And buying new art supplies

So much for using up old art supplies. I had forgotten I had ordered this box of Arrtx acrylic markers. New shiny things. Loooove them. No idea what to do with them!

 

Using all the tools in my toolbox!

I was really in need of a reboot, and I knew that going back over Laura McKendry's Domestika course  would motivate me to explore all the tools that have been languishing in my little room.  And yes, there was an explosion of white Posca marker. Memo to self - don't pump the marker on the main page - that's what scraps of paper are fot!

Gelli prints - July

Well, actually I didn't use my Gelli plate for these, just spread paint with a brayer, and then used stencils and dabbed paint through with a sponge. Stencils by StencilGirlProducts

Gelli print and Stazon for image resist

I've been trying to do image transfers many times in the past, but without much success. I've recently come across a new technique from Gelli Arts's Birgit Koopsen, and I'm delighted with the results! So exciting! It works really well with magazine photos, and in a small format. I've tried a few with my bigger Gelli plate, but the result wasn't so good - maybe the paint was drying too quickly? The magic ingredient is Stazon ink pads! I'm really looking forward to trying on some more. I can't believe I recently threw away lots of old magazines during a Marie Kondo clearout. I still have some nice pages that I will practise with when I next get a chance. But I might have to buy new magazines!

Letting go

Watercolours are not going well for me right now. So I spent the afternoon with a BIG painting knife and a few tubes of acrylics. Definitely feel better after that! (PS I find that acrylics never photograph well for me - has anybody got a tip on photographic acrylic paintings?)

Tectonics

I was going to call this one Water and Fire, or Earth Wind and Fire. But neither sounded right. The inspiration is all hissing lava and bubbling water. And now that I think of it, a fairly common theme in my abstract acrylics.

Tectonics, acrylic on canvas, 55x45cm

This painting has been a long time in the making. I have found an initial photo from the 11th of February, and a more recent one from the 1st of November. (Once things started falling into place, I kept going at a pace.)

11 February 2017

1 November 2017

Abstract landscape - Acrylics

As I was getting frustrated with my attempts at abstract with watercolours, I decided to try the same basic idea in acrylics - knife painting and spraying water on the wet paint. Lots of yummy colours. Much happier with the results, particularly after I applied a gloss varnish on top so the darks really pop.

These are fairly small canvases (about 25 cm in height), so easy to manage. I'm currently trying something on a bigger size, and let's just say that I'm glad I put a dry-cleaners' plastic cover on my worktop before I set to work.

2017 Kilmacud Art Group Exhibition

Update 2: thank you all for your support! It was a wonderful weekend!

Update: a good bit of early interest! I love red dots! 4 sold so far!! Thank you to all of you who came by to say Hi! We're still open on Sunday until 6pm!!

The year has gone so fast. Time for the 2017 Kilmacud Art Group Exhibition. The exhibition is opening on the 26th of May in the evening (let me know if you want an invitation) and the show will be on view all day Saturday and Sunday 27th and 28th of May at the St Laurence's parish centre, between the Mill House and St Laurence's church on the Lower Kilmacud in Stillorgan.

Here are the paintings I will be showing this year (all watercolours). I would have liked to show a few more, but it's not the Marie-Hélène Art Exhibition after all, so I had to choose 8 paintings. I am quite prolific!! I will try to get pictures of some of the other artists' work to post here over the next week or so.

Entry is free. And there is absolutely no obligation of purchase! But if you are interested in buying, let me know!

Mountain - Glenveagh National Park 

Sky - Killiney - SOLD

Rain on the Horizon - Inis Oírr - SOLD

Beach - Derrynane

Sky and Mountain - Gap of Dunloe - SOLD

Sunset - Gap of Dunloe

Big poppies - Airfield

Small poppies - Airfield - SOLD

And here are a couple that won't be in the show - they might be added on the Sunday if a lot of paintings are sold. Otherwise, I will have to find another venue for them:

Water - Venice

Water - Baros - SOLD

And I won't be showing my monoprints, which is a shame, as they are really beautiful - I would like more people to see them:

Boulders - SOLD

Hope 3

Hope

Marbling effect prints

The Gelli Arts blog is always a good source of inspiration when I hit a creative wall!  No better way to beat the painting blues than to slap paint on the Gelli plate and see what happens!

This time, I was playing with the latest technique from their blog, how to create a marbling effect, using  hemp rope. I actually tried with three different types of rope and found indeed that the one that works best is hemp or hessian rope, as it pulls into really fine threads, without breaking into patchy felt.

These small monoprints will not be framed, but I think they will work really nicely in my visual journals!

And for the prints that didn't work out, I just turned the card over and tried again!

Here are a few samples (I've made them extra big so you can see the detail)

People's Art weekend

Had a great time at People's Art on St Stephen's Green last weekend. Lovely and sunny on Sunday, and it was such a lovely feeling to sit there and watch people go by, enjoying the art on display. Thank you to all of you who dropped by!

People's Art - St Stephen's Green

I will be exhibiting my art again at St Stephen's Green People's Art this weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is forecast to be wet, so we'll have to play it by ear, but the other two days are to be dry. I will be on the East side this time, just round the corner from the last time. It should be a brighter spot, and I will not be breathing the tour bus fumes as much this time - all good!

Much less panic. We've done it before. We know we can do it again. And I've got some lovely paintings to show - all abstract or semi-abstract acrylics. I'm looking forward to showing them off, and maybe sending a few of them to a good home!

If you're in town, pop in to say Hello. If it's wet on Saturday, I might skip it, so ring me if you're planning to head in!

Here are a few examples of the paintings I will be showing, all reasonably priced!

Wish me luck!

People's Art video

I'm at 4:40!

People's Art

Here are some of the paintings I will be showing at St Stephen's Green on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Wish me luck!

We'll Always Have Paris

Tranquility

Destruction

Some will be medium size monoprints, like these:

Going Round in Circles

Bubbles

And some of the paintings will be quite small, like this one:

Spain for Ever