Cambridge Drawing Society Autumn Exhibition

The Cambridge Drawing Society recently held its Autumn Exhibition  at the Leys School in Cambridge. Over 240 works were on display from drawings & paintings to prints and sculpture in what is a magnificent, almost cathedral like,  setting.
Over 200 people attended the Private View, including the Mayor, Councillor Paul Saunders. Sales were brisk, despite the economic downturn, and at the end of the exhibition, a healthy profit was achieved.

As usual, the public was asked to vote for their favourite painting and I am delighted to say that one of mine was selected. Titled "Ill Fares the Land", it is my commentary on modern day society. It is not a comforting painting to look at. Some people found it disturbing others said it was  thought provoking.

 

In my next blog, I will talk about the ideas behind it and how it was constructed.

Exhibition at Brancaster Staithe

Last weekend, along with some students and friends, I took part in an exhibition at Brancaster Staithe on the North Norfolk coast. Having grown up beside the sea, it was good to get back to vast skies and the smell of salt air. The mud flats are very different from the sandy beaches of Scotland where I grew up, but they have a charm of their own and I do love painting them.

My task for the day, however,  was not painting en plein air, but to demonstrate portrait painting. It is much more fun than sitting behind a desk smiling endlessly at customers and potential purchasers! I decided as a challenge to paint two portraits in tandem. That way I don't fiddle around and come back to each painting with a fresh eye.

Both paintings were done in oils on canvas . Size 18" x 14". Stained with raw umber.

Each took around two hours, in between drinking tea and chatting to interested onlookers. All in all, a most enjoyable day

 

 

Pauline

 

 

                                                                            Mary

 

Gouache Painting at West Norfolk Arts Centre

I recently made my second visit this year to West Norfolk Arts Centre. This time it was to teach the art of painting in gouache.

The first day was spent explaining the history of the medium and demonstrating techniques and materials. As a bit of fun I "copied" two paintings hanging in the studio. These were by other artists. One was an oil, the other a watercolour. It was simply to show how gouache interpreted the same scene in a very different way. The rest of the day was spent exploring the medium and working from references or photographs.
The following day, I did both a portrait demonstration and a landscape "en plein air". It was then time for the students to work outdoors. Fortunately, the sun was shining!





All in all a very successful weekend. Very few of the students had ever tried this medium and were delighted with its versatility and forgiving nature.

As usual, Ros and Richard Cartwright, Directors of the Centre were the perfect hosts with their close attention to detail and the warm welcome they extended to all.


My next visit to the Centre will be to teach "Portrait Painting made Easy" 28th - 30th October.

An artist’s journal from John Glover

Now it is time to concentrate on various portrait painting commissions. I have commisions to paint four children. A six year old in oils and three others , ranging in age from four to ten, in charcoal.

I also have a large double portrait in oils of the Sheriff of Huntingdon and her husband to complete.

Teaching continues also. I teach three classes a week at the Lothbury centre near Newmarket. Portrait painting, oils and acrylics, and of course my own paintings for pleasure. I also run day schools on portraits or life drawing and painting, at Grantchester and Barrow. These are held on a Saturday or Sunday and last from 10-4

Something else which is proving popular is one to one tuition whereby I ask any student to bring along samples of their work for review. We then work on a project together and I set ‘homework’ for the following session.

Bookings for me to demonstrate to art groups continue to come in for next year. The latest are for a landscape demo to the Comberton art group and a watercolour portrait demo to the Bury Art Society.

Next September, 3-10 th, I will be teaching during the Art Holiday for Inspiration Holidays in Menorca.

If you are interested in any of the above art holidays, art classes, painting workshops or art demonstrations please contact me on 01284 810 460 or e-mail me at john@gloverart.co.uk

Yesterday, I returned to Pin Mill in the hope of completing the painting I had started the previous day.
The block- in stage was complete. Now it was time to focus on more detail. Obviously, work was required on the barges and distant horizon. I also wanted to capture the reflections and play of light on the water.

But as Robert burns said ” The best- laid schemes o’ mice and men gang aft a-gley”. Unfortunately, good light stopped play. Instead of the brooding sky of the previous day, I was confronted by bright blue sky and white fluffy clouds! There was absolutely no way I could continue with the painting above . Everything was different, from the light to the colour, shadows and reflections! Painting en plein air can be very frustrating!
And so I had to move to plan B. Fortunately, I had come prepared to start another painting. Beyond the barges and houseboats, there are some marvellous old rotting hulks which appeal greatly. I love the decaying moss- covered timbers , the flaking paint , the rusting metalwork. Not the picture postcard view of Pin Mill , but equally fascinating.

My medium was still gouache, but this time I chose to work on a rough surfaced watercolour board (N.O.T.) The subject just cried out for it with all that decay and texture. As before, I went straight in with a large brush, geting the basic outlines and main masses. The pigment is still fluid. Olive green, ultramarine, burnt sienna and white were the colours used at this stage.

I move rapidly on to painting the sky, indicating the distant trees on the other side of the river, and ,of course the river itself. ( I am aware the horizon dips steeply to the left, but this will be corrected later) I have already indicated the foreground mud but decide to leave it and see what happens when the tide starts to come in. I concentrate on drawing the boats ( a tricky piece of perspective) looking at scale and shape. I begin to start painting thickly in places to suggest the texture of the timbers or flaking rust. Gouache is an ideal medium for this . It dries instantly and retains its impasto. But it remains water soluble and can thus be painted back into or even sponged off if required. A very forgiving medium indeed.

By now, after about 2 hours painting, the tide is rapidly moving in to engulf both the hulks and the artist! Suddenly, the subject becomes alive with the image of thes old boats, abandoned and stranded atop the sandbank. I very quickly indicate the approaching water and reflections on it.
It is now time to pack up paints and easel and retreat to dry land.
As before , I am now left with another unfinished painting, but the excitement of that initial image is still there.
With both these paintings I will go back and do more work en plein air as well as finishing off in the studio. I will show the completed works in a later blog.
Tips.
Working from photographs can not replace the excitement or energy required when painting on the spot. You are at the mercy of the elements and have to work at breackneck speed. You simply do not have time to fiddle around.
Be prepared for frustrations and always have a plan B, if not C at the ready.

Painting at Pin Mill 3

In my previous two blogs, I demonstrated en plein air landscape painting in gouache. Both were paintings of Pin Mill, a lovely spot on the Suffolk coast. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete either painting in one session due to weather and tide. I have since returned as well as doing more work in the studio. One of the paintings is now finished.
I have already shown the beginning and intermediate stages of the paintings, so I won’t dwell on lengthy explanations. ( For those see previous blogs)

The beginning of the painting

Intermediate stage of the gouache painting.

The finished painting.
As you will see, all areas have been worked on. The sky has been softened and blended. The distant shore has had more detail added. Small yachts have been introduced. The bulk of the work has been done on the hulks, scumbling to achieve the texture of the timbers or rust then working with a fine sable brush on top when more precision was required. Masts have been altered and rigging added. With large hog’s hair brushes, I painted the foreground fairly freely, and on occasions even employed a palette knife.
As I have said in previous blogs, gouache is a wonderful medium for working out of doors. It dries instantly, but remains water soluble. It is opaque and is therefore very forgiving. Any mistakes can be instantly obliterated. It has a lovely chalky quality about it , ideal for atmospheric effects. Its disadvantages? You can’t glaze with it and blending is difficult. A technique akin to tempera has to be adopted. But overall, its good points far outweigh such difficulties.

Painting a Colourful Portrait in oils 3

Today was my third portrait sitting with Judy. Prior to it I had spent a lot of time painting her costume as well as considering what to do with the background.

As can be seen if you compare this with my previous blog, I have begun to paint her headdress and necklace in much greater detail. Each particular section (e.g. orange) I painted in a slightly darker tone . With a fine sable, I then outlined the rows of beads . Then it was time to apply a mid tone , before flicking in little pinpoints of light. My original dark tone acts as the shadow area between the beads. All that remains, when this is dry, is to indicate individual shadows on the beads. The triangular metal piece on her head dress (which indicates she is a married woman) still requires some light, shade and reflection to be added. The white strings are simply blocked in at the moment and also need a bit more definition and shadow.

A close up detail of her necklace illustrating the technique described above.
I have also been working on other areas of the costume, and blocking in the large patterns. It is indeed time consuming but there is no way it can be rushed. With her cloak, I am beginning to suggest the folds and creases. These will have to be completed before I superimpose patterns of little black dots.
I have also added at this stage a very colourful bangle and belt.

During our sitting today, I focused on her face, looking at the cool bluish reflection on the left, trying to correct the modelling in her neck, chin and around her mouth. The hair had to be adjusted also.
The background I have also started. Initially, I thought of a bold bright colour like pale blue. But i have now decided to apply gold instead, with all its connotations. The photograph, however, does not convey the richness of it.

This is how the portrait now looks at the end of the third sitting.

Keep watching my blog to see how the painting develops and how it looks when completed.

Painting a Colourful Portrait in Oils – 2

Today, I had my second portrait sitting with Judy lasting around 2 hours. As previously stated I focused on painting her head and hands.

Portrait of a Kenyan Lady

Initially, I concentrated on the eyes. I looked at the shape of the lids, both upper and lower. For the cool highlights on the upper lids I introduced some Kings light blue into my basic fleshtone. The lower lids in the corners were a mixture of raw sienna and alizarin crimson. I again used the light blue as these turned into the light. I darkened the intensity of the pupil and iris with a combination of burnt umber and ultramarine.
I modified the shape of the mouth, widening it slightly. On both upper and lower lips I used a mixture of light blue and rose dore for the highlights. For the shadow cast by the upper lip burnt umber and magenta were emloyed with below this a touch of cadmium red light.
I then tried to soften the various fleshtones in the face. The basic colour was raw sienna +yellow ochre + white. At other times I added a little touch of cadmium red or light blue depending on whether it was warmer or cooler. For the shadow areas, I used ultramarine or magenta mixed into the sienna.
By now, time was running out. Quickly the hands were blocked in using the same mixtures as above, but a lot more cad. red to capture the reflection from the dress.

Detail of Hands

As I said in my previous blog, it was my intention to do more work on the costume prior to today’s sitting. This has been very slow as there is simply no fast way of achieving the effect I want. As you will see I have started blocking in the various patterns. The collar in particular requires a huge amount more work to show how it comprises of hundreds of beads catching the light and is not simply a flat shape. This will be the task for the coming week.

Portrait of a Kenyan Lady ( stage 2)

My next “live” session is on Thursday 23rd when I will be trying to bring head and hands to near completion. I am also considering my options for the background. But more of this in my next blog!

Painting in Menorca October 2008

Well, this is my very first blog post, so I hope you will be forgiving if it takes me a little while to get to grips with all this hi-tech stuff. The truth is, I didn't even know what a blog was until very recently. My aim is to help inspire you to enjoy your painting even more, to pass on a few tips, and then, hopefully, you'll feel the need to join me on one of the wonderful painting holidays in Menorca - and soon in Scotland's famous Artists' Town, Kirkcudbright. I have just got back from Menorca and thought I'd get things rolling by posting this very short video of one of my students enjoying her painting in what can only be described as an idyllic setting. If you'd like to know more about any of my painting holidays, there's lots of information at http://www.inspiration-holidays.com/