New work

Since making the ballot box piece, I have been considering painting as three dimensional, not just two.  It is early days and there are a lot of things I want to try.  So far, I have begun a very long piece on Chinese paper; it is at a very early stage, just white tally marks using gouache looking very ethereal.  I think I will continue with this using water colours and gouache, possibly ink, but I change my mind frequently when I am at this stage, with my head full of thoughts about the possibilities.

I have also bought a new stash of paper ready for when I have time to make some prints, lovely off white Somerset 300 gm. 

Another experiment I'm trying is to paint on a series of 2' x 2' ply boards, which I have hinged using canvas strips, (drilling through such thin board to screw metal hinges onto it would not have been possible).  I have several sections, and I am currently painting on two hinged sections (four boards). One possibility is to place the two pieces together like a concertina, thinking about my Chinese sketchbook that was accepted by Rabley.  Another, one I am leaning towards, is to stack the two sections, one on top of the other.  They are remarkably stable actually, so I don't think I will need additional fixings and anyway, I rather like the idea of an interchangeable painting.  I have only begun painting on one side of the boards so far; I intend to paint both sides, to create interesting juxtapositions of colour, mark making and angles.  This has made me quite excited, even though it is early days.

Always the ideas remain the same; the passage of time, seasons, memory and loss.  All the works are in progress:

Balancing Act

It is very cold and grey today and looks rather like my print February, above.  What has happened to Summer?

North Yorkshire Open Studios has passed by in a whir as usual.  Thank you to all the visitors who came for the last weekend; it was so interesting to hear your thoughts about my work and to observe you as you listened to mine.  Our conversations and contact is really appreciated and treasured.

I spent the week after Open Studios catching up in our newly developing garden as a winding down process.  The weekend just gone was lost unfortunately, due to a family emergency.  I am now back in the studio as a priority although my work for Frack Free Ryedale  frackfreeryedale.org, continues apace and all this is balanced with the garden and family of course.

I have several open submissions that I am interested in and the deadlines for these are looming, so the need to make some new work is urgent.  I was in the studio all day yesterday, preparing boards for something a little experimental, more of which later.  This morning I had some admin for FFR but in just a short while I shall be heading back out to the studio to continue prepping the boards.  

I like the preparation time before any actual painting commences; it seems to me a meditative period, sanding the boards, brushing them free of dust,  building up the layers of gesso, more sanding.  All of this time allows for freer thoughts about my intentions for the piece to emerge, as they did yesterday and I am feeling really optimistic about this next body of work.  I am becoming very interested in the way the layers of thoughts become part of the preparation time, become part of the work; the whole process is a layering of physical and mental exertion that I find completely enthralling and exhausting.

In the week between Open Studios, I took some time off to visit The Tetley and attend a talk about the current exhibition, Painting in Time.  http://thetetley.org/painting-in-time/  Three of the artists were present, one via Skype, along with three "interviewers".  The talk was interesting and inspiring; I relished listening to a conversation about art, its process and thinking behind it.   The whole thing was inspiring and I am hoping to be able to attend more in the future.  I wrote notes during the talk as I knew I'd forget what was said if I didn't and I will blog more fully about the talk in my An blog:  A Portrait of an Artist as a Very Late Starter,  as soon as I have time.

Right, off to the studio, more anon.  Thank you for reading this, please feel free to place comments below, I will always respond.

Study, Seasons/Time.

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Weekend Two NYOS 15

Summer

Gearing up for the second weekend of Open Studios, the weather, after a glorious week, is set to change for the worse with heavy rain forecast on Saturday but that won't put me off!

It just means the studio door will have to be closed and we shan't be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.  Never mind!  I'll have home made cake, tea and coffee available to tempt visitors as well as lots of works on my walls and in the browser, plus the prints of the works entitled Laminar Flow.

Jenny Pepper Felt maker's studio will also be open, so there's lots to
see http://www.jennypepper.com/

I 'm looking forward to welcoming visitors to my studio and talking to them about my work.  

March, my birthday month!

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June

From the suite of prints available during North Yorkshire Open Studios, here is June:

There are twelve prints available, one for each month of the year, £85 each, a very limited edition only.

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NYOS 15 Weekend number one

Putting out the publicity leaflets for other artists in the vicinity, just before the event began.

Saturday 6th June, day one.  The wind was blowing a gale, quickly knocking our big parasol over, so we folded it away and braved the wind and sunshine outside when we could!

Thank you to all the lovely visitors who made the effort to visit.  Your interest in my work and the lovely conversations are very much appreciated and make all the effort worth while.

The total number of visitors on Saturday was 52 - a big increase on last year!  Fewer came on Sunday; a total of 21 and just as valued. All in all it was a most enjoyable weekend, the sale of a small piece on paper, the icing on the proverbial cake! 

Drawing materials for visiting children

http://www.nyos.org.uk/

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Time is short!

It's nearly upon us!  This coming weekend, June 6/7th and the following one, June 13/14th, 10.30am - 5.30pm North Yorkshire Open Studios takes place.  My studio at Stonegrave will be open and I am going to show a wide variety of work.

The prints of my series, Laminar Flow (seasons), are ready and mounted and I have just four of the original paintings to put back into their frames, ready for hanging on the wall. The other two walls will show a smaller series of works that I made last year and a couple of larger drawings.  There will be pieces in my browser, other works stacked up for you to look at and a slide show of how the Laminar Flow series developed.

The prints are a very limited edition, with two complete sets of twelve, so you will need to be quick if you want any!

Here's a taster:

Laminar Flow (March) 30 x 40 cm plus mount. Archive ink on art paper.

Laminar Flow (June) 30 x 40 cm plus mount.  Archive ink on art paper.

Laminar Flow (September) 30 x 40 cm plus mount.  Archive ink on paper.

Laminar Flow (December) 30 x 40 cm plus mount.  Archive ink on paper

Some of the smaller works:

Connect, mixed media on board,25.5 x 25.5 cm, framed.  

Song, mixed media on board, 25.5 x 25.5 cm, framed.

Rhythms, mixed media on board, 25.5 x 25.5 cm, framed.

All are welcome, including children; I have a pot of crayons and some paper for them to make their own drawings, so bring along your family and friends, chat to me about my work and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and home made biscuits.  Have a good browse and who knows, you might go home with a lovely new piece of art for your walls or a gift for a special friend!

I look forward to seeing you.

Sue

Looking forward

I've been ill with a kidney infection, not nice but the antibiotics have sorted me out and the sun is streaming into the house today making me feel much better and giving me the energy to start tackling the tasks I have been unable to do.

There is a lot of work going on towards the Rally for a frack free Ryedale  on 25th April in Malton. I am very behind with making the banners and placards but think I'll manage to get them all done next week.  Plus cakes, always we have cake!

http://www.nyos.org.uk/

My entry can be found here: http://www.nyos.org.uk/Artists-Makers.aspx?&fR=64&nR=114

My studio has been very neglected so far this year; I have managed to reorganise and tidy it ready for when I have time to get out there and make work.  At least it is ready for North Yorkshire Open Studios.  I am really looking forward to it this year because Jenny Pepper http://www.jennypepper.com/ is opening her studio up as well, so it will make our venue really worth visiting with two artists on site and of course, cake!

I am feeling a bit desperate about studio work; missing the routine of it, especially as this was going to be the year where I concentrate on that as my major activity.  Unfortunately my work with Frack Free Ryedale and Frack Free Kirby Misperton has taken up lots of time, energy and head space, which leaves me in the wrong frame of mind for my own work.  Still, once the rally is over I hope to be able to concentrate again.

 From this:

Studio clear up, from the left over chaos of last year to a reorganised space ready for work and NYOS 15.

To this!

I have finally taken the plunge and having a series of works on paper reproduced using giclee printing.  As a rule, I don't like doing this but these twelve pieces make up one work and to sell one of the originals would destroy it.  Therefor I am very excited to say that thanks to Ian Mitchell's recommendation, http://www.ianmitchellart.com/, I am happy to be working with Norton Print and Frame, http://www.fineart.co.uk/directory/fruit-art-ltd_100032.aspx?DirectorySearchPageId=5, who are excellent.  I will be going to check the proofs on Tuesday and then will give the go ahead for a limited print run of each.  

The series, called Laminar Flow,  is one that was made as an experiment; I wanted to try and express what each season feels like and how they form a whole cycle and to do this, I made twelve pieces, acrylic on paper.  Each painting started out the same or as near the same as hand made paintings can be, and then each successive painting had one more layer added, equally as identical as I could make them. The twelfth painting is therefor much thicker and heavier than the last.  There is one painting for each month of the year; my concerns about the passing of time and memory reflected in each. These were made a few years ago, have been in a local pub for a year and generally forgotten about until I had them home again and realised that they were too good to be stuck on the storage rack.  I'd be happy to sell the piece as a whole but devastated to break them up, hence the giclees.

Here is April:

My plan is to have one or two complete set of prints for sale packaged in archive boxes and then the others available as individual prints.  I may even have packs of cards made, but not sure yet.

Please feel free to leave a comment, I hope you enjoy reading my blog.

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