Charcoal - fascinating puddles

When the weather was very wet, not so long ago, I took loads of photos and made sketches. I found the shapes and light changes created by the puddles fascinating. Drawing them took some thinking through... but I am now getting happier with some scaled up charcoal versions.

Here's a starting point

Good distance, pleased with the soft trees and hedgerows in the distance, but how much detail to put in the foreground?

 Oh, oh! this is too much, the grass has turned into a heavy block, dragging the image in weird directions.

Puddles, Steps Lane 2 charcoal 70 x 35cm

Much better - balance is restored, I love the flexibility of charcoal, being able to draw it in, and then take it out again.

Ancient lime reborn

Back in December I posted the coppicing of the 2000 year old lime at Westonbirt  (link here)
Since then the coppiced stems have spent a couple of months waiting for environmental sculptor Richard Harris to transform them. The results a couple of months after completion are beautiful. Westonbirt and Harris have created a sublime place; peaceful and contemplatory on the inside, full of vigour and promise on the outside. The branches stretch to the sky, their twigs reaching for the light.

The narrow entrance enhances the feeling of solitude inside the sculpture, and the outside sounds feel closed off.

The signs of new growth are clearly visible on the structure of the sculpture and on the old stumps. It will be beautiful to watch this sculpture grow with its surroundings.

Spread your wings

Cheltenham Open studios started today
I popped along to see pal Sue Brown and fellow altered booker Sharon McSwiney ...and Wow!

If you're in the Cheltenham area and want to see very high quality, highly desirable contemporary art in a working studio setting, and how to make the very best use of your sitting room as a gallery space then spread your wings and fly over to this open studio.

Links below:
suebrownprintmaker.blogspot.co.uk
http://issuu.com/cheltenhamopenstudios/docs/cheltenham_open_studios_2013_guide_book?e=1870341/2305684


image borrowed from Sue's blog

 

 

Stepping out

The mini print show is ticking along nicely, the team at the Co-operative have notched up 10 sales on the first weekend, not bad given the current retail climate. I invigilated for a few hours last weekend and it was great to hear how interested people were in technique as well as subject matter.

Overwhelmingly the visitors were drawn to the most colourful prints that the Printmaking Co-operative were showing, or those featuring animals and insects.

So flying in the face of any thought of popular preferences I have gone on to complete my set of black and white, landscape mini prints!  - the thing is we can only enjoy making what we ourselves love, and be glad we are all different.

Two more views along Steps Lane...

'Step up'



'Step out'

Mini Print is open!

Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative launched the 'Printmakers Gallery' officially on Friday evening with the start of the Mini Print exhibition.

The Printmakers Gallery is up the steps, on the same floor as the screenprinting area,
downstairs are the etching and relief printing areas.

The banners are out the prints are dry and framed.

The gallery is a bright, white space which shows the work off really well

 

A fabulous selection of high quality work

and an eclectic mix of styles ... something for everyone ...

... my two little framed prints hanging on a section featuring monochrome work

If you're in the Gloucestershire area, we'd love to see you, and if you know anyone who may be interested , please pass this along. The gallery is open at weekends, throughout May.

Mini Print Exhibition

Mini Print opens this Friday.

Here's my favourite little print that I've made for this show


'Snowy steps' etching 10 x 10 cm

I'm fond of this print because I captured the scene in just two 'takes' and because there is something of the essence of the place:

 

'Likeness can be obtained by shapes without spirit, but when truth is revealed, spirit and substance are both fully expressed'

(from a story about the Chinese artist Ching Hao)

 

It's what we all aspire to.

 

 

 

Mini Print is open throughout May, in conjunction with Stroud's major Site Festival

Has the water finally settled on this path?

A little while ago I showed the development of my print 'water pooled path' (link)

We left it with white margins, and some pencil scribble to see if it might be better with extra dark textures in the side areas.

I printed a short 'stage 1' edition and then with more trepidation than I thought I would feel, back it went into the Ferric. Now I'm so glad I took the risk:

'water pooled path'

- a little path that leads away from the Maple collection at Westonbirt Arboretum

Now the puddles are the focus, and the reflections speak for themselves. The viewers gaze is drawn up through the image rather than roaming side to side. This was a risk which paid off (and that doesn't always happen!)