Innehållsförteckning för March 2023 från The Artist

Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum The early weeks of a new year can seem long, grey and sometimes bleak, but for artists it can also be the ideal time to lose yourself in creative activity, try new media, learn new skills, tackle different subject matter and discover new inspiration. So let this month's contributing artists inspire you with their myriad ideas for helping to develop your creativity and techniques. For example, our In Conversation featured artist, Melissa Scott-Miller, has become hugely successful painting about her life and local surroundings. By taking a bird's eye view she enjoys the opportunity to get lost in a complicated scene, and to embellish details for the sake of the painting rather than being faithful to the subject. Why not…

FAITHFUL & FEARLESS PORTRAITS OF DOGS FROM GAINSBOROUGH TO HOCKNEY THE WALLACE COLLECTION Hertford House Manchester Square London W1U 3BN 020 7563 9500 www.wallacecollection.org March 29 to October 15 Postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, Faithful and Fearless: Portraits of Dogs from Gainsborough to Hockney will finally go on display at the Wallace Collection in London. The exhibition explores dog portraits across the centuries, bringing together 59 works of art including a late first-century Roman marble sculpture of two greyhounds, metalpoint drawing of the paws of a deerhound by Leonardo da Vinci, Landseer's portrait of Queen Victoria's Sussex spaniel, Tilco, and Thomas Gainsborough's Tristram and Fox, and finishing with a series of vignettes of David Hockney's dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie. ‘The idea of curating an exhibition of dog portraiture…

Echoes of Earth and Water at The North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford, brings together the paintings of Sally Fisher with sculpture by Martin Smith. Sally has written for The Artist magazine in the past on life drawing and watercolour nudes, but here she explores the endless changes of light, painting en plein air in all weathers and seasons as she captures the drama found in nature. Martin studied sculpture at the Centro d'Arte Verrocchio and at Arco Arte, both in Tuscany and at West Dean College in England. His work also echoes his individual experience of nature, discovering form in random stones, and carefully shaping them to a high finish to reveal their qualities. Echoes of Earth and Water is at The North Wall Arts Centre, South Parade, Summertown,…

I wonder how many artists like myself working during the lockdowns of 2020/21 felt privileged to be able to still work creatively. In some ways the lack of social activity helped me. Meeting up for coffee and lunches was out, so I just got on with my work and only an occasional phone call stopped me thinking about colour and form. With several cancelled exhibitions I became free of deadlines to produce a required number of paintings and with a studio packed with stored framed work I suddenly had time to play with paint, pencils and anything lying around in the studio. Some of it lying around for years unused, now became a big opportunity to think about new ideas, to jump way out of my comfort zone and experiment…

Over the years I have been experimenting with soft pastel, one of the most important things I have needed to consider is the paper I use. After starting on cheap Ingres papers, which wouldn't allow me to achieve the details I wanted, I discovered Hahnemühle Velour. This paper became my favourite for many years, but for this demonstration I want to show you the benefits of Pastelmat, another paper that is fast overtaking Velour as my preference. Pastelmat has become one of the most popular surfaces for the pastel artist these days and I can see why. It provides a stepping stone between the softness of Velour and the rough texture of the other sanded or coated papers. The paper comes in sheet or board form. I usually buy the…

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 We seem to be entering an era in which perfection is upheld as an ideal when it comes to painting. We certainly live in a time in which the technology to produce perfection in art is available to just about everyone. The rise of photorealism, has ascended side-byside with technology. With this general increase in the pursuit of the perfect we, as artists, can easily lose the aspect of believability in our paintings. It's easy to assume that making things photographic is at the same time making them believable, when the very opposite is often true. True realism is…

Q: You are a multi-disciplinary artist, but obviously work a great deal in print what drew you to explore printmaking? A: I've always been fascinated by the change an image undergoes when produced through the printmaking process and I was immediately hooked on etching once I tried it. There is a wonderful element of surprise, which is heightened by the fact that it can take several days to finish the plate before printing. The image appears in reverse on the finished print, and there are often other unexpected changes to the image during the etching process. Various aspects of the process, from how long the plate stays in acid, to how the plate is inked up, add to the potential variations of the finished work. This makes the process full…

FIFE J & G Innes Ltd 107 South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QW Tel: 01334 472174 Open: Mon to Sal 9am-5.15pm Sun 12.30 - 4.30pm www.jg-innes.co.uk Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Hahnemühle, 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 Open: Mon to Sat 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 Open: Mon to Sat 9am-5pm www.pegasusart.co.uk Stockists of: Williamsburg, Rembrandt, Old Holland, Cranfield paints, Cobra, Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Derwent, Daniel Smith, Schmincke, Caligo, Da Vinci, Pro Arte,…

Hans Holbein – his life & works in 500 images Rosalind Ormiston You might think that having 500 images would alone justify the purchase of this book. However, add in a comprehensive but eminently readable account of Holbein's life and work, as well as commentaries on the paintings themselves, and you're probably thinking'I'd like this, but can I afford it?'Well, yes you can, because Lorenz Books, purveyors of this series, are practically giving it away. The production is stunning, the reproduction far ahead of anything you have a right to expect for the price and printed on heavy paper more normally associated with books costing several multiples of the price. Five hundred images is a lot, but none is crammed in and the ones that matter are generously sized, with…

Email theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or write to The Editor, The Artist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH Please note we may have to edit letters for reasons of space Copying the Masters Peter Burgess's article in the February 2023 issue of The Artist, Let the adventure begin, in which he finds inspiration in the work of the Old Masters, immediately caught my attention and I'm keen to read his second article in this month's issue. In 2020 I became interested in the American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) who exhibited with Degas and the Impressionists while staying in Paris. Cassatt observed women going about, dare I say, their bourgeois daily routines and relationships which she used as subjects for her paintings, and I tried to copy her style…

Paul Talbot-Greaves teaches watercolour and acrylic painting in workshops and demonstrations to art societies throughout the UK. He has received many accolades and awards including The Artist Award in 2017 and 2021 at Patchings Art Festival, and The Chaoshan Watercolour Award at the 2021 R1 watercolour exhibition. He can be contacted by email ptgart@outlook.com or through his website www.talbot-greaves.com Watercolour is one of the hardest of media to master, yet it is most often the first choice for beginner painters. So why watercolour if it is so difficult? Well, the most enticing aspect is its user-friendly element. You don't need many materials, and you don't need much space in which to work. Its other main attraction is its ability to capture light. It is the quickest and most effective medium…

PRACTICAL ACRYLICS If you're stuck on ideas for something to get your creative juices going why not choose a still life. Still-life subjects don't have to be dull or lifeless. If the objects are muted add more saturated colour; if the scene is too static, create interesting marks to add some animation. For beginners, painting a still life from life is the best practice to improve technical and creative skills. You don't have to go far to find your subject matter and best of all it doesn't move. In this feature I will provide some tips and tricks to get you going and make you look at still-life subjects with a fresh perspective. You might want to begin with an object that has vibrant colour with a simple shape. Flowers,…

Sending-in days Aviation Paintings of the Year 2023 Details: The Guild of Aviation Artists invites entries, from both members and non-members, to its annual exhibition, featuring the best in aviation artworks. Exact details are still awaiting confirmation. Keep checking the website for up-to-date information. Exhibition: Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridge CB22 4QR, from June 22 to 25. When: Dates tbc. Check website for details. Contact: www.gava.org.uk DSWF's Wildlife Artist of the Year 2023 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. Exhibition: Mall Galleries, London, from September 11 to 16. When:…

Line & wash I enjoyed the article by Alan Bickley in the January 2023 issue of The Artist. I enjoy line & wash very much and have several sketchbooks filled with quick sketches, carefully smudged with a finger dipped in my beer whilst sitting at a pavement café. I used to use a Rotring Artpen all the time, as recommended by Alan; so much so that I got through three of them. However, my last one was in a bag that was stolen from when I was sitting at one of those cafés! The true horror of this didn't make itself known ‘til I tried to replace the pen and found they are no longer available (every supplier is ‘awaiting stock’), and second-hand they are going for upwards of £60!…

Sophie Knight graduated from the Royal Academy of Art and, at the age of just 24, won The Hunting Group Young Person award and became an associate member of the Royal Watercolour Society. Her solo exhibition at The Royal Watercolour Society's Whitcomb Street Gallery this spring brings together recent work from her London studio, created mainly outside working directly from the cityscape, using watercolours in an energetic and vigorous manner. Light & Colour: Scenes from London can be seen at The Whitcomb Street Gallery, 3 to 5 Whitcomb Street, London W2, from March 8 to 19. For gallery times visit www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk More information about Sophie and her work can be found at www.sophieknight.co.uk…

With a detailed yet painterly approach, Melissa Scott-Miller creates an honest reflection of the urban landscape. This has become her specialty. She welcomes us to the sought-after stately Victorian homes of London. It is a joy to take a step back and admire Melissa's intense observation and illustrative flair. Like a fantastic tapestry, the viewer can become absorbed in Melissa's large-scale work, delighting in spotting more and more within the canvas. There is as much character in the individual brushstrokes as there is in the view depicted. Melissa manages to breathe life into each piece, which she credits to working from life rather than photographs. Braving the elements she immerses herself in the subject. ‘I get very excited trying to portray what I see and experience in front of me…

I am always on the lookout for a subject with a narrative, invariably those with human interaction. Devlin's is the oldest and most renowned fruit and veg seller on the Portobello Road in London. They came to my attention and admiration during the summer pandemic, when they stoically kept an on-street presence, to both feed and raise the spirits of the neighbourhood. As such I always keep an ear open for the quick banter when I pass, and recently caught a good moment as a discerning local ensured that she got the best. I liked the stance of the protagonists and made a rapid pocketbook scribble as the potential standoff passed with good-natured quips. The scribble turned into a colour sketch (backed up by photos) that grew into a full…

Helen Tarr has BA and MA degrees in Fine Art and is a qualified art tutor with over 20 years'teaching experience. Alongside her regular classes at Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham Helen also teaches classes and workshops from her studio at her home in East Staffordshire. She has exhibited widely and her work is in private collections in Britain and abroad. Helen has a YouTube channel where she shares painting demonstrations and has produced exclusive videos for PaintersOnline Studio members. Her work is available from www.BritishContemporary.Art and www.helentarr.co.uk Have you ever watched someone painting and thought ‘they make it look so easy'? I have heard people make this comment after watching me at work and it has really given me pause for thought. As a life-long painter I have had…

If you're interested in exploring the world of printmaking, or creating limited edition prints of your own artwork, we hope this article acts as a basic guide. This month we talk to artist Joanna Cohn who, following a career as a jazz singer, decided to commit exclusively to fine art and is currently studying for a Masters at Central Saint Martins. Jo finds herself absorbed by the etching process, recently producing a series of moonscapes in dramatic ultramarine and dark and moody graphite. Curious to understand what gets people so hooked on printmaking, she shares her obsession. ‘For me printmaking requires both extreme control and total lack of control. There is always an element of risk and of surprise that makes it really joyous when a piece is successful.’ Believed…

ROSA GALLERY WATERCOLOURS Rosa Gallery watercolours are designed and produced in Ukraine. A range of 60 beautifully vibrant colours made with finely ground Artist's pigments and organic gum Arabic. Made in collaboration with professional artists, these paints are made with consideration of the needs of the contemporary watercolourist. www.artsupplies.co.uk/cat-rosa.htm PAINTON RECYCLED PADS Clairefontaine's latest PaintON pads are made using 100% recycled, PEFC™ certified paper that is extra white with a satin, smooth surface. Perfect for both dry and wet techniques, the paper's high grammage is suited to folding and pasting. Acid free and pH Neutral, the paper is compatible with laser and inkjet printing! www.clairefontaine.com/en www.facebook.com/ClairefontaineUK DA VINCI COLINEO WATERCOLOUR BRUSH BOX SET FROM PEGASUS ART Elegant set of three watercolour brushes in a magnetic box. Made from a balanced…

DIGITAL ISSUE EXTRA CONTENT New Ideas in Botanical Painting Composition and Colour New Ideas in Botanical Painting by Carolyn Jenkins with Helen Birch was published in March 2022 by Batsford, £19.99, and is available from our online bookstore at bit.ly/ARTIBOOKS Some people know what they want to do in life, but for me it took many years to hone in on what I love best. Although almost all the painting I do now is botanical, it hasn't always been the case. This focus has developed over at least 20 years as I've realised what I'm most interested in and hopefully best at. I've developed into a botanical specialist only after exploring and experiencing various other subject matter - through education, employment, adult training courses and family influence. I feel lucky…