Innehållsförteckning för August 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 With a tantalising glimpse of sun and warmer weather on the horizon as I write, our August issue is all about gelling outside to paint. Plein-air artist, Maria Rose is part of the UK's growing plein-air movement and is passionate about working in the elements, with colour at the top of her list of reasons why it's advantagous to paint from life rather than from a photograph. Maria encourages you to start building a list of your favourite painting locations and the optimum weather and light conditions in which to paint them, to ensure you have a ready list of inspiration whatever the time of year. Synonymous with plein-air oil painting…

SENDING-IN DAYS Afloat or Ashore Details: Afloat or Ashore is a brand new art competition organised by The Royal Society of Marine Artists in conjunction with National Historic Ships UK and the Wapping Group of Artists. Artists are invited to depict any of the 2,000 vessels listed on the National Historic Ships Register. A first prize of £1,000 is offered and there is also a special junior category for artists aged between 11 and 16. When: Closes for entries on September 20. Contact: Enter online at https://rsma.oess1/.uk A Letter in Mind Details: Artists are invited to take part in the annual National Brain Appeal's art fundraiser A Letter in Mind by creating a piece of artwork on a plain, white envelope on the theme of ‘The Wonder of Colour’. All the…

The beauty of learning to complete an oil painting quickly and with confidence is that it opens up the possibility of painting in the landscape, where decisiveness, good observational skills and a thorough understanding of the alla prima (at the first attempt) technique are a great asset. I caught the plein-air bug just a few years ago. Uncertain whether I would enjoy it at first, I used a homemade pochade box, adapted from a simple, hinged wooden box, before investing in a readymade one. A few days painting on the North Yorkshire coast were enough to get me hooked, even though my early attempts were very hit and miss. I have learnt so much from plein-air painting and continue to do so; it's not easy but it is very satisfying.…

When we are faced with the prospect of painting a human head, shoulders, body, hands (and potentially more) on a blank canvas you'd be forgiven for feeling somewhat overwhelmed and daunted by the prospect of it all. Some approaches to portraiture require you to map everything out from the start, having a relatively strong idea of what the finished painting will look like from the outset. Other aspects of starting a portrait can require an enormous amount of accurate draughtsmanship, with outlines mapping out exactly where each facial feature is and precisely where each brushstroke needs to be placed. Whilst these approaches are neither right nor wrong, they do demand knowledge from the outset and lend themselves to a more classical and traditional approach. The inside-out method Some painters require…

THE BUSINESS OF ART: 8TH OF 12 Social media is the marketing platform of choice for many businesses, particularly small ones with a limited budget and Instagram is a fantastic, visual shop window f or artists. It's a great place to showcase your artwork, connect with like-minded artists in your community and further afield, be inspired by other creatives and discover competitions, exhibitions and what's going on in the art industry. The social media landscape is rapidly changing with new practices and trends emerging on a monthly basis – it can be hard to keep up. In this article we will touch on up-coming trends. Social media remains one of the most costeffective marketing tools available to artists. Although Instagram remains the favourite for artists, many are finding Instagram and…

Travelling around Mediterranean countries I'm never far away from a vista that is infused with a striking array of sunlight and shadow. Light is bouncing around everywhere off light surfaces and into dark shadow areas causing them to light up with glorious colour. When I'm out sketching en plein air I always take time to observe the view carefully and concentrate on looking ‘into’ the shadows to detect all the myriad colour influences therein. I have witnessed students mixing up homogenous grey shadow colours without any regard to what is actually there in front of them. Tonally their shadows could be fine but they will invoke an overall feeling of coldness and not portray the wonderful light and heat of a Mediterranean scene. It's so easy to fall into the…

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 This month's star letter writer will receive a pack of eight Spectrum Noir Bright Brush Artliners worth £9.99 (rrp). These thin-tipped pens are perfect for drawing, outlining, calligraphy, and fine detail colouring. The Japanese ink ensures precision, vibrant colours, and flawless coverage, plus they are quick-drying, and smudge-proof. STAR LETTER Painting from life I'm a great fan of John Singer Sargent and saw an enjoyable film about him last week: John Singer Sargent – Fashion and Swagger. Watching this on the silver screen has the advantage for an artist of seeing his paintings and brushstrokes in glorious technicolour,…

Eighty-year-old artist, June Collier has won first prize in this year's Derwent Art Prize for her portrait of her mother, below. The artist, who is based in London, used oil paint and pencils on canvas for the poignant portrait, which show's her mother's final days in hospital. ‘Receiving this prize means so very much to me,’ says June. ‘I was afraid I would die without my work being seen. Now I feel that, through this prize, it will finally get out into the world and be seen and appreciated. It feels as if this moment could be life-changing.’ June wins a cash award of £4,000 and a year's supply of Derwent pencils. To stay updated on the Derwent Art Prize join the conversation using #DerwentArtPrize Facebook @DerwentArtPrize Instagram @DerwentArtPrize…

IN CONVERSATION Creating a narrative and capturing a mood has always been Anne McCormack's top priority, as well as the desire to pass onto the viewer the image that caught her imagination in the first place. Anne's considered use of colour and light to describe shape, set the time of day or highlight particular sections or objects in a painting, are paramount in creating that all-consuming ambiance. Having held roles as a council member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) and past vice president of the Society of Women Artists (SWA), Anne has a great insight into exhibition organisation and the background work that goes into running a society. After many years appearing in national art society open exhibitions and selling work through independent galleries and…

It could be argued that pastel pencils fill that gap between coloured pencils and soft pastels. Coloured pencils can be sharpened to a fine point and are very much a drawing medium, as there is a limit to the thickness of line that can be produced even when using them on their side, which produces a wider mark. A much livelier drawing can be created by making rapid gestural marks and the effect produced can be enhanced further by overlapping these marks with different colours. The pigment in the coloured pencil is quite hard, so they don't have to he sharpened too often unless some intricate detail is needed. The pigment in a pastel pencil is much softer, so the point will wear down quickly. This means that if you…

After reading a rather baffling artist's statement the other day I thought it was worth a few words. It's now common for galleries and art prizes to request artists to come up with a statement about themselves and their work. This is in addition to any achievements that they have gained over the years. The artist's statement is important. I have to confess to being highly entertained by many such statements. Not only are many of them works of fiction, but they can be totally incomprehensible and even more than that, just plain hilarious! For some reason the art world has fostered a kind of babble that no one really understands but at the same time has become highly regarded and acceptable among themselves – almost like a pass to…

Cookham Arts Club Exhibition at Pinder Hall, Cookham Rise SL6 9EH, from August 13 to 25,10am to 6pm daily; closing at 4.45pm on final day. Darlington Society of Arts Annual exhibition at the Station Gallery, Richmond, North Yorkshire, from August 2 to 13, 9am to 8pm daily. Enquiries to Linda Coleby 01325 252018. Epsom and Ewell Art Group Exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate, Bradley Lane, Dorking RH5 6AA, from July 1 to 14; www.epsomandewellartgroup.com Essex Art Club The 125th annual exhibition at Wanstead House E11 2NT, from August 31 to September 1. Friendly Society of Artists Annual exhibition at the Peveril Centre, Castleton, Derbyshire S33 8WP, on August 10 and 11, 10am to 5pm daily. Milford Art Group Exhibition at All Saints Church Hall, Church Hill, Milford S041 OSQ, from…

PAINTING FROM PHOTOGRAPHS PRACTICAL When creating portraits of children, photography can offer numerous advantages over having the child sit for extended periods. Notably, young children don't have the patience or attention span to remain still for an extended period, making it challenging to capture their likeness accurately. Using photographs also helps minimise any discomfort or anxiety that the young subject may feel during a traditional portrait sitting, while providing a stress-free experience for both the artist and the child. A young seven-year-old girl once sat for me and her mother brought the child's best friend along to keep her company. I played them music that they liked, gave them sweets and tried to keep them amused. I succeeded in keeping them seated in my studio for a couple of hours while…

PRACTICAL 2ND OF 5 This second article in my series uses a hillside in the English Lake District to look at aerial perspective – the perception of the landscape becoming more blue with increasing distance. It also demonstrates how to generate a clear focal point by using tonal contrast. In the demonstration, below, the focal point is a white farmhouse ‘silhouetted’ against dark trees. DEMONSTRATION Coniston Fells MATERIALS • Support Daler-Rowney A4 Aquafine watercolour artboard, supported by a wooden board, which is great for preventing buckling • Watercolours Winsor & Newton Professional watercolours in tubes: ultramarine blue; phthalo turquoise; quinacridone violet; permanent sap green; burnt umber; and transparent yellow • Brushes Three watercolour brushes: lin flat; a smaller flat; and a rigger • Soft 2B pencil • Acrylic eraser •…

Having raised close to £1.8 million for charity, and worked with some big names like Marie Curie, McDonalds and Manchester United, Ben's work can be found in private collections around the world. His record sale currently stands at £66k. Hailing from Baldock, in Hertfordshire, Ben took a BTEC diploma art foundation course at the University of Hertfordshire followed by a BA honours fine art degree at the University of Liverpool. Live painting Live painting, creating a piece in front of a large audience, all while against the clock and so in a pressured environment is something Ben particularly enjoys. By translating the excitement and energy of an event onto canvas, in real time, Ben aims to encapsulate the raw emotion. ‘It was incredible to live paint at the world-class Saatchi…

Buy it! For a simply gorgeous book on an art form, you may overlook Lee Quiñones: 50 Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond Lee Quiñones If you think graffiti is nothing more than vandalism, look away now. If you're still with me, you may wonder why I'm featuring a book about a single artist you probably haven't heard of. There isn't a shortage of books on graffiti, but they tend to have quite small illustrations. This has a lot to do with the quality of the photographs, which are often snatched on less-than-ideal equipment. Sharpness is a bonus, blurring a regular hazard. The ephemeral nature of the forms prevents later return. This covers 50 years (yes, really) of Lee's work and the publisher has the courage to often…