Newsletter: August 23
Hi everyone, hope you’ve all being enjoying the Summer, even if it has been a weird one in the UK!
I was thinking how often I mention how much I love walking, so I thought I’d talk a little about how important it is to my art process, and try to explain more about the process itself. Although my work is abstracted, it always comes from the feeling of being somewhere specific at a given time; I’ve worked out that although I’d like to think I’m quite a sociable person, I seek out places that are quiet and peaceful; ideally deserted to be honest! I also get a really special rush from wide open views and spaces like the one above. I’m very lucky to live and work where there are amazing spaces and open views, but even so, I need that refresh; the excitement that comes from exploring somewhere new and different every now and then.
In fact, we’ve just got back from Scotland via St Abbs, which I hadn’t really explored before…this time we built in enough leeway to explore properly. We took the path that leads from the visitor centre up through a farmer’s fields, climbing past woods and shiny Angus cattle, until we could look down at Pettico Wick. From there we walked along the coast path away from St Abbs, and then doubled back to climb the steep hill above Nunnery Point to the Lighthouse. All the time below you can see crashing waves, little inlets and caves in the steep rocky fingers that project out into the sea. The green banks are covered with wild flowers and the rock faces are clearly home to thousands of sea birds-although sadly fewer than before because of Bird Flu. Walking along you get a real sense of space and of connection to the weather-the wind gusts and threatens to catch you unawares and knock you off your feet. When I’m walking, all the time I’m trying to capture sensations of weather and atmosphere in my mind, so I can revisit them in the studio later. I rather envy people who can complete whole paintings outside, but it just doesn’t work for me…partly because I like to keep the rhythm of moving, but also because I find it frustrating trying to paint outside-I’ve tried lots of different systems and approaches, but the paper flies about, I drop favourite brushes off cliff tops, and just get in a terrible mess. So my compromise is that I take a small kit of art stuff, which I always have ready to go, plus a hard backed sketchbook with some strong clips to stop the pages flapping in the wind. I have a small bottle of water, and some paper towel for cleaning up, and I can throw the lot into a small rucksack with no fuss at all. Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of different containers, but this is the one I like best; it came with a set of hair clippers I think…but you can get similar ones, and it’s around A4 in size, quite deep, and it opens out flat, which makes it easier to find things when you’re in a gale or sitting on soggy grass!
Contents include: water brush-the kind with a barrel for clean water and a cap, (This one is by Derwent, but they’re all pretty much the same) water-soluble pencils (useful colours, for me landscape colours tuned for where I’m going), Woody pencils, marker pens, (colours as above), water soluble dark wash sketching pencil by Derwent, paper towel, water bottle, cotton wool buds, sharpener, scalpel, dip pen, pocket watercolour set, plus small quantity white and black or Paynes Grey paint, either bottles as here or small tubes, and strong clips for stopping paper flapping around.
The sketchbook page above comes from St Abbs and shows the kind of thing I do: small studies, rough and expressive, using a few colours and some simple annotation. Interestingly they are deliberately small because I find if I go larger, I get tempted to be too fussy, too detailed, and I lose the freshness and immediate response.
In fact for me the perfect size is about 10cm, which allows enough information, without tipping over into too much! The blue card is a view finder cut to size which lets me draw boxes the right size in my sketchbook. I actually have a heap of these in the studio, all in different sizes-for instance I need a larger one for my loose sketchbook paintings which form jumping off points for finished work, which is the next stage in my process.
I also take loads of photos when I’m walking; different people look for different things, but i’m looking for open space, differences and contrasts, shapes and structures underlying the landscape, weather and atmosphere as well as colour and tone….I also look for interesting details that might really anchor a painting in the place it’s about.
I really have quite a structured approach to photo reference which works well for me, but I know it wouldn’t suit everyone-the photos will feed into small preparatory paintings but in practise I never actually paint from them, they are just a way of capturing ideas…
The first row, are the kind of photos I take for structure and space, the second for details.
This sketchbook study above is the kind that often comes next-simple and focussed on colour and movement; still loose and free., and these are almost always worked on back in the studio.
I’ve got so much material to explore over the next weeks and months, so more to come including the next steps which will probably be some further colour study paintings like the one above, and the larger exploratory ones which I use as starting points for finished work…watch this space!
And now for some exciting news….
*Early warning for course booking at the lovely Lund: Bookings open on the 14th September, details ⬇️
Developing a personal response to landscape
The course is designed to explore landscape through a series of intuitive and experimental approaches, working in acrylic paint and some mixed media. The emphasis will be on creating a personal response to the landscape, and enjoying the immersive process of painting and mark making, without any preconceptions.
We’ll make colour notes and small free studies, noticing shape and contrast, atmosphere, colour and texture. A particular focus will be on developing techniques to create a rich picture surface using layers of both opaque and translucent paint, combined with confident expressive mark making.
Throughout the course we’ll explore how to build a solid process for working from loose initial marks to creating a more considered response, using painting journals, swatches and sketchbooks to record ideas and progress.
Above all it will be great fun and a real chance to kick start your practice, in a lovely purpose built studio space!
To book please visit Lund Studios website via the button below, where you’ll also find all the other details you might need and ideas of where to stay nearby if you’re not local-this is the link but please remember booking opens on September 14th!
*If you have any queries at all, please email me and I’ll be super happy to help: joyorkart@hotmail.com
One of the good things about Summer is that I can work in the studio with all the doors and windows open, which means for me that I can make some work in oils! (my asthma means they are not ideal when I can’t ventilate the space really well).
I’ve been walking in some of the local fields which have been left to grow wild this year, watching the movement of grasses and the subtle colour in soft summer light…from this I’ve developed a couple of paintings playing with ideas of flickering light, gentle movement, and soft delicate colour. The painting below is the first of these and I really hope you like it-it’s maybe a little more abstract than usual, but also quite impressionist in style.
The Dreaming
The Dreaming shown above, is made in oils and cold wax, applied with brush and palette knife on a 76cm square canvas…both this and it’s smaller sister below are very textured and expressive, but with a calmness that comes from the soft palette.
Beyond Calm Fields is the second in this little group, this time painted on a 46 cm cradled panel, also in oils and cold wax.
Both paintings are currently drying but will be available to purchase soon-send me a DM if you’re interested to know more.
Well that’s pretty much all for this month…
As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, do send me any queries or suggestions for things you’d like me to cover in the future, and don’t forget to check out my course!
So until next month, keep in touch, take care and have a happy and creative time!
Jo xx
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