Last Friday I had my demo for Longframlington Art Group. I’ve worked with this group before and they’re a lovely bunch. I had been asked to demonstrate a landscape using acrylics and I had chosen a view over towards Rothbury with The Cheviot Hills in the distance. I had a photograph of the scene on my phone but after using it to produce a rapid sketch with a brush and watery paint on my canvas and to the groups shock, I put my phone away and talked about the dangers of copying pictures from a photograph. Photographs are good for an inspiration but are generally too detailed and have too much clarity which if copied would demonstrate the opposite of what I was trying to demonstrate? I didn’t refer to it again.
My theme was creating distance with paint on a 2D surface. I explained to the group that the only way to do this was with aerial perspective, tone and colour. Distant landscape has to be painted with muted colour and paler, bluer tones or it jumps forward creating a flat painting. As I’ve explained in previous blogs aerial perspective is where the atmosphere intercedes our view creating a blue effect.
The most common mistake I see in amateur painting is where the artist has used the same intensity of colour and tone throughout a painting, (often because they have copied a photograph). Everything appears to be on a single plain. This is why so many landscapes look unrealistic. It is a concept that even when understood it not that easy to paint. I demonstrated in layers. Breaking the landscape I was painting, for simplicity, into 3 segments. The distance, the middle ground and the foreground increasing the intensity of colour and tone and definition of shapes as I came forward.
I let them loose on their own paintings whilst I walked around giving comments and advice . They all had a go but some just don’t have the control of their chosen medium to produce what they would like to. It’s important to know the characteristics, limitations and potential of the materials you are using in terms of paint, utensils (brushes, palette knives, water etc) and surface you are painting on. We got some different and interesting work before lunch.
They needed to be out of the hall at a certain time but I thought it was too early for me to leave (after all I was getting paid for this!) so I decided to demo another painting. I promised them a rapid (1/2 hour or less) painting of the same landscape but this time using a palette knife. I paint quickly anyway and knew I could do it but I don’t usually paint with an audience watching mesmerised as I frantically mixing and slapping paint on to a second canvas! I completed the 2nd painting in 25 minutes to a round of applause!! I preferred my 2nd painting, as did several of the group. I was photographed with it as shown at the front of this blog.
My sister Bridget, husband Phil and Lizzy and Megan came up for a few days from Sunday to Wednesday so after a good catch up with them I had a late start this week.
However, I managed to complete my 4 “Croft” paintings for Tallantyre on Wednesday which surprised even me!
On Thursday I also managed to complete another charity painting for The North Northumberland Hospice which I am going to raffle off in the pub again up to Christmas.
It’s been a very different week and I now seem to have got my mojo back again. The 2 day break helped and gave me something else to focus on. I realise that buying a house and selling a house simultaneously is creating some of my stress. It’s not easy trying to be creative with other stuff going on. We do seem to put a lot of pressure on ourselves!
I’ve finally found some “reasonably “ priced frames for my OCG paintings which should come next week. Once they’re done we might be able to find time to pop over to The Lakes to deliver them plus the ones I’ve got for Beckstones.
It’s my “Halloween “ quiz tonight (Thursday) which, with people dressing up (including me) should be fun.