Monday, June 26, 2017

Showtime!



Saturday evening and, as one of the selected exhibiting artists, the opportunity to attend the Private View and opening of the North Wales Open 2017 at Theatr Clwyd in Mold, our regular cinema-going and theatrical venue, augmented by a programme of visual art and design displays, where many a fine and entertaining evening has been spent.

Despite having made a point of seeing the NWO or its predecessor prior to local government reorganisation the Clwyd Open many years over the last 30+ and previously exhibiting at Theatr Clwyd as an invitee of the ‘Group 75’ show in 2001, this was actually the first time I’d entered work (up to two pieces per individual) for consideration for selection, and was gratified not to hear news that I’d not got both in, as per the judging process (!), building up some momentum after the Wrexham Open success of April. Rather than rest on the old laurels and rely on those tried-and-tested, I decided to submit another of the ‘woodscapes’ (#5) and, for variety but possibly taking a risk in presenting two distinct aspects of painterly activity, one of the recent larger-scale ‘White Pears’ compositions (#29).

Anyway, suitably uninformed, Anna and I made our way to the venue where it was pleasing to see and be part of a well-attended event, lots of milling, viewing and relaxed chat in evidence and a wide variety of art, traditional and modern as they say, the work of professional and amateur practitioners alike, some familiar names, on show.




Anna studying the selection...




With the focus towards the personal, here follows a small group of spectators before ‘Woodscape #5’, the painting in its immediate context and in isolation and then ‘White Pears #29’ in the company of other still life compositions (paintings and a collagraph) and on its own – both paintings were favourably hung, in nice central, well-lit locations in the main and Community galleries, it must be said, so we’ve done very well out of the experience.






Tuesday, June 13, 2017

New Paint Jobs...



The following set of images represents the evidence of a recent bout of re-painting of previous work, the first time I’ve ever really engaged in such an endeavour but which, upon daily encounter with said objects, was deemed necessary in the light of subsequent developments.

Having recently returned to the subject/object matter of the whitewashed model pears as the field of painting practice, in the form the larger-scale compositions #28 and #29 which succeeded the departure of the series of six ‘Woodscapes’, those ‘White Pear’ works numbered #21 – #27, processed during February – April of last year, came to seem to be too dark in terms of the tone of their grounds, for whatever reason they had originally been (erroneously) rendered thus when painted from life and empirical observation. The earlier time of year, with its own particular natural light conditions, hardly seems to explain just how ‘wrong’ the paintings, and the contrasts between figures and grounds, appeared.

Thus, and in keeping with recent developments, have the grounds against which the objects appear been re-painted, as ever from direct observation transferred to canvas, comparatively significantly lighter in parts and less so in others, with adjustments also to the whitewashed pears as necessary, with the evidence presented below.



‘White Pears #21’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #21’ (2016)


‘White Pears #22’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #22’ (2016)


‘White Pears #23’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #23’ (2016)


‘White Pears #24’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/16″ x 20″


original ‘White Pears #24’ (2016)


‘White Pears #25’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #25’ (2016)


‘White Pears #26’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #26’ (2016)


‘White Pears #27’ (2016/17) oil on canvas/20″ x 16″


original ‘White Pears #27’ (2016)

Wednesday, June 07, 2017

More Pears (Amongst the Tomatoes*)




‘White Pears #29’

oil on canvas/40″ x 30″/May 2017

Presenting another recent painting on/off the easel (actually completed before the most recent smaller 'woodscape' of the previous blog post), another in the ongoing series featuring the remodelled and whitewashed pears as subject/object matter with this time, to return to another theme, seeing us once again under the visual influence of Edmund de Waal, arranging and obscuring some of the objects behind a sheet of semi-transparent tracing paper as others sit before this screening device.

As with the previous example, the larger scale canvas allows for a more expansive compositional approach.


(detail)


(detail)


(detail)


(detail)


(detail)

* the conservatory/studio is currently host a number of fast-growing tomato plants which have sprouted to the extent that they're obscuring the view to parts of the 'still life zone'.

Monday, June 05, 2017

Back in the Woods...




'Woodscape #7'
oil on canvas/20" x 16"/May 2017

Following the brief return to the two most-recent white pears compositions, whilst simultaneously percolating the idea, this painting sees a continuation of the autumn/winter ‘woodscapes’ project, this time on a smaller scale than the previous ‘cinematic’ canvases that originally explored the subject matter and more physical painting technique, the impetus provided by a request from the Gresford and District Community Library for a donation to their upcoming (8th July) fund-raising Summer Fair auction.

As with the larger canvases, the emphasis is again on the materiality of the paint used to convey the embodied experience of being present within the woods and the (over-)abundance of information one is subjected to.


(detail)


(detail)


(detail)