The birth of living art

This weekend I have to be in two places at the same time, no, make that three. The joys of a bank holiday weekend when everyone arranges events, particularly art related events and of course I can’t be everywhere at once, but at least my art can, with a bit of rearranging here and there.

Two exhibtions are on at the same time, and I ideally wanted to exhibit with both of them. I thought I wouldn’t be able to, as they clash on the taking down day, but I have been given an extra half hours lee way which means I can do both, although I shall feel like a headless chicken on that day, picking up artwork from one place and heading off to do the same elsewhere at the second venue.

It turns out that the second event will need more artwork there than the first. And the first will be twelve pieces. So this means I have to find enough artwork, of saleable quality, that hasn’t been exhibited there before, for two exhibitions. At least the first one is one I haven’t exhibited at for a few years so I can put in some artwork that was exhibited last year at the second venue. But the second venue needs to have new stuff that hasn’t been seen there before. And prolific as I am, I can’t magic art out of thin air, not to that degree within a two week space. So, although some pieces are ones I’ve done recently and framed last week, there are some that have been given a new lease of life from work-in-progress pieces that I’ve started at art workshops I’ve attended but not had chance to complete yet. I found one that had some fabulous textures and colours in it, of a backstreet in Venice, working from a photo I took some years ago whilst in that gorgeously photogenic city. I flicked though my photos and found the one I’d  used to start the painting from, noting the flat colours and lighting on a dull day. But the painting had tissue paper artfully stuck to the watercolour paper with PVA glue, and lots of bright colours and texture from paint and oil pastels on it, and it inspired me instantly to finish it off, loving the redness of the sky and the white dome of the church against it, the peaches and yellows of the buildings, and one side of the street in shadow. I drew in a couple of people in the mid centre of the street, indistinct but the focus of the setting and added to the details of window and the street surface and loved the effect of it! Gorgeously evocative of a hot day in Venice with Mediterranean pastel colours and added texture to the white church with thick acrylic paint, and deep black Indian ink for the contrasting windows. I love it, and feel I’ve breathed new life into it from how I found it. Its vibrant and lively now.

And another one I’ve just completed is of a small cottage, the bright blue of the front door echoing the blues of the dormer window in the slated roof above, roses around the door, and a freedom in the simple painting from the line and wash I painted it in. The tumble of pink roses holding the image together, and the deep russets of the roof tiles a warm contrast against the blue of the sky. I love this one too!

New pictures seeing the light of day now……