Suicide run

A difficult week this week as the computer had to go and have several viruses removed but things seem to be better now......until the next time. In a funny way it's been quite pleasant having more time  to do other things rather than look at e mails and get side tracked by all those wonderful [and not so wonderful] things on the world wide web. One of the more pleasant pastimes we have is sitting outside in the evening and catching a glimpse of a little mouse who regularly runs between the greenery on both sides of the step which leads to the lawn. We call it the 'suicide run' as our lurcher Poppy is often just passing and takes great delight in burying her nose in the vegetation as she tries to sniff it out.

 

  Quick sketch of our mighty mouse racing across the step

 

 

I think I will develop the image and try a print using some new vinyl tiles I've found but this time instead of a reduction print, I'll make several blocks, one for each colour and see if the registration will be easier with some tips I picked up at Art in Action.

 

 

  

'Where's that dog?!'

Pen and ink sketch for print

Spot and the Apple Store final Print.

It was a trial print with two plates. I had  lots of problems with the first stretchy rubber plate and then the dark ink refused to print properly on top the 2 other colours, so I have had to touch up a bit by hand.  However it was an interesting and worthwhile experiment.

Spot, a Swallow and the Apple store; The final panel for Easton

Apple Store Print Roughs

I have redrawn the image with Spot and the Apple Store in preparation for a lino print. It is quite different with a simplified and slightly more animated Apple Store and a smaller, single version of Spot. I m thinking of two plates, a reduction print of the Apple store image and an additional plate of Spot and I am adding a swallow. They nest in the Orchard  Towers and in other outbuilding around the Gardens

Spot roughs

Some first colours

The second colour and the two plates

I have been using up odds and ends so its a combination of vinyl and the soft cut rubber which I am finding more and more difficult to work with. It has been very warm and I found it stretches in the press. Luckily registration is not a problem with this image.

Last Easton Panel..Slow Progress

I have one last panel to do for the Easton joint project and the theme is “architecture/tree”. This is a free choice so I am planning a print. The subject I have chosen is the Apple Store, one of 4 small buildings across the river in the orchard and I decided to include Spot somehow.
There are many ways to view the small and rather mysterious towers. One is from the darkness of the yew walk. There is a gap about half way down the walk which gives you a fleeting view 2 of the towers. The tall yews are as solid as buildings and anyone or anything passing by is gone in a flash. In this sketch I have 3 Spots getting closer each time and, of course, chasing an escaped apple.

I made a few rough sketches and some colour ideas…

and this drawing which I  like .. however as I was really planning a print I am having a rethink. This image is a bit fussy for a simple lino cut.

Spot and the Apple Store..pen and wash A4

Art in Action

Yesterday I went to Art in Action, which is a 4 day event held at Waterperry gardens, near Oxford. Over 400 artists, musicians, dancers and crafts people demonstrate their work and seem to be  happy to answer any questions you have about techniques and materials which is a remarkable experience as you don't often get that opportunity to informally chat with the artist. They were incredibly generous with their time and as the sun shone and the rain held off, I was filled with certainty that as soon as I got home I would be able to put all those tips and new materials [yes, of course there is a wonderful market for art materials on site] to good use and my work would be improved beyond recognition.........

It didn't happen of course but I still feel that the experience has been incredibly rewarding, not to mention a lot of fun when I volunteered for the day on Thursday.  Meeting like minded people who are creative but take  their work very seriously can be quite intoxicating and the 'feel good' factor is still with me.....check out the website for next year if you're interested!    http://www.artinaction.org.uk

Seeing some of the interesting pieces drawn simply in graphite helped to justify and reinforce my interest in this medium and I've been working on another sketch of our lurcher,  Poppy.

Pencil sketch 30x35cm

I shall be experimenting with some of the techniques I saw at Art in Action and  will be  keeping you updated. There were definitely some very 'Beautiful Beasts' there, both as pieces of work in the artist and sculptor's tents and also in real life walking around with their owners. A particular Italian greyhound who was silver grey and magnificent [even if he was petit] was melting the hearts of many a dog lover!

Dogs at last.....

I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get another sketch of our lovely lurcher onto the blog but I suppose I'm biased in thinking she must be one of the most beautiful beasts when there are so  many others.

 I have been working on a commission to do a pencil sketch of another gorgeous and much loved pet, a soft coated wheaten terrier and although I don't know him, I can see from his face that he is quite a character.....

Pencil sketch 

Finally, I've tinted the image with watercolour and I can't help thinking what a fine fellow he must be, a real friend to his lucky owner.

Poppy, our lurcher, provides me with endless hours of drawing opportunities  as she obligingly sleeps between bouts of manic energy.

Pencil drawing in sketch book

Not exactly elegant but comfortable!

 One of her favourite positions is lying on her back with her legs in the air as her chest is so deep it would be uncomfortable for her to lie prone unless on a very deep and soft bed.  Needless to say she has several! 

Repeatedly drawing a subject is a great way of getting comfortable with it, allowing yourself to experiment and the pencil to flow freely.  In the case of an animal, it helps you to understand the anatomy and how the body works together as a whole so I try to take any opportunity I can to really study and record what is there before me. It's always tempting to draw what you think is there rather than what actually IS there so I try and stay in the moment and draw what I see - but I'll be the first to say that's easier said than done!!

Easton Panel Sections: No 4: Night on the Witham

The fledgling River Witham flows through Easton, spring fed and mostly gently winding,but it can flood to a spectacular height.

This section is one for the collage of images panel. My section says “water/flower”.Where the river enters the garden on southern boundary there is a spectacular gunnera. Many of us in the group love this splendid plant with its giant architectural leaves and strange early flowers which remind me so much of the cycads in Leu.

I wondered about this river at night and how lovely it must look. I added the bridge arches and a hint of the woven edges of coppiced hazel which have been added to improve the flow and improve the habitat for trout and native crayfish.

This time, for wildlife,I have added some bats winging their way under the arches of the bridge to feed on moths and night flying insects.

The River Witham  at Night …with bats. A4 pen and ink

Easton Panel Sections: No 3

For some reason I am not keen on these two towers, but it was a section I picked in the draw. So here is a try. I might do another one if I have time. This time there are 2 little swallows high up on the right hand side.The swallows are such a feature of Easton in the summer. Maybe I will feature them again in one of the other sections.

Easton Towers watercolour A4

Easton Panel Sections: No 2 : The Chestnut Tree

The next section was rather unprepossessing, and nobody really wanted it, but when I looked at it a little closer I realised the main dark tree shape was one of the magnificent Horse Chestnuts. That’s lucky really as it gives me the opportunity to make another Chestnut Tree image for the Tree Following project, as well as make a pen and ink drawing.

This time I incorporated a rook and three distant red kites. The last time I was at Easton I saw them flying high above the chestnut trees.
We see them here too. They sometimes float silently over the garden or tumble and soar far away over the distant woods . They move so fast they can be miles away in minutes

The Chestnut Tree with Rook and Red Kites. A4 pen and ink

Easton Panel Sections: No1: Blackbird on path:

My lovely Easton Walled Gardens painting group are working on a joint project for our Easton Show this year. The Show will be called “A Portrait of Easton” and will showcase two large panels about 6ft x 3ft. One is a collage of aspects of Easton, flowers, gardens, architecture, etc. The second is a photo. We we have divided up each panel into 24 sections which has worked out at 4 or 5 sections each. The show is at the end of August but there is so much happening that I am dedicating this week to getting my bits done.

It’s a great opportunity to try a few different approaches and having these small photo sections to explore, with the images already there is interesting and rather liberating, its comes down to interpretation.

So No1 is a section of path at the bottom of the photo panel. The path is lined with flowers but there is a plain section on the middle. While working on this image I felt a blackbird would fit in just fine. I am particularly fond of blackbirds and have used them quite a few times in work about my garden here.

Bird on the Path: A4 watercolour.

Love Lepus the hare

I spent a very happy few hours at Woodwalton Fen [ part of the Great Fen project ] this week just sketching and enjoying the peace and quiet. It really was very good to be able to soak up the atmosphere, listen to the birds and watch the fish jumping out of the water in order to catch the hapless flies which were making them a tasty meal.

It was an opportunity to remind myself of the play of light and shadows on vegetation and even though I only used graphite pencils  rather than any colour, the very action of sitting and staring at the plants and studying the way they grow and intermingle was really useful in trying to understand shape and  tonal values. I was hoping to use the material as reference for another hare picture.

 Having done all that work as a background for another watercolour of a hare, what did I do?  Yes, of course, I came home and started on a watercolour of another hare with no background of vegetation at all! Never mind the practise and reference material is always useful.

Quick sketch of hare preening itself.  As I drew out the image, the similarities to our lurcher, Poppy, became apparent to me. Both have muscular haunches with thin elongated  legs which are built for lightness and speed and deep chests for the lung capacity they need when racing at speed. I often see Poppy in this position and it's useful to use her as a reference.....

 Watercolour and pencil on tinted paper

                                                                                    Watercolour 38cmx28cm

The feet are a little different of course, with Poppy having much smaller looking pads without the long tufts of fur a hare has but the tendons are just as visible and help to explain the mechanics of movement. I love the rather oversized feet of the hare which are often emphasised in sculpture,  but they must have them for a good reason - all part of a speedy escape I suspect.

I'll work on both watercolours and have no doubt an idea for a print will be bubbling up in my consciousness, it's often the way.......sometimes!!

Hare today?.....

Our little lurcher Poppy, likes nothing more than a good workout chasing a hare when she accidently puts one up on our walks but fortunately so far she has always been outwitted by their twists and turns. I'm amazed how they manage to survive winter without the shelter of an underground burrow, let alone how the young leverets  [the name for hares less than a year old] can reach adulthood without some sort of protection. It obviously helps being born with eyes and ears open and a covering of fur but there are still a lot of predators out there just waiting for an easy meal.

 Some preparatory pencil sketches for a watercolour 

I wanted to get some movement into the picture so worked on an image of a hare jumping as if being surprised by a potential predator only to realise it's a butterfly

I was fairly happy with the feeling of movement and decided to go with this image 

Watercolour on tinted paper 38cm x 28cm

Unfinished as yet but the feeling of movement is there so I'll keep working on it and share the completed piece with you soon.......