newsletter
WELCOME
Well, here it is -
EXHIBITION
A solo exhibition of my recent work will take place in Cregagh Library Studio. The
opening night is Monday 9 March from 5.30 -
WORKSHOPS
The summer workshops are starting to fill. If you would like to book a place, you can view the workshop program here.
ARTICLE
If you are a member of the SAA, you will receive PAINT magazine. In the January 2009 issue I have a short article on page 37.
DVD
The DVD is taking much more time than I had planned. Quite a lot of outdoor footage has been shot but I am not satisfied that it fully shows my way of working and I intend to reshoot once the weather improves. I also keep thinking of new things to include and this also causes delays but I hope that the finished DVD will be ready by late Spring/early Summer.
ADDITIONS TO WEB SITE
Thank you to all who offered suggestions for improvements to the web site. Many of these have been added. One request was to provide a higher quality image to allow the step by step demonstrations to be tried at home. This has also been added.
Thanks to all of you from all over the world who have signed up for the newsletter. I just want to assure you that your email addresses will not be used for any other purpose and will certainly not be made available to any other businesses or individuals for any reason whatsoever. If you no longer wish to receive emails from me, simply enter your name below and click UNSUBSCRIBE
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q: How do you know when a painting is finished?
A: You don’t. Not very helpful I know but that is an honest answer. More useful advice
would be to stop at the point where you think there is still a little to do and leave
it for a while. When you come back, you will have the benefit of “fresh” eyes and
you will be surprised how often you realise that no more work is needed. Also, if
you are like me, you will often find that in a demonstration in an art magazine you
prefer the painting one stage before the finish. Remember -
TIP OF THE MONTH
Never ever try to paint with dried up paint. If your paints have dried on your palette, give them a spray from a fine water spray about a hour before painting. This will help soften them slightly. Artist’s quality paint is less likely to dry up than student quality.
TRY IT AT HOME
For those of you who like a challenge, download this subject and draw it. It is a great exercise in perspective. Remember that lines that are in reality parallel will appear to converge and meet at the horizon at a point called the vanishing point.
The subject is the town of Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote which is an island off the coast of Morocco. I wouldn’t recommend it as a painting destination but it’s nice for some winter sun. For those of you unfamiliar with the British Isles, current temperatures are around 3C (about 37F). In Lanzarote they are 20C/68F.
AND FINALLY
How many artists does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten. One to change the bulb and nine to reassure him about how good it looks.
FEBRUARY 2009