Boston Spa Art Festival update

Well the Boston Spa Arts festival was quite an experience.

I've been asked so many times how many paintings did I sell as a measure of success and the short answer is none.

There's probably a few reasons for that and none have put me off doing it again. I've learnt so much from it.

There were plenty of experienced hands offering me advice for next time. My thanks to Drew Ward, all the Ladies Wot paint , Jan Bulley, Paul Heaney , Sylvia Jackson Angela Parry and Vivienne Rawnsley and Fred Davie.

I then found myself offering advice and support to two lovely young students who are just starting out on their art journey, Lauren Greene and Aimee Smith who then brought their parents to my stand at the end of the day. Thanks

  
My work is mainly Portraits and Figurative and I know and knew before the show that unless I'm going to stagger across a Bob Marley or Jimi Hendrix fan etc then I've not got much chance of selling that work.

I certainly evoked a few memories for a few Hendrix era visitors.

On the second day I put up a more appealing painting of a none descript female that drew lots of great comments but still didn't sell.

My prices were somewhat higher than most other peoples work and I was totally unknown over that way, perhaps i'm making excuses perhaps not.

After the show I called in at The Bare Foot Gallery in Boston Spa,  not to be confused with The Bare Wall gallery in Thirganby Nr York. 

I'd briefly met the proprietor on the Thursday before the show when I called in but unusually for me said nothing about being a painter other than a quick "I paint a bit" 

So when I called after the show on Saturday I was feeling quite empowered and in a mad moment took my latest painting in (Pensive) and asked for an honest critique no matter how brutal. 

Let's be honest I could spill an ink pot on a table and you'd love it Mother ! Ha 

Anyway Linda Schulz ( the proprietor , come on keep up ! ) studied it, studied it some more , minutes turned into hours, time stood still....

She then crouched down to get a closer look. I think I nearly passed out with the anticipation.

It got too much and I interrupted her thought process. I said, "Go on don't be shy , i have a tough skin and need to know the truth" 

She stood up and said, "Well you certainly have talent ...." 

There was a , "but" coming I sensed it. 

"But " I asked. 

"Well, who's the model ?" She asked. 

I told her I'd got her from an online modelling website set up for artists. 

So we had a discussion about models and she declared that the painting of her face and hair was fantastic but she didn't like the model. I just heard the word, "Fantastic" 

She said again I had talent and I should go away, get some models , "do I know any beautiful women" she asked.

Mmmmm ! 

So she gave me her card and asked me to come back with paintings of beautiful women with a bit of content in the painting. 

I'm going in the right direction I feel. 

Waiting for the fall ! 

 The painting I showed her. "Pensive" for sale £345 

Boston Spa Arts festival 2016 (Update)

If you follow my blog you've seen these before no doubt but these are what I aim to have at the festival this weekend.

All will be in frames however which really finishes them off.

 

Boston Spa Arts Festival 2016

I'm spreading my wings a little and am entering the Boston Spa Arts festival 14th-15th Oct 2016.

www.bostonspaartsfestival.co.uk 

I will only be there on the 14th as I cant get off work on the 15th. Hopefully my wife or
 "Ladies Wot Paint"  who are also exhibiting will look after my  stand.

Hope to see you there 

2016 EXHIBITION DATES
14th and 15th October 2016
Find us at LS23 6AA

art.fest@yahoo.co.uk

Cawood Arts Festival , third time lucky

So this is my third entry into The Cawood Arts festival and I finally got the award I've been trying for.

The best (painting) in show. It was actually a joint award as for the first time ever the judges could not decide on an outright winner and so a beautiful quilt made by Carol Jensen was also awarded joint best in show.

However I was very very pleased to be awarded the Dot Hunt Memorial Trophy for the best painting.

Here's the award 

 Here's The painting 

And the certificates.

The red rose which isn't !

This is nearing completion and I'm happy with it for a few reasons. None more so than the fact that I've been able to get the process right first time. 

As a friend said, I'm beginning to get my own recognisable style.

That comes with repeating the process the same way each time.

So I did say it's nearing completion. It's just lacking the title aspect. The photo reference from "LiveModelBooks" which I based the painting shows the female holding a bunch of Roses behind her back. 

She also has an earring. 

Both the roses and the earring may or may not make the cut ! 😱

Oil painting on canvas , measures 24"X 16" 

Price from The Bare Wall gallery ,Thorganby 

Ok so , no red roses, there were but now there isn't. 

This is done. 

Just needs a frame 

She got that earring though 

Life Drawing at Old Slen Art

I attended at The Old Slen Art group on Wednesday night to finally partake of a life drawing class.

I've never been to one before and it was an eye opening experience.

The class was run by Stuart and the model was his friend Paul.

It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time and every art teacher will tell you that , you have to draw from life at some point.

Well the first twenty minutes flew by as we did two minute poses one after the other. 

I felt like crawling under the huge red curtain laid on the floor behind me , I was hardly getting anything on the paper that resembled a human when the timer pinged and we were off on the next pose.

I was cringing at what I was producing but I knew having read about the recess that the was just to get us warmed up and I clung o to the hope that I'd improve as the evening progressed.

Stuart wandered by every so often paused behind me and remained silent , increasing my sense of despair.

I soldiered on , ever hopeful.

Then we moved onto a twenty minute pose with charcoal (we were oreviously using graphite pencil) 

On a larger scale , approx A4 size. 

I was happier with what I was now doing and Stuart this time paused , took a hold of the charcoal and just passed on a little of his experience and a kind word. I was feeling a little more relaxed and felt like I was holding my own a now, with some if not all of the group. 

So then we had a tea break a look round every one else's work , a little chat and back to it for a forty minute pose.

I took out another A4 piece of paper to start afresh and Stuart asked if I wanted a larger piece. 

"You're only here once , go for it" 

It seemed that I was holding back. 

"Dive in, be bold" said Stuart.

This huge desolate blank space stood before me. I dove in with five or six massive broad strokes. 

Stuart actually said , "Wow , you've gone for it, nice one " 

Paul had the patience of a saint as the 40 minute pose became 45, 46,47,48 minutes.

Eventually with a tweak here and there I stood back and thought "yeah, that's ok for a virgin " ! 

The two efforts side by side.

Frank Skinner

Mr Skinner loves his art , as can be seen from the Sky Arts programmes he presents and the sitting he did for John Myatt when he asked to be painted in the style of Vincent Van Gogh.

So I've done a quick sketch. 

He was in the crowd this week at Wimbledon , so I captured a still of him.