some actual painting

[WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2010]
I am fed up with the rain and the snow and the cold, and building work continues so I don't have a proper place to werk, and there's mud and silt and crap everywhere. But I'm back from doing my disappearing act last week...

I've been printing some transparencies to project for new paintings - another tool of the artist - they help with composition.

And now, I might even have a stab at doing some actual painting. With a brush and paint and all that.

6.21pm: I have been a good Wednesday Painter. I've probably had my most productive day in a long time.

I added some tentative glow to the 'NO' on 'No/Yes'.

I tested out some colour mix combinations for 'Love Is Amour In French' - Phthalo Blue with Permanent Geranium and Napthol Crimson, added to Lamp Black and Ivory Black. Then Cobalt Blue mixed with the same colours.


I painted the outlines of the base layer of 'Love Is Amour...'


Then I came inside and continued the ongoing werk on 'SMILE' knocking back those drop shadows and adding a top layer of Titanium White with a hint of Prussian Blue to the neon letters.


There will be no Wednesday Painting next week. I will be on holiday.

More exhibition press

I found a copy of February's GScene in Brighton the other day, so I've scanned in the little feature/preview they gave me. It's on page 52 if you want to see it in the flesh.

It's strange when you write a press-release about yourself then people quote it back at you. Suppose it would be worse if it was used against you, though.

A.W.O.L.

[WEDNSEDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2010]

The Wednesday Painter has gone A.W.O.L.

Love is 'Amour' in French

[WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2010]
It is Wednesday, 9.30am, and it is snowing yet a-bloody-gain. That's four times it's snowed on a Wednesday this year, and we're only 6 weeks into 2010!

The sun has come out now, and I really should get out there and do some werk. Got a bit of spring cleaning to do, and some priming of canvases, and some sketches for a new painting, and...

Midday: It is snowing again, more heavily now. I have hoovered the loft, and chucked out the manky old rug that shed bits of fluff everywhere. So I have a shiny clean studio space to work in now.


I just spent half-an-hour re-stretching the canvas I'd emulsioned last week - it had succumbed to heavy saggage during the week. I'm hoping re-stretching will save it.

I have made some colour sketches for a new painting:
'LOVE IS AMOUR IN FRENCH'
It seems a little cliched, but my favourite colour combination is the blue and red.


That saggy canvas looks like it might have been saved. Fingers crossed it won't have gone all slack again when I return next week. Pleasepleaseplease.

To finish, I started making a valentine card for my beloved with inks and water and canvas.

Exhibition press

I've had a bit of local press for my exhibition at the Caroline of Brunswick.

There's a preview in this month's XYZ magazine


XYZ also gave it a mention on their blog
www.xyzmagazine.co.uk/blog/wordpress/?p=3783

GScene used my press-release as a direct quote from "the artist"
page 52 and
www.gscene.com/Exhibitions/Painted_neon_exhibition.shtml

shadows

[THURSDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2010]
It is a Thursday. It was a slow start. So I decided to finish priming those three canvases I made before Christmas. That was most of the morning gone. Then I had to shift a load of half-finished paintings out of the loft in preparation for some imminent demolition work downstairs - the prospect of returning to find the place covered in brick-dust doesn't bode well.

Piecing together the rest of the day from photos, it was the day of the drop-shadow:

I added a drop-shadow to some of the letters on 'No/Yes', which retains its wonky charm.

I pulled up a long-forgotten white 'Path of least resistance' for some shadow-play.


I finished off in the now-filled-with-boxes spare room, with just enough room to give the same treatment to 'SMILE'


These will all need to be knocked back and made a bit more subtle next time.