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29 May, 2014

Swindon Central Library Show comes down this Saturday...

Hello,


Sorry guys, no Work In Progress this week. I will post something next Wednesday.
I also wanted to remind you if you have not already been to see it-the exhibition at Swindon Central Library comes down this Saturday, 31 May. I blogged about it here, there is also more information on the show here
Bye for now.

21 May, 2014

WIP Wednesday 2

Hello,
Here is this week's Work In Progress-a magazine image transfer with stencilling on canvas; the latest stage is at the bottom. I was inspired to do another piece using either a poem or certain words from a poem; which will be written on the canvas later. I chose these images because of the sombreness and sadness they evoked in me. There is still lots more work to do...I will post any new changes as they happen. I thought I would also share an interesting blog post from Jane Davies, an artist who I recently started following. I really like her work and find her tutorials very helpful. This particular post has to do with Art making and knowing when a piece is "finished". Something lots of artists-including myself, struggle with.
Bye for now.

14 May, 2014

WIP Wednesday 1

Hello,
As I've mentioned before, I usually work on various different projects at the same time. And usually in a series of three or more pieces depending on whether its for a show, a commission or a theme I'm working on in my head. Here are some pieces I thought I would show you today. They are not finished-hence the title of this post-Works In Progress Wednesdays! The column on the left is "stage 1", column on the right is "stage 2" and current stage. I need to sit with these some more to see what else they "need" and will unveil them later. 
They are mixed media-image transfer, collage, acrylic paints on canvas.
Bye for now.

06 May, 2014

Inspired by Literature- an Art Exhibition at the Swindon Central Library

Hello,
Here are photos of the works in the exhibition I mentioned before. These pieces are inspired by literature coinciding with the Swindon Festival of Literature.
The exhibition will run for the whole month of May. 
The painting at the top is mine-"El Olvido is a Dangerous Thing".
Swindon Central Library
Regent Circus
Swindon
SN1 1QG

Library Hours:
Monday-Fri day 9.30-7pm
Saturday 9.30-4pm
Sunday11-3pm
Bye for now.

05 May, 2014

New Exhibition-Freedoms and Restrictions

Hello,
The Experimental Drawing Hub has been running for well over a year now and during the last three months the group has been exploring the theme of Freedoms and Restrictions. The result is a many varied and very interesting set of outcomes, a selection of which are due to be exhibited at The Post Modern Gallery in Theatre Square.
I had a chance to visit the gallery this afternoon, the work is really great and truly inspirational.
If you are in the area, its worth paying them a visit.
Bye for now.

02 May, 2014

New Painting Finished-In time for the Literature Festival...

Hello,
I finished the painting I started recently, I mentioned it here, you can see what it looked like before. I wanted to create a painting for an exhibition which will coincide with the Swindon Literature Festival. I will post more information on it in my next post.
This painting was inspired by the poem El Olvido -which is by one of my favourite writers- Judith Ortiz Cofer
I wanted to share some of my process here with you on how I went about creating the painting.
The background colours were inspired by this sketch.
Once I had the basic colours down, I added some stencilling to create texture and more interest.
Here are the stencils I used, two were store bought, the black one on the right comes from a lamp which we no longer use at home. I knew I wanted to add the poem in the background and thought the best way to do that would be to use paint pens. These are the colours I used- the Liquitex brand comes in two different widths which contain acrylic paint. There are other brands out there, you just have to do a search on the internet if you are interested. I should add that this is a new tool for me so I was a bit nervous, but happy with the results.
At first, I thought I would just write a portion of the poem, but then decided I would continue...
I wanted the poem to be on the canvas, but not in an obvious way. I also wanted to go over the writing so I added some more elements-the butterfly wing which I use a lot in my work. 
The painting needed colour- for interest but to also to obscure some of the writing. I thought acrylic inks would work well because they are transparent.
I then added stamps, stencilling and some gel medium to create texture and add some shine.
Here are some close ups.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour and thanks for reading.
Bye for now.