Pigeon

Pigeon
Papercutting
11.75 x 16.5"

     Continuing my quest of finding new mediums to work with, here is my second papercutting. I tried to give this one more lines to help define its form better and I also wanted to play around with line weight too. Not everything I intend to create using papercutting will be an organic form and so line weight will become really important with things like buildings or vehicles.
     I'm going to be trying my hand at collage soon and already have all the material and an idea of what I'm going to do. It's time I don't seem to have at the moment and I'm running out of it. I just have to work hard and get through what I have planned and hope it leads somewhere. Sorry to be a bit of a downer there but I don't seem to have much control of my own destiny right now. Well you can never tell what's to come.

Tortoise

Tortoise
Acrylic On Canvas
22 x 16"

     I have noticed it is taking me longer to complete paintings compared to a year ago. I’m not worried about this though as I know its because I have improved a lot over the last few years and with this I strive to put more into my work. But the better I get the higher my expectations are of myself and so often I am frustrated with the results.
     These feelings are a natural part of the creative process though and I do love creating art. It is both a joy and a source of anxiety for me but I continue onwards with the hope one day someone else might understand this too.
     Now this painting is complete it’s back to buildings again. But as I have said before, sometimes its nice to paint something a little different and test myself. Variety is always a nice thing too and shows how versatile I can be. That shell was a nightmare to paint by the way.

Grazing Sheep

Grazing Sheep
Papercutting
11.75 x 16.5"

     A new art form I have decided to try my hand at is papercutting. After watching a documentary about women artists on the BBC I saw the possibilities that were available with this medium. It's something I have never considered before but after trying it I was impressed by what could be achieved.
     So here is my first of hopefully many papercuttings. Since I'm working on artwork that include sheep right now this proved to be the perfect subject and one that allowed me to show what I could do. Though a simple image it's quite a powerful one using strong light and shadow to reveal form. It took quite a while to cut out the fur but the end result was worth the effort. I'm now working on my next one which is of a pigeon so stay tuned to see how that turns out.

Something Different

Master And Apprentice
Wax On Paper

     Something a little different. I don't think I will be doing any more sci-fi stuff but I really like Star Wars and wax bars.

Shelter From the Sun

Shelter From the Sun
Acrylic On Canvas
22 x 16"

     On a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park I came across two trees with big shadows underneath them and thought it would make a good composition. Later I had the idea of adding more interest to the painting by putting in some sheep taking shelter in the shadow.
     I have to say that painting the sheep proved quite difficult but then again it was my first time doing them. I found it hard to make them actually look like sheep and not blobs of white on the ground like lost clouds. So I'm branching out on the subjects I paint and finding new challenges to occupy me. Look out for more sheep themed work soon.

The Deep

The Deep
Acrylic On Canvas
20 x 30"

     An interesting piece of architecture and very relevant to what is found inside. The Deep in Hull is a submarium and I visited it for the first time this year after picking up my rejected work from the Ferens galley. I thought it would make an interesting painting, especially with the falloff of light on its angular surfaces.
      I struggled with the proportions on this one though and it took me a lot longer to complete than anything else I have done but I wanted it to be right. I try and be as accurate with my depictions of famous buildings as possible but I am not a master and there will always be inconsistencies that I will have to live with. I try not to dwell on mistakes though and so its onwards with the next painting because that's the only way I will improve.