recall, it all started with a little drawing in my sketchbook...

I had been happily inspired by a book I had purchased round about this time called Plants and Places by the talented print maker, Angie Lewin.  I have long been a fan of her work and had coveted this book for ages before it finally came to live with me.  There is page upon page of her print work, featuring her trademark seedheads and other native flora; and peeks into her sketchbook which are themselves beyond beautiful.

I myself have rather a love affair with the latter end of summer, when the dry stone walls here become fantastically enhanced by the skeletal shapes of teasels and cow parsley.  I've been known to stop the car suddenley on quiet country lanes to collect small armfuls of them to bring home and draw.

So anyway, I think what I'm getting round to saying is that Angie's book was the catalyst for this particular painting.  I decided I wanted to paint a late summer window scene with found objects from the shore on the ledge, overlooking a harbour.  I also wanted to focus (unusually for me) on a limited colour palette.  The colours I worked with mainly on this painting were:

Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Raw Umber
Paynes Grey
Cobalt Blue (hue)
Buff Titanium
Cobalt Teal
Cadmium Red

These paints are from the Daler Rowney Artist Acrylics, and Golden Acrylics ranges. 

 

I also use Derwent watercolour crayons to add texture and detail.

As the painting progressed, I was reminded of a time I had spent in St Ives one October a few years ago.  We stayed in a little fisherman's cottage just up from the harbour, and although there were still plenty of people about, the town seemed much quieter since the summer hoardes had returned home.  It also had a beautiful light to it.  I remember there being a warmth to the days too, warm enough to sit down the harbour and catch the sun, but which turned to an unmistakeable autumnal coolness come teatime.

I hope I've managed to convey a feeling of this time of year in this painting.  

As well as using my imagination to create the layout and Angie's book as inspiration, I also wandered down the riverbank beyond my house to collect some real seedheads to use in the work (alongside the ones I had drawn in my sketchbook).  It was a bonus to discover a huge undiscovered bank of blackberry bushes as I went foraging and I shall be going back down there later on with a big bowl to fill up!! I feel a blackberry and apple tarte tatin coming on!! (something else that is very much a part of this time of year).

So once more I am at the point of feeling euphoric that another work is done, but am also on the brink of 'what next?'  It's a bitter sweet feeling to complete a painting; I've probably said so a hundred times but the journey through a painting is so deep and involved, there are highs and lows, there are absences and intense periods spent together...it is really like a love affair and I miss it when the journey is over.

However, I have a few small ideas I'm keen to start on so the fact I have projects lined up is a good thing at least!  I recently ordered some tiny canvas boards and have Great Plans for those, not to mention designs for new Christmas cards which are already happily percolating away!

 

The painting will be available shortly in my gallery, in both original and printed format. 
I hope you all have a glorious weekend, sending love and thanks for visiting ~

Julia x x x

Lil' Bits of This and That

Hello!  How are you?

 

I've been getting a couple of my paintings ready for selection day for the Great Sheffield Art Show.  Harbour is now ready to go, in a gorgeous deep beechwood frame, I'm delighted with it and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets chosen.  The other one I'm considering putting in is The Evening Stroll, because Spring is still not completed - it's at that stage where it needs a bit of figuring out and leaving alone, and so rather than rush it and perhaps spoil it, I felt that one of my other most favourite paintings in the universe would suffice:

What do you reckon? :)

 

Another thing I'm soaking up and loving recently is this fabulous new book by Jennifer Lee.  Now let me just say something about business books.  They used to bore me senseless.  I used to visit the business section of a book store to find something to educate my rather un-educated business brain; I'd take out those boring tomes that were very black and white, and chock full of business plans, charts, graphs and basically ding dang brain numbing, uninspiring chapters that made my heart sink.  Those books had the ability to make me feel like I'd never cut it in the harsh world of business.

Well here's the thing.  It's not all about power dressing and understanding Wall Street. I mean really, did you know business people do not have to wear suits!! Hoorah!! Of course we don't, you can give me a kaftan and a pair of flared jeans any day rather than that :) But seriously, Creative People need a different sort of business guidance, and oh this is it!! I've discovered some rather fantastic creatively based biz books along the way since those uninspiring bibles from way back when, but this is one of the best yet.  Suddenley business is fun, it's colourful and it's...exciting!!! Oh Yes Mama it is!!

If I've roused your curiosity a bit by my excitable waffling, you can take a peek inside this wonderful book for yourselves right here and you can visit Jennifer's fantabulous website here too.

I feel at this point in proceedings, that you may well be wondering where on earth the Ta~Dahhh moment was that I mentioned at the end of my last post...well, I have had a slight hold up in that I have run out of wool with only a few stitches to go.  Oh the frustration!! I really thought I'd have enough, so for now the Ta~Dahhh is postponed until I can get myself into town to replenish the stocks!!

In my next post, (which I'll be putting up on the 31st) it will be Gallery Day for the Being Creative group.  I'm really excited by the work that's already being appearing in our Flickr Group and am looking forward to seeing other work that individual souls might wish to share from their blog/Flickr links.  There will be a link widget for you to do this on Thursday, and of course, anyone who has already posted pictures in the Flickr group will be encouraged to share links to their work to create a Garden Gallery that everyone can look at via the widget.

I do hope you'll come by to see what we've all been up to - and if you haven't already signed up, you are absolutely most welcome to join us anytime along the way.  Just click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to add your name to the list.

I'll see you on Thursday!  Hope the sun is shining for you today ~ sending love

Julia x

And Still I Dream of the Sea

That Oh So Familiar Feeling has begun to stir again.  A feeling for the sea, being near it, inhaling it, walking in it, watching it...

However, as most of you know I am landlocked in a really pretty part of the North and I'm absolutely not complaining about where my little abode is, but you know how it is.


So...a deviation occured.  I was all set to work on my newest Spring Garden canvas when I got an inkling to paint a harbour with a fishing boat...no, not just an inkling, a great big enormous urge.
Sometimes, you just have to follow the whim that is leading you and if it feels good, trust that the outcome will be too.

Laying down that dark blue wash was wonderful - how I LOVE painting with these colours!  Adding the first layer of turquoise acrylic for the sea...oh my...I've also taken to wearing turquoise quite alot lately too - a tibetan turquoise pendant, and a new scarf; the most beautiful shade of soft jade you ever saw - these things remind me of the sea...

...as do those lovely ocean colours on my palette!  It makes me ever so slightly dippy with happiness to see them there together!  And, I must confess to never, ever cleaning it.  That palette has served me well for several years now and is quite a weight, a build up of leftover paint from countless paintings I've worked on.

I've been working away in my state of usual organised chaos with these cheerful daffodils and tulips alongside me, which have really brightened things up.  Nothing like a nice jam jar of spring blooms to remind me that the warmer weather is on it's way!


Well, I suppose you might be wondering if I've got a finished painting to share with you today?


You'd be dead right - I have.  Want to see it?

Harbour

I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of you thought 'Now hang on just a minute...that looks ever such a little bit like a rather nice arty fishing village somewhere in the north of Cornwall....'


Yes, I was inspired to use a few elements of St Ives harbour for this painting, but the whole thing was painted very much from the imagination and is rather a pastiche of old sketches I've done of boats and little houses over the years, entwined with elements of reality.


I had a wonderful time painting this piece; I worked with fairly watery acrylic paint to create layers and lifted parts of it off the paper with tissues to give depth and texture.  I also used sandpaper when dry to scuff bits of it up here and there, and my trusty watercolour crayons to add a bit of definition and line.  I also dug out an old typewriter style stamp set, to make the number for the boat - love it!! What do you think?


I'm going to be adding this piece to my gallery shop very shortly, and will be doing a signed print run too ~ let me know if you would like to pre-order this print won't you!
*Edited to add, it's now in the gallery shop and up for sale!


Well, I have much to do this afternoon, it being a Small Person Free Zone, so I'm away!
Thank you so much for stopping by, and also - Big Welcome Hello's to all the new Followers and Subscribers, I'm delighted you have taken the time to drop in and see me!


Have a marvellous day, sending you sunshine, salt breezes and turquoise waves....


'til next time,
Julia x