On at Clevedon School in the beautiful science block until the 24th.
Thank you Ione Parkin RWA.
Last Friday I went to the Clifton Arts Club exhibition where I got a range of little pictures in, my first full house, taking no chances I cycled! It’s next door to the RWA at Bristol Drawing School so why not combine it with a trip to the Harbour Festival this weekend? It’s on until the 20th and you’ll also see a painting by Laura Robertson who has a self-portrait hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in the BP portrait prize. It was great to bump into her, recognise her face from the BP and have a chance to congratulate her. Well done again.
If you have been put off the BP by it being focused on photo-realistic portraits recently then give it another visit this year as there’s a much wider range of styles this time around.
I particularly liked this one too by Stanislav Buban.
Watch that parking out there.
I had a great time at the Bath Society of Artists preview evening a few weeks ago and had a chance to speak to some other artists I’d not seen since the Holburne as well as the very talented Tom Hughes.
I unwittingly ended up talking to one of the judges too and getting some top framing feedback too.
All this made up for the parking fine I got for accidentally parking in the hotel part of a public car park which was capped off by a further fine in the post a few days later for spending 3 seconds in a bus lane in my hot, Bath one-way addled state!
The exhibition is in the Victoria Art gallery in Bath all Summer and is crammed full of inspirational work.
It’s pretty high up but at least it shows up well from the other end of the room!
Enjoy if you visit, watch your driving though.
It’s going to be on show in the Victoria Art gallery in the centre of Bath for two whole months from Friday so that’s pretty massive exposure relative to other exhibitions I’ve been in so far. I’m very chuffed.
It’s called “Steep holm” and was based on a plein air painting I’d previously done.
It’s 16 by 24 inch and was painted freely from a plein air painting of the same scene, which incidentally was the first Plein air I painted.
I’m also pleased to also have “The Patriarch” (banner picture) exhibited there; Helen’s grandfather was a Somerset farm manager so he’s in familiar surroundings. I’ve never been to the Bath and West show previously (Royal Welsh show many times yes!) so will be excited to see it. I won’t see them until picking up day so let me know how they look there. From 29th May to 1st of June.
The three works were displayed at Artsweek but perhaps you needed a cooling off period?
The Tithe barn is here…
The meagre cake leftovers… really that was it. Cue belly rumble.
For the mathematically minded that’s 0.46 large cakes per visitor. Well done all, especially Helen and the kids for cooking, icing and slicing efforts.
Oh yes and thanks for all the painting and card sales too as well as commission enquiries!
I’ve had some really great feedback from visitors so do come along tomorrow if you’re thinking about it; between my eclectic mix and Richard’s imagination there’s something for everyone.
Plenty of cake sales too and people enjoying the sun, views from the garden and wandering down to the lighthouse which we are raising money to maintain.
I got out before the start to paint this view from green 7 (I think) on the golf course before the sun came out. Here’s hoping for plenty more sun tomorrow, I enjoyed my mid-afternoon cider in the garden after having 11 in the house at once! Clarification! That’s 11 visitors not ciders.
Here’s a four foot wide painting of Kilkenny bay in Portishead I’ve recently completed for NSAW (only 12 days to go). I’ve spent the evening framing it in a sea weathered garden gate frame I beachcombed, complete with a rusty bolt, it’s been in the basement with this in mind for at least four years, it makes it a whopping 5 feet wide. I think it suits it though, you’ll have to come and visit to judge for yourself.
In the bottom left is a misty little cargo ship I painted on a small board too. The large painting was certainly more fun, lots of splashing turps around outside and chasing dribbles. Hopefully I’ll get time to do another, I’ll need a wet paint sign.
First bus stop of the afternoon. You’ll be refreshed and ready for a PM art frenzy. Leaves from Nailsea…
http://www.northsomersetarts.org/Venue%20Tours
Only a month to go. Here’s Richard and my entry right at the start.
Slightly lazy opening hours (well work as well) will allow us to see other fab venues though.
Just laid out my pictures today. Really happy with how they look all grouped and framed. I’ve got thirtyish framed works, mostly landscapes of the local area. Quite a few portraits and plenty of unframed life studies and sketches too. When I totted them up I realised that all but 6 have been painted in the last 18 months. I didn’t realise I’d been so prolific.
Will have tea and homemade cake there too! Hopefully I’ll see lots of you here.
Photo by Jonathon Cambell Mills of his work in the Grant Bradley Gallery last night from his FB page below. Also shows mine in bottom left. I’ve got a prime spot next to the cake counter!
See more of his work and an interview here.
Here’s the latest magazine with the details of the Cornucopia exhibition from Friday. Includes pictures and blurb from all exhibiting artists including myself. All welcome to private view on Friday from 6.00pm.
I’m really looking forward to showing with some other people from the Bristol Grammar Life Class next month from Feb 9th. I’ll be exhibiting portraits as well as life class sketches. There’s some great talent in the class and I’m looking forward to seeing their other work, it’s a mixed exhibition hence the name, here’s a preview page. Details of the gallery here.
I found this article to be really helpful when thinking about how to price my work. I also think that many of these comments are equally applicable outside the art world.
http://theabundantartist.com/5-art-pricing-lessons/
N.B.I take no responsibility for you never selling anything ever again but feeling good about it.
Works you pass over on-line turn out to be little gems and the variety of the brushwork or lack of brush evidence was a surprise. Left me felling humbled to be in the same exhibition though and very much a “newly promoted struggler”. Also more embarrassed by my strong online voting but don’t let that put you off!
Even more pleased with Holburne acceptance after seeing the standard of the works including professional portraits previously exhibited in the Mall and BP. Can’t wait to see them all in the flesh. Opens this Saturday but can’t make this weekend as am off painting heads at West Dean all weekend. Can’t wait for that either. link here
Thanks to everybody that said anything encouraging. Holburne portrait prize
I entered some pictures into a Nailsea Arts Week festival exhibition this weekend. It was at the Tythe Barn which is a great building. Thanks to Bee and Anne for organising it. I took a picture from the bedroom wall of some Sunflowers which was a bit of an exercise in oil pastels and someone bought it. It took me by surprise as I realised I hadn’t taken a photo of it when I found it was gone. There’s a lesson there.