Newsletter: April 2023
Hi everyone, hoping all well with you! Winter has hung on a bit up here in Nidderdale; we’ve had loads of weather and most of it pretty chilly!
Lots to share with you this month, so I will get straight down to it… oh and don’t forget to click on the audio file above if you’d like to listen along while you read.
I get a lot of questions about my process; ways of working, strategies I rely on, and one of the most important ones is having a daily painting practice.
Well to be honest and realistic, it isn’t a daily practice, as I do miss the odd day here and there, but it is close. For me it is about painting as paint is my main and preferred medium, but obviously it needs to be centred around your own preferences and current work. To be clear, sometimes a daily painting practice might just be about painting some colour swatches and thinking about palettes for new work, sometimes it’s an intensive full painting/ studio day. One of my favourite approaches is to make small paintings in a sketchbook or on paper, which might only take 10-20 minutes…and that’s important, if you don’t have long, that really is enough to keep the fluency, the flow going! If you’re a bit earlier in your art development, it’s also enough to make and see real improvement. These paintings are quick and intuitive, not planned at all, but they’re a perfect warm up before moving on to work on whatever larger pieces are on the studio wall. They are also a big part of my process, as I’ve mentioned before, because I often use these as jumping off points for big paintings.
Typically I’ll make one or more of these, with a cup of tea when I get back from a walk-just a good way to start the working day.
After tons of requests for more process videos, I’ve made one to show the whole process of making one of these paintings, with a commentary that explains what I’m trying to do, and includes loads of practical tips.
To watch it, just settle down with a cuppa or glass of something and click the play arrow below.
By the way, I do intend to try to record the whole process of some bigger work, but it’s a bit of a logistical nightmare, as I’m constantly moving canvases around, standing them up, laying them on the floor, putting them on my drawing table, back on the painting wall etc…so it’s tricky to film!! Oh well, I will give it a go🙄
Hope you enjoy the video, and let me know what you think.
Early Morning Light: Abstracts
*I just wanted to remind you, that my little collection of abstracts is now available….much later than I hoped, because life has got in the way a bit, and I’ve been fiddling and making little adjustments, but I’m now very happy, and they are all set for new homes.
The colours and shapes in the sky and still dark landscape are so subtle and atmospheric, they have been totally fascinating me and I am very excited about this small collection of abstracted landscapes.
Each piece is painted in acrylics on a wonderful deep canvas, built up in many delicate opaque and translucent layers with painted sides so that they can be hung unframed for a pared back contemporary feel, or alternatively can be framed to suit your own interior style.
If you would like to grab any of them before they go up on the website (1st May), please send me an email: joyorkart@hotmail.com and I can send you larger images, and answer any queries.
Paintings numbered 1, 3, 4 and 6 are 40.5 cm x 40.5 cm and paintings 2 and 5 are 35 cm x 35 cm.
The 40.5 cm x 40.5 cm paintings (Part of the Scenery SOLD, Time Stood Still, First Light and Sky: Land Sandwich) are £575 including UK delivery (please contact me for overseas shipping)
The 35cm x 35cm paintings (Half Remembered Dawn and I think it’s Going to Rain) are £495 including UK shipping, (please contact me for overseas shipping)
*Payment is straightforward via BACS transfer. I pack all paintings myself using recycled packaging materials wherever possible, and with great care. Each painting is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, and an artist card by way of a little thank you!
Ok, so to update you on the other things I’ve been working on…
I’ve gone back to working on some paintings inspired by walking the coastline of Galloway, in the South of Scotland, they are nearly there, but I’m still pondering some final touches, so I will post about them next time.
Strange Day In The Country
I’ve also been working on a large abstracted landscape, playing with a language to express the shapes of trees, fields and sky. The painting has gone through loads of stages, and has quite a complex picture surface; textural and with linear details. I’ve been loving the rich colour palette and having fun with the mark making.
It’s 76cm x 76cm on a really deep canvas, and will be available soon.
In between all this, I’ve also been planning this second course at Lund Studios, which is now live to book on their website…their courses book up very quickly, so don’t delay if you’re keen!
The course is called: ‘Developing a personal response to landscape’
Course takes place in the wonderful setting of Lund Studios a beautiful workshop/ studio/ exhibition space in lovely North Yorkshire
The course is aimed at abstracting visual ideas from the landscape and making a personal response in paint.
This is a wonderful opportunity to build your acrylic painting skills, and develop approaches to landscape abstraction.
In a very supportive environment, the emphasis will be on experimentation, developing ideas and enjoying the immersive process of mark making and manipulating paint, without any preconceptions.
Follow the link to join, and I’ll look forward to seeing you there! : https://www.the-lund.co.uk/jo-york-2023-oct
I’m also starting to think about a fresh, spring like palette, as you can see in the small colour study on the right.
…it comes from high fields close by, where I was listening to the Curlews, and wondering where they will nest. This is also a daily practice/ jumping off point painting, this time on a canvas panel.
When I’m out walking, I love noticing little details, sometimes quirky things, or something you wouldn’t expect to find in a given environment….
At Grimwith Reservoir, in the Yorkshire Dales, there are snippets of poetry inscribed in stone, and incorporated into the dry stone walls, including this one, which says: ‘Empty Gate Posts, Watching, Waiting’…They’re the result of workshops run by creative writer Alice Maddicott as part of 60th anniversary celebrations for the National Parks, and they’re carved by local artist, Fiona Bowley. I often think about poetry when I’m painting, and use snippets for titles….this might be an interesting starting point??
And speaking of dry stone walls…
I love this moss covered wall, framing the view out over the landscape, near where I live.
Well that’s quite a long one, so I’d better leave it at that for this month!
As always, I really love receiving your comments and queries, so if there is anything you would like me to cover or any questions you want to ask, just get in touch!
So until next month, take good care, and I hope you have a happy and creative month to come,
Jo xx
All text and images are ©Jo York 2023