Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från 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 Welcome to my first issue of The Artist as editor. A new face at the front of the magazine but certainly not new to the world of art and magazine publishing. After completing a joint honours degree in history and fine art I was lucky enough to begin my career some 37 years ago with my dream job working for The Artists’ Publishing Company with Irene Briers and Sally Bulgin at our offices in Tenterden. Times have certainly changed since then, but the exciting thing about life is change and the opportunity it brings to learn new skills whilst retaining a firm footing in all that has gone before. And there’s…

The Royal Society of Marine Artists in conjuncion with National Historic Ships UK and the Wapping Group of Artists have launched a brand new art competition – Afloat or Ashore. Artists are invited to depict and celebrate any of the 2,000 vessels on the National Historic Ships Register (https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/page/afloat-or-ashore-painting-competition) where you’ll find all types of vessels. The organisers hope that artists will visit locations near to them to sketch, paint and photograph their subject in person. A first prize of £1,000 is offered and there is also a junior category with special prizes for young artists aged between 11 and 16. The competition is open for entry from June 3 until September 20. Full details can be found on page 2 of this issue or visit https://rsma.oess1/.uk…

The seven oil colours I will be using for this article are manufactured by Wallace Seymour Fine Art Products comprise: titanium white, cadmium yellow lemon, cadmium red, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and burnt umber. The reason why I use these colours is because I can create almost any secondary or tertiary colour from mixing them, as well as making blacks, greys and neutrals. Overcomplicating your palette by using too many colours can interfere with how productive you are when painting. Andrew Field graduated from Lancaster University with a first-class honours degree in fine art and is a qualified teacher. He teaches workshops using a range of Wallace Seymour materials including watercolour, oils and acrylics. He is represented by galleries in the UK and has exhibited at the Mall…

Catherine Beale specialises in watercolour techniques across a number of surfaces, and paints landscapes and portrait commissions from her hillside studio on the edge of Bath. Her first book, Capturing Light – creating radiant landscapes in watercolour, was published in May 2023 by Search Press as part of their Innovative Artist series. Catherine is a member of the Society of Women Artists and teaches at the Royal West of England Drawing School, Cornwall School of Art, Chapel Cottage Studios and art societies across England and Wales. Her next solo exhibition is in October in Bath. Keep in touch at art@catherinebeale.com via Instagram and Facebook or view her paintings on her website www.catherinebeale.com In this series I will be taking a different landscape subject each month, based on a photograph taken…

There’s no denying that it’s hard to throw caution to the wind and cast aside your inhibitions when it comes to painting in a loose and free style. Appearances can be deceptive and a painting that looks as if it’s been dashed off in seconds might be the result of careful planning and consideration, as well as years of experience and artistic catastrophes. I know this from experience. It’s a lot easier to be spontaneous when you’ve spent a great deal of time practising it, but even then, because of the nature of watercolour, things can go horribly wrong, and they will. You just have to accept this. Materials • Paper One of the most important things when painting in a loose and free fashion is to be prepared. Even…

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 For a painter, particularly any kind of impressionist painter, stepping back from your work while in progress is such an important ingredient that can be, and is, often overlooked. More than a few times I have finished a painting without ever really stepping back from it. After finishing such a painting and then standing back a bit it can just look ‘off. How many of us have had this experience? It all looks good while we are working on it at close quarters but standing back just a few feet reveals all its faults. The art of stepping…

Barry Herniman organises and tutors painting holidays and breaks at home and abroad. He is available for workshops and painting demonstrations plus Zoom sessions for art clubs and societies. His new book Sketching Outdoors: Discover the Joy of Painting Outside, published by Search Press, is available from our online bookshop at bit.ly/ARTIBOOKS. Barry’s Cloverleaf paintbox is available online at cloverleafpaintbox.com If you would like to go on Barry’s mailing list, email him at bazherrflick@gmail.com or visit www.barryherniman.com Having lived in the Wye Valley for so many years, it’s not surprising that I’ve found so much inspiration for my paintings in the area. I have seen it in all its moods and seasons and have been captivated by some of its striking vistas, such as Tintern Abbey, Goodrich Castle and Kerne…

SARGENT & Fashion Tate Britain Millbank London SW1P 4RG 020 7887 8888 www.tate.org.uk Sargent and Fashion at Tate Britain, in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, reveals Sargent’s groundbreaking role as a stylist, featuring 60 paintings, over a dozen of them shown alongside period dresses and accessories, many of them worn by his sitters. The artist regularly chose his sitters’ outfits and manipulated their clothing until he had the painting he wanted, changing and omitting details if they didn’t suit his plans. The exhibition tells the stories behind Sargent’s key patrons and reveals a compelling representation of fashionable high society at the turn of the century, as well as his portrayal of professional performers, including dancers, actors and singers. The exhibition continues until July 7 and is…

Fiona Carvell graduated with a BA (hons) in illustration and moving image design, from Suffolk College and the University of East London, which led to illustration commissions and a career in moving image design for television broadcasting. She trained at the BBC before moving to Sky Television in London, working as a moving image graphic designer and art director. This was followed by 13 years of teaching in further education before moving back to County Durham, the area she grew up in and where she now lives with her family on the border of Northumberland. Fiona became a full-time artist in 2015 and is an Associate Artist of Unison Colour, working extensively with its handmade pastels to create her artwork. Now a signature member of the Pastel Society of America…

There are clear advantages to using the same colours but I do have an array of Wallace Seymour oil paints in my studio and I enjoy working with new and old pigments as I am passionate about colour. Here are some additional colours that I have used when creating my new collection of paintings inspired by the Cotswolds and the River Thames at Marlow. Cadmium yellow is a powerful warmish yellow, which is good for achieving a range of deep greens when mixed with cobalt blue or ultramarine blue deep. Yellow ochre is a lovely earthy yellow that is ideal for capturing the fields during winter. Cerulean blue genuine is a wonderful colour. I use the Wallace Seymour version, which is a Series 6 and perfect for crisp blue skies.…

Penny German is an artist from Northamptonshire who paints from life, in oils, either still-life objects and flowers or plein-air work. She is a member of the Chelsea Art Society, Northampton Town and County Art Society and an associate member of the RBSA, exhibiting regularly at the Mall Galleries and at the Chelsea Art Society’s annual exhibition, this year from June 12 to 17 at Chelsea Old Town Hall, London SW3 5EE. Penny also runs workshops and painting holidays and gives demonstrations to art groups. Find out more @pennygerman www.pennygerman.com Flowers are among the most loved subject matter of painters and viewers alike, but what is it about them that draws people in? They are undoubtedly beautiful but there are many reasons why artists are inspired by them. If we…

THE BUSINESS OF ART: 7TH OF 12 Sarah Edmonds is the marketing manager for Pegasus Art, a freelance arts marketing consultant and a watercolour painter. Sarah studied a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art followed by a degree in marketing and has worked in the industry ever since; www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com What makes you special? Because everyone is unique and so is your artwork. Understanding how you work best, what you paint and why, how to promote it and to whom, is at the heart of all our marketing efforts. In this month’s case study, I talk to Jemma Lewis who has organically grown her marbling business over the past 15 years, and to Angela Bush who joined forces with Jemma a few years ago to launch House of…

LONDON Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street SE1. 020 7928 7521 banksidegallery.com RE Original Prints 2024; work by members of the Royal Society of PainterPrintmakers (RE), until June 2. Hilary Paynter: Moving Mountains; wood engravings, June 4 to 9. Dulwich Picture Gallery Gallery Road SE21. 020 8693 5254 dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Soulscapes; exploring new interpretations of landscape art, until June 2. Yoshida: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking; June 19 to November 3. The Garden Museum Lambeth Palace Road SE1. 020 7401 8865 gardenmuseum.org.uk Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors; May 15 to September 29. Mall Galleries The Mall, SW1. 020 7930 6844 mallgalleries.org.uk New English Art Club; annual exhibition, June 13 to 22. Society of Women Artists; 163rd annual open exhibition, June 25 to 29. David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year;…

Self-taught still life, life drawing and plein-air artist, Sarah Stanley has received many prizes for her work, the latest being The Contemporary Landscape prize at Watch This Space’s plein-air competition. Here Stanley talks through her love of oil and acrylic paints and the creation of her piece Yellow. ‘I like to experiment with different surfaces and tools. At the moment I like a smooth firm surface for acrylic and oils, rather than canvas. I mostly employ an alla prima technique with oils but sometimes develop a piece over time. ‘With acrylics, I love the bright, fresh colours. At the moment, I enjoy creating flower paintings and sometimes start with little or no drawing, going straight in with large brushes using the direct painting method which can give it an abstract…

The New English Art Club’s annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London from June 13 to 22, featuring work by members as well as a selection from open entry; www.newenglishartclub.co.uk Paint the Park – Blackpool Art Society’s second Paint the Park plein-air event takes place at Stanley Park, Blackpool on Saturday July 6. Find out more at https://paintthepark.co.uk Sketch for Survival is open for entries until June 30. Artists are invited to submit original artwork featuring a threatened species or wild space. Enter now at https://explorersagainstextinction.co.uk The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 is open for all drawing practitioners to submit their work by the deadline on June 12. Enter at https://artopps.co.uk/…

Helen Tarr is a professional artist currently based in Staffordshire. She has a BA (Hons) and MA in fine art, and specialises in painting with oils. The landscape and flora surrounding her rural home are a recurring source of inspiration for her studio and plein-air work. Helen has exhibited her paintings widely and in 2023 she won the Parker Harris and The Artist People’s Choice awards for her painting Still-Life with Lemons, in the TALP Open exhibition at Patchings Art Centre. Helen has solo exhibitions in 2024 taking place at Prema Art Centre, Gloucestershire until May 25, and at Gallery No 1 and New Court Galleries in Derbyshire later in the year. More details plus information about classes, workshops and demonstrations can be found on her website www.helentarr.art If you…

An important aspect of my creative practice is regular sketching and painting directly from observation, especially outdoors. While photo reference can be useful at times, the benefits of working from real life are many and well worth exploring. I will focus on pen and wash for this article, but the learning experience of working from life applies to any creative medium. Pen and watercolour are a great combination for sketching outdoors. Compact and lightweight, they are perfect for making quick studies and colour notes, as well as creating more resolved work. I’m often asked which should go first, the pen or the wash. Providing the ink is waterproof, it really doesn’t matter and I tend to switch back and forth between the two as the work develops. Occasionally when scouting…

Peter Keegan is a professional artist and tutor based in Buckinghamshire. Trained at Cardiff School of Art, Peter is an ambassador for Michael Harding Oil Paints, has exhibited with the ROI, NEAC, RBAand RBSA and is the presenter and founder of the art podcast Ask an Artist. For more information on Peter’s in-person and online painting classes and workshops, please visit www.peterkeegan.com The Zorn palette is named after its inventor, Swedish artist Anders Zorn (1860-1920), known for his painterly portraits, confident brushstrokes and clever use of a limited colour palette. His famed palette used just two colours: yellow ochre and vermilion with the addition of the tones ivory black and lead white. He realised that these four colour combinations could successfully be used to make (almost) any colour observed in…

Q: Tell us about your journey into Jemma Lewis Marbling and House of Amitié. A: Although I was vaguely aware of marbled papers from a fairly young age it wasn’t until I started working at a bookbinder in Bath, after university, that I came to appreciate them, their variety and vibrancy and the importance they have played within bookbinding. Through the bookbinders I was sent to train with marbling doyenne Ann Muir. Six months later after Ann had sadly passed away and the bookbinders had gone into administration, I found myself setting up a studio in my garden which is where I still marble today 15 years later. House of Amitié launched in May 2023 after my lifelong friend Angela and I felt there was a gap in the market…