After an interesting demonstration by Anthony Smart last week, it was the members turns to paint a still life this week.
There were various tables set up and we were able to pick a still life to paint. Above are some of the resulting paintings. Again it was good to see several new members.
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Anthony started by discussing how he sets up a still life and then shared with us how he painted a couple of his own pieces of work..
He started by sketching out his composition using a mixture of Umber and Ultramarine. Standing away from the canvas enabled him to get the shapes to be quite big as well as starting to get the relationship between the objects. In this instance the striped cloth would help to give a perspective to the painting. When painting, he tries to use as few colours as possible, often only using Red, Yellow, Blue, Umber and White. The exception to this is when a specialist colour is needed for a particular object. When doing a still life he says it is important to remember where you are standing; even drawing around your feet as a reminder and to ensure you have the same viewpoint. Working his way around the canvas he checks continually how the objects relate to each other. then he proceeds to block in the shapes and adding shadows. He paints thinly at first and as things settle into place, the paint becomes thicker. He starts with a large brush and works with this as long as possible before progressing down in stages to finally using a small brush to add small details. The still life he demonstrated provided a range of challenges as it included shiny surfaces and reflections. The fabric, although appearing white, had several subtle colours within it. One interesting fact he mentioned was that although he doesn't work from photographs he sometimes likes to include a framed photograph as part of his composition, especially if it means something to him. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, Anthony was unable to finish his piece of work. It was a shame as It would have been interesting to see the final stages leading to the completion of the work. This demonstration was another fascinating insight into how an artist works and it should be interesting next week when members paint their own still life. An interesting demonstration in a medium I had never seen used before. A warm iron is used and the wax is melted onto the stainless steel surface ( the surface of the iron must not have holes it otherwise these will clog up). Too cold and it doesn’t melt, too hot and you get bubbles in it. Shiny photographic paper is used and the wax is run across it with the colours depending on what effect is required. It can be buffed afterwards to make it shine. The beauty of the medium is that it is easy to iron off if it doesn’t work properly. Clear wax is melted on the iron and this is then used to remove unwanted areas. "You can get a feeling for the landscape and don’t have to put in all the details”. A stylus is used to put details on the painting. This has a range of ends to create different effects. A sharp implement can also be used to draw into areas. Stencils, such as paper doilies can be used to get a variety of results. Rosemary said that she doesn’t really start with a plan but does lots of pictures and sees how they develop. She likes to use a bit of imagination. After a knowledgeable talk and excellent demonstration members had a chance to experiment with the medium in the second half of the session. Examples of her work done on the night Members practicing the skills demonstrated on the night
After last weeks excellent demonstration this week art club members had a chance to have a go at a portrait themselves.
Several decided to use acrylics and work in a similar style to Anthony Ogden, others developing the style to suit themselves and their materials. A busy night with a lot of concentration. It was also helpful to have Anthony on hand to offer advice. Paintings were then taken home to finish. Next week is another portrait session and it will give members a chance to practice these new skills. A good turnout for this demonstration by Anthony Ogden showing how he starts a portrait in a similar style to the Renaissance painters.
He started drawing lightly on the canvas, with a HB pencil, deciding on the position of the head. He looked for the axis of the head checking distances etc. First were the eyes checking angles at all times.. He said to think of the head as a block and that you are sculpting it. He used thin Raw Umber A fascinating evening with members taking turns drawing each other. a quiet night with lots of concentrated effort. See if you can spot the member?
After an excellent demonstration last week members arrived to find a range of subjects ready to be painted. Most worked in acrylic and the room was filled with silence as members busily painted away. Charles was on hand to offer advice and discuss the work as it progressed.
At the end the member's work was displayed and admired. Hopefully the exercise helped members to improve their skills. |
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