ACRYLIC INK ORGANIC GROWTH

Whilst at Anitas, we had fun with layering acrylic inks and printing shapes to see what occurred. This little series shows what happened when I used the initial result and developed patterns I saw.

This first one made me think of the biblical burning bush ......




... so I went into the orange firy shapes and developed them with darker shadows and areas between. Here is a close up of the resulting centre.



Then I thought the areas at the base could be joined and harmonized to give the idea of the earth though somewhat egg shaped, with the firy shapes floating above it. Finally I turned it upside down and darkened the area below the globe.

Wasn't that fun?!

Something completely different in landscape and street scene style in my next post also created during my stay at Anitas.

FLYING OVER MARSHLAND AND A COUNTRY WALK

Just got back from four days painting with Anita and did we have fun.

This first painting was using the new Atelier acrylics on a coloured ground in my own style, making up the composition as I went. Since taking the photo, I have added a fifth gull just above the horizon of the water which appears further away than the group, as I felt I needed to bring this aspect of the piece further into the painting.

I had taken down our ordered new Atelier Interactive acrylics and a DVD explaining their use by a very free artist Mitch Waite, which covered compositions including the figure, colour and tone. After watching we decided to create something in his style including figures in the landscape.

Finding a photo in one of Tom's shootings magazines, I came up with the following - applied very simply in blocks and smudges getting away from all my normal detail!! Only took one afternoon researching the inspiration, blocking in and pushing the paint about a bit and even adding the walkers and dog with quick dabs. Only problem working Mitch's way, is you can easily end up with mud on your palette!

It was cold and at times sleety during my stay, so we buried ourselves in the bright studio and carried on painting into the small hours with nibbles, coffee, wine and gorgeous evening meals in between!! So I have lots of results to post to you. All very different, depending on how we played. Watch this space!

REHEARSAL AT ST NICS DURING ART SHOW

As I am going away to Anitas for a few days in the morning, I had to take a photo under electric light tonight to post so that the finished work has come up rather more golden than it really is. I did not put every figure in, which left me with the problem of deciding how to fill in the gaps between players and instruments, but I soldiered on. Needless to say, I had to add one of the wonderful church flower displays around the chapel and think it adds to the depth of the piece (it also covered a lot of area I did not know what to do with!!!! ) All in all, my first return to oil painting for months proves to me how much I love this soft, blendable medium.

Over many weeks now I have been returning to this oil painting on a 16" x 16" box canvas using my yummy Michael Harding paints and at long last have finished all the detail, which has taken ages. It is a scene I have wanted to paint for over 2 years now, ever since I photographed the players rehearsing in St Nicholas Chapel during the Kings Lynn Festival. The West Norfolk Art Association I belong to were having their annual show there and concerts were being performed during lunch times. I was invigilating when the musicians came in early to rehearse and I strolled down the aisle to capture them with my camera. I do so wish I had taken more, as I feel this could do with a pair for the 2010 Festival event.

Here are some of the stages

1 Just beginning to see how it would pan out using 4 different photos to combine a single composition

2 Blocking in the floor and the base of the organ

3 Blocking in the organ pipes and archways

I am really looking forward to a few days with Anita at her home in Cambridgeshire, especially using the new Atelier Interactive acrylic paints she bought me for my birthday. They do not form a top skin when dry and can be softened with water mist spray to blend in another layer and to also keep the paints malleable on the palette. Wonder how like oils they will be.

ACEO ART CAMPAIGN FOR HAITI

Via one of my favourite blogs (http://waterblossoms.blogspot.com/) I was told by Margaret that a campaign to help raise funds for the Haiti cause was being organised by Laure Ferlita. Please go to her special blog address at http://paintedthoughtsblog.blogspot.com/ OR click on ART HEARTS FOR HAITI badge on my sidebar to get full details of this plan to get together as many ACEO 3.5" x 2.5" cards created by blogging artists.

I sent off my effort created with Inktense Pencils on watercolour paper which I have not posted here, but thought you'd like to see another design I put together in my zentangle sketchpad to help advertise this campaign in my blog.

Here are a couple of close ups of the bells proclaiming heart felt thoughts from England, the text of which was used on both pieces and describe the two designs of hearts and tears and in this one a basket at the bottom to capture them all -

' our tears are shed for your children and our hearts bleed for your loss' .

Maybe it will inspire you to have a go at creating a small card.

PS - DONT' TELL ME - I have made a colossal error by spelling Haiti back to front and its in both pieces of artwork. Oh! dear - but maybe it will make my card I sent so unique it will sell for more!!!!

IRIS BY THE WOODS IN ACYLIC INKS

In the hope this image will enlarge with a click, you might spot the background wood effect better.

During Anita's stay we decided to play, play, play and thus this iris was created on the third day!

First day we just sploshed with acrylic inks. turning out some rubbish, or getting more creative turning the resulted play into something it inspired to be. On the second day (I think) we had watched a video of Jenny Tufts working with inks creating a floral study, so we took up a display of artifical blooms I had on the firehearth - but it did not work doing it her way.

On the third day we decided to be more in control - Oh yes!!

Initially drew in the iris shape from a photo of one of my garden irises from last summer. Then created dark greens, purples and blues and filled in the background letting all the colours blend together as they wanted, leaving the lighter shades to create the leaf shapes. Then I spied what could be tree trunks at the back so worked on this area becoming a wood.

The main work was quite detailed when I eventually got round to painting the petals, etc of the flower. This was the controlled bit!

PLAYING WITH ACRYLIC INKS

Guess who's here? My lovely Anita arrived Wednesday and we have been painting together ever since!!

We started by using my new Liquitex acrylic inks and playing. Here is the result of one adventure into sploshing, dripping, printing onto a YUPO sheet.

1 - close up No 1 of the middle left hand area

2 close up of some of the background trees


3 - close up of ground area bottom right

4 - close up of my favourite mid area of gold on purple

THE FINISHED PIECE

We have had so much fun every day in my tiny cosy warm study, where somehow we managed to create another long working area propping a work surface onto a pedestal and raising it high enough with boxes of paints - Ah now I realise where my box of oils are I need today!!!

Will post a more controlled acrylic ink of an iris in front of a woodland area tomorrow.

FINISHED WOODLAND ACRYLIC

Well, here is the finished product. Somehow lost the greater contrasts I had in the earlier stages, but felt the figures needed to be more 'closed in' by all those majestic trees and thought the gap I had originally was rather contrived at the end of the pathway.

Had fun with all my texture overlays for the woods keeping the path and figures smoother, as can be seen from the following closeups.

In this post I am glad to say all three images can be enlarged by clicking to reveal the thickly layered paint and variety of colours used.

Now I wonder what will happen with my next practice effort of playing with squirted colours.