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!
