print or paint

preparation for lino print  - colour pencil on tracing paper over initial pencil sketch

I've been tempted to move away from the rather pared-back style I've had of late (see Morston Quay, Pied Wagtail and Oystercatchers) by the verdant lushness of the garden. Encouraged by much of the falling-from-the-sky-wet-stuff and my lassaiz faire attitude to weeding, most parts of the garden are looking pretty crowded, and I do like it that way. I was quite put out the other day when a bloke knocked on the door and offered to cut back my weeds sweeping his point through the cow parsley, self-seeded aquilegia heads and ox eye daisies poking through the tall grasses.

Miraculously in one corner of this chaos I have managed to sustain a small group of artichokes from last year and one has a pretty good choke on it already. This little group have provided the perfect subject for a more complex piece of work. I've photographed and sketched and now have a colour-coded plan (see above) as the basis for a 3-colour print, but I am wondering if I shouldn't tried it in watercolours instead...

blue grey I art selection

available here

Kestrel

I was surprised I was able to photograph the kestrel at such close quarters especially with a noisy 5 year old in tow. But this was last year during our big freeze and before we realised the impact the weather was having on birds of prey. We began to see more and more in the trees and hedgerows, and I swear I saw a buzzard perched on a road side fence post (usually only spotted soaring high above us around here). I suspect our diligent feeding of the garden sparrows probably helped a few predators.

Prints now available here(Folksy) and here(Etsy)

 

Works in progress

Late last year - on a mild weekend sandwiched between icy blasts we hopped over to Northern Ireland for a wee road trip and a visit to the Giant's Causeway. I have to say the coastline is stunning, my ideal mix of wide sandy beaches, cliff and rocks. I've been working on a design for a print ever since but struggled to get the composition right. Now I think I've just about cracked it. 

 
I was a but miffed to find i didn't have enough lino to make a start on this last night so decided to turn channel my creative urges towards a spot of painting.

He's not quite finished yet but it was a great feeling to produce something in a relatively short space of time, printmaking on the other hand can be a rather long drawn out process (at least it is the way i do it!). Must do more painting this year - and more birds - lots more birds!

I haven’t picked up a paint brush in about ten months. I found the low level of interest in the prints of my watercolours in my online shop a bit disheartening. I think my style is probably a bit too traditional for many people and my very chic italian friend has told be that my taste for heavy rough watercolour paper is very old fashioned (she being a successful acrylics and inks artist herself). It’s also highly likely that I am just not good at it. 

So I was quite surprised to sell copies of  these three paintings and greetings cards from some of my others at the two shows I've done recently. Just wish I had remembered to take Two Starlings along too!  This has encourage me to do a little more painting now that its getting a bit chilly in my print workshop (also known as “that bloody freezing garage”). 

Disappearing soon…

left to right Just a Goose, Swaledale Sheep, Koi Pond, Passionflower

These 4 inkjet reproductions of my watercolour paintings will shortly be disappearing from my Folksy shop. Until then they will be available at the extremely reasonable price of £4.00 + p&p (original price £10.00 + p&p). They are printed on good quality Bockingford Inkjet Watercolour Paper but they are not archive-quality inks.

Hurry hurry hurry, there is only one of each and they will be delisted from my shop between the 13th and 23rd May.