Just 10 days to go before the launch of the exhibition and I’m busy with a range of different tasks: painting, framing, publicity, etc, etc.
But I am really looking forward to showing my new work. The fishy paintings are always a pleasure.
You can now see a wee preview of the paintings on my Gallery page. I’m interested to hear what you think.
I’m still working away on my fishy pictures. Now that I’ve laid down the main colours, I’m starting on the details – the trees, mountains, water, rocks and fish (of course). This is the hard work of the painting and I’ll take my time to get it just right.
…Which leads me to a wee tip to help you. If after a while you decide to repaint the sky, turn your canvas upside down to prevent pesky blue drips ruining the lower part of your work.
As you can see in the picture below, I repainted the sky on this view of Loch Morlich after I painted in lots of detail in the foreground. Skies are easy to redo (more on those another time) but imagine how annoying it would be to see my lovely mountains and salmon ruined.
I’m back at the easel, getting started on new paintings for exhibitions in the summer.
Winter is a good time to get going on new work. I love lighting the fire, making the studio all cosy and sitting down to paint. It’s not always that easy – coffee also helps!
As well as paintings, I’m planning some new ceramics and new additions to my range of mugs – stay tuned for more details soon.
I was lucky enough to have a wee commission over the festive season – a sunny picture of Ryvoan Bothy. It was a pleasure to paint such a cheery image while it was all snowy and cold outside.
Ryvoan Bothy
I’ve started adding reflections and wee shadows to help put the fish back into its natural environment.
How to make your own mezzotint plate
First take a nice shiny copper plate and rock the mezzotint rocker across its surface to cover it in lots of wee dots
(1 hour later) As you add work across the surface of the plate you will create more and more wee dents that will hold the ink nicely.
(4 hours later) After a while you will see that it is possible to create a nice black tone.
(8 hours later) After about a day of mezzotint rocking you will be close to getting a nice even texture to your plate. You will have decided that the £35 that the art shop was charging for machine mezzotinted plates was an absolute bargain. You will go to bed and dream about mezzotint rocking that night.
(12 hours later) You will have vowed never to mezzotint a copper plate by hand again, but your 10x15cm plate will print a nice rich plack.
You create your image on the mezzotinted plate by selectively polishing areas of the plate so they don’t hold the ink as well.
The polished bits will be a lighter tone. You will have to make lots of wee test prints along the way to see how you’re doing.
done
