It was raining off and on today, quite a lot by the time I finished work. I decided to take a trip to Smockmill Common, which is about a 5 minute drive from my house, I haven’t been there for about two years. I think this wood is probably the prettiest one around here, seeing as it has a river running through it and some very old trees. It’s also not flat, so you get a good work out navigating the little hills. I love it here, wish it was possible to take a tent, I think I’d stay there for a few months! I have played around a bit with photo manipulation on some of these pictures (Canon) and I’m posting them individually as I may need to use them for future projects … so excusie these are all large images …
At the entrance
Putting a break with text – otherwise all the images join together … duh
Colour enhanced from camera but actually how it looked to me.
More of a blue filter
Dream-like soft floaty filter … love it!!
Enhanced balances
Hue enhanced a bit
Brightness and hue balance magnified
I love this effect for the tree – it enhances the trees age and texture.
Vividness of colour balance and contrast enhanced.
Enhanced hue and contrast balance
Vivness and colour balance enhanced
Brightness and colour balance magnified
Not much fiddling done at all to what the camera took. Sharpness is not as good as it could have been but didn’t take the tripod!
I have been digging about in my portfolios sorting paintings into themes – as I am considering producing a series of 10 notecards.. I am surprised because I thought I’d done a lot more with this subject!
I’ve been a bit pre-occupied this past couple of months trying to get things ready for the formal assessment of my work for the Summer assessment event. I’ve submitted the following pieces in my portfolio for adjudication:
 I had much better luck with the carving today (on the back of the piece that I did before) and got a halfway decent image out of the wood (a dolmen in amongst trees). I am still finding it hard to do circular marks (like dots and squiggly lines) – this is a slow learning process!Â
I printed on really cheap paper. I forgot to dampen it for the first couple of prints but then ended up  soaking the paper and layering it between sheets of kitchen towel, that seems to work really well. Paper must be as damp as you can get it for this process (I’m not using a press). The biggest mistake I made today (along with all the others) was using Linocut ink (trying to save money – duh) … it doesn’t provide a strong print, no matter how many times you ink up the block and it also doesn’t make any difference if you apply the ink directly to the block with a rag or roll it on.   I tried a few monoprinted (colour) background papers (that I made using the gelli plate)  and this worked well – but again I was using linocut ink and the black image of the block wasn’t strongly defined at all. Â
Images below show some work done on new Lino yesterday and the resultant print (Celtic designs) and then the work today using the Japanese plywood and various inks/papers
Linocut carving yesterdayLinocut printCarving onto the Japanese plywoodPrint with black Caligo safewash inkPrint on pre-coloured paper using Lino ink – not as strong an image as the Caligo inkPrint on precolour Fabriano paper – not as good a print as on the cheap paper.
Eventually I changed to Caligo safewash ink and the results were instantly ‘true’.  I made more coloured backgrounds on the gelli plate using Fabriano paper (which is really thick) and again tried to make sure this paper was very wet. I had mixed results with the Fabriano paper but I like the archival quality of this paper.  I did about 20 print experiments in all, working on one with soft pastels after it had partially dried – not very successful result though. I carved into the block again and will do some more prints, to see how the block takes to being abused. Wood makes a much more durable printing block than lino but it is harder to cut into.  I have bought more plywood sheets, some ShujiGami (Japanese) paper, which I have used before to do dual-sided monoprints on- it is wonderful paper and very cheap for how much you get in a roll. Once this arrives, I will try and produce something that is good enough to sell.   I have the best intentions …
I collected my prints yesterday and have mounted them temporarily to keep them protected. We could end up doing more experimentation with coloured papers but for now I’m just so pleased to have them home!!
I am part of a group of fellow second-year Open College of the Arts/Open University students. We decided in 2023 that we should collaborate and create an online virtual gallery exhibition. Due to pressures of family life and what not, we pushed the dates forward and we are now looking to have this project completed by the end of February – there are eight of us involved at the moment. I have created a separate blog where the artworks that are completed thus far are detailed. Eventually these will be included in the virtual exhibition, which is a work-in-progress at the moment.
The theme for our exhibition is ‘Man-Made‘ and we have allowed ourselves the freedom to interpret that brief as best we see fit. I am commenting on this learning log on my own piece – however, the link to the blog for ‘Man-Made’ is here: https://manmadecollaboration.wordpress.com/
‘Genesis’ – Man-made (soft pastels on 60x60cm stretched deep edge canvas)
I am particularly fascinated with neolithic structures that were around thousands of years before the Pyramids – these monuments are the precursors of modern-day architecture. I chose to use an internet sourced photograph for this piece, as I felt the dramatic almost primordial sky lent an air of pre-history to the scene.
‘Genesis’ soft pastels on 60x60cm stretched deep edge canvas.
This is an overview of the process:
For this piece, I initially drew a rough sketch with charcoal onto the primed canvas. I then used acrylics to block in an orange underpainting of the sky area. I was going to use water-soluble oils for this project and started laying in the sky. After a while though, I could see that this medium was not behaving the way I wanted it to, so I scrubbed off the oils (easy to do with Cobra water-soluble paint). I then applied about 8 layers of Golden pastel ground to the surface of the canvas (including sides) – using first a brush and then a foam applicator, so that there were no streaks and the surface was level. Once this was all dried, I used a variety of soft pastels to complete the piece.
To all my patrons, thank you for your continued support this year, which has been eventful for me – not just with regards to the artistic side of my life. I have learnt many new skills; stretched myself emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. Some things I attempted were more than a massive challenge (ArtFairEast) other projects (local art shows) were a breeze. I cannot control my nerves and insecurities sometimes and have a battle believing in myself … I will try to be more patient and let things flow in 2024.
I have met so many new, wonderful, wise, kind and generous people this year and consider myself really lucky.
I am looking into upgrading my professional website (this blog you are reading!) next year … it seriously needs an overhaul.
I have some new ideas for work that will commemce as soon as Christmas has flown past. AND I absolutely cannot wait to complete my stone lithographic print.
On a more serious note, I am behind with the degree studies, so will not be posting much more on this platform (or Facebook) for a long time. I am more active on Instagram @janiceheatherscott and this is where I post most at the moment..
Have a truly magical Christmas, be happy and stay safe … see you in 2024!!🎆
I was interviewed by the local Diss Express recently relating to my participation in ArtFairEast – the full page feature was printed in this week’s edition. Below is a photo of the article. Something else, I can include on my CV, so quite chuffed to get this exposure.
I was very pleased to be accepted into the Art Fair East exhibition, which was held at the gorgeous St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich – between 1st and 3rd December – with a VIP night on the 30th November.
It was an expensive exercise for me but I am really pleased that I took the plunge and decided to go ahead with it.  I have to admit that I was physically sick with nerves for almost two weeks leading up to the show but I didn’t need to be because I met up with some truly wonderful fellow artists at the show, who I hope to keep in contact with going forward.    So, what did I learn?
Exhibitions, like this large Art Fair, are an opportunity to meet and network with a variety of artists – you cannot put a monetary value on this.
Be prepared NOT to sell anything – I was lucky and did sell (big smiley face) but I know of other artists who didn’t sell and this is no indication of the artists’ worth.   Many of the more well-known artists were also battling to make sales – most people were buying prints or small pieces.  This is not a science – there is no way to predict it!  People who had been at fairs in other cities a week earlier had both good and bad sales – it all boils down to how it is on the night (or in this case, the long weekend). Â
Have a variety of price points available for your potential patrons and don’t be afraid to price your work at an optimum – I was told on more than one occasion that my work was too cheap. I also know of at least three artists who sold some pieces that were over £3000 each, so there was a small percentage of people who came to the exhibition specifically to buy art and were not worried about the price (these people were in the minority though). Some of the works on show were priced in the tens of thousands of pounds.
If possible, have prints or smaller (unframed) pieces available for sale – they should be well presented in large mounts (that format seemed to sell the best). This was not a ‘craft’ fair, so no postcards or mass-produced items were allowed, it was all original works of art.
Take names and email addresses of people who show a real interest in your art – I had some exceptional comments from punters about my work and this has given me a great boost as far as my self-confidence as an artist goes. I felt, after this show, like I ‘belonged’ and have blown the ‘imposter syndrome’ feeling right out of the window.
There are a range of hidden costs associated with exhibiting at art fairs. I will list them below in more detail but it would be worth remembering next time to arrange a ‘plinth’ type table or wall shelf to mount business cards on (the plinth is a handy place to put your point of sale machine).
I did not have my personal biography displayed on the wall near my work and I think that is important and draws people into your stand.
This art fair had 62 exhibitors – some famous names and a few galleries.
I made contact with many of the artists who were situated in my corner of the hall and have been asked to apply to join Art.Can.org – specifically to be included in Art Can East. Today I was asked if I wouldn’t mind being interviewed by one of our local newspapers. There are many on-selling opportunities that can crop up after appearing at an exhibition like this.
Hidden costs:
Besides the cost of the panels (and light) used to display my work, there were a load of other costs that I hadn’t accounted for when I signed up to do the exhibition, such as:
New updated business cards
Public Liability Insurance – which cost £38 through a-n.org (you pay for a years’ membership and the insurance is included)
Frames and mounts for work that you may not have had framed previously.
Finishing materials for artworks, such as extra fixative, varnish sprays, hanging wire.
Battery powered screwdriver (luckily, my son helped with that), specific sized screws that had to be purchased to fit into the panels. Â
Wall labels – printed and mounted onto card. Labels for the backs of each painting.
Parking close to or at the venue – in my case I had to use St. Andrew’s Car Park which was a few hundred metres away from the venue at £40 for the four days!
Refreshments at the venue – coffees and cake mostly – about £5 per day.
Petrol £20 – over and above what I would normally be spending over the weekend.
Acres of bubble wrap. Even though the venue provided bubble wrap and tape for sold works – I still had to transport two large pieces to the venue in the boot of a car and they needed to be wrapped up really well, as the weather was bad.  Yes, you can reuse this bubble wrap but it is an expense I wouldn’t have had to get otherwise.
Last but not least, a SUMUP mobile card machine – this cost just under £60 (with its own charging station) and there are no monthly fees, so I consider this an investment for any future fairs I attend – or to take payment at my own … er … ‘studio’.
Some comments I received about my work:
That is such an emotional painting! (The Fjord)
Too cheap!
Can’t believe that’s soft pastels
You captured the light so well – the mountains look organic and alive.
That’s a magical place (the woodland scene)
Reminds me of a scene from ‘The Hunger Games’ (the woodland scene)
Here are a few photos from the weekend:
This flyer features my work (the second from left image of the trees)
Setting up with the help of my son.
Later in the show, I’d moved some things around. A short video of some of the stands as they were being set up on Thursday before the VIP night.
This was a very well attended show – hundreds and hundreds of people coming through each day – I don’t have the exact numbers of people but there were plenty!
I am really pleased to let my WordPress friends (and others on the whack-whack-whack) know that i managed to sell this painting at the weekend via the little village art festival in Tasburgh:
(‘Storm clouds over the fields’ – oils on paper, framed)
It was also really nice to hear that the organiser of this event purchased the soft pastel version of this landscape at my last show! I am quite pleased because I have based both paintings on my own reference photo – a moody atmospheric shot I took when we were living at the converted barn just outside Long Stratton (totally loved living there).
This is the press release that is generated by ArtFairEast for me to ‘send out to my contacts’ … apologies in advance for the mugshot, that’s the only one they wanted to use because it shows me ‘in the studio with my work’ (oi vey).
South Norfolk -Based Artist Janice Scott Selected for Prestigious Art Fair
A South Norfolk based Artist has been selected from international submissions to exhibit at one the UK’s major regional art fairs.
Janice Scott will be taking her artworks to Art Fair East in Norfolk. The fair is held in the medieval splendour of St Andrews Hall, Norwich from 1st-3rd December 2023.
Janice Scott said: ‘I am thrilled to have been selected for Art Fair East 2023. This will be a chance to reach new audiences with my work and I am excited to be showing in a fair that has already exhibited international names like Banksy and Nando Kallweit. I plan on displaying artworks themed around my work with mixed media and especially raw earth pigments.’
Art Fair East’s co-founder Will Teather said: “We are delighted to have Janice Scott taking part in our 2023 event. We always have more submissions than we can accommodate which ensures that the quality remains high.”
Founded, and curated by established artists Will Teather and Brian Korteling, Art Fair East has become acknowledged as one of the leading regional fairs in the country. Now in its ninth year it showcases contemporary art from around the UK and overseas. As artists themselves, Will and Brian are passionate about getting more people interested in original contemporary art and helping artists to make a living from their work. The 2022 fair attracted thousands of visitors from around the country.
Janice Scott has been producing art on a professional level for several decades. Here is a snippet from her blog:
‘I am inspired by and seem to concentrate on depicting natural forms or elements of nature into my paintings. I was born in Yorkshire, England but spent the larger part of my life in South Africa, where I experienced vast wilderness areas, such as the Karoo and Southern Drakensberg mountains. I am now back in the UK, living in South Norfolk. I work with many different materials and techniques, including printing. I use soft pastels (a lot), acrylics, oils and other liquid medium. I am currently exploring earth pigments and have found an almost visceral connection with these materials.’
ART FAIR EAST is an annual event and aims to be an important art fair for the East of England. Our mission is to showcase quality galleries, dealers and artists to an Eastern region audience of art collectors and businesses. The 2023 fair takes place in the spectacular setting of St Andrews Hall, a well-known events venue at the heart of Norwich city centre.
Event information
Art Fair East 2023, St Andrews Hall, Norwich
PRIVATE VIEW Thursday 30th November 6pm to 9pm
OPEN TO PUBLIC Friday 1st December 10.30am to 5.30pm
OPEN TO PUBLIC Saturday 2nd December 10.30am to 6.00pm
At the moment, I am doing quite a bit of course work inbetween other projects, such as:
Stone Lithography – I hope to have a print available to show online and perhaps include in forthcoming exhibitions soon. I have only just started actually making marks on the stone – which is a wonderful surface to draw on. The entire process of ‘dressing’ the stone before you can use it is so therapeutic.
Planning / curating a collaborative art project with members of my Uni Whatsapp group – this is in the early stages but looking very positive so far.
I have been asked to exhibit in our local annual art exhibition down the road – this will be the third time I’ve done it and compared to what I’m discovering at the moment, it’s an easy exhibition to be a part of. Just that they take a hefty 20% commission – due to the charity fund-raising aspect of it. Anyway, last year I sold three or four pieces (can’t remember), so I will enter more work for that again – it’s at the beginning of November.
And then there’s ArtFairEast.
I am trying to prepare a cohesive body of work – focussing on raw earth pigments and natural materials – for this exhibition at the end of November/beginning of December. I have already framed over 3 dozen pieces and am looking at whether or not to completely change the below painting – i.e. paint over it and do an earth pigment abstracted image on top – i.e. obliterate this woodland scene altogether.
‘Home’ – wip – soft pastels and mixed media on canvas – 1m x 1.20m … re-imagining of a previous piece.
Finally – I have to apologise to people who visit my site because of the ads … I just point blank refused to pay again for the non-free template option on WordPress, as I didn’t feel this site was generating any additional business for me – I seem to get more response from Instagram. However, I need to keep my own domain, so this is why I am still posting to the blog here in an ongoing but erratic fashion.
Mixed media on two reclaimed wooden panels – each about 31 x 26cm x 2cm
Bodowyr burial chamber is a neolithic ‘monument’ located in the middle of a field on the island of Anglesey. I visited this dolmen earlier in the year and took hundreds of photos of it. This is more of a homage to the place, a remembrance and I really enjoyed making these twin pieces. One on the left has a transferred /collaged image of the building and the other is a ‘ghost’. Recently, I have been prone to using Celtic symbolism and motifs in my work, however that is obviously incorrect when looking into the history of these ancient ‘structures’ – people of that age would have more likely used spirals or cup marks to decorate the stone.
I started working on this very large canvas just over a month ago (this is the before and after at the start) :
It has gone through over fifty adjustments and is still very much a work in progress but it’s slowly starting to reveal itself to me. Below is how it looks today – lots of work still to do all over the surface – especially now on the left, which is shiny because it’s acrylic paint there and the rest of the painting is soft pastels (which doesn’t reflect camera light).
I hope to have it finished during next week. Once it has been sealed, I have a wonderful handwoven 1″ wide celtic designed tape, which I got from a lady in Turkey and I will use this to wrap around the outer edge of the stretched canvas. This painting will be in my exhibition at ArtFairEast at the end of this year. I’m looking for title suggestions!
WIP – Mixed media on stretched canvas – 1.2 x 1 metres.
I used an Internet sourced image to work from, which said this place is known as Tirnony Dolmen in County Derry, Ireland -its possible the capstone may have collapsed? I need to visit the site for myself. I chose Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils, Unison, Schmincke and Florence Printmakers (natural Cumbrian pigment) soft pastels on light grey Pastelmat cut to 24cm square.
I think it’s probably time I put out some information about the exhibition that I will be participating in at the end of this year. I have been selected to provide work for this show and will have two panels – they are each 2.4 metres high by 1.2 metres wide – so my booth is not going to be huge. However, I think I will be able to show new and interesting work and hopefully garner some recognition from local or international galleries. Aim big hey? 😊
‘ArtFairEast is one of the largest exhibitions of its kind outside London, with hundreds of artworks by international and regional talent.  A wealth of artists, dealers and experts will be on hand to help visitors build a superb collection of visual art from the UK and overseas. From affordable prints by recognised artists and new talent through to serious investments, gallery specialists will be available to advise on collecting contemporary art including original paintings, prints, sculpture, photography and artworks made to commission.’
Where: Art Fair East is scheduled to take place at St Andrews Hall, in the centre of the city of Norwich. The venue can be found at: The Halls, St Andrew Plain, Norwich, NR3 1AU When: Opening Hours 2023: VIP Private View – Thursday 30th November 6pm to 9pm Fair Open to Public – Friday 1st December 10.30am to 5.30pm Fair Open to Public – Saturday 2nd December 10.30am to 6.00 pm Fair Open to Public – Sunday 3rd December 10.30 am to 5pm How much: Tickets – £5 or £3.50 concessions, under 16s Free
Took a drive out to Raveningham Centre (which is near Beccles and about 30 mins drive from me) to wander around this year’s sculpture trail, which is entitled ‘Amplify the Positive’ and runs until 3rd September. http://www.raveninghamsculpturetrail.com
This is the 7th trail and features work by 62 artists from across the UK. My friend, Rachael Barns @rachaelbarns.art was one of the participating artists – her work featured in the short IG clip above is the one with the white milk bottle sculptures adorning trees. I was pressed for time today so didn’t get to see all the work on display – I will try and go back again before it closes. The venue is very low-tech and all the people were super-friendly. I forgot to vote for the best artwork! dammit.
This first piece was an experiment in my sketchbook. I layered several collage elements – such as lace, strips torn from a old story book and various texture pastes and stencils. I was quite surprised how well the sketchbook paper stood up to the abuse!
Next, I tried using the collage idea on a piece of scrap hardboard – it’s about 20cm square:
I also used pastes and gels to create an abstract landscape.
It started out fairly quietly then … wham! Iceland, Solo Camping (a few times), Wales, Covid, falling on my face, art exhibition, two painting commissions, Liverpool, earth pigments, giving art lessons, starting a new job, getting an increase, having great family get togethers and parties. I’m still obsessed with someone who doesn’t really care but I’m happy. My life has been good this year, despite smashing my face up and a few other injuries/Covid – I can’t complain. My financial situation has improved – due to the new job and yes, I passed Painting 2.1 (67%) … I start the next course ‘How Paintings Work’ in January 2023.
I hope everyone who passes by, has a wonderful time over the festive season. Keep safe, look after yourself and those you care about. Don’t forget to hug someone who needs it. Give love, it may even come back to you (it’s taking its time for me but I never give up hope). Remember you are fabulous. I’ll probably duplicate this post on Instagram.
Here are some of the art highlights in collage format:
Janice Heather Scott 