Cold Trees - finished.

Cold Trees. ( 2013)

14 x 10 cm.

Cold trees - 4

Not very long to go on this piece now...there's more colour to introduce to the buildings and sky on the horizon, then the lower part which is mainly snow....

Cold Trees - 3

The upper quarter of the picture is now more or less finished...I'm gradually moving down adding detail and shading as I go. I'm having a day off working on this piece tomorrow because I'm going to give the kitchen a very thorough spring clean...it will probably take all day !

Cold trees - 2

Managed a whole days work on Cold Trees today. Work on the complicated tracery of branches and twigs is fun...the temptation is to draw each twig, but at this scale, it's enough to settle for giving the impression. I still find it surprising that a few applications of yellow ochre and red in the right place can almost create the feeling of direct sunlight. For those of you interested , I'll be making this piece available to buy via my Face book fan page later in the week.

Cold trees - 1

I began working on this piece today, I might have mentioned that I have a plan to work on a piece involving busy traffic ....I've taken photos towards the idea, but funnily enough, even on a busy Saturday in Derby City centre, the traffic was not as busy as I'd hoped it would be. so I'm going to have to make a trip down one early morning to catch the rush hour...

In the mean time, I've used a photograph I took on my recent trip to Derby Arboretum in the snow the other week as reference. I'm acutely aware that this is just a 'pretty tree picture'...but people quite like them....and I have to have once eye on the upcoming exhibitions ...I really want to see my work selling again.

This picture is by the way exactly the same size as the preceding minipixs....it's 14x10cm!

Sea Trees - progress2

For the past 5 days, we've been in the grip of a snowy period...subzero temperatures have ensured the snow stays on the ground. This morning the sun rose into a clear sky...so I knew it was time to get myself down to one of my favourite places, the Derby Arboretum Park. The selected photos below show what it was like down there. Gorgeous and beautiful...like Narnia! I'd have stayed there all day if I hadn't lost the feeling in my fingers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Ladies

Went off into town this morning and bought appropriate watercolour paper and returned home to start work on a revised and improved version of White Ladies.All being well, i'll show you the progress tomorrow. But in the mean time, with apologies to m Face book friends who've already seen these photographs, here are a few pics I took on Saturday when Annie and I went for a walk around the historic Derby Arboretum.If you'd like to read up on the significance of The Arboretum and it's connection with New York, you should head here. So until tomorrow, enjoy the Autumn colours!

Posing in the park.

Went out to the Derby Arboretum this afternoon to get some photos of me sitting on the very same bench I used for one of my pictures a couple of years ago. I wanted some of me sitting there for possible resource for my 'Ladies in White' concept. I'm just little wary about the ego overtones placing myself in a picture with a group of beautiful tennis girls'! I'm sure I'll get over it !

On a slightly less positive note, you might recall that I'd contacted a printer requesting the image and text for publicity material for 'HMS Pinfore'?...I've still heard nothing. tomorrow is the deadline for submission to the City wide publicity. If it fails to arrive i'm going to have to do some serious apologies. Hopefully I'll have good news tomorrow regarding this....but don't hold your breath!

Kay - 8..Friday morning in the Derby Arboretum.

I've finished working on the settee arm now...I have begun work on the coffee table, and then a few other bits and pieces and should have a finished picture by the end of the week end!

It was so beautifully sunny and bright this morning I just had to get down to the Derby Arboretum and see the trees in their Autumn splendour. I still have a promise of the studio and the position of official artist in residence there..when?...I don't know!I'll believe it when I get the keys in my hand!

I took quite a few other pictures this morning, but to see the whole lot, you should head on over to my Facebook page ( see link further down the page on the left ) and see the album there!

Finished Corn. Exhibition day 12 - The End.

Declared this one finished at last!!!151 hours 35 mins! I've spent ages worrying about the fact that the tower appears to lean over to the left...I've checked all the angles and it's OK..it's due to the less than accurate way the builds in the city have gone up over the centuries...

I've decided to show two halves of the picture but to be honest, the resolution doesn't show it any better when enlarged..you'll just have to come to one of my exhibitions yourself to see it...or of course order a print direct from me!!


The exhibition is now over and all the pictures delivered to the school and old peoples home.Today was one of the busiest..I had around 50 people call in..this included Hardwick years 1 & 2 who just happened to be on a nature trail outing to the park..

I think one of the saddest things for me was to close the door on an empty 'gallery' knowing that for the foreseeable future nothing will hang in there save for a few spiders...

Lots of talking - Exhibition day 11

This is my place of work!If I stand with my back to my studio..this is the view I get!! If you are wondering where I am with the progress towards moving in to the Grove Lodge Studio...well they (council managers) have reached the details in the lease stage..I hope soon to hear when I can officially move in..will post photos when that is confirmed!

Here's my favourite Black Walnut Tree again..I've added no filter to the sky or lighting in this photo..it was taken just before 9:00am this morning..and what a morning it was...Beautiful!!

School brought down all children from years one and two. Here I'm showing some Y1 children my nearly completed 'Corn' picture.

Y2 children mill about seeing if they could find their own works in the display.Some of the children never attended the 'Art Club' which I ran..They were very keen for me to run another!

I spoke to the children about how many people in the community had commented on how much safer the park felt with an exhibition on..also that many people were cheered by the colourful pictures on show.I wanted the children to realise that their art had affected people and therefore changed (if only a little) the world in which they lived!

The children were attentive to my words and sat quietly whilst I spoke. I later went on to teach this class later in the day at school.

Tomorrow sees the end of the exhibition.

Exhibition day 7

Progressed well with 'Corn' today..maybe it looks close to finish but I can tell you there is lots more to do. Having put down a basic layer of blue for the sky there needs to be a layer of red and green dots placed in between the blue ones..these graded towards the horizon gradually introducing yellow ochre.Have completed 14o hours worth now..
Here's yours truly hard at work!

The sun made the park seem bursting with life today..compare this scene with one almost in the same spot a couple of days ago. Of interest here (but very small in the picture) is the Boar..a bronze statue on a plinth. If you enlarge the photo you might see it just over the 'bird bath' thing in the centre of the pic. I must try to remember to take some closeup photos of the Boar tomorrow

Here's the 'Black Walnut' again (to the right of the lamp post)

Two Holly trees directly outside the gallery.

Corn..Saturday exhibition day 6

I know it looks wonky..but this is the fault of the photographer...he'll get it right one of these days!! It was a wonderfully sunny and warm day here in Derby today. The park was busy with people taking time out to relax and sit in sich a wonderful place.



I had lots of visitors today.among them was Karl Smith..a 'Scroll Saw Artist '.A young man with a skill and desire to work using this skill.I have met a few individuals who all in some way or other create art work/craft. It dawned on me that it would be a great idea to form a central point of contact for the artists around the park and enable the opportunity to exhibit work. I think that when i move into my studio on the park, I'll attempt to do this!...I've met some lovely people this last couple of days. If you're one of the visitors who I 've chatted to this week..please leave a comment on this blog or email your address and I'll let you know about future events and ideas.



One thing I am particularly encouraged by is the wide range of cultural and ethnic groups I've come into contact with..art is a real tool in bringing people together.



I often use this picture (created by the children of St. James Infant School) to illustrate that no matter how insignificant one might feel as an individual, when brought together with others, the picture we make is beautiful , weather as a small group or community..we are all different like these little drawings, but we're all made of the same materials..each of us has something different to say.. together, we are special.

I'd finally like to mention one thing that means a great deal to me at the moment. It's having friends who support and encourage me. Today Allan, Sheridan and Honor called in followed later by my BrotherTim and Wendy. I'd just like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your support.

Corn..Friday..Exhibition day 5

Not a lot seems to have happened here..but it took three hours non the less! Joana...sometimes I take a break from my work and everything appears grainy ..I really do see spots before my eyes!
Ok,Ok..it's a very dirty sink..it's at the back of the gallery at the Arboretum..but I thought it was interesting to see my reflection!

Some trees have already started to put out leaves..


These ornamental cherries are fantastic!

There appear 'clouds' of colour as new buds ripen and blossom prepares to burst..it changes each day!

The tree next away from the lamp post is a 'Black Walnut' I'm told..it is the oldest tree in the park and is the tree in the back ground of my picture 'Hope..the last candle'

Thursday..exhibition day 4.

At last the sky is beginning to take shape!!Have topped 130 hours work making this probably the most labour intensive picture I have ever been involved with.
Today a Mum brought one of the boys involved with my art project.It was wonderful to see him impressed with his picture hanging in the exhibition. Meanwhile his little brother and sister were taken under Annie's (sitting in the middle) wing outside to play school...Annie wants to be a teacher when she grows up so wastes no time finding pupils to practice on!!

Some early blossom

There's something very Japanese about this tree..it's gorgeous..

The nature reserve area is still 'asleep' and bare.

Looking back to the nature reserve

There are quite a lot of these urns around the park..some now planted up with bedding plants.

The commemorative statue of the parks benefactor..Joseph Strutt who donated the park to the people of Derby in 1840.

Arboretum Exhibition

We arrived at the exhibition space around 10:30 this morning after a couple of very late nights framing all the pictures.Jan is an expert at hanging pictures so had no problem getting started...it was going to be a long day!
Both Will and Annie (pictured here) were very helpful putting hooks into the backs of pictures and generally being helpful.

The pictures start to go up..what a gorgeous wife I have!

Here is the first bloc of paintings..my favourite ones are the big one (which is made of lots of tiny ones) and the two abstracts either side of it.Can you believe they are all done by 5/6 year old children?!!

There were lots of pictures to hang..I had to put the hooks into the backs of around 40 frames today..

Here are the tree pictures you might have seen in an earlier post last November..they look fantastic all together.

It was a very tedious process hanging pictures sometimes from the same nail with varying lengths of special high tensile thread.

During the day we gave our children some oil pastels to draw with (mainly to stop them getting bored..) would you believe it...Will came to me with this offering..he said " I thought I'd do one in the style of Van Gogh!"I'm going to use this to make a poster for the show.

Here are the tree boards finished a few weeks ago if you remember..there are pieces exhibited laying flat on the floor at the Tate Modern in London..so Jan suggested we exhibit them in that fashion!

I'm really proud to have been involved with the creation of this exhibition..and for it to be in an area that is starved of Art..it is even more of an honour!

Some of the pieces would very easily find a place in a more 'serious' gallery..there are many 'adult' works that I've seen which are not as good as these!

I've included a few of my own pictures in the selection too.The arboretum ones are on the main wall.

Finally, here is a picture of the venue..the Victorian Orangery..you can just see the pictures through the windows. I'm hoping all will be secure as there is an alarm and security cameras.I now have to prepare for the 'long haul' as it were because I will have to sit in the exhibition every day for the next two weeks. Join me again as I tell the progress of the exhibition and the next instalment of 'Corn' tomorrow!