Earth pigment series

I have started a collection of pieces that I am doing now mainly utilising earth pigments. These are small works – some on canvas panels and others on Atlantis 400gsm paper. I have also used encaustic waxes on one of the pieces. It is fascinating using these earth pigments, especially when I am able to grind and process them myself. The experience is visceral and there is a primordial connection when I touch the pigment with my fingers.

Initially, I used finely processed earth pigments from Cornwall and Devon such as Peppercombe Red (280 million years old), Fremington Yellow (40,000 years old) and Fremington Grey (350 million years old)

I then obtained some raw pigments to get a feel for processing them myself:

Below is a tiny test panel where I ground some of the raw pigment myself and used various binders. From top down: Leswidden white, Trevallas green, Gunwalloe gold, Meeth white, Perranuthanoe ochre, Leswidden white, Bideford black

Raw pigment test on tiny canvas

These are some of the pieces that I have created so far:

‘Come with me … to the sea’

‘Come with me … to the sea’ Earth pigments, acrylics and inks on canvas panel. 20x20cm square

‘Take me to the River’

‘Take me to the River’ Tissue collage, Earth pigments, acrylics and inks on Atlantis 400gsm paper

‘Last walk around Mirror Lake’

‘Last walk around Mirror Lake’ Collage, Earth pigments, acrylics, inks and beeswax/ encaustic paints on Atlantis 400gsm paper 29x20cm (however this is now framed and is 45x33cm in the frame)

‘Winter Thaw’

‘Winter thaw’ Earth pigments, acrylics on Atlantis 400 gsm paper 20x14cm

If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these items, or would like a commission, please contact me.

Monotype landscapes

these were all made using a gel plate, many layers of acrylic paint, plants .. on Japanese paper. Each is about A4

The Creek

A walk on the wild side

A bright day

New mixed media abstract work

“Reef”

14″ x 10″ (A3) unframed 297mm x 420mm

Liquid acrylics (inks), Rembrandt soft pastels, Pebeo gold effect foil on 140lb acrylic paper (Daler Rowney system 3)

Various … oil and soft pastel experiments

‘Oil Poppies’

Approx. 12″ x 8″

Underpainting of alcohol inks, added area of gold metal effect medium, then overpainted with oils (not artist quality) on canvas board.

I didn’t have any linseed oil or other mediums, as well as cleaning solvents, so was hesitant to try out these oils but then discovered that I could use Baby oil to dilute the paint and to clean the brushes, also much better on the skin!  So far the baby oil doesn’t appear to have created any dull patches – the paint is still wet, I expect it will only be dry and fully cured in a month’s time.   The oils and canvas board came with the set I describe below.

Soft pastel studies – my first attempts using this medium:

‘Dartmoor landscape’ from reference photo in a book.

Approx. 11″ x 7″

Soft pastels (not artist quality) on cheap scrapbooking type project paper (blue).

‘Orange landscape’

Approx. 5½” x 7″

Soft pastels (not artist quality) on cheap scrapbooking type project paper (blue).

Footnote:

I was given a compact artist’s kit comprising oils, acrylics and watercolour materials, plus palette and sample canvas boards, sketching pads, brushes, painting knives etc. etc. for a Christmas present.   These sample paintings are the results of playing about with the stuff in the kit.

I have never used soft pastels (chalk pastels) before and am finding them really fun to work with.  I enjoy the way I can layer over the colours and blend to get quite interesting effects.  This has inspired me to try and purchase better quality soft pastels as soon as I can, as well as some good quality paper – I’d like to turn out more impressive work in the future – so watch this space!

I hope everyone who visits this page had a lovely Christmas and everything of the very best fo 2017 – let’s hope it’s a positive year for all of us!

Another one bites the dust …

Surprisingly (for me … well, it always is) … I had a lot of interest in my Poppy painting and potentially it is now sold – pending collection.   Woop woop … crack open the bubbly 🙂

“Poppies”

20″ x 16″ x 1/2″

Acrylics on stretched canvas.

Some new thingies

“New beginning”

Acrylic, inks, gels and pastes on stretched canvas.

17½” x 23½” x ½”

Close up of texture.

 

“Going for a walk”

Acrylics on stretched canvas

20″ x 16″ x ½”

Close up of texture:

And flip …

I was moving things around over the weekend and ‘accidentally’ stacked my latest large painting the wrong way up.  When I stood back and looked at it, I realised that it is far more dynamic this way up and has more sense of presence.   There is something almost cathedral in the illusion of space.   To me it feels like I am standing on a snow covered street looking up the road  – either side at very tall buildings.  What do others think?

 

Untitled – August 2016

I am going to stop now … quite happy with it on the wall.

 

120cm x 100cm x 4cm

Acrylic, inks, pastes and gels (for texture) on stretched canvas.

Below to show room view …

Collage on panel

“Big sky and windmill”

10″ x 8″

Acrylics, Inks, found collage materials (for the foreground) on acrylic canvas board.

Close up:

This is very much a bit of whimsy.  I will not be posting on here for a few weeks, as I’m going to be in South Africa soon for a short holiday, visiting friends and family.

Collage on paper

“Field study”

15 ½”  10 ½”

Acrylics, inks, found objects (threads), aluminium foil and gels on acrylic paper.

Close ups of texture:

The rape seed fields are now turning a glorious golden / electric yellow – I took this picture whilst out on my own last week, when I went to go and find some bluebells in our local woods.

Bluebells at Tyrrel’s Wood

 

Collage on panel

“Hot – study”

“10” x 8″

Inks, glitter, found items for texture, pebeo fantasy prisme paints (for the round ‘stones’ in the foreground) on acrylic canvas board.

Photos to show texture:

Abstract on canvas – large

“Sea”

47″ x 39″ x 1 ½”

Acrylics, metallic paints and inks, on stretched deep wrap canvas.

Ground has been highly textured over a period of months, resulting in a very robust, cured surface that is quite hard.  I used caulk, modelling paste and other gels to get the texture.    It’s currently hanging in my bedroom (swamping my room as well because it’s quite a large painting), ‘cos I don’t have anywhere else to put it!

 

Close ups of texture detail

   

Abstract on paper – mock up for larger work

 

Close ups of texture:

UPDATE:  After weighting the painting last night, it’s not as rippled as in the previous photograph – so I’ve updated this post with new photos.

Another reason why working on acrylic paper is not always the best thing for me to choose but I didn’t have any canvasses lying around that were ready and as I’ve got kids home for the Easter holidays, time is limited.   The paper  (even though it’s like linen and thick) wrinkles something horrid – despite the gesso, binders and what not … anyway, this is a ‘sketch’ really.  I want to work on a very large canvas that I applied texture to several years ago in the form of waves and spray.  With this mock up, I wanted to see if I could get the colours I need for the ‘sea’ with inks.

I only used white acrylic paint, the rest is ink and pencils and globules of texture paste (actually grout).  The finished thingie is about 11 1/2″ x 7 1/2′ and needs to be weighted, which I’ll do in the next couple of days (to flatten it out).   The colours are much richer in natural light, it looks dull in the photo.

Abstract on Canvas

“Vibrant field”

20″ x 16″

Acrylics, inks, gels on heavy textured and sculpted surface (my own texture paste), displacement chemical (Surgical Spirits), Montana copper metallic spray paint on stretched canvas.

Again, I haven’t sealed this yet with a binder or clear gel. My daughter likes this one so much, I don’t think I will be allowed to do anymore work on it 🙂

Close ups of texture:

Abstract on paper – A3

“Rocks”

Acrylics, inks, thick bonding agent (sort of like grout), gels on A3 acid free paper.

Some close ups of texture:

 

I may have finished this series of abstract on paper paintings for now, as I would like to get back to using a more robust support, like canvas or board.  This particular piece has not yet cured, so it is still a bit rippled and wrinkly, it will settle down eventually and be completely flat.   However, I need to start preparing a body of work that I hope to exhibit and hopefully sell 🙂 in the spring/summer (not sure where yet).

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who visits this blog and ‘likes’ or comments on my work, it is very much appreciated and if I don’t automatically go to your blog and like your work it’s not because I’m a cow, it’s perhaps because I got a bit busy and didn’t have time.  I look at all the blogs by the authors who visit this site and all of them are spectacular.  I feel really privileged to have such a strong, experienced and talented ‘peer group’ of people who regularly make the effort to pop by here and look at my work  – thank you all very much!

 

Abstract on paper – A3

“Somewhere, a place”

Acrylics, inks, glues, gels on A3 (297 x 420mm or 111.7 x 16.5″) acid free acrylic paper using various techniques.

Close ups of colour and texture detail

Abstract on paper – small

“Sparklers with a fire stick”

Acrylics, inks, gel, metallic effect medium on mixed-media paper.

10 ¾ “ x 7 ½ “

Close ups of texture:

About the title:

I was going through old dvd’s I have of stored family photos and came across a picture I’d taken when on holiday in the Southern Drakensberg with my family for a long weekend over Easter back in 2008.  We made a fire outside whilst we were braaing (you guys in the UK call it a barbeque).  My son placed a few twigs in the red embers, waited until they were glowing and then began making circular patterns, zigzags and drawing words in the darkness (as we would do with sparklers on Guy Fawkes night back in the day when people were responsible and there was no need for stupid draconian health & safety regulations for everything).   I digress.  Anyway, that moment inspired this painting.  (even though I promised I’d lay off the gilt paper for a bit, couldn’t help myself) 🙂

Abstract on paper – A3

“Abstracted Pebbles”

Acrylics, inks, gels on 140lb A3 size acid free Acrylic paper

Actual size of painting:  14½” x 9¾”

Close ups of texture detail:

This started out a bit of a mess …

but I think I saved it okay. 🙂

Abstract on paper – larger -A3 size 2

“Flight (for Laura)”

Inks (metallic and standard), acrylics, irridescent medium, on 140lb A3 size acid free Acrylic paper  (Oh and I did so cheat, using a Google search for line drawings … wickedness. Laziness. Well it’s Sunday)

Actual size of painting:   14½” x 9¾”

Close ups of texture detail

 

Thanks for the inspiration, Laura 🙂

Abstract on paper – small

“Autumn with rocks”

About 10½” x 7½”

Acrylic, gels, paste, caulk, gilt metallic paper (Pebeo), inks on acrylic paper.

I bought me some Pebeo metallic effect papers yesterday ‘cos they were on sale at Hobbycraft!  Of course I didn’t get the gilding paste to go with (duh) … so it’s a bit futile trying to do anything with the metallic paper without the paste.  Necessity being the mother … and all that … I used other sticky stuffs that I have laying around and used that to get the metallic paper to bond to the surface of this little piece.  It still didn’t work out the way I wanted it to … so looks like I’ll have to go and get me some gilding paste (dammit).

I didn’t gesso the acrylic paper before I applied the textural pastes (I used household grout/filler and glue), so the paper buckled somewhat – I did use a lot of paste though to be fair.   I weighted the paper down after a few coats of bonder but it’s still a bit bumpy, which I like.  It was supposed to have texture after all! Otherwise why bother hey?

I like the colours on this one, there is just the tiniest smidgeon of metallic powder blue (ink) splattered here and there. I would like to make this one into a much bigger piece with a more rigid substrate.

Thanks for looking at my work and commenting, I really appreciate it! 🙂 Have a lovely weekend.

Texture detail: