Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i The Artist

Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen? Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum As Heath Hearn points out in this month’s In Conversation, most paintings are full of abstraction, no matter how figurative the subject matter, so it’s interesting to learn more about how he aims to combine distinctive styles of abstraction and the figurative in his collage-like oil paintings (pages 14-17). He’s also a fan of the traditional Japanese philosophy of appreciating the beauty of imperfection, which can be liberating for artists, enabling a spirit of ‘letting go’ in its forgiveness of ‘mistakes’. Heath describes himself as a sometimes ‘clumsy’ painter, who makes good use of his iPad to cut and paste elements from three or four different landscape paintings to create a…

For many years I have photographed fishing boats in harbours, drawn to their personalities and surrounding coastal features. I have always been attracted to boats, each vessel has a story to tell. They exude charm, character and mystique. I’m particularly intrigued by stranded boats, waiting for the liberation of the oncoming tide. Consequently, I have painted them in a variety of situations: clustering together in a dock, bobbing freely in harbour waters and the frenetic activity that comes with fishing. Simplifying composition Recently, I started to produce a paired down series of boat paintings using a very simple composition dealing with just two elements, a single boat and the surrounding sands. A straightforward configuration but with enough activity to hold the viewer’s interest, forming a striking and effective composition. Since…

In the past few years digital art has become much more accepted and encompasses many disciplines. Perhaps this is linked to the ever-changing world we live in, where the boundaries are more blurred than ever; perhaps it’s just progress. In any case, creativity and inventiveness are perfectly illustrated by our case study, Claire Gill, who doesn’t like to fit into a box or even give herself a title. ‘It took me a long time to consider myself an artist, ’ she says. She describes her work as ‘poetic photomontages inspired by a sense of place.’ I’m full of admiration for her clever and contemporary prints created using mainstream digital software. She’s obviously an expert in her craft, spending hours in the process and the results are quite unique. Such modesty…

The amazing energy of unamended brushstrokes was certainly a hallmark of the early impressionists. Today many artists use them to convey energy and interest in their paintings. The visible brushstroke speaks of intent and confidence. In other words, the strokes are deliberate and bold. Painting in this way is not every artist’s thing, but trying it every so often will help our confidence and work. It means that you will paint with larger brushes than you normally would, especially the flat variety and at the end you can embellish for a little while with a small brush if you feel you need to. The broad-brush method of painting helps in a few directions: • It will force you to simplify Detail will become implied only – the best detail possible.…

Ken Howard OBE, RA studied at Hornsey School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He is a member of the NEAC, ROI, RWS, RWA and RBA. He exhibits extensively and has won numerous awards. David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA has won many awards for his en plein air and figurative paintings in both oils and watercolours. He has had several books published on his work as well as DVD films, and exhibits his work extensively. Haidee-Jo Summers ROI, RSMA has won many awards for her plein-air and alla-prima oil paintings. She is an elected member of the ROI, the author of Plein Air Painting with Oils and Vibrant Oils and also has a DVD with the same title.…

Fude pen and ink Many thanks for Barry Herniman’s three-part feature on sketching using a Fude pen and carbon black ink. A real treat for sketching artists who are ever on the hunt for that something different that may revolutionise our artwork but, maybe, not quite getting there. I did as advised by Barry and bought the pen and ink from Amazon and I’m completely hooked. Previously I always sketched using pencil first, then inked in with Rotring-type pens of different thicknesses, before erasing the pencil lines and finally, sometimes, adding colour. The results aren’t necessarily revolutionary but the confidence level has rocketed and I am more comfortable to freehand sketch using the Fude pen, whilst still sometimes starting with pencil to assure composition. Whereas before I faffed around with…

I am always reminded of the magpie when I set to work on a still-life painting. I am drawn to all things reflective and inspired by sun glinting off an object. Reflections come in many forms, from the mirror to the sun catching the surface of a group of objects. All is reflected light and can be harnessed to create a wonderful response to your subject. The key is careful observation. A composition of ordinary objects can transcend into something spectacular. Economy of mark is key to the impression; I try not to gild the lily. This is a glimpse into the way reflections enhance a still life and how to harness that impact using bold colour in an impressionist style in oils. Light sources With my still-life groups I…

In the first of this two-part series on mark making, I want to show you how investigating your mark making can create a serious mindset shift. Curiosity, experimentation and the odd mishap, are the key to finding the best fit for your unique visual voice. I discovered this myself when reinventing my own visual language. Investing in and investigating ‘happy accidents’ told me so much more about my true visual voice than my pieces of finished artwork. If this resonates with you, allow me to give you permission to play. Firstly, arm yourself with a healthy dose of curiosity. We need to push materials beyond where we believe their limits lie. This is often where the magic happens. Materials miraculously exceed our expectations, which means our art starts to exceed…

Composition can make or break your painting. A good composition draws the viewer in, moves their eye across the painting to take everything in before settling on the main focal point. If you find that you always place the main focal point in the middle of your picture this has invariably originated in childhood. I can remember the countless pictures of houses that I made as a child. The house would always be bang in the centre of the picture. The windows would all be exactly the same size and the smoke from the perfectly shaped chimney would form a regular shape into the sky. You will all have seen many pictures just like this and whilst they are charming, they are far too neat in their arrangement. In order…

Sending-in days Artist@Soane Residency Details: Sir John Soane’s Museum is inviting creatives to take part in Artist@Soane, a new residency for artists, architects and designers to mark the restoration of Soane’s Drawing Office. The museum occupies three buildings, Nos 12, 13 and 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and houses Sir John Soane’s collection of paintings, sculpture, books, drawings, furniture, architectural fragments and models. Starting in the spring of 2023, two residents will be hosted annually, for three months each (March to May and September to November. Full details are available from the website. When: To enter, applicants must complete the online application form. The deadline for submissions is 5pm, October 4. It is free to enter. Contact: www.artistatsoane.artopps.co.uk Dorset Art Prize Details: Rewarding and celebrating art from across Dorset, the exhibition…

Helen Martell has been painting with acrylics for about 12 years. ‘What started as an activity day out with my mother, ’ she writes, ‘soon turned into a hobby. After showing off a few of my pictures at my workplace, people began to ask if I could paint portraits of their pets. From then on pet portraits have been a regular subject, but I do also paint other things! ‘I usually paint brightly coloured life-like images. I like close-ups of animals and people, and reflections, such as shiny metal, distortions in water and glass, and patterns made by nature. I always start with a wash of burnt sienna on the whole canvas, (I can’t stand all that white!) then sketch in the subject with a dark shade, before blocking in…

IN CONVERSATION Mixed-media artist Silvia Pastore discusses the joys of painting from the imagination FEATURES INSPIRATION Be inspired by Melanie Cormack-Hicks to experiment and discover your true ‘visual voice’ in the second of her two-part series PRACTICALS Practise a variety of watercolour techniques to capture the colours and textures of a summer meadow, with Catherine Beale NEW SERIES Learn more about the art and power of the limited watercolour palette, with an exercise to try, by Hazel Soan PLUS ● How to paint a dramatically lit portrait in oils, from a photograph, by Jo Pickering ● Jenny Aitken demonstrates acrylic techniques for capturing cows and sheep, and advises on how to tackle the vibrant greens of the countryside ● Robert Dutton reveals why liquid graphite and charcoal are such an…

I am often asked whether my paintings are actual places or made up in my head, if I paint them on location or use photographs. The truth is all of these things. My main inspiration comes from watercolour sketching on location backed up by lots of photographs. There are times when even I don’t carry my sketchbook everywhere, but I always have my camera in my pocket to capture a magical moment of light. This was very true during the recent pandemic when we were only allowed outdoors to exercise. I took hundreds of photographs, not always hugely inspiring or of amazing views, often very mediocre subjects, ones you could quite easily walk straight past. It trained me to look harder for subject matter and good composition. It was also…