THE ART PACK – VENUE 285
Two For Joy Gallery, 11 North Cross Street, Gosport, PO12 1BE
11-5pm 17th, 19th, 21st-24th August. 1-5pm 20th August
The gallery is situated just off the busy Gosport High Street, a couple of minutes walk from the ferry and local bus stops. Plenty of nearby parking.
Unique and eclectic mix of paintings, quirky nostalgia, whimsical art, fibre paintings and sculptures by 5 contemporary artists
Many enquiries for custom paintings begin with a simple sentence: ‘do you do commissions?’ or ‘could you paint my car, my cat, my boat?’ for example. The answer is usually ‘yes of course’ but the process of producing the artwork has several stages to go through before I even pick up a paintbrush.
Lets take a look at some of the steps:
This is likely to be my first question to you. Some people have a very detailed vision of what they want, others haven’t gone far beyond the initial idea of ‘a painting of something as a gift’ or ‘a picture of my car’. I might ask you to supply some source or inspiration photos and then make some suggestions on compositions, angles, or ways to personalise the artwork. I will then put together a sketch and/or a digital mockup so that we can finalise the details before painting begins.
Nobody likes talking about money, but it is important that this is discussed at the start of the project so that both parties are on the same page with their expectations, and fully aware of likely costs and constraints. If you have a particular amount in mind that you would prefer to spend, I am happy to present a selection of options that would fit within your budget. Alternatively I can give you some guidance as to approximate costs for different options, sizes etc and let you select your preferred choice, or if you know exactly what you are looking for I can quote precisely to your specifications. All commissions are priced individually based on size, material, and complexity and all prices agreed before work begins. You may be asked for a deposit prior to starting with the remainder being paid on completion.
I usually paint with acrylic paint which is what I have most experience with – I find it allows for precise detail and crisp, vibrant colours. They are also very versatile which allows me to paint on a range of surfaces – heavyweight art paper, canvas panel, box canvas, and wooden art boards. The paper and canvas panels can be mounted and framed, whereas the deeper edged box canvasses and wooden boards are often displayed as they are, although special frames for box canvasses are available. Please enquire if you have any different materials in mind and I will see if this is something that I am able to offer. A layer of satin varnish can be offered to canvas or wooden pieces to protect and finish the work.
This is quite self explanatory – if you have a strict deadline in mind, perhaps if the painting is for a wedding or a birthday gift then I will need to know about it. How much time I need will depend on the size and complexity of the painting, the number of other commitments that I have at the time, and the time of year – if you request a large painting with three days deadline the week before Christmas it is likely that I will regretfully decline! As a general rule the more time you allow the better to avoid disappointment.
Only when we have had the above discussions and come to an agreement on what, when, how, and how much will I finally get out my paintbrushes. I will usually begin with a sketch directly on to the paper, canvas etc, and may ask for any comments/revisions/approval once again before putting down any colour. I am happy to send progress updates throughout the process if requested, and I will send a clear photograph of the painting at initial completion stage. At this point some minor adjustments/corrections will still be able to be made. If any proposed alterations are likely to compromise the quality of the finished artwork I will endeavour to make that clear at the time. When you are happy with the piece then collection or delivery will be arranged, and the final payment due.
You may have noticed a couple of cute little characters popping up on my social media feeds recently. Fosbury the Hedgehog and his fluffy friend Sheep intend to get up to plenty of mischief for your enjoyment, in between car paintings of course.
‘We’ll Do It Together’
All of us need a helping hand (paw) sometimes. Fosbury likes to think that he is a very dignified, independent hedgehog but he only has little legs. Fortunately sheep doesn’t mind giving him some assistance – it’s not just daleks that find stairs a bit of a challenge!
‘Chocolate Hog’
Our local wildlife rescue HART Wildlife recently helped a hedgehog who was stuck in a jar of a popular hazelnut spread which had been left out for recycling. Fosbury found a full jar much more enticing than an empty one, what a mess!
‘Spike-elangelo’
Sheep wanted his portrait painted so Fosbury decided to oblige for World Art Day. Spears and ceremonial swords are in rather short supply so a wooden spoon will have to do. I hope that’s not my best paintbrush…
Look out for a greetings card series in the near future, I intend for some of the proceeds to go to HART Wildlife Rescue. Further details to follow.
Well after a bit of a post-Christmas lull (partially due to spending half the week in a new job) things have all been happening thick and fast lately.
I have submitted work for two exhibitions this month – The Titchfield Art and Craft Show and the Flower Power exhibition at the yellow Edge Gallery in Gosport. Unfortunately both private view evenings were scheduled for the same day so I will be visiting the Titchfield preview as it will be my only chance to see THAT show, and then demonstrating/invigilating at Flower Power on May 3rd.
My pride and joy Chevrolet painting which I spent weeks on is going into the Titchfield Show for it’s debut outing. I have actually got this one properly framed rather than buying a frame off the shelf or the internet, and I think the result justifies the cost. Hopefully visitors and judges will think the same! (I should really have taken a decent photo of the framed final product before it went to the show, maybe later!)
My entries for the Flower Power show were actually partly inspired by a meeting with Clarke Reynolds ( www.seeingwithoutseeing.com ) at a previous exhibition at the Yellow Edge Gallery. Clarke is a blind artist who uses braille in his work to create a more interactive and inclusive experience – allowing people to touch the relief texture opens up his art to those who cannot see, but can still touch. While I do not claim to do the same, it made me think about whether I could add an extra dimension to my own work, lifting it off the page in some way. I had been gifted a 3D pen for Christmas a couple of years ago but never really felt like I was getting the best use out of it. I have discovered that the pen can be applied directly to canvas, and that I can apply primer over the top to allow me to paint over it too. This is something I hope to experiment further with in the coming months. The main tulip below has been outlined using the 3D pen, although this is best seen in person as a photograph doesn’t really show the texture.
AND FINALLY….the biggest news of the week is that my design has been chosen for this year’s Long Barn Christmas bauble. Some of the proceeds will go to a charity of my choice so I have some thinking to do. I can’t wait to see my design come to life and see how it works on a ball!
So the first event in my Autumn/Winter calendar for this year got off to a flying start – guest judge Jamie Sinclair awarded me Second prize at the preview evening of Fareham Art Group’s annual exhibition for my painting ‘Monochrome Minis. What made it even more special, is that there were 270 pieces in the exhibition, and my partner and parents were also in attendance. One proud little artist!
As if this wasn’t good enough, when the exhibition finished I discovered that I had also sold the painting – my first sale from a public exhibition, and not only that but I was also the winner of the public vote for their favourite painting (just!) Considering the amount of talent on display it’s fair to say that I am pretty thrilled as you can probably see below.
No rest for the wicked now though – two more paintings have already been dropped off to the Ashcroft Art Centre in Fareham today for their open art exhibition starting next week (7th November).
AND finally – a small plug for my Christmas cards now available on the store 😉
Well here we are again – the long run up to *whisper it* Christmas. Despite coming across the usual ‘all the markets I want to do are on the same flippin’ weekend’ issue, I now have a handful of paid, pending, and possible events lined up.
OCTOBER
This one is a definite – I have four original paintings submitted plus a number of prints and cards for sale. It was a terrific success last year and looks set to be even better this time around.
NOVEMBER
This one is also a definite – we did one day here last year and it was so good we’ve come back for a double dose this time around. Make sure you wrap up warm and bring a shopping bag! I have plenty of my new Spinnaker Tower Christmas cards and hoping that they do well in this part of Hampshire.
This one in Winchester is a possible – so far I have expressed interest but not heard anything back and there doesn’t appear to be a lot of information about timings as yet. Watch this space…
DECEMBER
If the Arc market is a possible then this one is currently ‘probable’. I will be focusing more on the Alresford themed cards and prints here, and will most likely be selling alongside my very talented friend Claire who crafts and makes all sorts of lovely things.
And finally this one is CONFIRMED, and I will be bringing plenty of South Coast appeal – prints or HMS Warrior, Fareham Creek, and the Spinnaker Tower, as well as my Spinnaker Tower Christmas cards.
I have decided that art and buses have a few things in common. Not only can it be expensive and unreliable, but you can go for months without an event you want to take part in and then multiple ones turn up at once!
Firstly for anyone with a brochure/interest in Hampshire Open Studios I will be guest artist with the lovely Karen from KJ Hammond Art (venue 249) in Titchfield Common this Saturday and Sunday (27-28 August). Karen produces some beautiful local scenes and sailing inspired images, and will be letting me use her gazebo to display some of my own work, prints, and cards.
This weekend is also the Southern Nature Art exhibition at Cams School here in Fareham. I’m told its one of the largest exhibitions dedicated to all things wildlife in the South, and I am delighted to have two of my pieces on display here this year.
If that isn’t enough you will find some of my work in the popup shop at The Arc (aka The Discovery Centre, aka Winchester Library) in Winchester alongside their Infinite Beauty Exhibition which runs from 9th September – 16th November. I’d say ‘hope to see you there’ but maybe ‘hope you see me there’ is more accurate.
Spring is here, and with it the start of market/fete season again. I am pleased to confirm that I will be participating in both days of the Makers’ Market at Fort Brockhurst in Gosport on May 28-29. I have been working hard on producing some new pieces to appeal to the locals at this end of Hampshire, and will be bringing prints of these to sell, as well as trialling some new product designs and miniature paintings. I hope some of you will be able to pop down and visit us 🙂
Please also take a look at my store page where there are some new prints and cards already available for order and pre order, with options to be added over the coming weeks.
https://www.poshbirdpaints.co.uk/store-2/
A belated Happy New Year to everyone, I am still finding myself a little stuck in the post-Christmas fog of knowing there are things to be done but not being entirely sure where to start. It was rather fortunate that I knew I had a large commission to get on with otherwise I feel I would have accomplished even less this month, but it has also been a good excuse for not doing the boring business bits and bobs that I loathe.
On the plus side I can finally share all the Christmas commissions I was working on in November and December, as well as a very special birthday one (the owl) for my lovely Dad.
In other good news THE FINAL TOTALS ARE IN! Very pleased to announce that by donating 20% of the sales totals from the Steam Illuminations image we have raised £158.02 for NHS Charities Together. Simon will be topping this up to £200 as a thank you for the excellent care that his Dad received at Warwick Hospital when he was unwell over the Christmas period. We are looking forward to belated celebrations with BOTH parents soon! Thank you very much to everyone that has contributed by buying cards and prints this year.
It appears to be THAT time of year again doesn’t it, and yet another case of ‘where did the last one go?’ This little artist is off to market again, this time in a Christmas jumper to add a little festive cheer to these dull Autumn days.
It seems like every Christmas fair in Hampshire is happening this weekend so rather than being able to do one every couple of weeks through November and December we were left almost with the option of doing one, two, or none. Consequently we are doing two on consecutive days.
We may regret this…
Hope to see you there!
