Since starting the pastel drawings my work has been completely taken over by this linear shape that appeared by just letting my hand do what it naturally felt like doing.
I started working in a small moleskin sketchbook with pencil and graphite.
This more deliberate line lacked some of the spontaneity of the pastel drawing so I closed my eyes and did some blind drawings.
Starting to add colour, hopefully keeping the spontaneity of the blind drawings.
I have been a fan of the Scottish abstract painter Callum Innes since my University days so was very excited to here about his forthcomong exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, starting on the 2nd March and finishing on the 16th June.
He will be showing a number of paintings from his ongoing series of Exposed Paintings which are made by a process of addition and subtraction. All the paintings start of as solid black oil paint, he then uses turpentine to remove the black then adds colour and removes this. He also paints in watercolour using the same process of adding and subtracting, this exhibition will show a selection of new watercolours made especially for the Whitworth.
The following Tate Shots studio visit shows the process of making the watercolours, his studio looks amazing, I wish it was mine.
If anyone is local to Manchester you might be interested in his artists talk which is at the Whitworth on the 2nd March at 2.30. You can also see more work here.
A small series of watercolours inspired by my night paintings sketchbook. I am not entirely happy with them, I probably need to go back to doing some in the sketchbook to get the feel of painting in a more automatic and free thinking way.
They are still quite small, each painting measures 16x16cm and the colour representation is not great either it's been so dull here, it's really difficult to photograph anything.
Also, trying to tweak the blog a little so you might see it changing over the next few days, probably ending up with me putting back to how it was originally!!
A few things that have been happening recently, excitingly I have a few paintings in a small exhibition at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale. The exhibition is in the gallery bar and is on until early December, all work is for sale. I have also finished three large paintings, started a series of watercolours based on my night paintings sketchbook and another series inspired by the seasons, and at last I have been on a printing course at Hot Bed Press in Manchester called Painterly Screenprinting, photos to follow in subsequent posts, but for know here is a little sneak peak.
I have had a bit of a break from the night paintings, a combination of going to bed to late and a little lack of inspiration. The first two paintings are from my previous set before my break, and the following four are new.
Here are some photographs taken today of a new work in progress. Using the night paintings as inspiration I am hoping to make some much larger paintings, but not sure if it's going to work yet. As usual I always get distracted by other thoughts and felt like I wanted to add some collage to the piece but not sure about that either so a bit of an indecisive day. I have taken quite a few photographs from different angles and I really like the abstract nature of them.
I have been quite busy over the past few weeks doing some volunteer work at my local arts centre, so unfortunately apart from the night paintings I have done no other work, here are night paintings 8 to 14.
