Some news....

I didn't get placed in the OXART competition - but they did ask me to exhibit at the ARTS-INC Gallery alongside them so I feel very chuffed!! Its a really lovely gallery so please if you're nearby - pop in and take a look. There are some marvellous art works on show (I feel very honoured).

I have also been asked to join the Oxford Arts Society so I'm currently exhibiting some work in their Winter Exhibition at Art Jericho.

And perhaps the biggest news of all, is that I am "finally" in a gallery.

Wilton Art Gallery - newly opening to showcase contempory UK art in Wilton just outside Salisbury. The opening preview evening is next week so I'm looking forward to that. In fact I am really looking forward to seeing my Dreamtime series finally hung alongside each other as they were always intended. I just don't have the wall space since each of these is a metre square...and most small galleries don't - so I'm very excited. I shall be posting pictures.......but to give you an idea, here are the three together. I also included some other florals which I won't reproduce here.

Back to black - change your shoes, change your life V

Finished and framed.

Phtographing paintings behind glass needs better studio lighting than I have - but you get the idea.

This one will be exhibited and for sale at the Eynsham Arts Group Winter Exhibition which opens on the 21st November.

The original boots belong to Marmalade Kiss (lucky devil!)

Next.....

This is going to be my submission for the Eynsham Arts Group Exhibition which opens on the 21st November in the Bartholomew Rooms.

These boots are not quite finished...I need to refine the background ( I keep changing my mind) and the highlights on the patent leather need bringing up.

I have the most gorgeous gothic black swept frame to put these in, and all should be completed by tomorrow. I have decided to just enter one painting, and for the first time have pushed the boat out and had some limited edition giclee prints done of my other shoe paintings. I have never tried selling prints before so this should be quite a learning curve. I have also got some more fridge magnets made up - again of the shoes. Hopefully these will offer an interesting alternative to cards.

No news yet on the OXART competition - watch this space. All busy in the studio otherwise as I have been asked to submit paintings for a new gallery. Details to follow!!

Shoe news

Its been a while but I've some great news about a couple of my shoe paintings!!

First off, pink shoes in my Change your shoes, Change your life series have been shortlisted in the Little Christmas Art competition. The competition was open to all artists in Oxfordshire and this painting is one of 30 from which the judges will be choosing 3.

(gulp!)

The suede shoe painting was also accepted for inclusion in the Oxford Art Society Open Exhibition which runs until October 30th at the Said Business School in Oxford.

This is an annual exhibition and the first year I have been accepted.

I went along to the private view party last week which was opened by Helen Peacocke. You can read her review by following the link.

I took a somewhat shaky photo on my phone (not wanted to appear too gauche with a camera) and also snapped a fellow Eynsham Artist Graham Rice in front of his painting.

I was way too self-concious to agree to a picture in front of mine. There were far too many artistic luminaries about!! It was great to bump into fellow artist Barbara Gorayska....I haven't seen her since we exhibited together at the Jam Factory a couple of years ago.

All in all a good month for shoes!!

Competition

I thought I might enter the Little Xmas Art competition which is an Oxfordshire based competition sponsored by Art Fusion and Art Inc Gallery.

Hopefully lots of the Eynsham Arts Group will enter as its on our doorstep so to speak.

The entry deadline is 20th October, so I have decided on entering a recent painting rather than starting a new one as I have some plans and ideas but not the time (even at my painting speed!) to execute them.

I am still building on my shoe collection in the hope of getting a gallery interested in the new year. Its going to be one of my New Year Resolutions (in capital letters) to make more of an effort to promote my work. Its difficult though, the other non-business minded side of me whines...what with 2 young children, a teaching job, and a household to run. Its small wonder I find the time to clean out my brushes properly (which I invariably don't) let alone pitch to galleries. Hope springs eh?

A place in the sun

I was in Crete this time last month. Beautiful long lazy sunny days and warm evenings. I promised the owners of the place we were staying - which was utterly fantastic by the way - the Hotel Aloi in Annisaras - that I would send a painting. And this is it. It isn't finished yet, school term has started so my painting hours have been somewhat curtailed. It is oil on canvas paper...since that can be rolled up easily and sent via airmail. It depicts the path through the gardens to the terrace, late in the afternoon when the sun was low and less fierce and really illuminated the trees.

Nuff said

Purple haze

75 x 100 cm on box canvas, acrylic and Graham I owe you a whole tub of white and a few brushes...

I haven't painted in acrylic for a while, the oils have been taking precedence. I'd forgotton what fun it is to paint B I G.

Killer heels

This is a work in progress....I have to admit to being hugely envious of the owner of these babies!

Do I have a shoe thing????

Made this at school as part of a whole school Roald Dahl project. Mod roc (brilliant stuff!) over metres and metres of chicken wire. It took one day, and about 30 children. Getting it back inside was a comedy moment though....but oh such fun !!!

Normal service (nearly resumed)

Check out these cha-cha heels....courtesy of fellow blogger and famous seamstress, ..... Marmalade Kiss ......and my next shoe project.

Painting suede is hard....

This isn't finished in my customary speed, but I am pleased with the progress thus far. The bracelet is still a bit messy, and the tone on the front of the shoes isn't right. I'll get there...eventually. I am going to frame it in a siilar frame to the pink shoes (see below). Here is a link to my newly discovered star framing supplier Friargate Framing

Don't step on my dirty beige shoes...

Latest in line for the 'Change your shoes, Change your life' project. Lorna suggested I add some jewellery into the composition so here you are. The shoes are old abandoned ones of mine found at the back of the cupboard. The bracelet is made from seed pearls and bits and bobs and very cherished. I like the shadows cast by the straps and the seeds....
I took this photo after ages faffing over how to place the shoes. Its been sunny recently and perfect for taking outdoor natural daylight photos. School has started back so I am not sure when these will get finished but I can see these in a frame likethe pink ones......hmmm

Blue blue shoes

My letter from the RA arrived today. Dated 29th May however, so I can console myself that I lasted for more rounds than last time.
But hey, "the" frame has arrived so I'll post a pic soon.

Found a frame!

After quite literally an accumulative 8 hours of online frame searching, I have found the perfect frame for the Threadneedle pink shoes. Thanks to Friargate Frames (an ebay store) I am awaiting delivery of this:
The frame is wood with plaster moulding, ivory colour and totally perfect.

Other (non)news is that I am STILL waiting to hear if the blue shoes got into the RA. No letter. Despite friends in the same village getting theirs. I can't remember being so agitated at the no-show of the postman since valentines day 1980.!!!

Thinking landscape after all.

I can't help wishing I'd painted these as if they were abandoned on a sandy beach. Well, its what I imagine anyway. Perhaps the background is best left neutral so viewers can make their own narrative...thanks for the suggestions all. :-)
Decision now is....what frame???? This work is destined for the Threadneedle Exhibition/Competition in London next month...so I need to decide soon.

Change your shoes, change your life IV

Been rummaging in the back of my wardrobe today. Looking for some shoes to paint as part of my 'Change' series. These, believe it or not, were (in the eighties) very expensive and now very battered silk Cartier's. Luckily the sun was out so loads of good lighting for the photos. It has (however) taken the best part of 2 hours to upload said photos after having to reinstall drivers for the camera. Why does a 30 minute job always take an afternoon??
Who knows.
Anyway. I'm off into the studio now to see what I can come up with. I'll update later.....

.....2 hours later here we are.

I do enjoy using this canvas paper. The grain is similar to very fine canvas but you can tape it to a board and you're ready to go. Its Crimson & Blake and rare as hens teeth. I got my pad from a well known online auction site, since none of my usual artist suppliers stock it. I haven't signed this one yet. I cannot decide whether it looks best portrait or landscape. Any suggestion?

Still life studio

I have never tried a still life before. Something about arranging vegetables into an exact arrangement seems to me rather pointless as a composition. Why not just take a photo? Well that was before I started dabbling in oil and thought the exercise would be worthwhile. Rather than stage it, I did just take a snap shot of my studio table instead, and painted this afternoon. The portrait in the background is me (in oil), painted by Ron Freeborn last year during an Arts group meeting. I have to hold my hand up in shame to the abandoned paintbrushes in jam jars. In my defence, I am in the middle of finishing a shoe painting and thought it a waste of white spirit to clean them in between 'goes'. The two abandoned wine glasses in the foreground are from the other eve when I had some company in the studio. I have since washed them up...honest :-)

Still some finishing to do, but I have enjoyed the process.

Spring Exhibition May 2 - May 17

The Poppyfield (acrylic & gold leaf)

Change your shoes...change your life II (oil)

Primavera (oil)

The Eynsham Arts Group are having an Artweeks exhibition and these are the paintings I am showing. You can view a lot more of the groups work here or even better, why not come along and view the real thing. There will always be one of the artists around and there are cards and prints etc for sale also.

First day of the year without boots!

I am a boots gal by winter and a flip flop girl by summer. Its gorgeous today, so I rummaged in the wardrobe and left my socks behind. :-)
Maddy took this photo. We're sat on spare pond liner "supervising" as MrC digs a pond for the garden. G & T anyone?

Art Weeks

Today I have been in the studio finishing work for the next Arts Group exhibition which takes place on 2nd - 17th May. Having decided to submit oils rather than acrylics this year, I have had to do some planning (for a change) to make sure the layers all get finshed (and have time to dry).
I am cutting it extremely fine (again - as per usual) but I am very pleased with the results so far.
This is a large-ish box canvas. Its not finished yet (eek!) but should be by tomorrow. Since I am building up the colour by using lots of thin layers of oil, it is drying very quickly. Sometimes I miss my acrylics.......sniff.

Primavera

Being in an oil-paint mojo these days, this is my first floral using oils. Its not finished (and yes Lorna its low res) but I hope to complete it this week. Artweeks isn't that far away now and I am working on a body of oil florals to exhibit.
Its a larger version of a similar acrylic I donated for auction last year. The idea is that the background buds and foliage will be in soft focus, and the middle prominant petals will be very sharp focus. There is a lot more detail to go into the centre flower, and if I had worked this in acrylic it would have been finished by now. However, I think the vibrancy of colour you get with oil certainly lend themselves to the colours I have used here....(and green is one of my favourite).

More shoes....in progress

This is number 3. Unfinished as I need the paint to dry so I can paint in the laces. I suspect the owner of these picked them in part for their tartan linings! (mutter mutter). LOL.

I want to paint portraits of shoes rather than people and build up a series for a gallery. I think favourite shoes can say a lot about a person....the shoes themselves and also the ones that are picked. If you would like your favourite pair painted and included please let me know...I am on the look out for the interesting and the quirky :-)

Change your life, change your shoes II

This isn't finished yet...I can't decide what to do about some shadows under the heels.

Change your life, Change your shoes

I was given a set of oils for christmas. I am usually an acrylics kind of gal, but have been wanting to 'have a go' at some oils for some time ......... This one has been painted on canvas paper (about 21 cm x 21 cm) which proved a really good substrate. Its not so good with acrylics so I thought I would give it a try with oils instead. The rough surface is ideal for slapping on oil colours and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I had no idea oils were so much fun!! Those that know me will not be surprsed by the subject matter, since I 'love' shoes. They are works of art in themselves and I am after having a go at painting some cha-cha heels next :-)