Abstract acrylics

Today’s images are from Nicole Willett. Both are abstract and done in acrylics. The first she painted on a course last September. It's on a 60 x 80cm canvas. The second is a bit wonky but the original is square - on an 80x80cm canvas.

Angkor Wat

When Ian Fountaine submitted this he wrote, "Been meaning to have a go at this since we went to Cambodia in 2017. Not exactly fast and loose and there was a point when I wished I hadn’t started. Still, got there in the end."

Bluebells and past exhibitions

Daph Willett has sent in this painting of bluebells and that of an art society exhibition from the days when we had just one a year over a long weekend. The venue was the Burgage Hall and it looks like this was taken from the seating gallery on the preview evening. I think this might be called "social proximity". Many of us have memories of lugging those heavy display boards from the church tower to set up and then back again after it was all over. The legs were detached for storage and they were not interchangeable so erection wasn't always easy. Thank goodness someone had developed a numbered labelling system to match the parts.

Bluebells, Malvern

A Flight of Fancy

Diana Woods-Humphery wrote, “here is another abstract piece which I actually completed over a year ago. It is just a flight of fancy and I got a bit carried away with the colours and shapes. Then a I had the sudden idea of adding the insects in black pen. Otherwise it is in acrylics.”

Portrait of Martin Kinnear

Sue Murphy shares a portrait she did recently in the style of Chaim Soutine. "I saw an exhibition at the Courtauld a couple of years ago, he did a series of portraits of the staff in hotels in Paris in the early 1900’s. They are all a little strange but somehow full of feeling and empathy - compelling. The portrait is of Martin Kinnear. His comment was ‘creepy - I love it’. Oil on cotton board 40 x 40 cm"

Martin Kinnear by Sue Murphy
in the style of Chaim Soutine

More about Chaim Soutine and his work on https://www.wikiart.org/en/chaim-soutine

Keeping and using your sketchbook

Sue Embrey has been busy despite lockdown. She says, "I’ve been going through my sketchbook to use as inspiration. However I found an isolated orchard and spent an hour sketching and doing some watercolor sketches in the orchard with views of May Hill, which I’ll use for a pastel painting next. I’ve also been exploring theory on tonal painting and perspective! Really useful as an amateur!!!"

Tammie Norrie

"Look, look, a muffin" was the excited reaction of a five year old when he thought he had spotted a puffin shortly after arriving in Shetland. He soon learnt that locally they were called "Tammie Norries". If you want to read more about them try this Wikipedia entry.

Sarah Amery went to the other extreme of the UK. As she says, "A puffin I met whilst having a holiday on the Scilly Isles many years ago. Was having a sort out and found the photo and decided to paint it! My favourite birds!!"

Acrylic by Sarah Amery

Contrasting locations - cold and hot

Catherine Beech writes, "With some trepidation, as I’m still new to the Society and to painting in acrylics here are two of my efforts. 

One is based on a deserted whaling station on Deception Island near South Georgia. I was trying to capture the utter desolation. The other is based on a picture I took when on holiday in Oman. I was practising getting the light and shade on the pots"

Whaling Station, Deception Island

Pots in Oman

New to watercolour

Mike Bain, another of our new members, writes, “I last painted reasonably seriously in 2005/2006 so thought it was about time I took it up again. I used to paint in water based oils and acrylics but have wanted to try water colour for some time now. My previous best effort was a portrait of Nicole Kidman in water based oils. Recently I have tried some simple water colours to try to get used to the medium”. A sample of his work is shown below

 

Carp

On sea and land

Mike Russell has sent in three paintings. “All have been painted in acrylics and photographed with an ordinary 35mm digital camera. The sailing boat is an image of a Bluenose schooner; these boats sailed out to the fishing banks of Newfoundland and launched small dories to do the fishing. Alas, only a replica remains, which I have seen sailing off Halifax, Nova Scotia. The fox is one of my wildlife paintings, although I usually paint birds. The mountain scenery is a stormy Brecon Beacons, a place I love. It was executed with palette knife, brush, toothbrush, spray and probably other tools as well. This is one of my largest paintings I think 24"x 20".”

Bluenose schooner