Definition of an Artist

I saw this on the art room wall a few weeks ago. It was attributed to St Francis of Assisi. Although he is one of my favourite saints, I had not come across it before.

He who works with his hands is a Labourer

He who works with his hands and his head is a Craftsman

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an Artist

St Francis of Assisi

More Torn Paper Experiments

I like experimenting, if it does not work out, then what have I lost, a piece of paper and some paint. I have tried using torn paper for some of the flower heads in this picture. I feel that is this has not been as successful as the market place picture but although the torn paper may not enhanced the result, it has not detracted from it.    

I am beginning to like flowers more as a subject base for my pictures. I have produced a few in the past but I feel a few more maybe coming.

Size 12" x 5"

Taking advice

In the comments to one of my postings.

Kathryn stated   '…way to incorporate more text into your work?' and Isabella stated 'think good imagery and good writing go hand in hand.'

With a recent birthday and Easter, I was given some sweets. Before I ate them I consider the advice I was given. The following illustrated short story is the result. It cannot be considered as good imagery or good writing but we all have to start somewhere. But most of all I enjoyed producing it.

The art work of children

It was my birthday two days Ago. My grandchildren produced these cards for me. Their work is very special to me. I think that they are very talented.

I want to break free… Part two

I have started to work in a more loose way. I have been trying this for some while now. I thought that ink and watercolour picture that I did, three years ago, of the market town where I live, was loose. It was for me then. Since then I have tried to be freer in my style.  I have also been experimenting by adding torn paper to some of my pictures. By doing this I was hoping to give some variety of texture and some depth. It seems to have worked with my recent picture of the market square.  I have used artist licence in this one and not added all the cars that would normally be parked there. To me this is what creating a picture is about. You add what you like into it and let your imagination do the rest.  

To me a picture is a success if the viewer looks at it twice, if they draw near to peer at it. They may not finally like it but isn’t that what’s art is all about. Taking time to stop and stare. It is not what is art, it is when is art. (I think this is a quote from someone but I cannot remember who)

Size 11" x8"

Size 12" x 5"

The first two following photographs are of the picture I did 3 years ago. The other two photographs, are of my recent one.

Is it worth it?

‘One picture is worth a thousand words’, is a quote by Frederick R. Barrand.

A few years ago I wrote a small book of poetry and sold copies for charity. I came across it again recently. This is the first poem that I wrote, it is called  

’Wishing’

I wish I could sing,

Make sounds so pleasing to the crowd.

I wish I could sing,

not just in my head but out aloud.

I wish I could sing,

and be a member of the choir

I wish I could sing,

Reach all the notes, the lower and the higher.

I wish I could sing,

having a voice needing to be heard.

I wish I could sing,

having the gifts of a bird.

Now there’s a thought!

I wish I could fly ….

This adds up to 83 words, not even a tenth of a picture.  And as I cannot either sing or fly I will stick to what I do best. Now what was that???

I got my cheque today ...

I got my cheque today for a piece of work that I sold in an exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery. This is a bitter sweet feeling.

Bitter for the loss of a piece of work that had a bit of my heart, a bit of my soul and some of my time in its creation.

Sweet for the good feeling that someone liked my work enough that they were willing to pay for it. I only hope that they treasure it and it does not become a wall dressing to be discarded when they redecorate. But this is what has to be lived with when a piece is put up for sale.

Size 8" x 27"

This is the piece that I sold. It is called ‘Unearthed Saxon Two’ (I have kept ‘Unearthed Saxon One’). It is three interlinked canvasses inspired by Saxon Art. I like watching archaeology programmes where the archaeologists slowly and carefully brush the earth of an article that has been found to reveal an ancient work of art.  This is my homage to the Saxon artists who produced intricate pieces of gold jewellery.

The woods at Burton Agnes Hall

Size 5" x 12"

Well I did a painting but it was not of the snowdrops or daffodils, it was the woods at Burton Agnes Hall.

I have been playing with watercolours and inks along with sticking additional bits of torn paper to the picture. For this picture of the woods the larger tree and parts of the foreground are made up in this way. When see in reality it give differing depths to the picture. I intend to experiment with other subjects in this way.

I wondered lonely as a cloud amongst a host of golden daffodils

Snowdrops herald the start of a new season to come, daffodils herald the start of a warmer season.

Both are great social plants growing in clumps, chattering away to one another, their heads nodding in the breeze.

The colours… snowdrops a shy white, daffodils, a ‘here I am’ yellow.

I feel a painting coming on ………

Snowdrops in the woods at Burton Agnes Hall, East Yorkshire

Daffodils in the garden  

I want to break free .....

I want to break free......
I want to break free from straight lines and precision
(a result of my day job I think).
Thinking about it I still like squares though !
Forget breaking free. Some people are bonded to circles, me I am bonded to squares. I just have to accept it.

See what I mean. This is a small canvass that I did by layering acrylic washes. I called it ‘Floating’

Size 16" x 12"

What a great weekend it was

The sun was shining. what wonderful colours in nature. Just look at these wallflowers. You only have to look at nature if you are not sure which colour work best together.