Having been a cat lover all my life and always having lived with cats it may come as some surprise to hear that this is the first time I've attempted to draw one. I used masking fluid to keep some of the white areas around her ears white and on some of the whiskers but I am not sure how sucessful this was really because, of course when rubbing the masking fluid away the pencil smudges really easily. Cleo was a pleasure to draw and I may exhibit her at Mellis Arts. Most of my paintings and drawings are currently either committed to or already in exhibitions so I need to pull my finger out and get painting!
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Mellis Arts is a brand new group of experienced artists who are opening a permanent exhibition of their work at The Railway Tavern in Mellis. The official opening and launch is on Friday 11th May 5.30pm to 8.30pm with free entry, a glass of plonk and nibbles. If you would like to know more please email susan@susanadcock.com or use the 'get in touch' link on this website. If not, just turn up! The work on display is diverse ranging from paintings, batik work, stained glass and crochet work.; please come and join us, we'ld love to see you there!
Baby Shower As these deer are all looking very rounded and theres a young deer present the title ' Baby Shower' immediately sprang to mind as an appropriate title. This drawing was completed using 9B and and HB pencil. The decision was to leave the background deliberately white with only an indication of grass at the deer's feet as their body markings were already quite striking and I didn't want to detract from that with a background. I like to think of a group of pregnant does meeting on a hilltop, or in the middle of a field to celebrate their pregnancy and young - maybe over humanising them somewhat but it brings a smile to my face to imagine it! This drawing can also be viewed under the tab 'Drawings'. Theres so many ideas for the next project but as time is so precious at the moment it is likely to be another pencil drawing as this can be completed in very small bursts in front of the tv or, as I keep promising myself, this type of work is so mobile, in my lunch break at work (but haven't done so yet). Maybe..... A quick update, I am busy working on new paintings and pencil drawings at the moment, but as predicted, in the sping and summer months art work will have to be balanced with gardening. There are a few exhibitions coming up that I am particpating in so work goes on. I am mindful that for me art has to be a pleasure, something I want to do and to enjoy the experience; sometimes when working hard for exhibitions it can begin to feel to rigid, structured and somewhat mechanical hence stifling the creative flow somewhat. I've hada few weeks break, including a trip to Portugal (see links for progress on the house) and am now fully back up to speed and engaging in the whole experience again.
New paintings and drawings will be published on this site very soon! I've had a week's break from painting but have just started a new pencil drawing, so work is back in progress. The sun has been shining and my garden has been beckoning, especially now the clocks have gone forward and the evenings are longer, so the challenge for me this summer is to keep my two greatest passions (apart from Roy!) working side-by-side; painting and gardening of course! I always know when its time to get back to being creative after a break because my fingers are itching to paint and draw and my mind is awash with fresh ideas. I try to keep a log of all my ideas, but sometimes they flash through my mind so quickly or at times when I can't write them down, in the middle of the night or during my work hours that sometimes ideas get missed, but I always think that if its a good idea it will come back to me. Roy and I are hoping to check on progress with the Portuguese house we bought in December very soon. I will make sure I pack some drawing and painting material as I am sure to find inspiration over there. Apparently its 25 degrees at the moment and they like us have had a very dry year so far.
Roy and I went to London yesterday, a very long day catching the 7.17am train and arriving back at 11pm. We had a fabulous day, the purpose of our trip was to go to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea and to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour exhibition at the Mall Galleries. Both are well worth a visit - I got to see some work by two watercolourists I really admire, Shirley Trevena and Ann Blockley - I buy all their books and love their individual and modern approach to painting in watercolour. I also discovered other amazing artists such as Anne Shankie, Richard Price, Kate Osborne, Josip Lizatovic, Alison Rankin, Emmie Van Biervliet, Claire McKnight and Emma S Davis to name a few at Battersea. At the Mall Galleries John Glover deservedly won a prestigious prize - he's local to us and Roy has attended art lessons with him in the past. Also exhibting and those I greatly admired were Mike Bernard, Nick Osborne, Rosa Sepple and of course Blockley and Trevena. I could go on and on about all the artists I discovered, but I would run out of space!!!! Mothers Day today and its raining - mum and dad both have flu so couldn't visit them as planned and can't get outside to garden, so I am using the time wiselycreating art, updating this blog and doing some internet research on all the fabulous artists I discovered yesterday.
I've been painting and selling poppy watercolours for years, in some ways they have been my signature flower, but for some reason I seem to be struggling a bit at the moment, it may have something to do with feeling under pressure with so many exhibitions coming up and not enough paintings ready. It may also be that I am my own worst critic and that this painting was not how I envisaged it in my minds eye! This painting will be on display at New Buckenham Art Exhibition, Norfolk over the Easter Weekend. The weekend was spent on a gardening blitz, my idea of bliss; the sun was shining and it felt like spring had finally arrived. I can't wait to get out there painting my own flowers again. Last year we grew hundreds of poppies in the garden, mainly because when we moved house I came across a jam jar in the garage filled with seeds and not being sure what they were, threw caution to the wind and sowed them everywhere - beautiful though not long lasting, but they did fill up the space in my newly dug garden. I was in the lucky position of having a new garden laid to grass, so have been busily designing it and filling it up with my choice of plants - it looked a picture last year so hopefully with a years maturity it will look even more beautiful this year. We've already had the snowdrops, crocuses and daffs up in the grass and the bluebells are starting to show now. A selection of my paintings and drawings can be seen on display and for sale at The Lemon Tree Bistro, Framlingham, Suffolk. With kind thanks to Leo from The Lemon Tree. A link to The Lemon Tree will be included on this site soon. Excellent food, excellent venue, great ambiance, great art work!!!
Three Roses I'm working hard to complete pieces of work for the exibitions I intend to take part in (see previous blogs). Here's my latest watercolour that I've called Three Roses. I tried some new techniques - no masking fluid again. The outline was drawn in pencil then a wash of cobalt blue and aureolin was used, leaving the roses white, but blending into the perimeters of these with colour. A spritzer was used to shift and move the colours around a bit and my old favoutie salt was used in places. Once this was dry I started to paint in the dark areas using french ultramarine, phtlalo turquoise (one of my favourites), sap green and touches of alazarin crimson to create a dark bluey green tone. At times I mixed the paint in the pallet and sometimes on the paper. The leaves and the rose petals were painted in far more paintstakingly and carefully, using wet into wet techniques mainly, using a pre-selected small mixture of colours. I enjoyed creating this painting but it did take a while, partly due to having a busy few weeks doing other things and not having the spare time to give to painting. Got to pull my finger out now, exhibitions are looming large and my lovely Roy and I are having a week visiting our property in Portugal very soon (see links), oh and I will also be exhibiting some of my work at The Lemon Tree Bistro in Framlingham from this weekend, all being well! Better stop stalling and go get painting! I am very pleased to say that I intend to be exhibitiing some of my work at the following art exhibitions:
Needham Market Art Exhibition - Suffolk - Easter Weekend New Buckenham Art Exhibition - Norfolk - Easter Weekend Stowmarket Art Exhibition - Suffolk - details to follow, but usually Whitsun week I am also delighted that my application to join Waveney Springs Art Collective has been accepted and I will be participating in various events - details to follow - including two open studio weekends in September. |
AuthorSusan C. Adcock Archives
September 2014
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