Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i The Artist

Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen? Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum With more uncertainty and worrying worldwide news about the new variant and further restrictions on us all, it’s difficult to see how to keep positive at times. So, I was interested to read a recent article in The Times about a new survey by the Pew Research Center in America, which asked people around the world to list what makes them happy and gives meaning to their lives. Apparently, Britain was the only country to list ‘hobbies’ in the top three answers, after ‘family’ and ‘friends’, which for me underlines what we already know about just how much we all need the distraction and joy of our hobbies, such as drawing…

Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park will host an exhibition of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year to celebrate eight years of the TV series, which has seen it becoming Sky Arts most successful series on television. The exhibition is curated by one of the programme’s judges, Kathleen Soriano, and will feature over 120 works. The selection represents more than 1,000 artists who have taken part in the competition since it was launched in 2014. The exhibition will also showcase past winners’ works and the commissions they have undertaken as part of their prizes. Not only will the artists’ self-portraits be on show, but also several famous faces, including celebrity sitters such as Kim Catrall, Rick Wakeman, Bernadine Evaristo, Melvyn Bragg and Graham Norton. Sky Arts Sky Portrait Artist…

Sending-in days DSWF’s Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 Details: Founded by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation in 2008, DSWF’s Wildlife Artist of the Year is an internationally renowned wildlife art competition open to amateur and professional artists. The competition uses the power of the arts to celebrate wildlife and raise vital funds for endangered species. The prize for the overall winner is £10,000. Other prizes offered include The Artist Award for the opportunity of an interview feature to be published in The Artist. Shortlisted works will be available to purchase on the DSWF website in September 2022, with 50-per-cent of the proceeds of artwork sales supporting DSWF and their ground-based conservation partners. When: Submissions close on March 31. Contact: Apply online at https://davidshepherd.org or email way@davidshepherd.org Jackson’s Painting Prize…

Ken Howard OBE, RA studied at Hornsey School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He is a member of the NEAC, ROI, RWS, RWA and RBA. He exhibits extensively and has won numerous awards. David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA has won many awards for his en plein air and figurative paintings in both oils and watercolours. He has had several books published on his work as well as DVD films, and exhibits his work extensively. Haidee-Jo Summers ROI, RSMA has won many awards for her plein-air and alla-prima oil paintings. She is an elected member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the author of Vibrant Oils and also has a DVD with the same title.…

Sketchbook tip Having kept a sketchbook continuously for over 40 years I read with interest Ian Sidaway’s article in the February 2022 issue. I agree with everything he says although I would add one further comment. I sketch and paint on the right-hand page but I always add a written diary entry about the sketch on the left-hand page. I use a landscape format hardback sketchbook with watercolour paper; it is medium-sized, which means I can take it everywhere with me. The diary entries add enormously to the interest and pleasure when I look back over my sketches, as indeed they do for anyone else looking at the sketches. I get the same pleasure from looking at written entries in sketchbooks displayed in gallery exhibitions, whether they are by way…

Tim Benson studied at the Glasgow and Byam Shaw art schools and is president of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He has won many awards and is a regular exhibitor in solo and group shows around the UK. http://timbenson.co.uk A master at capturing the physical likenesses of his sitters with loose, free brushwork and also conveying their personalities, Tim Benson has established a large following and collector base. However, the art world nearly lost out, he says: ‘I was on course to study architecture, but decided that seven years of study wasn’t for me. I had always drawn as a child and it was natural for me to give being an artist a go!’ Making his mark Tim says that his motivation to paint varies – it might stem…

Ian Sidaway studied graphic design. Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s he painted portraits to commission but now concentrates on the landscape. He is a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours. http://iansidaway.co.uk Choosing and buying watercolour brushes can be somewhat confusing and even expensive – small wonder with names like striper, whales tail, hake, dagger and deer foot. They are manufactured from sable, badger hair, squirrel hair and synthetic fibres such as Prolene, Dalon or Toray and most come in a wide range of different sizes. Brush displays are, like most art materials, seductive and even experienced artists buy brushes that they soon realise they don’t use or really need. What to consider The traditional round brush, which comes to a point and holds a reasonable amount…

FIFE J & G Innes Ltd 107 South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QW Tel: 01334 472174 Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am – 5.15pm Sunday 12.30 – 4.30pm www.jg-innes.co.uk Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Hahnemuhle, Staedtler, Parker, Waterman, books, magazines, cards, games and a gallery, Upstairs @ J & G Innes Ltd GLOUCESTERSHIRE Cotswold Art Supplies Church Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1BB Tel: 01451 830522 Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9.15am – 5.15pm www.cotswoldartsupplies.com Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Pro Arte, Unison pastels, Sennelier, Conté, Paperblanks, Reeves. Picture framing on site. Pegasus Art Shop Griffin Mill, London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2AZ Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm www.pegasusart.co.uk Stockists of: Williamsburg, Rembrandt, Old Holland, Cranfield paints, Cobra, Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney,…

FEATURES ► IN CONVERSATION Be inspired by winner of The Artist Award in the Royal Society of British Artists’ annual exhibition, Meg Dutton, as she discusses her fascination for pattern and passion for creating compelling detailed images in her etchings and watercolours PRACTICALS ◄ Graham Webber introduces his split primary palette of six colours for painting better winter landscapes in oils ► Follow Haidee-Jo Summers and enjoy painting springtime subjects en plein air with advice on how to improve your visual memory PLUS • Robert Brindley demonstrates why gouache is an ideal medium for capturing coastal scenes • Enjoy capturing springtime daffodils and flowers in acrylics with Jenny Aitken • Jake Winkle demonstrates the importance of the negative painting technique for successful watercolour compositions • Top tips from Marco Feray…

BEYOND BLOOMSBURY: Life, Love & Legacy MILLENNIUM GALLERY Sheffield, until February 13 YORK ART GALLERY York, March 4 to June 5 Beyond Bloomsbury: Life, Love & Legacy draws on the National Portrait Gallery’s iconic Bloomsbury portraits to explore the lives and works of this extraordinary group of artists, writers and thinkers. Paintings, sculpture, drawings and photographs will all feature in this touring exhibition, including works by Virginia Woolf, her sister Vanessa Bell and the circle of friends that gathered around them. Find out more at www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk and www.yorkartgallery.org.uk FRESH EYES THE PASTEL SOCIETY The 123rd annual exhibition of The Pastel Society opens at the Mall Galleries in London from February 17 to 26. This year the theme is Fresh Eyes and visitors can expect a lively exhibition of work by…

I can clearly remember being a young student of painting at art school during the early 1980s and having the problem of muddy colours in my painting. In my mind’s eye I can see my palette, which by the end of the morning always seemed to end up as a mass of olive green. I felt demoralised by this and realised I needed to do something about it as soon as possible. I saw that the root of my problem was my terrible impatience, where I was in too much of a hurry with my work. I then began to dedicate the time necessary to learning about colour mixing. Practicalities If you’re having problems with your colour mixing it is time to get back to basics. Whenever I have adopted…

Sarah Edmonds is the Marketing Manager for Pegasus Art and a freelancer supporting creatives and fine artists. Sarah studied a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art and has a degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com If you’re curious about exploring digital art and all it has to offer, you’ll love this new series as we talk to digital artists at different stages of their careers. This month Dora Furnival, a young and emerging artist, reveals how she uses digital tools to enhance and accelerate her work. As she says, ‘I felt frustrated that I couldn’t achieve the level of detail I wanted using traditional pen and watercolour, and by the colour palette limitations. Going digital felt like a lightbulb moment.’ The attraction of digital art…

Mike Barr is a Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts. He has won over 80 awards, including 17 first prizes. You can find more of Mike’s work at www.mikebarrfineart.com My kid could paint that’ is something most of us have said, or at least thought, when we see some pieces of art – particularly if it’s got a high price ticket. What is often not recognised in the strange world of art pricing is that the price is often bound up in who the artist is and not the art itself. The more well-known the artist is, the more likely they are to attract higher prices for their work. An extreme example would be to come across an original straight line drawn by Monet. This straight line…

Painting the Mountain Landscape Eileen Clark Books on painting hills and mountains are not exactly thin on the ground and the elephant in this particular room is undoubtedly David Bellamy. Anything not by him does really have to be judged by his standards and the good news is that this passes with flying colours. Eileen works in oils and acrylics, which is an immediate point of difference. Her subjects are also more complex, less rugged and more lush. It would be fair to say that she works in the classical manner and her results are strongly reminiscent of the Romantic movement. If complete landscapes with upland areas are your thing, you’ll dive into this with enthusiasm. The book is very thorough and filled with examples, exercises and demonstrations as well…

Andrea Meakin is a full-time mum with a life-long passion for art. ‘I am now lucky enough to be able to paint wildlife and pet portraits from my log cabin art studio (the Doodle Den) in North Hampshire,’ she writes. ‘I attended art college in Rochester, but my love for painting wildlife came through my work in the travel industry – including my last 18 years as BA Cabin Crew – which took me around the world experiencing local wildlife that I painted from photos when I returned home. I am always grateful to wildlife photographers who allow artists to use their photos, and was delighted when @suecrosswildlife allowed me to paint this beautiful hare. It was also a great opportunity for me to put into practice what I had…