Colour Monotype

Rubber Duck II
Monotype On Paper
8.3 x 11.7"

Butterfly
Monotype On Paper
11.7 x 8.3"

     I read about a simple technique for creating coloured monotypes with watercolour and thought I would give it a go. All you do is paint the picture on a plate using watercolour straight from the tube, wait for it to dry and run it through a press with damp paper. The transfer is pretty good and much easier than using ink. I suppose you don't even need to use a press the transfer is that easy and the results are really vibrant. So there we go, another new thing to occupy my time.

Self Portrait

Self Portrait
Charcoal On Paper
16.5 x 23.5"

     This is me happily painting away with my headphones on. I don't really paint people never mind self portraits but its always good to mix things up. I also wanted to get back into charcoal drawing. I'm no David Kassan but I do think I have captured a good likeness of myself.

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys
Wax On Watercolour Paper
14 x 18"

     I wanted to create a sense of foreboding and loneliness in this paintings. The clouds are whipped up in the sky as a storm begins to form and a lone cow wanders across the scene. Its an isolated place to be and there is no protection from what's to come.

Fun With Monotypes

Black And White Cat I
Monotype On Paper
11.7 x 8.3"

Black And White Cat II
Monotype On Paper
8.3 x 11.7"

Rubber Duck
Monotype On Paper
8.3 x 11.7"

Jackdaw
Monotype On Paper
8.3 x 11.7"

     I have been experimenting with monotypes again. These are far superior to my last lot and have more tonal work in them. I enjoy making monotypes as they are easy to do and the results are pretty good. I just paint the image on a plastic plate and run it through the press. Simple fun.
     I may try my hand at collagraphy soon as this could prove easier to do than the woodblocks I have been working on. It may be a more expressive way of creating multiple editions too.

I Can't Remember The Last Time I Had This Much Fun

I Can't Remember The Last Time I Had This Much Fun
Acrylic On Canvas Paper
16 x 20"

    As promised, my third painting on the theme of videogames. This one has more in common with 'I Used To Be An Adventurer Like You'. I am planning on entering all three into an exhibition on videogames and fine art called PLAY!. PLAY! is an open-call exhibition featuring artwork based on video games. The exhibition will be held at Access Space, Sheffield, from 3^rd – 31^st October 2014.
     On the subject of still life, I really like the change of pace from my normal work on painting buildings and interesting architecture. With still life I can arrange a collection of objects in such a way that it tells a story and helps me communicate an idea. I hope I get into this exhibition with these pieces as I worked hard on them and I think they are a good fit. Well It's not up to me so all I can do is wait and see.

Duty Of Care

Duty Of Care
Acrylic On Canvas
10 x 14"

      A painting not just about the Nintendo Gamecube controller but also about  our responsibilities. With the controller we act as guardians to the characters we control in videogames. Their fate is in our hands and we are given so much power over an individual.
     Some games make us care about the characters more and we build a relationship with that character. But it is ultimately up to the player to ensure they succeed and in this we become responsible. Through interactive media, stories come alive and we also find our own reasons to take care of the characters. It doesn't matter that its not real as we experience the emotion anyway through either empathy, anger and love.
     This painting is part of a series of works around the theme of videogames and goes alongside 'I Used To Be An Adventurer Like You'. Tomorrow I will post the next in the series and have three paintings as a complete work.

Resting Belly Dancer

Resting Belly Dancer
Papercutting
10.9 x 9.9"

     I've been meaning to make some pictures featuring belly dancers for a while now. It's one of the few things I love that I don't actually do myself. Being male it's a world I feel I can only view from the outside but never be  apart of. If only things were different. So instead I will try to show the beauty of it the only way I know how, Through art.
     The drawing for this is from a life drawing class but I added the dancer gear. It was originally supposed to be a wood block print and although I have it ready I haven't got around to printing it yet. In the meantime I thought it would be ideal for making a papercutting, after all artists across the centuries have made the same image in different mediums. This may be something I do for my other works. So here it is and look out for the print in the near future.