Paint Newsletter November 2008

T H E

N E W S L E T T E R

O F

T H E

S A A

The Perfect Painting Holiday Questions you should ask yourself

A Guide to Portraiture David McEwen introduces us to an old friend of his

Painting with feeling Alan Brain considers what gives a painting that little ‘je ne sais quoi’? w w w. s a a . c o . u k

NOVEMBER 2008

WELCOME

Welcome...

A Note From

to your November issue of Paint As the end of the year races towards us and economic turmoil threatens, finding the time for painting will provide a happy release from the pressures of life at the same time as offering the perfect opportunity to save money and give a huge amount of pleasure to friends and family.

Now is the time you could be busy painting your Christmas cards and presents; whether you choose to use pencil, watercolour, or pastel, acrylic or oil, this issue offers a wealth of expert advice and tuition that will help you on your way.

In her article on page 6 Margaret Evans tackles 30 minute pastels to keep your work spontaneous and full of life, and for something a little different, on page 16 Tessa Spanton takes a look at oil pastels and shows how versatile they are.

Finally put your feet up with a cup of coffee and test your artistic knowledge with Kate Mincher’s Questions of Art on page 18 – find out just how much you really know.

As always, we’d love to hear from you about anything featured in Paint, or anything ‘arty’ you would like to share with fellow members; e-mail us at paint@saa.co.uk or write to Paint care of Head Office.

Happy Christmas and New Year, and Happy Painting.

Jeremy Ford President of the SAA Years ago when studying at college it was impressed upon me that, in order to achieve a desired outcome, planning is of vital importance. Some of us plan more than others and we plan in a variety of ways depending upon the situation.

Without wanting to be too deep, there are many approaches to planning and a good example is the "Draw, See, Think" method which can be applied to anything in life. The word “draw” here really means identifying.

Draw - what is the ideal image or the desired end state?

See - what is today's situation? What is the gap from ideal and why?

Think - what specific actions must be taken to close the gap between today's situation and the ideal state?

Plan - what resources are required to execute the activities?

This shows us that a brief analysis of our situation can help us determine what needs to be done if we want to achieve our particular desired outcome.

Chandy Rodgers Publishing Editor, Paint

Kate Mincher Contributing Editor

Try your hand at...

Sarah Edghill Assistant Editor

A little fishing with Paul Talbot-Greaves

Keep in touch by e-mailing: paint@saa.co.uk or write to or telephone head office Advertising booking and enquiries: Paul Harris 0208 2709476 or e-mail paul@saa.co.uk

MATERIALS • Bockingford paper 425gsm (200lb) NOT • SAA Blue Masking fluid • SAA Watercolour paints: Cobalt Blue, Sap Green, Burnt Sienna, Payne's Grey, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Opaque White.

The SAA PO Box 50, Newark Notts NG23 5GY Tel 01949 844050 Fax 01949 844051 email: saa@saa.co.uk www.saa.co.uk

Draw the boat carefully because this is the focus of the picture. If it helps, get the drawing correct on cartridge paper then trace

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PAINT November 2008

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In a nutshell I’d say that it really means thinking ahead, and with that in mind maybe it’s time to be thinking about how and what you’re going to be painting in 2009?

Next year might seem a distant thought right now but why not consider joining a painting class, or doing a home study course? Book a workshop or a painting holiday for next year.

There are so many courses on offer that it's a good idea to do a bit of homework to look for one that suits you personally. I frequently hear students say they wish they’d done something like that ages ago but always worried that they’d be the worst person in the group. People need to forget this idea that they have to be competent before attending a course; all you need is a willingness to learn, a good sense of fun and a sense of humour helps too.

Don’t let another year fly by without seizing your opportunities: start planning now for all you want to achieve in 2009.

Happy Painting in the New Year

this onto your watercolour paper. Apply a 1cm (approx) band of blue masking fluid around the outline of the boat in order to protect the shape from the washes you are about to paint.

Mix some Cobalt Blue with a small amount of Sap Green and plenty of water! Wash this over the whole picture but around the boat make it slightly stronger at the bottom.

When the big wash has dried, mix Sap Green and Burnt Sienna to create a green-brown

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Front Cover Picture by Bernard Carter (80400) ‘The Enjoyable and the Eatable’, watercolour 17cm x 15cm Try your Hand at…

‘A little fishing’, ...with Paul TalbotGreaves The Results See how you fared painting ‘Breeze’ with Joe Francis Dowden Pastel Perfection Spontaneous pastels in 30 minutes with Margaret Evans

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Three Little Pigs Using just three watercolours – Marilyn Allis demonstrates A Guide to Portraiture David McEwen introduces us to an old friend of his Essential Oils Martin Kinnear takes us back in time to see how the masters worked Simply Magic Jean Haines abandons her pencil to capture some autumnal rosehips in watercolour Exploring Oil Pastels Tessa Spanton explains A Question of Art Kate Mincher puts you to the test

colour. This wash must be mid to dark in tonal strength so use plenty of paint and less water to get the density and the volume required. A big brush works well here as it allows you to apply the colour quickly whilst easily suggesting the rounded shapes of the wavy water. Apply the colour evenly then add Payne's Grey into the colour mix (very dark) and brush some zigzag reflections into the green-brown area wet-into-wet. Use the same colours to create the wavy reflection of the boat.

When the washes are dry you can apply some more dark zigzags as wet-on-dry in the upper area like I have done, but see how you feel at this stage. They’re not absolutely necessary if the top wash is interesting enough.

Work on the reflections of the boat by over layering the first wash with the colours of the hull. Use Burnt Sienna for the stripe across the stern then Burnt Sienna, Sap Green and Payne's Grey for the darker shapes of the reflected underside. I would normally paint reflections last but in this case it is convenient whilst the masking fluid is still in place. When the washes are bone dry remove the masking.

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Now you can relax into the painting with some careful washes using smaller brushes allowing each differently coloured section to dry before moving on to the next. Use Cobalt

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1 Blue for the inner part of the boat, then Cobalt Blue mixed with Alizarin Crimson (or Permanent Rose) for the thwarts (plank seats) and box. Use a very pale version of this colour for the shadows on the white floats. Paint the wooden parts of the hull in Burnt Sienna and mix this with Payne's Grey for the darker, shadowed areas. Use Cadmium Red for the buoys (Payne's Grey for the fastening), Alizarin Crimson at the base of the stern and finally Cobalt Blue mixed with a tiny amount of Sap Green for the shadowed parts on the white sections of the boat.

Add the details to finish the picture. Use Cobalt Blue to paint the inner ribs of the vessel. Apply the edges of the thwarts with a darker mix of their original colour and suggest some of the planking lines on the outside using Burnt Sienna and Payne's Grey. You can continue to make the boat as detailed as you want. Whether you paint the bits and pieces loosely or intricately is entirely down to your own style and approach. With a damp brush gently remove some highlights on the sides of the boat and the round buoy. Finally add the ropes with my ‘rope trick’. Apply Opaque White to the edge of an off-cut of watercolour paper

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then gently bend it to the appropriate line and stamp the paint onto the paper. Apply a few dabs of white on the darker water then add a couple of rope reflections using the Burnt Sienna, Sap Green and Payne's Grey mix.

If you try your hand at this exercise and would like your painting to be one of a small selection to be considered for inclusion in Paint with a brief critique by Paul, please send your work as a good quality photo, copy or digital image (300dpi, minimum 8cm x 8cm) by e-mail (paint@saa.co.uk) or on disc to Head Office.

We are sorry but we are unable to return your paintings so please do not send originals if you need them to be returned.

Signed copies of Paul’s new book, 30-Minute Landscapes, published by Walter Foster (USA) are available from his website along with a full programme of events; www.talbot-greaves.co.uk or e-mail him at information@talbot-greaves.co.uk.

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Copyright DACS looks at the implications of painting famous people and places What’s New for You? Some arty essentials; gifts for you or your friends

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Artist of the Year Introducing some more winners to inspire you to have a go

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A Blacker Black David Evans puts Derwent’s new Onyx Pencils to the test

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Painting with feeling Alan Brain considers what gives a painting that little ‘je ne sais quoi’?

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Letter from America Charles Reid offers some helpful advice SAA at Your Service How to go Platinum with our new level of membership plus added insurance benefits for all members SAA Challenge 2008 A week of art – how has it been for you?

SAA Bursary 2008 Meet this year’s winners Acrylic Action with Michael Sanders

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Artist’s Inspiration Using Winsor & Newton Watercolours, Geoff Kersey follows in the steps of Edward Seago The Perfect Painting Holiday Questions you should ask yourself Let’s Reflect Letters and more Dates for Your Diary What’s happening and where?

Introducing... some SAA top tutors Front Cover Artist Profiled An interview with Bernard Carter Member’s Gallery Animal, Vegetable or Mineral

November 2008 PAINT

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PRACTISE

Try your hand at Painting the Breeze YOU TRIED AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE RESULTS

DOT BALCOMBE

In the July issue of Paint, Joe Francis Dowden invited you to ‘Paint the Breeze’ – we hope you enjoyed the exercise. Here are a few of your paintings accompanied by constructive comments from Joe, which we hope you find interesting whether or not your painting is shown

This painting shows a bold attack on the subject, with free application of paint, understanding of tone and willingness to just rip in there and put it down. Your figures are not overworked - and you are not frightened to have them merge. On the beach you left sparkle showing through the wash. Through not being tidy you have allowed the medium to work. Get a finer brush for the pier and legs and make them really thin – the pier will still stand! Don’t be frightened to do even less detail. Keep doing what you are doing - be confident, mix the paint and chuck it down. I like the strength and character of the marks in the sea.

DON MONTAGUE You have achieved sparkle in a vast sea on a glorious day. You used a stretched sheet of Arches – the paper is a great help. I simply suggest doing more sparkle. You have got the technique – just dipping the bristles gently, then touching them gingerly on the paper to get the “spikeyness” of the shapes. You have also rotated the brush after each dab so that the fibres are in a different position to avoid endless repetition of the same mark. Get several cheap hog hair brushes and use them one after another as they become clogged. Clean them by dipping in boiled water and combing out the dried masking with a stout needle.

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VINCE TELFORD

CHRISTINE SLATER

The texture is abstract, vivid and with no doubts about what is happening here. You could use a finer pointing brush for pier detail, especially flags. The light is ticking all the visual boxes for “dazzle”. You have cracked the code for this light effect, it just paints itself – you don’t have to copy shapes. Every wave seems to be rearing up and heading toward the viewer. You have used a mass of masking texture and then added bold tonal texture. The Arches paper has coped with the vast quantity of masking – few others would have done.

Silvery light, a windy day, expression and movement everywhere; you have ability. Be confident, mix the colour and wop it on. Your tonal values are good. Don’t worry too much about transferring your mental image to the paper. Paintings are not conceived in the mind, but somewhere between mind and execution. It is within that space that we develop as artists.

Our location between those points makes us interesting. Find that place and your work will develop.

MR C BENNETT

ELIZABETH LEWIS The masking looks like foam rather than glinting sparkles, but it’s very good foam. I think you brushed a flat wash over the masking letting this to do the work – very good. If you want more of a sunlit glint, dry brush the colour, less and paler in the centre, stronger further away. A stronger sky and some dark accents in amongst the dry brush, away from the centre, will give contrast. Breaking waves rolling ashore and texture in perspective all make your artwork convincing.

For someone who has only been painting since January this is impressive. The masked sea texture works. Sky and beach tones offset sea lights. Intense darks work well.

There was no need to paint the sky round the pier. Paint sky down to sea and over paint the pier as it is darker. Work from light to dark in all your watercolour. This means saving whites first, then over painting progressively darker tones. Paint around lighter ones. The large empty sky could have been removed by having deeper foreground. This is about sea rather than sky. A higher horizon would have lost some sky and given more sea.

BARBARA NORMAN

KEITH GILBERT Rapid fire sketching in monochrome, proving that dynamism comes from tone, not colour. I couldn’t detect much evidence of masking texture, but the dry brushed and scumbled paint not only works well but is stylish. Foreground shadows should point to the distinct light source ahead – even light obeys the laws of perspective. You outlined the pier - not necessary – less is more and just a few marks will speak volumes. Let the mind of the observer fill in detail. Kill most outlines in watercolour.

A successful painting with good washes. The mid tones which are needed to contrast light on the sea and show up the masking could have been stronger. Mixing enough colour is made easier by working a little smaller. The painting filled a 15” x 11” sheet with a nice margin. Try working smaller rather than filling the sheet.

The same amount of paint would then have been sufficient. You could do with more masking as well, but this soft paper could be replaced with a tougher paper such as Arches 140lb NOT, ideal when using lots of masking fluid.

MAURICE CANSDALE CHRISTINE GREW This scene certainly sparkles. I like the way the sparkle texture is completely random with no definite shapes, yet the tonal texture for the water gives dark hollows of the waves – two different textures combining - it enables me to see it another way. A minor point is the dark waves near the shore – they are a little straight.

Your excellent washes are the result of applying sufficient quantities of colour and not touching them again. Let’s see more of the same.

Good drawing and good central light area. I also like the light on the breakwater. Looking closely at your work I can see that you have done a good transition from tonal texture to light texture in the sea. You can think of this in two ways, gradually diminishing light texture or gradually increasing tone texture. This technique allows you to have them both. Your waves are a little too “neatly” curled over. They don’t need to do this to look like waves. Your long ragged ranks and tonal texture all give the impression perfectly without “modelling” the waves. Well done.

JANE SKILLICORN Your masking is different but, like handwriting, unique to you. The spatter is good. You could try masking with the brush fibres splayed separately to avoid “blobby” marks. Touch the fibres gingerly on the paper. The outline on the pier is OK as line and wash goes, as the painting is light, but you could leave out lines in future and let the tone do the talking by mixing much more colour; this will power up your sunshine.

Your tissue paper clouds are good, but don’t forget that this scene is into the sun or “contre jour”; this means objects tend toward dark or silhouetted. Lights are only found on horizontal surfaces. Your saved light, blue sky and warm beach have given us a sunny day, well done!

Joe runs monthly Wednesday and Saturday workshops in the Worthing area. He leads a Croatia painting holiday once a year – reserve now for 2009. He runs residential courses in Britain at Broadland Arts Centre and others. His work is currently on tour with the British Modern Masters, and on show at Elford Fine Art in Devon.

A new high resolution gallery and tutorials feature on his website www.joedowden.com email: joe@joedowden.com tel: 01903 237096 / 0788 799 8499

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PASTELS

Pastel Perfection 1

Former SAA President Margaret Evans shows how 30 minute paintings will retain spontaneity and freshness in your pastels A great way to avoid the pressure of creating a ‘painting’ is to treat it as a sketch, and restrict the time you spend on it. Most plein-air painters will practise this often, knowing that their time is restricted by the weather – even constant sunshine moves shadows and changes the composition drastically! Rather than fighting against nature that’s not going to wait for you to get your drawing, composition or colour mixing right, go for it in a short time scale, such as 30 minutes. Collins’ 30-minute series of books show how different artists work in different media; cope with this time restriction and, when you try, you’ll discover that most work produced this way is fresher, more dynamic and unfussy.

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TWO POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN PAINTING PASTELS IN 30 MINUTES The first point is to consider your actions, and your equipment, as whatever you do, and whatever is used to do it with, must be simplified, to make valuable use of every single minute – after all, you only have 30 of them!

To create something quick and spontaneous, I often say to my students ‘paint as though the bus is leaving with or without you in 30 minutes!’ As soon as you know the time is limited, you cut to the chase and simplify. But that alone is not enough if the equipment isn’t also simplified. By cutting down your choices of what to use, you won’t be held back by indecision.

WHICH LEADS ME TO THE 2nd POINT – PASTELS

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I’ve previously discussed how pastels are an ongoing love affair – once you have some, you always want more. As pastel sets grow into enormous collections to include thick, thin, soft, hard, colours and tints of every description, this becomes too heavy to transport around, hence students often think that pastels are not for outdoors. Well, that is nonsense. If we go out to paint with watercolours, we wouldn’t take every tube of watercolour we possess, would we? So pastels are no different – we pre-select a good palette of colours and tints that will cover all things, and learn the basic principles of colour mixing. A basic set of Ashby Artists’ Soft Pastels is ideal for travelling, as they are not too soft and crumbly, and travel well. Add to this a small box of your favourite extra soft pastels – these will broaden your options with what I consider to be ‘shortcut’ colours, such as sky blues, creams, and soft pinks, and a few really good darks, like indigo, greens, browns, purple-

greys. These contrasting darks and lights will supplement the basic set that Ashby provides.

You can also add a few pastel pencils for details, such as a few good darks. Get to know your own choices of tints that you rely on when painting indoors, and make sure they are included in your travel set. To save carrying lots of loose sheets of paper, a pad of Daler-Rowney Murano paper will offer you great choices of colours to work on, and keep them together in the pad. This would all fit in a small backpack, and keep life simple!

I simplify the painting process into three stages, which relate to any medium, and with pastel especially. Sketch in – block in – build up.

Sketch in – Fig 1 - this first stage considers the simple large shapes, and placing them on the paper to create the best composition. I use the softer pastels, which avoids getting involved in too much detail at this stage, but concentrate on the large shapes, which should only take five minutes to do.

Using a pink which will feature in the painting colour scheme, on dark Aubergine paper, I sketch the outline shapes of the main composition ie sky, sea and land mass.

Block in – Fig 2- this provides the ‘building blocks’ of colour, which give the general theme to the painting, and capture the light and shade at an early stage before the light changes too much. Still using the soft pastels, but blocking with the side of the stick, which has been broken to approx 1 – 2 inches, rather like a broad flat brush. At this stage, block in heavily where you want to cover the paper colour, and lightly where you can utilise the paper colour to show through, like glazing layers – this can be done in 10 minutes.

The sky and sea areas are blocked in quite heavily with light pinks and blues to cover the dark paper, and the land area has a mid-tone green to surround the cottage outline in the foreground, but with no detail at this stage.

Build up – Fig 3 - you now have 15 minutes to build up, using further broad flat strokes of colour, or the end of the stick for more detailed marks, to adjust the colours you put in, add detail, and correct any drawing that needs doing. Avoid using any pencils too soon, as you will find yourself ‘fiddling’ and using up too much time on singular areas, instead of reviewing the whole picture as a unit. At this stage it may feel like you are juggling six balls in the air at once, but practice will perfect this technique, and the painting will come together quickly.

Now that the large areas are dealt with, 15 minutes is plenty of time to develop the details, and smooth out the sky and sea to contrast against the textures of the land.

‘French Landscape’

‘FRENCH LANDSCAPE’ - predominantly a green and yellow scene. By using a dark Aubergine paper for darker shadow areas, I could quickly capture the colour impact of the scene with a few colours then spend the remaining build-up time on a few details, like the distant house and some trees as well as textural marks to the landscape.

‘SPANISH ROCK HOUSE’ - the striking hot orange colours in the rocks contrasted boldly against the very rough blue paper, which also provided the rough texture for the ragged rocks.

A few pastel pencils were then used to tidy up the drawing of the buildings.

‘RED & BLUE BOATS’ - potentially a more complex scene with lots of activity, but the same principles applied by simplifying the buildings into one mass shape, leaving more time to spend on the drawing of the boats and

‘Spanish Rock House’

bridge, and a few squiggles to suggest a busy market!

‘INDIAN CANOE’ - an ideal way to develop these quick sketching habits, is to try a monochrome sketch with a dark pastel pencil such as black, sepia or indigo, concentrating on tonal values. Simply sketch the bigger shapes first, block in dark areas, and save the detail for the main subject. This is an excellent way to work out the varying depths of tone, and, backed up with a photograph for colour references, can be used to work from back home, as in this sketch. These one-colour sketches will soon only take you 10-15 minutes.

BACK IN THE STUDIO The habit of working fast is also useful back in the studio, before you start a painting. A halfhour spent working out tonal and colour themes, can save a lot of grief when the ‘Indian Canoe’

‘Red & Blue Boats’

painting goes wrong because you didn’t spend a little time working out some of the plans first.

Try it, first chance you have 30 minutes to spare!

Join Margaret next time when she will be talking about ‘wet and dry pastels’...

Margaret teaches workshops on all mediums and subjects at her home base at Shinafoot Studios in Perthshire Scotland all year round, and runs numerous painting holidays abroad, including Venice, Tuscany, Puglia, South of France and Croatia. For full details see www.shinafoot.co.uk , phone 01764 663639 or e-mail info@shinafoot.co.uk A one-woman Exhibition of Margaret's new work with take place at Gallery Eilean Larmain, on the Isle of Skye from 4th - 22nd July 2009

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TUTORIAL

Three Little Pigs in just three colours!

Marilyn Allis creates a fun painting from an unusual view point

Materials: • SAA Big Wash Brush • SAA All Rounder

It is amazing the material you can find on your doorstep, to use as a composition for painting.

I couldn’t resist these three pigs. The three bottoms make an unusual composition that grabs your attention.

In reality the background all looks the same and is almost the same tone as the pigs, but this can easily be altered to create colour contrasts and to make your painting work for you.

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• Arches 90lb rough paper • SAA Watercolour Paints: Raw Sienna Alizarin Crimson French Ultramarine Sketch the composition onto stretched watercolour paper. Mix a wash of Raw Sienna and a hint of Alizarin Crimson. Make sure you mix up plenty to start with so that you don’t have to stop to re-mix half way through. I decided to divide the landscape, using this wash for the bottom third of the picture.

(For the other two thirds I will use a wash of French Ultramarine to show up the pigs and to break up the monotony of the foreground.) Wash over any areas that are dark in tone on the pigs’ legs, leaving only the areas that are very light white. Add a little neat Raw Sienna into the corners; this will add a little variety to the foreground wash.

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Using Raw Sienna, paint the top of the first pig and then adding Alizarin Crimson let the colour merge to cover the complete pig. Leave any parts of the pig very pale where the light is hitting it (lots of water and very little pigment).

If you aren’t sure squint at the reference material and use the shapes you see to create your light and dark shapes, or photocopy into

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French Ultramarine

Raw Sienna

Alizarin Crimson

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black and white, so the tones stand out more.

Now complete the second pig in the same way as the first; with this pig add a little French Ultramarine to the right hand side that is in shadow.

The third pig can be painted with Raw Sienna to start and then French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson; wash in exactly the same way as the other two pigs letting the washes mix and merge with each other.

Make a medium thick wash of French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson and using the big wash brush paint over any medium toned shadow areas you can see.

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When this is completely dry use a much thicker mix of French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson (hardly any water with lots of pigment) and add the very very dark tones you can see.

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Add some water to this mix and use it for your shadows underneath the pigs. Use some French Ultramarine for the sky which will break up the composition nicely. It will also show off the colour and tone of the pigs. To balance the painting, add a few blobs of French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson to the foreground. This will help to add interest to the foreground too.

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And there you have it, three little bottoms, happy as pigs in muck.

If you enjoyed this exercise, Marilyn’s exciting new book and tie-in DVD ‘Animals on the Loose’, a guide to painting animals, is now available from SAA Home Shop, along with her first book and DVD title, ‘People aren’t Scary (Really)’.

For information about workshops and courses with Marilyn, visit www.marilyn.allis.btinternet.co.uk or call her on 01202 880084

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PORTRAITS

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A Guide to Portraiture Professional Artist David McEwen introduces us to an old friend…

A portrait is not merely a likeness, it's a subtle, elusive thing, hard to find and execute, so probably the most demanding painting you'll ever do. Of course it's important to put together a correct combination of hair and skin colour, the shape and position of the eyes, nose, ears and chin, but there is more to it than that. You, as a painter, must tell a story. When I was acting I learned an early and important lesson. An actor does not merely stand on stage and spout lines in response to cues. Actors must know where they have come from before they reach the stage and where they are going after they leave. A good actor knows ‘the story’ behind the character in the script.

Just as with acting, when painting a portrait from life try to get to know the model, chat to them and put them at their ease if you can. If that is too difficult – and it can be – try to talk to them after the sitting; make them into a real person.

If working from photos, find out about the model if you can. If you can't, use your imagination to make them into a real person. If you believe in the sub-text of your painting you will find that, in some mysterious way, it will work. Look at the work of the most under-rated

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portrait painter of the twentieth century, Norman Rockwell, where you can see the stories behind the pictures very quickly.

In the last article we discussed various bits of the face and practised drawing them. In this issue we will try a full watercolour portrait, concentrating on tone and light. The model is an old farmer from down our way – a lovely old guy who has spent almost 80 years in the sun of the Midi.

I used cold-pressed 300 gram Arches paper, Daler Rowney Artist Quality Watercolours and pure sable brushes numbers 8 and 4, but started with a sketch which became a drawing.

Once I felt that I knew and understood as much of his face as I could, with a soft eraser I lifted off many of the pencil marks, leaving just enough for me to see.

The initial wash was Permanant Rose and Aureolin (both very transparent colours), with a touch of Naples Yellow at the temple.

Once mixed I dampened the area of skin, applied the wash and was ready to lift off with kitchen paper where I wanted the lightest tone.

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Adding a little Alizarin Crimson to a slightly stiffer wash, I worked on some of the darker tones around the eyes and the nose. Then with Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and a touch of Ultramarine, I started building up the shadows beneath the nose and the moustache.

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Once all the features were roughly in place, I wanted to indicate the slightly hunched

shoulders and the hairline, shirt etc. I wanted to keep tonal harmony in the painting and, as both of the reds I had used had blue in them, I based the background colour on a red blue – Ultramarine; then a little more work on the shadows in the eyes and under the nose. Up to this stage I was still working with a size 8 brush.

Do you see how the head and the nose pop forward – tone really works.

TIP There are a number of ways to darken a colour; add black, but that can make the mix a little dull or change it altogether; add the opposite from the colour circle; or the way I use most often, over-painting several times with the same colour.

More pigment, less water now.

At this point I began working in detail with my number 4 brush. The grey in the hair is my favourite mixture of Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue; this gives me a red, yellow or blue grey – all harmonious. Detail in the ear and on the nose needed a little more red so I added a touch of Vermillion to the original wash, whilst the shadow under the moustache and chin needed Van Dyke Brown.

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At this point (I think a painter must have a period of reflection) I looked carefully at both model and painting – did it communicate to me? What did the painting need?

3 My friend Pascal has a skin tone which has been tempered by sun, Pastis, more sun and Cognac. He has worked hard all his life and, let's face it, he's rough, so I'm not going to aim for a smooth, perfect finish. So it's final detail time – the last wrinkles, last shadows and, if needed, some Titanium White on the hair, eyebrows and moustache.

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Now, I think that Pascal is finished, but then I'm never sure. People often ask ‘when is a painting complete, finished or done?’ I've got to say I don't know, so I leave paintings in the studio for a couple of weeks and look at them a lot.

Sometimes I'll add a little something and then sometimes I'll try not to, because sooner or later I'll mess it up. Fiddle!!!!

A COUPLE OF POINTS • When you're working with a subject that has been really affected by light you need dark tones so that the whites show up - dark against light, light against dark.

• Colours must be clean and fresh so no mud, ever (see previous articles).

• As you get towards the end of the painting, more pigment, less water and be ready to blend with clean water.

Don’t miss David’s next article when he will introduce us to portrait painting in oils.

David and his wife Sally run L'Atelier du Soulondre, a painting holiday centre in the Languedoc, Southern France. You can see more about them at www.paintfrance.com and www.davidmcewen-portraitart.com

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OILS

Essential Oils In the second article in a series on oil painting, PA Martin Kinnear takes a look at some of the oil painting techniques used by the Old Masters In 1852 there was huge revolution in paint making which started the modern way of working, whilst the methods of Rembrandt, Turner, Constable and Titian started to fade inexorably out of the artist’s everyday experience.

The Winsor & Newton catalogue of that year offered that artistic staple ‘Flake White’ in

collapsible tubes, ready mixed in oil, rather than as a dry powder in tubes or bladders to be mixed by the artist. At a stroke the need to mix ones own paint from dry powder was removed, and with this began the slow erosion of traditional studio craft.

BE PREPARED

In this second demonstration in basic oils I’m going to invite you to pull the curtain of time back a little on the techniques that were routinely used before tubed oil paint made modifying paint with medium the exception rather than the rule.

Once again you will need:

Using the little underpainting we did last time (September issue) I’m going to work over it with a medium rich paint to create some simple optical effects that are very characteristic of traditional oil painting.

You’ll also need a good amount of clean paper towel (a good quality brand such as ‘Bounty’ is best) or lint free rags

Before I start however, I have a little confession; the underpainting I prepared for this article was sold (in error) to a lady who wanted a pair of unfinished studies, so I had to re-paint it as exactly as I could for this article, which accounts for any slight differences you might see!

BE TRANSPARENT The main difference between traditional (as in Constable) and modern (as in us) oil painters is the use of opaque and translucent colour. Most modern oils are painted ‘alla prima’ or wet on wet, using relatively thick juicy paint; the result is a spontaneous, lively and incidentally quite difficult painting.

A more traditional approach was to work in a staged or layered manner, that is to say wet over dry, allowing subsequent relatively thin passages of paint to develop areas of light, shade and depth. Layered painting is the key to achieving many of the ‘Old Master’ effects, and the key to layered painting is to work with a medium (essentially a varnish) that extends the oil paint making it more translucent.

Underpainting from last time

In this manner one can create very subtle optical effects, such as the illusion of fading light or falling rain and these are the two simple ones we’ll create on our finished underpainting.

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PAINT November 2008

Before you continue with the demonstration make sure that you have a small pot of medium mixed up to the same recipe as last time, and that the painting you will work on is absolutely dry.

• 4” flat brush • 2” flat brush • Filbert sizes 12, 8 and 4 • Spotter size 0

THE PLAN Using the simple underpainted landscape as a base we’re going to turn the cheerful blue sky into something altogether more moody, by creating the purplish blue tinge one sees before a storm, and just to emphasise the point put a little rain under the main cloud.

This moodier scene will allow us to create that essential of all good paintings, narrative and drama.

Our colours will be more or less as before, with the addition of either Flake or Zinc White: • Titanium White • Flake White or Zinc White • Ultramarine Blue • Ultramarine Violet • Raw Sienna • Naples Yellow • Raw Umber • Payne’s Grey Using the medium mixture generously, make a very thin glaze of Ultramarine Blue and Ultramarine Violet and wash it over the right hand half of the sky top to create a translucent moody colour. Remove excess glaze with a paper towel, particularly to re-reveal the highlights in the cloud. If you’re in a dark mood

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colour will give you a nice lively illusion of detail.

Working with less medium (fatter paint) mix a sunlit pile of Naples Yellow and Titanium White, and with the 2” brush knock in some light under the dark edge of the rain cloud to give the sense of it lowering a little; don’t go too bright as we’re not painting the sun behind the cloud. At the same time, to get a bit of translucent light in the sky, drop in a couple of crepuscular rays with a white glaze – you can then create the illusion of glowing light at their base, and under the cloud, with a scumble of sunlit white.

5 add a little Payne’s Grey to the glaze for a really black storm.

If the glaze mix is thin enough and the underpainting is absolutely dry you should have a tinted film over your image which adds mood and optical depth. If you have then pat yourself on the back, you’ve recreated one of the principal techniques of Old Master paintings.

Glazing is simply the technique of washing a translucent layer of paint over a dry under-painting, to create the effect of a coloured film; it’s ideal for creating shadows, coloured light effects, or, as in this case, rain.

As we’re working on large areas of tone right now we’ll just drop in the foreground shadow on the water, with a glaze of a little Raw Umber and Ultramarine Blue, aiming to err on the side of blue as it were. Just float it on with a 4” brush and pour yourself a cup of tea as you’ve just learned trick number two: relatively darker foregrounds create depth.

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If you’ve ever stood in front of a Constable painting and wondered how he created that sense of ‘moving light’ this is one way of doing it; take some Flake or Zinc White and, working with a translucent milky glaze, lightly drop some clouds and directional marks into the top left hand side. Add a little Titanium White to the mix to restate the highlights on the main cloud if necessary while you have white on your brushes.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed this little taste of traditional oil painting. If you have any questions call Martin at his studio on 01328 730203 or write to makinnear@btinternet.com

Scumbling is an optical colour mixing technique, created by dragging an almost dry brush over a dry under-painting to create areas of broken colour. It is ideal for creating lively optical effects such as light breaking through heavy cloud.

Finally just tidy up a bit with your smaller brushes. You could add whatever you like to this simple little study; boats, grazing cattle, figures, seabirds – whatever takes your fancy.

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Join Martin next time as he looks at how Constable painted his skies.

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Every cloud casts a shadow and ours is no exception, so mix an Ultramarine Blue/Payne’s Grey glaze and brush it on the distant dunes under the rain cloud and on the base of the cloud itself, dragging it down slightly to increase the illusion of translucent falling rain.

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I used a No 12 Filbert for the horizon and a 2” brush for the rain on a 20"x24" canvas, but obviously use a brush to suit the size you’re working on.

This is a bit trickier so don’t be alarmed if you mess it up; just take a clean paper towel soaked with white spirit (or Sansodor if you’re sensitive) and wipe the whole first sky glazes back off, leaving the dry underpainting in situ to start over on. You’ll need to let it dry before you start again, and will benefit from a short break before you do.

We’re almost home and dry now, so working over the dry underpanting with reasonably fat paint (almost no medium) work forwards with progressively warmer and darker colours, using the underpainting as a guide and base colour.

Don’t cover it completely as the variance in

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TUTORIAL

Simply Magic!

Follow this simple autumnal exercise with PA Jean Haines. But remember, no pencils!

LOSING THAT PENCIL No need to sketch! Forget the pencil and jump straight in with colour for this autumnal exercise. Our imagination can work overtime when we see beauty around us in nature. In this feature my morning walk has drawn me to two simple rosehips which shone in the early morning light.

Materials.

• Bockingford 300gsm, Extra Rough Half Imperial Sheets Watercolour paper - the extra rough surface is perfect for texture effects of leaves and the attractive foliage in the woodland nearby • Just one brush - my favourite SAA Kolinsky Sable Round Size 10 Colours: • SAA Cadmium Orange, to which I am addicted • Alizarin Crimson to bring in a vibrant red • French Ultramarine Blue – for granulation (gorgeous) • A touch of Cadmium Yellow and Burnt Umber mixed with the colours above for the twigs

KNOW YOUR PIGMENTS • Learning the different qualities of each pigment will improve your work.

• Understanding the uses of granulation to create amazing texture effects in translucent

layering will help you achieve far more exciting results.

• Always bear in mind the Cadmium shades are quite bossy and will happily push your translucent pigments out of the way. But these are so much fun to play with so please experiment for the best effects in your watercolours.

• Your efforts and time spent studying will be rewarded with glowing watercolours that sing with life.

Find Your Starting Point When working without a preliminary sketch it is vital to find a good starting point both with the subject and on the paper. On a large piece of Bockingford Watercolour paper I found my starting point of selecting where to place the ‘stars’ in this painting - the rosehips. I decided to place them to the right of the composition using Cadmium Orange and Alizarin Crimson.

By working very quickly and with a lot of water I allowed fusions to occur between the colours, which I then left to dry naturally so that magical accidents arose. Drawing a clean damp brush along the edges of the joint rosehips let colour bleed and merge into the lower section of the paper.

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Work Away from Your Starting Point Next I added a twig along with some leaf shapes which have also been softened with water along some of the edges. This gives the feeling of a misty morning. I left white sections which will form a base for layers as I build towards the final result. Bear in mind these are just base layers working as a foundation for the richer shades to be added in the next stages.

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Laying a Foundation for the Finished Painting

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1 The First Brushstrokes

Building Colour When building colour I continually work away from the subject with autumnal shades leaving some sections white and using a variety of brushstrokes. The SAA Kolinsky Sable brush can be held in a number of ways to create fine to thicker brush strokes in a selection of directions which add interest and give form to the painting.

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Using the tip, by holding the brush at the furthest end from the brush, can lead to beautiful fine twig effects; whereas holding the brush near the sable and turning the brush using it sideways can result in wonderful curved leaf effects if you move your hand accordingly.

TIP: Buy good quality brushes and never leave them standing in water. If you look after them well they will last and become your best friends!

Adding Intense Colour and Interest Autumn is a time when foliage seems to burst with life and energy so pale colours will not give that wonderful glow. SAA Cadmium Orange is a shade that seems to roar with life when initially placed on paper but remember it does dry slightly paler as with all watercolour shades. Don’t panic when you see how bright it is - treasure its glory. I boldly applied the red and orange shades to the left of the composition bringing the scene to life with exciting brilliance of colour. Try dropping water on your work at intervals and allow it to run bringing the colours together. Let your work dry at a slight angle to gain maximum colour effects. Do NOT fiddle. I allow the colours to work alone at this stage without interference with a brush! Trust the pigment to work as only it can and naturally for the best results.

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Please don’t use a hair dryer to hurry drying time as it can disturb the qualities of each pigment and please do not use a tissue to dry sections. Let the watercolour perform magic on its own. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you discover from NOT touching the pigment continually as you work.

3 Building the Painting

Final Details Knowing when to stop is always an artist’s nightmare so I would suggest please put your paintbrush down long before you think you have finished!

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Try to see the image you want to portray in your finished result. Here I wanted the focus to be on the rosehips but I also wanted to capture a warm glowing autumn day with magnificent autumnal foliage in colours ranging from rusts to gold.

Create drama in your paintings by aiming for a selection of sections that contrast. For example, place straight lines between softer formations.

Try scratching out a few lines for twig effects using the side of a palette knife but please do not tear the paper; just gently glide the knife through damp pigment.

Water Effects with Pigment

Remember to keep some soft edges, lighter areas and use a variety of straight and curved brushwork to create an interesting composition.

Please note I have left the lower right hand corner pale to balance my composition and add interest.

Look at nature around you and decide how to create your own scene with both atmosphere and life.

You may feel working on a large piece of paper is daunting. If this is the case practise first with small studies. See fig 6. When you have gained confidence then move to a larger piece of paper and follow this demonstration.

The most important thing to remember is that painting is fun and magical. You should never feel stressed while aiming for a result and there

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Adding Drama by Colour Selection

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should always be wonderful subjects to keep you inspired and picking up that paintbrush.

So this autumn “Go For Gold” and lose that pencil!

Jean’s work is currently in an exhibition in Hampshire and she is taking bookings for her 2009 Watercolour Courses which include painting with emotion and bringing subjects to life.

Please contact Jean directly on jeanhaines@hotmail.com or visit www.jeanhaines.com for further information.

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Study Your Subject Closely

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OIL PASTELS

Exploring Oil Pastels 1 BLENDING COLOURS In the example below I have applied yellow next to red, overlapping in the middle then blended using a small wad of kitchen paper. Likewise with purple and blue, then blue/purple/blue, brown/yellow and finally yellow over brown then blended.

PA Tessa Spanton takes a look at this underexplored medium Do you have a box of oil pastels hiding away in a cupboard? Maybe they were a present or just something you bought to try sometime? If you do not already own any you could start out with a small box or buy a few colours individually.

Oil pastels are convenient for using out of doors as no extra materials are needed. But, as with chocolate, avoid leaving them in direct sun or on the parcel shelf of your car. Other advantages are that they do not create a dust or smudge as easily as soft pastels.

A pack of wet wipes are a useful accessory.

Oil pastels are a blend of oils and usually beeswax. Different makes vary in proportions and handling qualities.

An oil pastel can be used as a drawing tool, for cross hatching or for applying dots of colour. To apply broader areas of colour break off a piece and use it on its side, as with soft pastels.

They are smooth to apply and stick well to most surfaces so can be used on cartridge paper, watercolour paper, coloured papers that are used for soft pastels or coloured mount card, canvas, board, textiles and many other surfaces.

SCRATCHING BACK (SGRAFFITO) One layer of colour is laid over another then scratched into or scraped with a point or sharp tip to reveal the colour beneath.

3 They can be blended using your fingertips, a small wad of kitchen paper or a cotton bud.

I have used a small selection of oil pastels on a smooth cartridge paper for these exercises and for the poppy field illustrations. The colours used were Yellow, Red, Green, Blue and White.

Why not try the exercises yourself? They are quick to do and if you get hooked there is a good selection of colours and tones available to take things further. Something that I have found useful to do when trying a new medium is to rework something that I have done before in another medium.

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OPTICAL MIXING When dots, dabs or dashes of different colours are laid close to one another without physically mixing them we perceive them as a new colour mix. An intensity and vibrancy can be achieved that you could not get by physical colour mixing. This was explored by the Impressionists. A colour appears brighter when touches of its complementary are laid next to it. Yellow and purple, blue and orange, red and green are pairs of complementary colours and are opposite one another on the colour wheel.

Tessa teaches classes and workshops in Surrey in watercolour, silk painting, oil pastel, Brusho inks or acrylics. For more details or to contact Tessa go to www.saa.co.uk/art/tessaspanton A variety of sets of Sennelier Oil Pastels can be found in your SAA Home Shop Catalogue and on the website, and individual Sennelier pastels and small sets of Daler Rowney Oil Pastels can also be found on the Home Shop website www.saa.co.uk

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Dashes of different colours.

Left unblended, right blended

Complementary colour green/red

Dots of colour (Pointillism)

Poppy Field 1

Poppy Field 2

THE POPPY FIELD PICTURES These were worked with oil pastels using a combination of these techniques.

In Poppy Field 1 colours have been mostly laid next to one another then blended as in Fig1.

To the field area of Poppy Field 2, a light layer of yellow was applied first using the side of pastel, other colours were worked over this.

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COLOURED BACKGROUNDS On a white surface the colours come true and appear brilliant against the white. On coloured backgrounds the effects may be different. In Fig 4 the same colours have been used on white then on dark brown mount board.

To compare different colours or even brands, apply a series of horizontal coloured bands of watercolour or acrylic next to one another on a smooth cartridge or hot pressed paper.

When dry apply some solid bands of oil pastel running at right angles to the watercolour or acrylic bands. Different makes of oil pastel will give different degrees of coverage.

USING OIL PASTELS WITH WATERCOLOUR Oil pastels can be used over or under washes and are useful as a resist, for example when creating highlights on china or drawing lighter flowers or grasses in a landscape. Freer mark making and broader background washes are possible than if done by negative painting; however, unlike masking fluid they cannot be removed and will form an integral part of your work.

When used on a NOT or rough watercolour paper there are some interesting textural possibilities. Sparkle on water can be achieved by gently stroking the paper with the side of a white pastel so that the oil picks up on the raised bits of the paper. A watercolour wash can be applied over this

and when dry another application of pastel.

The next wash will then reveal the original white and the colour of the first wash and so on.

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In a similar way deeper colours can be worked over pale washes to create textures.

Effects can be softened by blending with Zest-it or a low odour solvent such as Sansodor either on a brush, a cotton bud or kitchen paper.

Let’s hope this will entice you to brush the cobwebs off your neglected oil pastels, or encourage you to treat yourself to something new to experiment with over the winter months.

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ART QUIZ

A Question of Art A quiz is a great way of creating a warm and sociable atmosphere at a Christmas party, especially if mulled wine and mince pies are on hand as well! Who in your group knows their art history and whose quick mind can work out the cryptic conundrums and the anagrams?

COLOURS

CRYPTIC CONUNDRUMS

1. What is the blackest of the blacks?

2. Can you name a blue pigment whose name literally means ‘beyond the sea’?

3. What was the first blue pigment to be made artificially? (clue – a former state in the German empire) 4. The yellow pigment Gamboge originally came from which country?

5. List the four colours used in modern printing.

1. Picture yourself painting this! (4,8) 2. The kitchen floor provided relief (4,3) 3. To my mind it is getting smaller (11) 4. You are uncomfortable when this is full, but it used to contain paint (7) 5. Set someone up and surround a painting (5)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE PICTURE PUZZLES For each of these faces, can you give the name of the artist, his or her nationality, and the century in which it was painted.

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1. What word, meaning ‘fresh’ in Italian, describes painting onto wet plaster?

2. What is applied to a painting’s surface to protect it from additional layers of paint?

3. What was the traditional binder for watercolour paint?

4. What useful substance comes from the flax plant?

5. ‘Phthalo’ is an abbreviation for which chemical?

ANAGRAMS 1. SEPTCRIEVEP 2. CNLADDOO VR IIEAN 3. LRMIURSEAS 4. CHAPYIAGLRL 5. NEETTUNIPR

BONUS QUESTIONS 1. What is the largest art society in the world?

2. What is the website address of this art society?

3. How much is the delivery charge within the UK when you order art supplies from this society’s Home Shop?

ART HISTORY 1

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Would you like to promote your services to 41,000 SAA members?

1. What was the name of the group of French artists from the early 20th Century whose name meant ‘wild beasts’?

2. What is the name of a famous painting by Gustav Klimt and also a Rodin sculpture?

3. What was Rembrandt’s full name?

4. What is the French town of MontignacLascaux famous for?

5. Who produced pictures of both Marilyn Monroe and cans of Campbell’s tinned soup?

Deadline dates for 2009 adverts:

March issue: 19th January May issue: 13th March

Exhibition of new paintings

by Geoff Kersey At the Corner Studio, 4 Nether Way, Darley Dale, DE4 2TS Sat 22nd to Sun 30th November For further details you can call Geoff on 01629 735191 Or email info@geoffkersey.co.uk You can view a selection of the paintings and get details of Geoff ’s 2009 painting holidays and workshops at www.geoffkersey.co.uk

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Have fun, and see just how much you know. Please do not send us your answers – if you are desperate to see how you got on, email paint@saa.co.uk (subject: A Question of Art) and we will email the answers straight back. Or wait for your New Year issue of Paint.

Learn at your own pace in your own home.

Beginners / Advanced.

Jenny Storey BA. PGCE. Scottandy, St. Helen’s Avenue, Pocklington, York YO42 2JF Tel: 01759 302760 www.jennystoreyartcourses.co.uk www.jennystoreyart.com

ART LIBERATING LIVES

Art Liberating Lives As you’ll probably have read in the last issue of Paint, the SAA is working with Sue Ryder Care on this year’s Art Liberating Lives campaign, an initiative which is increasing awareness of the importance of art as therapy, while raising funds for Sue Ryder Care, which provides expert care and community-based services for people living with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

‘Summers’ End near Martlesham’ by Jennifer Sendall

Artists of all abilities and ages across the country have created pieces of artwork for display at an exclusive exhibition at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London in December, and there will be pictures specially created for the event by residents and patients at the charity’s care centres and hospices. This year members of the SAA have also been doing their bit, entering everything from paintings to collages and photographs, which will be up for consideration by the judges who will make final decisions on which pieces are included in the exhibition. Among the enthusiastic SAA applicants is Jennifer Sendall from Ipswich, who has created a pastel painting, ‘Summers' End near Martlesham’. “I love this part of Suffolk,” explains Jennifer, “And hope to convey the rich and dreamy atmosphere of late summer and the peace it brings to the heart. I want the viewer to have a desire to walk into and explore the scene.”

Jennifer decided to enter the event because she thinks it’s a great way to support Sue

Is there copyright in famous people and places?

Joanne Milmoe from DACS explains the facts

Billboard advertisements, newspapers, books and magazines are filled with famous faces which could provide the perfect inspiration for your next painting.

But by copying a picture of a famous person printed in a magazine, does this mean you will be infringing copyright?

If the photograph which you choose to use is still protected by copyright, then it can be infringed even if you are reproducing it in another medium such as a painting. The lifetime of copyright differs according to when the photograph was taken so it pays to know how old the photo is. For photos which were created on or after 1st August 1989, copyright will last for 70 years following the photographer’s death. You will therefore need to seek permission from the copyright holder of the photograph.

You also need to be careful about the image you choose to copy for a number of reasons: Essentially if the image is already in the public domain such as a magazine there will not be an issue of privacy. In the UK at least celebrities and famous people do not have ‘image rights’ as such. However if the image is an advertisement or if they look like they are endorsing a product or service then they may be able to bring a claim of false endorsement against you for copying the work.

A simple way to avoid this is to get permission beforehand. Otherwise try and avoid using images which are clearly an advertisement or which feature a celebrity associated with a commercial product.

And what about if you want to use famous

Ryder Care. “My father died of cancer so I know first-hand how expert care can be a tremendous support in difficult times,” she says. “As I live close to Sue Ryder Care’s Chantry care centre I’m also exploring other ways as to how my passion for art can support the charity further.”

It’s expected that there will be about 500 pieces of artwork on display, and the exhibits will be auctioned afterwards. The auction at last year’s event raised more than £16,000, with artists receiving 55% of the sale of their work, with the remaining proceeds going to support Sue Ryder Care.

The exhibition runs from 11th to 18th December at the Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD. For more information on Art Liberating Lives, call the events team at Sue Ryder Care on 0845 050 1953, email events@suerydercare.org or visit www.suerydercare.org

public art or sculptures as inspiration? You will not be infringing copyright if the sculpture or other artistic work is permanently situated in a public space or situated in premises open to the public. A public space in this instance includes streets, parks and similar locations as well as private land such as a shopping mall. This copyright exemption does not include original paintings (including murals), drawings, engravings or photographs on public display.

If you are using the image for research or private study and do not intend to exhibit or sell the work then you will not be infringing copyright. If however you do intend using the work for commercial purposes then you will need to seek permission beforehand.

We’ve touched upon it here but next issue we will take a closer look at copyright in public works.

For more information on copyright, and DACS’ services, visit our website www.dacs.org.uk

The content of this article is of benefit interest only and is not an exhaustive explanation of copyright protection and remedies for infringement. This article is not intended to apply to specific circumstances.

The contents of this article should not therefore be regarded as constituting legal or other advice and should not be relied upon as such. In relation to any particular problem that you may have, you are advised to seek specific and specialist advice.

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WHAT’S NEW

What’s New For You If you’re looking for presents for artist friends this Christmas – or want to put together a list for your own stocking – here are some great new products which no artist should be without!

DERWENT CRAFT KNIFE This handy craft knife should be an indispensable part of everyone’s art collection. It has a soft touch easy-grip handle, and can be used to create a sharper point on the pencil by scraping the end of the strip. It is also perfect for adding different effects to your drawing, by scraping pigment directly from the end of the pencil (particularly watercolour pencil) onto wet paper. The craft knife comes with five additional replacement blades in secure packaging.

MARILYN ALLIS – ANIMALS ON THE LOOSE BOOK/DVD SET

DALER-ROWNEY MIXED MEDIA SKETCHING SET

This is an ideal Christmas gift for any artist friend, although once you’ve seen it the chances are you’ll want to keep it for yourself instead!

In this inspiring book and DVD set, popular artist Marilyn Allis has produced the ultimate guide to painting quick, loose, colourful animals, which are full of life and energy.

This is an ideal collection of paints and pastels for anyone who is taking up art, or keen to try their hand at some different mediums. The Mixed Media set contains a hardback guide to Mixed Media, 6 Watercolour boards, 2 Artists soft pastels, 2 Artists oil pastels, 2 15ml tubes of Designers Gouache, 2 22ml System 3 Acrylic colours, 2 brushes and 1 sketching pencil.

Marilyn shows how to capture the character and movement of farm, domestic and wild animals, sometimes with only a few simple brush strokes, and often from angles you wouldn’t expect. She even reveals how to create simple yet effective backgrounds that will bring real atmosphere to your paintings.

DERWENT ERASER PENCIL WITH BRUSH This is invaluable for cleaning up the paper surrounding images, including faint grid lines, and for erasing or correcting smaller, controlled areas or minor errors. The eraser pencil gives much more control and is more effective than cutting slivers from a plastic or soft rubber. Each pack contains two eraser pencils.

The book is filled with vibrant step-by-step demonstrations for you to try in watercolour, but also using a number of other mediums including pastel, gouache and acrylic inks. In the DVD, Marilyn shows how to paint six stunning projects, including a cat, chickens, three pigs, a cow, an ostrich and a cockerel.

With such a mixture of animals to paint, in a number of techniques and colours, this book is sure to brighten up those long winter nights!

Full details of all of these products can be found in your latest SAA Home Shop Catalogue, or at www.saa.co.uk/shop

ONYX BLISTER PACK The new Derwent Onyx pencil is made from smooth, dark graphite and delivers dense, rich, jet-black tones, darker than a 9B pencil. Due to its non-crumbly texture, the pencil is capable of sharpening and holding a fine point, which makes it equally good for quick expressive sketches, as well as detailed technical and architectural drawings. Darker shades can be built up by applying increased pressure, while lighter, more detailed artwork simply requires less pressure. The pencils are available in two tones, medium and dark, and we have 50 blister packs, each worth £4.99, to give away. To be in with a chance of winning one, just write and tell us the names of two other Derwent pencil products in the current Home Shop catalogue. Send your entries to Head Office or email paint@saa.co.uk marked ‘What’s New’,

by November 21st.

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PAINT November 2008

WIN

t Onyx Derwen ter Pack lis Pencil B 4.99 Worth £

AOY

‘Diane’s Jumper on Holiday in Yorkshire’ by Diane King, Abstract or Experimental amateur winner

‘Rank Flour Mills’ by Robin Storey, Waterscape, Boats or Seascape professional winner

Be Inspired!

In last month’s issue we featured some of the main winners of this year’s Artist of the Year titles, but we had such an array of fantastic entries that we can’t resist showing you some more!

Within every category in our Artist of the Year competition, we have several different winners, including Junior, Beginner, Amateur and Professional. By awarding so many prizes we are able to recognise and reward talent amongst the thousands of wonderful entries that are sent in.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2009 An international painting competition open to artists of all ages, from beginners to professionals.

The 2009 competition has categories to suit all levels and abilities, so no-one should feel that Artist of the Year is out of their league, or that this is a competition purely IZE for the artistic elite. If 1st PR you’re an SAA member, worth entry is free, and you can enter as many times as you want (for non-members the cost is £7.50 per entry).

£2,000

1st prize is £2,000; the winning artist will receive £1,000 cash and £1,000 worth of art materials, along with an engraved crystal goblet, plus £500 worth of art materials for the art club, group or school of their choice.

Closing date for entries is Friday 6th March 2009.

Entry forms are enclosed with this issue of Paint, but are also available via www.saa.co.uk

Some of the most inspiring entries come from our youngest members. Jenny Exley, aged 13, received a commendation for her entry in the 2007 competition, and this year she was the Junior winner in the Animal and Wildlife category with her watercolour painting ‘Saffron’.

“Saffron is my cat,” explains Jenny, who is currently in Year 8 at Pennthorpe School in Rudgwick. “I took some photos of her when she was on my bed, and this painting is taken from one of those. It is quite experimental: I dropped clean water onto the paper and dribbled colour onto the wet areas, then I let the paint do the rest. I was very pleased with the result. I’m so pleased to have won, I love drawing and painting. At the moment we’re painting a jungle scene mural on our art block wall at school, which is great fun.”

At the other end of the age spectrum is Robin Storey, who didn’t pick up a paintbrush until he was 55, but now describes art as his ‘consuming passion’. Robin’s watercolour “Rank Flour Mills” won the Professional title in the Waterscape, Boats or Seascape category, and is one of several paintings he has completed in a ‘Hull Retrospective’ series using old photographs and newspaper cuttings showing aspects of the city. Robin currently works from his studio in Beverley, selling paintings from his website and various retail outlets. He is a former tennis player who twice qualified to play at Wimbledon, as well as a parachutist and hang glider pilot, and says that adrenalin now fuels the production of his watercolours. “I began painting when I took early retirement, and, having never painted before, my learning curve was very steep,” he says. “Thanks to numerous books and videos I gradually developed my own style, and after five years felt able to exhibit in local exhibitions

‘Saffron’ by Jenny Exley, Animal and Wildlife Junior winner

and rapidly developed a reputation as a serious landscape and townscape artist.”

Diane King started painting six years ago, and her attitude towards her hobby is as enthusiastic and upbeat as her winning painting, “Diane’s Jumper on Holiday in Yorkshire”, which took the Amateur title in the Abstract or Experimental Art category. “I had so much fun painting this,” she says. “On holiday in the Yorkshire Dales I became fascinated by the black faced sheep – they looked so sad and yet so inquisitive. To the surprise of my friend I started collecting their strands of wool from the fences and hedges. The background colours of the picture are inspired by a much loved favourite woollen jumper I sadly shrunk in the wash. I experimented with heather and grasses collected in the fields mixed with gesso to obtain the texture, and used the wool for the sheep!”

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DERWENT

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A Blacker Black PA David Evans test drives Derwent’s new Onyx Graphite Pencil

MATERIALS:• Medium and dark Onyx pencils • Bamboo paper • Scalpel • Putty rubber • Paper blender

TECHNIQUE • Hatching The first thing I need to do when trying out new pencils is to sharpen them with a blade.

I found that both the medium and dark Onyx Pencils sharpened to a fine point without snapping.

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Starting with the medium pencil I have done a tonal value scale on the bottom of the

paper; the objective is to very lightly hatch a block of pencil at an angle, around the size of a 20p piece, and then repeat another nine times getting the pencil darker until No 10 is as dark as you can get it. The end result is ten blocks of pencil going gradually from light to dark.

I spent quite some time working on this sketch on a layout pad; once completely happy, using the medium pencil, I traced it onto the bamboo paper in order to keep the paper as clean as possible.

I started constructing the boat using very light small dots and hatching marks (1 and 2 on the tonal value scale). Once I had done this I removed the traced lines with the putty rubber.

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The medium pencil rubs out very well.

part of the drawing with a blender to give the appearance of distance.

Both the medium and the dark pencils blended beautifully.

I love drawing and the opportunity to put some new pencils to the test was one I jumped at. I found the Onyx pencils to be considerably darker than ordinary pencils; they create a nice crisp line when needed but also blend very well.

They not only sharpen to a fine point but also keep their point without snapping. Whilst I am not sure that they are the ideal pencil for large detailed work they would be excellent for life drawing, preliminary sketches and simple drawings.

I then used a more relaxed hatching mark for the reflection with sharper lines for the boats.

(Between 1 and 4 on the tonal value scale)

Medium

Now it’s time to introduce the dark Onyx pencil. I did some more tonal value blocks from 1 to 10 giving me a guide as to how the pencil works and then started work on the darkest tones underneath the boats, producing tones on the picture from 1 to 7 on this second tonal scale.

Dark

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I added the darkened area under the boat by cross hatching, simply hatching in the opposite direction, and finally I softened the top

David Evans runs classes at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire; the next one is a 10 week course starting early in 2009 - From Drawing to Painting. He also teaches at Center Parcs, Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. For more information contact David on 01623 823647 or email creativehorizon@btinternet.com

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ABSTRACT

Painting with feeling What gives a painting that little ‘je ne sais quoi’?

PA Alan Brain looks at what gives a painting that ‘certain something’ – what is it that makes you stop and take another look, and how do you create that in your own painting?

before it happens – what is the elusive ingredient?

Art is not scientific so tests and analyses, while useful, can take us only so far. What makes a

“Despair” Chalks

CREATING FEELINGS OF SADNESS AND DESPAIR I drew this quickly at a Life Class some years ago and surprised myself when I caught a certain sadness. Was it her sadness or mine? Whatever, I am forever grateful to the model for her inspiration. I know I can never capture it again in that way, so this one is very special to me

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“I know what I like!” How often we hear that, said with conviction. But do we? Why are we drawn to a painting that is not our cup of tea, in fact it can even be disturbing us? We look, wonder, and are surprised that something is causing us to linger. What is it?

“Friends” Watercolour

A lot of paintings hardly interest us at all. Some interest us for just a short time. A few really hold our attention. Why is that? If artists knew the answer they would be rich and famous – most are not. Artists work hard to produce attractive work but it often turns out to be “just another painting.” Sometimes we are lucky and create a real “whopper.” We strive to do it again but then it can be months or even years

painting special is subjective and we all have our own opinion. Perhaps there is no answer, but how many of us remember the painting we saw that was so special it still lingers in our memory or, better, it is hanging on our wall – if it is not on our wall we wish it was! It is not the same for everyone of course but some paintings seem to have a magnetic pull towards us. So there is something special about some paintings for some people. What is that pull?

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CREATING FEELINGS OF WARMTH, COMPANIONSHIP AND LOVE After some trips to South Carolina I just had to paint the feeling of friendship I experienced there. I had never consciously seen this “picture” before it emerged as I painted it. I feel satisfied with it

Perhaps it is the quality of the work – the paint applied beautifully to capture the colours of sky and trees. Or the accurate way the town hall is represented? But we can see it again rendered even better in the next painting, or see the real thing just by looking out of the window or walking down the street. That cannot be it, there must be more…

The clue is “feeling.” The painting that really draws us invokes a strong feeling within us. It could be a good (or not so good) memory triggered by the shapes and colours in the painting, or a feeling of wonder as we gaze into the space created by the artist, or maybe a feeling of yearning for something we have lost.

All of these and countless more are feelings that can be awoken within us by artists. No wonder we linger and experience the sensations when they achieve it!

So it is all about feelings? Yes it is, well certainly that is the fundamental core. A feeling in the painting has us relate to it and respond emotionally – to get in touch with it. The quality, accuracy, fashion et al become irrelevant even distracting to the viewer. And so many artists strive for that thinking it will achieve what they want, not so.

So how do artists get feeling into their paintings? That is a much harder question to answer but one real clue is evident when the artist thinks back to the whopper he/she did last year and recalls – ‘how was I feeling when I did that one?’ Almost certainly the answer is

“New Horizon” Watercolour

Maybe the painting reminds us of a place we have visited, a special place to us with special memories; a wonderful holiday perhaps where we met that certain somebody, or it makes us think of a place of calmness where we can escape the hubbub. But what if the painting is an abstract? We cannot see anything recognisable in it but it still invokes a feeling that is causing us to linger. What is going on?

CREATING FEELINGS OF AWE, WONDER AND PERHAPS SOME TREPIDATION I was feeling the need to uplift myself when I painted this one and my flying days emerged to help me. I reawakened the sense of awe I used to feel as I observed the sun rising through the cloud below. A certain sense of trepidation is evident? I wanted that too

“Strongly about something”. Perhaps it was anger at the war, maybe joy about a new birth, wonderment about the morning’s light. Any of these and many more create strong feelings inside us. Artists can identify within themselves their feelings and express them in their

paintings, even without knowing it. And so we then create something powerful and truly memorable. Oh how we wish we could always do it! We can come much closer to our goals by recognising what drives us to paint that “goodun” and using it to move us onwards!

As an artist my aim is to capture feelings that I have experienced in my life so that others who choose to linger may appreciate them.

YOUR SAY

“Indoor Space” Watercolour

What are your views on this subject – do you remember any painting in particular, either by yourself or another artist; were there any strong feelings that it evoked? We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your paintings too at paint@saa.co.uk or Head Office, marked ‘Paintings with feeling’.

CREATING FEELINGS OF SPACE AND WONDER I painted this about three months ago and it is where I am now as a painter. I love space and openness; we spend so much time indoors but oh how we can escape the feeling of being enclosed by looking at the less obvious

Alan runs workshops and residential art courses, “Find Your Own Direction”, designed for artists who want personal and satisfying paintings that are truly their own creation. These classes along with one to one sessions are designed to help artists focus on their intent and to remove the blockers. For more information contact Alan on: 01276 855579 or email alanbrain@aol.com or visit www.alanbrain.com

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CHARLES REID

Still Life with Bread

Letter from America Thank you to Brenda Warren for submitting her ‘Still Life with Bread’ painting to the Charles Reid competition featured in the January issue of Paint.

Here Charles takes a closer look at Brenda’s painting and makes a few suggestions that we hope you find interesting

‘Brenda - I think you've done a fine painting considering a very difficult still life set up.

There are too many similar colours and tones.

The brown jug, cutting board, and bread are too repetitious. We need some colour contrast. I've suggested a blue jug as a possibility.

The container on the left is really a killer. Why not a simple white bowl - another chance to get away from so many warm tones?

The top apple is again too similar in colour and tone to the bread and cutting board - I've suggested a cleaner red for contrast with the bread and the board.

I get the feeling that you want to be too subtle in colour and tonal contrasts. You paint so well why not be brave and choose a set up with more colour and tonal contrasts? It would be much easier in the end.

The bread shape in the photo is very confusing

Charles Reid comments on more paintings by members and suggests different ways of approaching them, in his new DVD ‘Charles Reid Watercolour Solutions’ filmed by Teaching Art and accompanying his new book of the same title, published by David & Charles, both available through SAA Home Shop

– a simpler, more ‘normal’ loaf might be more effective?

You did a great job with the tablecloth and label on the olive oil. Again, you have done a fine painting job with a still life set up that would have frightened me to death.

NOTE ON COLOURS USED You will note the colours I have used on the painting overlay, but it is important to note that a lot of the mixing of tones and colours happens on the paper rather than on a palette.

Keep painting and try a set up with more colour and tonal variety.’

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Water colour artists have always demanded the best performance from their materials and tools. In response, we have developed a range of products to meet and exceed those demands.

The same rigorous, no compromise approach that we’ve always applied to testing and improving our colour has gone into producing our unique Artists’ Water Colour Sable brush and the range of Artists’ Water Colour Paper.

www.winsornewton.com

AT YOUR SERVICE

The SAA at Your Service We’ve been making some changes to our membership categories, not only by improving the benefits for existing members, but also by introducing a brand new level of membership Here is a reminder of all the benefits of belonging to the SAA – please make sure you are getting the most out of being a member.

Standard Membership: includes discounts on all products, free post and packing for UK mainland members and reductions for those living elsewhere, a free order-line, a 100% money back ‘no quibble’ guarantee, SAA loyalty points, free or reduced entry to selected art shows, your bi-monthly copies of Paint, free entry to SAA competitions and a free help-line

for all legal problems, plus £500 of paintings’ insurance at UK exhibitions.

Silver Membership: all these benefits plus £2000 paintings’ insurance at UK Exhibitions Gold Membership: as above but this level offers free webpages on the SAA website, free promotion for professional artists, free tax and VAT help-line with professional advice (UK only), £5000 paintings’ insurance at UK exhibitions, and £5million third party public liability insurance.

I usually spend at least 15 hours on an oil painting, so how could I possibly expect to finish in only three and a half hours? It’s just not for oils - not for me!

A Week of Art As another year draws to a close, so too does the 2008 Challenge – thank you to those of you who have shared your experiences with us. As a brief reminder, the challenge was for you to create a work of art in a week but to do it in short bursts of not more than 30 minutes at a time

Experiment, and see what happens!

To my utter amazement it worked.

And the time factor made me develop a more calligraphic, fast flowing style which I really enjoy.

Some of you have loved every minute, others have found it frustrating, but all of you who have been in touch have said that you found it a very useful exercise, and if nothing else it ensured that you found some painting time every day of the week.

I was surprised how much could be done in half an hour, and how much faster I could work in oils when pushed to the limit, though I have to admit that after the first two or three sessions I found it really difficult to stop.

Congratulations to Janet Driver (53800) who decided to take up the challenge when up against some looming deadlines.

I would sit and look at the canvas beforehand to decide on one or two main colours for that session. Then I looked at the time and dived in, with a line here, a swirl there, letting the brush dash away across the canvas.

‘I love painting in oils. They slow me down and enable me to become more meditative.

I like to get right inside a painting, spending several hours at a stretch…often pausing mid- afternoon, realizing I’ve missed lunch and need a quick snack! So when I first saw your challenge I dismissed it outright; how could anyone possibly do that? How could you stop when you are only just beginning to get going?

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But… I came back from a holiday in Dorset full of enthusiasm and ideas, with an invite to participate in a fund-raising exhibition six weeks hence. With a mountain of washing, cooking and family chores, plus a hectic two weeks catching up in my part-time job, there really was not much time. Then I remembered your idea. Why not give it a go?

I decided to try out several oil paintings at the same time, giving half an hour to each whenever I could grab the time.

PAINT November 2008

This worked really well on the white cliffs, keeping the shadows fresh and vibrant, allowing previous layers to play against the new colour, instead of spending time mixing too much on the palette.

By the time it came to the sea I sped along, determined not to have to stop before laying down the main blues and greens across the

In addition to all of this, we’ve also added some new benefits, improving the overall Gold Membership package. Firstly, there has been an expansion of insurance cover from Public Liability to Civil Liability. As before, the insurance policy will cover you for injury or damage to people or property when you are exhibiting and holding workshops or demonstrations. But as part of the Civil Liability package, you are now covered for libel and slander, and professional indemnity is also included, which covers loss (financial or otherwise) arising from errors or omissions (such as bad advice or ineffective action). This really is essential for anyone who teaches.

Finally, the area where the revised Gold

whole canvas. That was hard. I was so afraid to leave the sea in mid-flow in case I found it impossible to regain the lovely flowing momentum. I pushed myself really fast and even had a few minutes to spare; then I saw something I just had to finish - and that gave me a real breakthrough.

Without really thinking, I grasped a small brush, added liquin to make a fluid blue, twirling my way over the waves with ripples across hidden rocks, jotting them down very fast, just in time!

It was two days before I could fit in another half hour. Perhaps I could finish the sea with a few more quick rippling lines? I took a small brush and twirled and swirled over the waves in tones of green gold. This was fun…pausing to look carefully, deciding where to place the line, and then letting go… and moving fast across the canvas.

Thanks for the challenge. If I hadn’t been really pushed for time, I might never have developed my new, more impressionistic style of painting.’

Janet, we hope you enjoy the set of six Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colours that we are popping in the post to you, for those days when you want your work to go even faster.

Don’t miss the launch of the SAA 2009 Challenge in your January issue of Paint.

year, Platinum Membership offers up to £20,000 insurance for paintings at exhibitions, including Open Studios, which is four times the amount covered by Gold Membership.

To check you have the best level of membership to cater for your artistic needs, call our dedicated membership team on 0800 980 1123 - they will be happy to help with any queries you may have.

Our Green Mission!

Here at the SAA, we continue with our green mission by using FSC certified printers.

This means that the paper for Paint comes only from forests that are managed in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable way…so we can now all do our bit to help the environment.

insurance policy will have most impact is in relation to Open Studios – to date you were only covered for public liability when taking part in any kind of Open Studios event, but now your paintings are insured up to £5000, as well, giving you complete all-round cover and peace of mind.

FSC stands for “Forest Stewardship Council” – a non-governmental organisation, formed in 1993, dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world's forests, supported by WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Woodland Trust. To find out more, visit www.fsc.org

New Platinum Membership Professional artists can now take advantage of the new Platinum level of SAA membership, offering all the benefits above plus the most comprehensive level of insurance cover to date.

For just £35 more than Gold Membership per

ATTENTION: The Painting & Drawing Channel has moved to channel 166

Home Study Art Courses You can develop new skills in the comfort of your own home, at a pace to suit you.

We have a wide range of specialist courses e.g botanical illust., pastels, pet portraiture & still life.

We cater for all ages and all stages.

www.londonartcollege.co.uk For a brochure: 0800 328 0465 or admin@londonartcollege.co.uk

g in k ow ee Sh a W w s No Day 6

Develop your skills with our

The Painting & Drawing Channel is a TV channel dedicated to the art of learning to paint.

Each programme is broadcasted on Sky digital channel 166 and is also available to view simultaneously on broadband at the Painting & Drawing Channel website.

We’ve moved to channel

NEW

166

TV ANYTIME

Watch any of this week’s programmes any time you like!

See website for details

“In only 3 weeks I have learned a great deal and been motivated to try new techniques” Mrs C Phillips

www.paintingdrawingchannel.co.uk info@paintingdrawingchannel.co.uk Now Showing on Sky Digital Channel 166 Monday 4pm, Tuesday and Thursday 7pm-8pm, Wednesday 4pm, Friday 4pm and Sunday 4pm-5.30pm November 2008 PAINT

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BURSARY

Sharing The Benefits Now in its third year, the SAA Bursary scheme awarded £500 painting bursaries to two very different, but equally worthy winners this summer Fraser Scarfe may be one of the SAA’s younger members, but what he lacks in age he more than makes up for in talent and boundless enthusiasm. As well as winning the 2008 Artist of the Year title, with his painting Lincoln2, Fraser was a joint winner of this year’s bursary for his work as Artist in Residence at Lincoln Cathedral.

Since completing his foundation course in Fine Art at Lincoln College, 21-year-old Fraser has been establishing himself as an artist in Lincolnshire, and working with other local artists to organise and stage exhibitions. Eager for a new challenge that would connect him with the community and the history of the city, and lead his work in new directions, he contacted the cathedral to ask if they had an artist in residence. The staff there were so impressed by Fraser’s enthusiasm and ideas that they offered him a year-long position.

“Over the next 12 months I’m planning to have an active role within the life of the cathedral,” he says. “I want to talk to visitors and schools, and encourage them to draw and paint. I want to create awareness, through art, of the beauty and importance of the cathedral, help create a significant number of new works, and involve as many people as possible in art - throughout the whole county!”

Fraser plans to hold two major arts projects, ‘The Big Draw’ and ‘The Big Paint’, both of which will enable people from different backgrounds to express themselves through painting and drawing. “Unfortunately the cathedral doesn’t offer any financial support for the resident artist, so I have to raise all the money for these projects myself,” he explains. “I was over the moon to hear I’d won the bursary, and it will mean I can buy art materials. I’m hoping to attract a large number of people, so I’ll need a substantial amount – for The Big Paint I’m planning to have 100 or more participants on one day, so the volume of paint and materials required will be quite high.

“I’ve moved into a studio on the first floor of the cathedral itself, that looks down into the nave over the choir – it’s an amazing view

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my students, who recently suffered a double bereavement, said that in her sixties she has more friends since she started painting with me than she has ever had before. She has just come out of hospital after a major operation, and one of the things that kept her cheerful was looking forward to coming back to the workshops as soon as possible.”

CONTACT DETAILS: Fraser is based at Lincoln Cathedral until September 2009. Examples of his work can be seen at www.fraserscarfe.co.uk

with great light from the stained glass windows on all sides. I’m planning to base myself there for part of each week and encourage visitors to make sketches during their visit. I’ll also be working with schools and want to set up drawing/paint-based activities with the children, so I’ll need a small stock of pens, pencils and paper for them to use. I’m so excited to be involved in this, and plan to take the SAA’s motto, ‘Inform, Encourage and Inspire’, and apply it to everything I do at the cathedral.”

One of last year’s winners, Claire Warner, feels that winning the bursary has increased her credibility as an artist and teacher, and people are booking up for her workshops in ever growing numbers. “My goal was to reach more people and, through art, help them deal with all sorts of life challenges,” she says. “That goal has been realized and it gives me such pleasure to see students not only growing in ability and enjoying their painting so much, but also seeing their problems diminish as they immerse themselves in painting. One of

How To Enter If you’re motivated by Fraser and Claire’s success, why not consider applying for next year’s award?

The 2009 Bursary Award Scheme is open to all SAA members whose goal is to teach and inspire others to paint.

WIN Two main winners will of each receive Worth ls ia r e t £500 worth of a M materials, which can be used in any way that fulfils this, whether through local centres, groups, clubs, schools or hospitals. A further six runners up will receive £50 vouchers. If you’d like to apply for a bursary contact Head Office on 0800 980 1123 or look up details on the website at www.saa.co.uk

£500

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ACRYLICS

Keeping your Options Open Former SAA President Michael Sanders compares his new Interactive Acrylic paints with his traditional acrylics When using a new product, it’s always tempting to make comparisons or try to define it in terms of what we’ve used before. This is quite natural, but doing this we risk limiting the potential of any new material because we will still be using it in the same old way. We need to use new and innovative materials in new ways, and then see how they compare when we work in our ‘usual’ manner. This is the second complete painting I’ve done using Interactive Acrylics; the last one used a lot of re-wetting and blending, which was very nice to do, but I’ve decided to paint this one by starting off using my ‘normal’ opaque acrylic method. Interactive paints have been developed to be re-workable when dry, which enables a whole range of different techniques to be used during the painting process. But for this one I want to use the paint with the minimum of re-working, just to see how it goes. I always like to start a painting on a tinted surface, known as a coloured ground, because this makes judging tones easier, and gives me a feeling of having ‘made a start’,

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which helps in the early stages. I’m using a piece of grey board to paint on, primed with white acrylic primer called gesso. To get a coloured primer I mix a bit of acrylic paint into this. For this image, I’ve added a touch of black to the gesso to produce a light grey. I like to work my acrylic paintings up from simple shapes and colours, modifying as I go. Because it’s very easy to get fiddly I start sketching the basic composition with big bold brushstrokes, using a no.10 or no.12 flat bristle brush. It’s impossible to get bogged down in detail with such a big brush, and it has the advantage of getting plenty of paint on quickly.

MATERIALS:

famous caves. It may well have once been a pack horse road; it’s too narrow for traffic. The rocks of the gorge aren’t actually as prominent at this point; I’ve enlarged them to make more of an impact. I’ve blocked in the sky using White and a touch of Cobalt Blue, and some greens, adding some Cadmium Yellow and Raw Sienna to Cobalt. I’m still using my no. 12 bristle brush.

Now I’m getting some strong colour into the image! It’s easy to hold back and make everything grey when we paint (especially after the summer we’ve had!), but I love colour too much to do that. I’ve used Dioxazine Purple, mixed with a little Burnt Sienna, Cobalt and White, to block in the rocks, making them darker at the bottom to help define the distant cottage. While still wet I’ve used a knife here to add texture. A mix of a little Cadmium Red Medium, Burnt Sienna and White was applied on the left hand cottage; the grey of the background has modified it slightly. At this point I’m using paint that is only slightly diluted with water. The same colour with a touch more Red was used for the tiled roofs. A dilute blue wash was applied over the path area and some brush strokes in dilute violet / grey made the stone wall on the left.

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• Grey board (16" x 24") • Brushes: flat bristle no’s 10 or 12, SAA All Rounder and no. 2 synthetic sable • Gesso - white acrylic primer • Painting Knife (medium) • Interactive Acrylic paints: Black, White, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red Medium, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Dioxazine Purple, Green Black I’ve sketched a simple composition here with dilute grey paint, with a no.12 bristle brush, making plenty of alterations. This is a little lane that runs up beside a pond in Cheddar village, where I was tutoring a painting holiday, and comes out onto the main road up near the

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Now some shadows are added to the path with Cobalt Blue and White and the sunny areas warmed by putting on some Raw Sienna and White. Darker greens are added on the right; there is a fascinating colour in the range called Green Black, and I’ve found it very useful for dark foliage. While this dark area was still wet, I’ve scraped a few lines out with my painting knife to imply branches. At this point I’ve used the re-wet technique, spraying a mist of water, and softened and blended the greens on the top left to make that area recede. That’s something you can’t do with other acrylics!

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Here is the image with a bit of detail coming in. I’ve finally put down my no. 12 bristle brush and used the SAA All Rounder for the windows and other bits and pieces. I’ve given the white cottage another coat and introduced some touches of red, both in the foreground and near the far cottage. Green Black has been put on to give the impression of leaves on the right, and some blue touches have been added in the shadows to give vibrancy. At this point I realised

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3 that some splashes and spatter would be nice, and so that comes next.

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Here is the finished painting with some modifications. I’ve used dilute Green Black to spatter over the hedge on the left to impart a textured leafy look, and the same on the bottom right. I’ve used a no.2 synthetic sable brush for the white on the windows and to add some dark branches on the hedge. The path was sprayed with a mist of water and the shadows were softened, and lightened. I’ve made the distant shadows on the path blue-ish, as well as the wall, with some purple being added near the foreground shadows to warm up this blue.

Some additional scraping was done on the rocks to modify the texture. I’m quite pleased with the result. If you know Cheddar you’ll realise that I’ve taken considerable liberties with this scene, but, to paraphrase the comment about journalism, ’never let the truth get in the way of a good painting’!

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Michael will be tutoring a painting holiday in Cheddar again next September, organised by Matthew Clark of Cheddar Gallery; for details see www.cheddargallery.co.uk or phone 01934 744188 Michael is available to demonstrate Interactive Acrylics to art societies in the South West, or further afield if there are several societies in one area on subsequent days. If you would like to try the acrylics, why not have a workshop? Contact Michael on 01822 834799 or email him on artistmjsanders@tiscali.co.uk Michael’s new book and tie-in DVD ‘Quick & Clever Acrylics’ are available through SAA Home Shop.

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TUTORIAL

Artist’s Inspiration Inspired by a painting by Edward Seago, PA Geoff Kersey goes in search of St Benet’s Abbey, Norfolk, and uses Winsor & Newton Artists’ Water Colour to create his own interpretation For this painting I have used Winsor & Newton Artists’ Water Colours. These are excellent paints, very finely ground and featuring a range of vivid strong colours that help you to attain clean, fresh results. I always choose artists’ quality paints as opposed to students’ quality as the colours are generally richer, having a higher ratio of pigment to gum. Inevitably this makes them more expensive but they do go further, which makes student quality to some extent a bit of a false economy. The Neutral Tint I have used in this scene is the only grey straight from a tube that I use, as it has a natural, slightly warm hue, with just a hint of red; making it an ideal choice for dramatic skies.

MATERIALS • Winsor & Newton Artists’ Water Colours: Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Light Red, Rose Madder • White Gouache • 2B Pencil

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• Masking Fluid • 1/2” flat, No. 2 and No. 4 brushes This ruined abbey gate-house and windmill is such an unusual structure that it caught my eye the very first time I saw it, in a painting by Edward Seago. At the first opportunity I went to find this fascinating place for myself, and have now painted it many times from different angles and in different seasons.

I have chosen a snow-covered wintry day for this example, but as you can see in Figure 1 the actual photo was taken in the summer; however with a bit of imagination you can soon 1 change the season. I have also taken the liberty of altering the view to make a more pleasing composition.

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I chose a sheet of 140 lb good quality rough paper, which I stretched. The long format for this painting is one I use many times as it lends itself well to so many landscape subjects. The size you choose for your painting is not as important as the ratio, which

is that the length is approximately twice the depth. My finished painting measures 25” x 13”.

As you can see here, I started by drawing the basic outlines of the scene with a 2B pencil, before masking out the main shape of the building, along with the distant horizon line where the land meets the sky.

2

I wet the whole sky area (the upper two thirds of the paper) with clean water, before laying in three washes of colour for the sky.

These were; a pale orange/red made from Naples Yellow and Light Red, a thin wash of Cobalt Blue, followed by a slightly darker wash of Neutral Tint. I painted the sky darker at the top, lightening it towards the horizon, to help create the impression of distance (this is called Arial perspective).

3

While the sky was still wet I mixed the blue and grey together and touched it in with a fine pointed brush along the horizon, to represent distant trees, before finally touching in a dark brown mixed from Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna, along the base of the distant trees, to suggest darker more dense growth right on the

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PAINT November 2008

snow-line. When this was dry I removed all the masking fluid.

The next step was to put in some background washes to represent the stonework and brickwork on the building. This was essentially Naples Yellow with a touch of Raw Sienna for the stone and Burnt Sienna with Raw Sienna for the brick. Finally before these colours dried I added a touch of grey using the mixture of Cobalt Blue and Neutral Tint, allowing all these colours to mix and merge on the still wet background.

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6

Once the background was dry I used a No. 4 brush to add detail and texture with various greys, before mixing a rich dark brown from Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine to put in the large opening on the left, along with the shadow side of the conical shape (softening it towards the centre to create a cylindrical effect) and other vital details, including the fencing. All these areas can be seen on Figure 6.

5

Then still looking at Figure 6 note how I have continued with this rich, dark, brown mixture for the bushes either side of the structure; these were rendered by first wetting the area again with clean water, before dropping in the colour; allowing it to spread slowly, thus creating softer, more bush-like shapes. I used the same process to define the distant riverbank on the right hand side.

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I then put in a very thin wash of Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna, to define the outer shape of the tree, and left it to dry, before continuing to work with the dark brown mixture for the tree trunk and branches, using a no 2 brush for the really fine work. This same colour was used for the right hand riverbank, before putting plenty of masking fluid onto the left hand bank and leaving it to dry.

7

It was now time to paint the water!

I re-mixed the first three colours I had used earlier to paint the sky (it is vital to match these up to your sky to ensure they appear as reflections), before also mixing some more of the Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine to reflect the banks. Once these mixtures were ready, I carefully wet the whole of the river area with clean water, before laying in the sky colours and the dark for under the right hand bank. Before the water area had dried, I took a half-inch flat brush and dragged down the colour gently, to give the appearance of vertical reflections, of the type you see in still or slow-moving water.

This stage was left to dry before adding the tree reflections and rendering the wherry with a

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touch of Rose Madder mixed with Light Red and more of the rich, dark, brown.

Now it’s all about finishing touches. I added a thin blue shadow, with a wash of Cobalt Blue to the middle distance, taking care to still leave some white paper, before brushing in a strong grey (Neutral Tint) shadow across the

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foreground. The next stage was to add a few details to the middle distance and foreground with the dark brown mixture, on a fairly dry brush, before finally adding a few finishing touches with some white gouache, to areas like the top edges of the building, tops of fences and on the distant trees and bushes.

The final touch was to add a few white streaks to the water to indicate wash from the wherry and that bit of sparkle.

Geoff is now putting together his programme of One Day workshops and painting holidays for 2009. For details of these, or information about his November exhibition at the Corner Studio, Darley Dale, Derbyshire, contact him on 01629 735191, email info@geoffkersey.co.uk or visit www.geoffkersey.co.uk

November 2008 PAINT

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PAINTING HOLIDAYS

How to get the most from a painting holiday Martin Kinnear, who runs a variety of painting holidays and classes at the Norfolk Painting School, has some useful advice if you’re thinking about taking the plunge and booking your first trip ‘Booking a painting holiday is a big decision, because most leisure painters can only afford the time and cost of one annual dedicated painting break. So before you book it’s worth considering what type of holiday will best suit you.

LEISURE OR LEARNING? As a painting school tutor the first thing I think about when setting up a course is the outcome I want the students to experience – what they will take away with them, in terms of skills or

experiences. Broadly speaking these fall into two categories, the ‘fun’ experiences of socialising, seeing new places or taking part in new things; and the more serious business of personal development, which is measured in terms of skills learned or problems overcome.

For this reason my weekend courses, which mostly attract serious painters with specific personal goals, are largely geared up to providing intensive, hands-on painting and demonstrations. The group socialising around the dinner table is there, but the focus is on individual development and tuition.

painting break, but one peppered with opportunities for socialising and trying new things.

Indeed some courses, particularly those based in a popular holiday location (such as the Lake District or abroad) are often intended to be artistic tours of an area, with days based around sketching at various beautiful locations, rather than focused art tuition.

My holiday courses, conversely, are written to cover a much broader and less intensive range of activities: serious studio painting days are interwoven with plein air excursions, oil paint making and group activities such as ’art history and wine’ evenings. The course is still a serious

If you love the idea of rambling with a sketchbook in congenial company, these are for you, but if you want to simply paint, or wish to develop a specific skill, it is worth making a few enquiries about the structure of the course before you book.

Sue Ford Painting Holidays 2009

PAINTING HOLIDAYS IN RURAL TUSCANY

Paint with Arnold Lowrey in Hania, the old Venetian capital of Crete May 12th – 21st 2009 Arranged with McCabe Pilgrimages Travel Tour manager Frances Brown will be in attendance Telephone 020 8675 6828 for brochure Or email alistair@mccabe-travel.co.uk For further information contact Arnold Lowrey Tel 02920 891482 Email alowrey@freezone.co.uk Website www.lowrey.co.uk E-shop www.lowreyart.co.uk

You stay in a beautiful house beside an old watermill in a graceful valley with vines and olives, fringed by the rugged Apennines.

Stimulating, fun-filled painting courses with acclaimed tutors.

“We’ve been on many painting holidays, but this was the best ever.”

Non-painting partners welcome.

Call BILL or LOIS on 01888 568375 and see www.watermill.net

- North Yorkshire - Staithes.

Scotland - Balmoral Castle and Hebrides. Cheddar Gorge and Sardinia Plus weekend breaks and classes, for full details www.saa.co.uk/art/sford and www.sueford.co.uk sue_ford@email.com painting holidays

Becky Samuelson Marine and Landscape Artist www.beckysamuelsonfinearts.co.uk email: becky@beckysamuelsonfinearts.co.uk

Tel: 01983 873351 PAINTINGS, TUITION, FREE NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE

SAA PA Trudy Friend NDD ATC Drawing & Watercolour @ Best Western, Royal George Hotel, Tintern, Monmouthshire.

For full information Email: admin@hoganart.co.uk Tel: 01262 420068 Write: Five Pennies, East St, Kilham,Yorkshire YO25 4RE

www.hoganart.co.uk

www.paint-andalucia.com enquiries@paint-andalucia.com Telephone: +44 (0)20 8385 2024 Cost = £599.00 full board, all transport and tuition Departures 8 Nov and 10 Jan

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SAA professional Your chance to experience the magnificent Yorkshire Wolds and coast.

All inclusive packages All abilities welcome and all mediums tutored in a friendly easy to follow manner All year round courses

Easter 2009 3 Day Art Break

gift vouchers available

Sailing/painting cruises on a Thames barge and Norfolk wherry.

Art Breaks in Yorkshire with Tony Hogan The perfect art holiday experience

Reservations: 01291 689205 Website: bw-royalgeorgehotel Email: trudy.friend.uk@googlemail.com

Structured 1,2,3,4 and 5 day courses All media. All levels • Top tutors • Friendly caring atmosphere • Unique Classical oil painting.

01642 712926

Watershed Studio Large range of one and two day painting courses at this popular East Anglian Studio • Top Class Tutors • Friendly Rural Premises • Excellent Home Cooking • First Class Local Accommodation

BRIAN SMITH

(as featured in May & July editions of Paint)

WATERCOLOURWAYS – IDYLLIC MENORCA www.briansmithwatercolourways.com • Experienced professional artist/caring tutor • Watercolour/Acrylics • Small groups • En-suite accommodation • RELAX, LEARN, ENJOY Contact 01323 646436 or email watercolourways@googlemail.com

Contact Allison Bond for details:

Tel: 01255 820466 email: allison@watershedstudio.co.uk Watershed Studio, St Clere’s Hall Lane, St Osyth, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO16 8RX www.watershedstudio.co.uk

Carol’s Art Fun & Informative Painting Tuition Workshops and Short Breaks Art Society Demos & workshops.

Watercolour & Atelier Interactive Acrylic “You have tried the rest.. now try the funniest brush of all” NEW PRODUCT FROM THE USA DEMOS To book FUNNY BRUSHTel... or WORKSHOPS !!!!!

0191 5367851/07916289501

www.carolsartonline.co.uk

FREE TIME Most painting courses build in elements of free time for the students, either as deliberate breaks from the routine of painting, or unsupervised activities after, or on, the painting days. Make sure you’re happy with the amount of free time that has been built into the schedule.

Because a happy relationship with other students is so important to your overall enjoyment of the holiday, a good course will ensure that you have opportunities to meet and socialise with other students throughout the course. In Norfolk for example we start the painting holidays with a complimentary drinks and canapés evening, to which students are

encouraged to bring work to show to their fellow painters.

When approaching these things it is worth remembering that everybody else is as nervous as you, wants to have a great holiday and has an interest in the same thing that drew you to the course.

MURIEL OWEN

ATELIER CAPELLETES

PA I N T I N G H O L I DAY S 21st year of fine chosen sites Spring 09 in CUBA (JAN-FEB) JORDAN (MARCH) SOUTH MOROCCO (FEB-MARCH) All levels & non painting partners welcome Briarwood House, Church Hill, Totland Bay IOW PO39 0EU Tel: 01983 753882 Email: Muriel@po390eu.freeserve.co.uk

Watercolour Painting Holidays

Gift rs Vouche e availabl

EXPERIENCED FRIENDLY TUTOR Small Groups • All Abilities Art Group Demo's & Workshops Tel 02392 710662 Email: s.dodds@hotmail.co.uk Web: www.purplepainting.co.uk

Professional painting courses in the heart of magical ANDALUCÍA Superb value for money:

ART BREAKS IN SW FRANCE

565 BP per person per week!

Large and fully equiped art studio.

High standard rooms with en-suite and terrace Excellent food & wines Info or bookings UK: Linda Woodward on 01875 340785 or 01620 890411 Spain: 00 34 952 15 00 89 e-mail: capelletes@wanadoo.es website: www.paint-in-holidays.com

www.leperchoirdespaons.com email: mike.susie@wanadoo.fr 00 33 (0)5 65 31 54 88

ART HOLIDAYS IN DORSET Residential art courses in magnificent and inspiring scenery – mountains, sea, rivers, lochs. Warm hospitality & good food.

Day students, non-painters welcome.

Tutors: Alvaro Castagnet, Frances Hatch, Bettina Schroeder, Nick Tidnam, David Tress.

2009 Brochure available at the end of October Brochure: Gillian Pattinson, Brynaport, Strathcarron, IV54 8XB. Tel 01520 733227 Website www.nwhighlandsart.co.uk Email gillian@nwhighlandsart.co.uk or Dot Shewan: dotshewan@aol.com

• Highly professional tutors 2009 brochure • Small groups – all abilities welcome now available • Well equipped studio • Free transport to and from stunning painting locations, rail and coach stations and local airports 500m FROM THE SEA • Delicious home-cooked food • 7 nights full board • Relaxed house-party atmosphere where inc tuition £449 nothing is too much trouble • 2,3,4,5 & 7 night New programme includes, among over 30 courses, breaks available "Harbours" "Coastal Landscape" "River Scenes and • No single Water" "Flowers Without Fear" "Sketchbooks - You supplement Know You Need One!" plus beginners and refresher courses and much, much more!

Contact John or Christine on 01202 393234 www.boscombespahotel.co.uk

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT IN FRANCE? THEN READ ON!!

PAINT & RELAX HOLIDAYS OFFERS YOU A FRESH EXPERIENCE AT OUR NEW SUPREME LOCATION IN THE BEAUTIFUL CHERENTE MARITIME, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF YOUR RESIDENT TUTOR BRIAN BROWN N.D.D NOW IN ITS TWELFTH YEAR!

RELAXING ART HOLIDAYS SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFERS Visit us on: www.andalusianartholiday.com Book on: info@andalusianartholiday.com

0034-647081552

PAINTING IN THE CHARENTE MARITIME

SCULPTURE COURSE

For the Artist the best of both worlds of land and sea in a warm climate St Paul’s Clion is the idyllic spot and an artist’s dream. Stay in the large Manor House with extensive garden, plus great food of the area and plenty of free wine. All art materials FREE; Courses of seven nights in June and September.

Excursions to Jonzac experience Saints and visit beauty spots on the Gironde estuary. Airport collection included

Under Brian’s Guidance watch you 3D design take shape as you chip away in the French sunshine or in our well stocked workshop.

HISTORIC DURHAM CITY – WORLD HERITAGE SITE We still run our very successful, inclusive, painting holiday in Durham.

All painting mediums and materials provided FREE and most work will be done outside where we will explore the varied and inspiring scenery of the land of the Prince Bishops; England’s best kept secret.

Groups are kept small, beginners and non-painting companions are welcome

Visit our website: www.paintrelax.com For free brochure send to: Paint and Relax Holidays in Durham, The Fold, Witton Gilbert, Durham DH7 6SY Tel: 0191 371 1067

November 2008 PAINT

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PAINTING HOLIDAYS

A ROOM WITH A VIEW You’ll need to think about accommodation and meals, and in this respect courses vary widely: some are effectively half or full board painting holidays at luxury hotels, whilst others are based in teaching studios, field centres or lecture halls in rural locations.

If accommodation isn’t provided, the course organiser should be able to give you a list of approved (which should mean tested) accommodation options; usually local hotels or B&B rooms near the venue. Better courses will usually offer to arrange this on your behalf, and will be able to tell you everything you need to know about the accommodation before you book.

Most courses will provide some form of refreshments or beverages either at the venue or on location, and many will provide light meals, or even dinner. In any event it is important that you understand what is and isn’t included, and what your options are before you book. You should also make sure that the organisers know if you have any specific dietary needs.

Many organisers use communal mealtimes as opportunities to get the students socialising

together, and it is important that you are able to take part, irrespective of your dietary needs.

BOOKING THE COURSE Painting schools usually run on a confirmed place basis; your place is confirmed on receipt of payment, and that vacancy is taken off the market, ensuring the course isn’t over subscribed. In this manner the course tutors can, if necessary, contact you, assess your needs and prepare for any changes in the schedule necessitated by a particular student’s infirmity or circumstances.

All of this means that you are in effect paying up front for a holiday you will get in several weeks or even a few months time, so when booking make sure you ask about cancellation terms or look up the information in the brochure, website or other relevant literature.

Most schools will do their level best to re-sell places you have booked, enabling them to give you a full refund, but unless you give them ample time to do so you could forfeit some or even your entire fee. If you do have to cancel it may be worth asking to defer your booking to a later date, rather than receiving a partial

refund. You could even consider helping them to fill your ‘slot’ by approaching friends in your art group who may wish to take the place.’

MAKING THE MOST OF IT Here are some top tips for making the most of a painting holiday • Be friendly and open to other students from the very beginning • Tell the tutor what you want to learn and help them to help you • Be prepared to try new things, especially things you ‘don’t normally do’ • Take part in optional activities, particularly communal meals • Take some images of your work – they’re great icebreakers • Dress for comfort and practicality, your personality will do the rest • Be certain what’s included and what’s not before you book

PAINTING IN ITALY H&G Italy Ltd. run painting holidays in Italy in combination with either cooking or walking. Friends/partners can come on the holiday together, do separate activities in the morning and then enjoy the rest of the day together.

Destinations include: Citta di Castello; Lake Bolsena; Pienza; Pontasieve; Cortona and Assisi.

The holiday is designed for experienced artists as well as for beginners and creates the perfect balance between being alone and being part of a group.

There is plenty of time to paint and draw but Italian food and culture are an integral part of the week.

After painting, cooking or walking in the morning, an al fresco lunch and siesta or swim, guests are taken on excursions to some of the most beautiful and historically important towns in Italy. Our two centre holiday to Cortona and Assisi excludes excursions.

We also welcome partners/friends who do not want to do either painting, cooking or walking. Guests can relax around the hotel or other activities can be organised such as Italian lessons, horseriding or golf.

“They have found the perfect formula for a wonderful week's holiday.”

Recommended by the Sunday Telegraph.

Telephone for a brochure: 01580 767554 web: www.paintinginitaly.com and www.cookinginumbria.com email: info@paintinginitaly.com

Mariana-Art 16/17 Nov - Landscapes for Autumn 27 Feb - Painting Water 5/6 March - Spring Buds & Flowers

Tel: 01594 530484 info@mariana-art.co.uk

www.mariana-art.co.uk

Lakelander Arts Watercolour & pencil workshops in the beautiful Lake District

heleneburrow@mac.com www.heleneburrow.co.uk 07808 762149 Free Lakelander Arts newsletter with all email enquiries

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West of Ireland Landscape Painting Holiday Courses Top Tutors/Great Scenery 36th Year - Free Brochure : From Christine O'Neill, Burren Painting Centre, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare.

00353-657074208 info@burrenpaintingcentre.com www.burrenpaintingcentre.com

Dalvaro Art

PA I N T I N G H O L I D A Y S

• Offers substantial discounts for art club groups • 6 days all inclusive, meals and accommodation in luxury hilltop villa, overlooking the Valle de Albaida.

• All rooms en suite • 25 hours of painting tuition • One week courses from January to November • Strolling distance from the local Spanish town of Beniganim.

For more information or brochure please contact Dolores Alvaro via our website, or by email

lolialvaro@telefonica.net www.paintinginholidays.com Telephone

0034 96 221 72 26

PAINTING HOLIDAYS

Pear Tree Farm Creative Holidays Art Courses & Accommodation in Derbyshire GREAT VENUE FOR ART GROUPS 9 en-suite rooms : art studio

Vivien Walters Studios Animals in Pastel • E-workshops • Studio workshops in North Devon • Postal courses • Private lessons • Art breaks • Gifts

Tel: (01629) 534215 *Gift Vouchers Available

View from Art Studio

Art Courses by professionals in Watercolour, Acrylic, Oil, Pastels, Calligraphy...

Charles Evans, Keith Fenwick, Rob Wareing, Hazel Lale, Lewis Noble, Michael Porter, Roy Lang, Jeremy Ford, Emma Tooth, David Bellamy, Joe Francis-Dowden GUEST HOUSE and ART STUDIO Lea Bridge, Matlock, Derbyshire. DE4 5JN www.derbyshirearts.co.uk Email: sue@derbyshirearts.co.uk

www.vivienwalters.co.uk Tel: 01769 560200

T U S C A N Y

THE VERROCCHIO ARTS CENTRE between

FLORENCE and SIENA

13night courses in Painting and Drawing by PROFESSIONAL ARTIST TUTORS and Sculpture by NIGEL KONSTAM Accommodation good home cooking and stunning Tuscan landscape

TRANSPORT CAN BE ARRANGED FROM PISA

WEB SITE: www.verrocchio.co.uk EMAIL: maureen.ruck@ukgateway.net BROCHURE phone: 020 8869 1035

Learn Oil Landscapes

Explore your creative potential...

Weekends & Holiday Courses for Beginners & Experienced Artists

(minimum age 18)

Excellent accommodation, superb facilities and a delightful location in rural West Sussex.

Join us for a traditional oil painting course at The Norfolk Painting School to learn everything from foundation painting to master classes in creating light.

As featured in ‘Paint’Magazine www.makinnear.com www.nofolkpaintingschool.com Tel : 01328 730203

Our 2009 programme includes over 100 art courses featuring many different topics, including Drawing for Beginners, Watercolours, Landscapes & Seascapes, Botanical Illustration, Oil Painting, Portraits, Life Drawing, Fantasy Art and Still Life. Courses are carefully planned, with expert instruction from experienced tutors; many of them also feature painting trips to scenic locations, with transport provided as part of the package.

For a copy of our 2009 brochure call 01243 670392 or go online at www.earnley.co.uk

Earnley Concourse, Earnley, Chichester, PO20 7JN

November 2008 PAINT

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LETTERS & NEWS

★STAR LETTER★

LET’S REFLECT Letters to the SAA STAR LETTER - please keep in touch.

Each issue, one lucky ‘star letter’ writer will receive a £30 Home Shop Voucher.

IN SEARCH OF A HOLIDAY? ‘I feel I am a painting holiday veteran, having been lucky enough to enjoy many continental painting holidays since I started painting in 1996. I stress 'holidays' and not painting courses.

My painting holiday needs to include time to swim, go for walks, sleep in the sun, sit in a café and watch the world go by and to paint in beautiful locations with transport (including airport transfers) and accommodation arranged; to be in a group and to eat out in the evening at a previously arranged location but to be in an untutored situation.

I paint in a colourful, naive style, which many tutors find difficult to understand.

Why are there not more untutored painting holidays arranged (obviously there would have to be a charge to participants for the work involved in making all the arrangements)?

Perhaps those organising painting holidays could include people who wish to paint (without the tutoring) on a similiar rate as nonpainting partners?

I would be interested in any comments from readers and painting holiday organisers.’

Sally Ashmore, Carlow, Ireland (44629)

TUITION NEEDED ‘I write to say how much I appreciated the three articles by Helen Brown about painting in acrylic inks. They were wonderfully well timed as I had a set given me almost a year ago and have been looking in vain (in Cyprus, Australia and the UK and the net) for a book or DVD with some instruction as to how to use them. I did try one flower picture which was frankly a disaster!

However in May this year I was in New Zealand and two small girls asked me if I would paint a picture of their pet rabbits.

Using the inks and techniques which Helen used for her cat, I managed to produce a painting which I hope will please them.

If anyone knows of a source of published instruction please let me know as I really enjoyed using these acrylic inks.’

Ann Devine, Cyprus (54460)

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WELCOME BACK TO PAINTING ‘What a wonderful magazine, I read it after my husband Richard has read it, because he is the SAA member. In 1999 Richard was diagnosed with a throat cancer and it was such a traumatic experience for him that he could not paint anymore. After a gruelling process of continuous radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment they finally discharged him after seven years, only informing us right at the end that they had given him just six weeks to live when they first discovered the cancer. Slowly Richard started to paint again, mostly in Acrylics and occasionally in pastel pencils… By chance he saw Vic Bearcroft on the Sky Channel and has been well and truly fired up to paint again, using hard and soft pastel sticks. Vic has been extremely helpful and caring towards Richard and I

PAINTING REACHES NEW HEIGHTS Congratulations to SAA member Peter Baker for being amongst a group from the UK and around the world to make the first ever Everest Skydive at 29,500ft in front of (not off) Mount Everest. ’I finally managed to do my leap of faith,’ writes Peter. ‘The forty five minute climb up to 29,500ft at dawn was a magical experience; the early morning sun on the mountain tops was a sight I will never forget. Once out of the aircraft we had over a minute of freefall, which was filmed with all the mountains as a backdrop.

Even when the parachute was deployed at around 18,000ft we were still treated to more breathtaking views before landing.

Although the event is now over, the children at the orphanage in Kathmandu still need our help raising funds for solar panels and a generator to provide a constant source of electricity.

Please visit www.globalangels.org/fundraiser/peterbaker to find out more.’

sincerely thank him. Richard’s confidence had a real boost recently, when a friend asked for a pencil drawing of her boxer dogs and was truly amazed at the finished artwork - she hadn’t known exactly what she wanted at the outset, but his drawing was exactly what she wanted.’

Mavis Thomas

mistakes with the pastels. It's as simple as that! I found the velour paper quite strange to use at first, but persevered and thank goodness I did. Once the under-painting is in place, layering is really easy and the results just inspire you to continue. The paper holds the pastels fabulously and certainly does give the lovely 'furry' textured appearance I really wanted to achieve. So, anyone out there who is a bit apprehensive about using the velour paper, don't be; give it a try because the results you get are well worth the effort. It's magic!’

Andrea Hayton (81645)

And Peter, we look forward to seeing some of your paintings as a result of your recent Leap of Faith.

VOTES IN FAVOUR OF VELOUR PAPER ‘After the help and encouragement I was shown by the SAA when they sent me some velour paper to try, I thought you might be interested to see the results of my first attempts – I hope it will encourage more people to try it.’ writes Andrea Hayton.

‘I was concerned as to how to rectify any mistakes I might make since the paper surface has a pile on it and would be damaged if I used an eraser. However, I needn't have worried as I've found that all I have to do is layer over any

'Goliath', pastel on velour, 24 x 31cm

CLUB CORNER

The SAA has affiliated art clubs of all shapes and sizes – whatever your size or age, we would love to share your news with SAA members who may be interested in joining a group in their area, or popping in to meet you on their travels.

ART ON A POSTCARD The Art on a Postcard sale and exhibition was held on 9th August and raised nearly £500 on the day. The remaining postcards will be sold at Age Concern’s weekly coffee mornings to raise extra funds for this organisation. Several paintings were entered into a silent auction, and as well as creating a bit of fun, raised £160.

Over 530 paintings were received from all over the UK and abroad and several clubs made it a ‘club project’ donating several paintings. Sheila Southwell would like to thank all the artists who donated paintings for this worthy cause, ‘your efforts are very much appreciated’. Thanks also go to Tony Baldwin for his help with the hanging screens, and to Gwen Sadler and Rita Cooling who, along with Sheila, spent hours sorting the paintings and Carol and Diane who ran the silent auction.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME:

CONGRATULATIONS TO SAA member Richard Childs for his success in winning the title of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year 2008 for his moving painting ‘The Hope of Sepilok’ – this award winning painting took Richard 65 hours to execute using coloured pencils. Richard’s artwork raises much needed funds for charitable organisations – a percentage of each sale of his orang-utan painting goes towards the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation as Art Promoting the Environment (APE). More of Richard’s work can be seen at his website www.chumleysart.com For details of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 see page 43 of this issue

CHANGE OF DAY Anthony Vince, RSC at Belstead House Art Club, Ipswich would like to let people know that the club is now running on Monday mornings from 9am – 12pm instead of Thursday evenings. Anyone interested in joining the club or wanting more information should contact anthony-vince@sky.com

NEW MEMBERS PAINT A POSTCARD COMPETITION

The Wednesbury Art Club meets on Monday evenings from 7pm - 9pm at Wednesbury Art Gallery, Hollihead Road, Wednesbury. Running for 20 years, they have in the region of 30 members aged from 15 to 91 and are always ready to welcome new members.

Contact John Howell on 01922 683304 The Stable Art Club is a small group of very friendly painters of varying ability who meet every Monday from 9.30am – 12.30pm at Kingswood Village Hall, near Kington, North Herefordshire. If you enjoy painting, a warm welcome awaits you whatever your level of ability.

Contact Christine on 01568 613724

As of January 2009 we will be ringing the changes in Club Corner – this page will be dedicated to art clubs who want to put out a call for new members, and to share news of your group activities with fellow SAA members. Send your notices, as concisely as possible (sadly space is limited) to paint@saa.co.uk or to Head Office (subject Club Corner) - we look forward to hearing from you.

2

A warm welcome and congratulations to: 1 Beth Burke (84491) ‘Wet and windy on White Horse Hill’. Watercolour 2 Rosemary Koch-Osborne (84677) ‘Staithes Cottage’. Pen and wash

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DIARY DATES

EXHIBITIONS AND DATES FOR YOUR DIARY For more information on any of the listings here, please contact the organisers on the numbers provided SEPTEMBER 26th - NOVEMBER 24th – Wednesbury Art Club Exhibition at Atrium Gallery, Blakenall Village Centre, Thames Road, Blakenall, Walsall from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 1pm Saturday.

Contact: John Howell on 01922 683304 NOVEMBER 1st - 15th – Marilyn Allis Affordable Art Exhibition at Mill Lane Gallery, 9 Mill Lane, Wimborne, Dorset. Original paintings from £25 with a large selection of original work and hand finished prints, cards and books.

Contact: Marilyn Allis on 01202 880084 or Info@marilynallis.co.uk www.marilynallis.co.uk NOVEMBER 3rd - 28th – Stanley Civic Hall Art Group exhibition of work in various mediums in Lamplight Art Centre, Stanley, Co. Durham.

Contact: Jane Riley on 01207 282469 NOVEMBER 7th - 9th – Carole Baker RBSA exhibition at Windsor Art Fair at Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor. Stand number 53. Contact Carole on 01543 676895 www.carolebaker.com NOVEMBER 7th - 12th - Local primary schools art exhibition sponsored by Bishops Stortford Art Society at Bishops Stortford Library, Hertfordshire. Opening times: 10am - 5pm (library hours permitting) For more information visit: www.bsartsociety.co.uk NOVEMBER 8th – Chilcompton Art Club annual exhibition at Chilcompton Village Hall, Wells Road, Chilcompton, Radstock, nr Bath.

Open 10.30am – 4.30pm. Car parking and refreshments available.

Contact: Linda Marshall on 01761 412840 NOVEMBER 8th – Association of Formby Artists Autumn Art Exhibition at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Rosemary Lane, Formby, Liverpool from 9.30am – 4.30pm.

Contact: Cathy Torr on 01704 878713 NOVEMBER 10th - 15th – Jane BoxGrainger’s fourth solo exhibition for Charity and Christmas at The Gallery, Kensington and Chelsea Library, Kings Road, London, SW3.

9.30am – 8pm Tuesday and Thursday and 9.30am – 5pm Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Contact: Jane on 02075 840744 NOVEMBER 11th - 15th - The Lawrence Society of Art Annual Exhibition in The Corn Exchange, Devizes, Wiltshire. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10am - 6pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Entry free. The Society welcomes new members.

Contact: Scott Hulland on 01380 722693/ 725206 scotthulland@talktalk.net NOVEMBER 12th - 25th – The Whitstable Art Society Exhibition at Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable, Kent. Contact: Marion Datlen on marion.datlen@btinternet.com NOVEMBER 14th - 15th – Fleet Art Society Exhibition at Chinokee Hall, Harlington Centre, Fleet Road, Fleet, Hampshire. Demonstrations by members of the club, sale of cards and charity raffle and 10% of sales to local charities.

Contact: Mrs B Clements on 01252 614059 NOVEMBER 14th - 16th – Hagley Art Club

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19th Annual Exhibition at Hagley Community Centre, Worcester Road, Hagley, Nr Stourbridge, West Midlands. 7pm – 9pm Friday and 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday. Official opening Friday 7.30pm by Brian Fletcher, RBSA. Contact: Mrs Hazel Gillard on 01384 423123 NOVEMBER 14th - 16th – Tadworth Art Group’s Winter Exhibition 2008 at St John’s Church Hall, The Avenue, Tadworth, Surrey. Open Friday 6.30pm – 10pm, Saturday 10am – 6.30pm and Sunday 10am – 5pm.

Contact: Nova Bailey on 01737 362404 NOVEMBER 14th - 22nd – Bishops Stortford Art Society Annual art exhibition at Bishops Stortford Library, Hertfordshire. From 10am 5pm (library hours permitting) For information visit www.bsartsociety.co.uk NOVEMBER 15th – Totton Art Society one day sale of paintings in Three Score Club, Library Road, Totton, Southampton, Hampshire, from 10am – 4pm. Admission free.

Contact: Mary Austin on 02380 863881 or mobile 07950 882566 NOVEMBER 15th – Irby Artists’ Association Autumn Exhibition at St. Chad’s Hall, Roslin Road, Irby, Wirral, Merseyside, from 10am – 5pm. Paintings and crafts for sale, refreshments and light lunches available. Free admission.

Contact: Ron Burke on 0151 6257098 NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Clare Art Club Exhibition and sale of members’ original paintings and artwork, prints and crafts at Clare Town Hall, Nr Sudbury, Suffolk. 10am – 4pm, refreshments available and admission free.

Contact: David Gilbert on 01787 280696 NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Frome Valley Art Group 14th Annual Exhibition and sale of paintings at The Greenfield Centre, Park Avenue, Winterbourne, Bristol. Open from 10am – 4.30pm. Car parking and refreshments available.

NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Milton Keynes Society of Artists Winter Art Exhibition at Castlethorpe Village Hall, Buckinghamshire from 10am – 5pm Saturday and 10am – 4pm Sunday.

Supporting Leukaemia Research.

Contact: Irene Foster on irenefoster@btinternet.com NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Oakwell Art Group Annual Exhibition in the Oakwell Motel, Low Lane, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire. Open from 10am - 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Admission free.

Contact: Audrey O'Grady on 01924 475309 or Terry on Tfulcher47@aol.com NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Alwoodley Art Group - Christmas Exhibition at Alwoodley Community Centre, Leeds. From 10am - 5pm.

Admission free, refreshments available and raffle. Contact: 0113 2400590 NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Mid Beds Art Society 2008 Autumn Exhibition to be held at St. Nicholas' Church Hall, Barton le Clay, Bedfordshire. From 10am – 4pm Saturday and 12.30pm – 4pm Sunday.

NOVEMBER 15th - 16th – Southwater Art Club Winter Exhibition at Southwater Infant School, Worthing Road, Southwater, West Sussex, featuring members’ pictures, prints, cards, pottery and wood turned items, 10am – 5pm both days. Also featuring the Schools of Southwater Art Competition. Entry free.

Contact: The Club Secretary on 01403 733838

NOVEMBER 17th - 22nd – City Art Group Chichester Christmas Exhibition with Paintings, Sculptures and Crafts at the Oxmarket Centre of Arts, East Street, Chichester, West Sussex, from 10am - 4.30pm. Entrance free.

NOVEMBER 17th - 30th – Artists in Test Valley an exhibition of work at the Fairground Gallery, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire.

Contact: clarissarussell@talktalk.net NOVEMBER 18th - 19th – Woking Society of Arts Exhibition at Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Brewery Road, Woking, Surrey. Open from 8pm – 9.30pm Friday and 10am – 5pm Saturday.

Admission free, refreshments available.

Contact: Rosalind O’Connor on 01483 760171 or oldmaltway@hotmail.com NOVEMBER 19th - 25th – Kaleidoscope Art Group Exhibition and sale of work in Lincoln Central Library, Free School Lane, Lincoln open from 10am – 4pm. Admission free.

Contact: Sheila Ramsden on 01522 692114 NOVEMBER 22nd – Barnt Green Art Group Annual Winter Exhibition at The Friends Meeting House, Sandhills Road, Barnt Green, nr Birmingham from 10am – 6pm. Admission is free and demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day. Contact: Angela Holt Watercolours at www.angelaholt.com NOVEMBER 22nd – 23rd – Timsbury Modern Painters Exhibition of members’ work as part of the Winchester ‘Making Merry Festival’ at the Memorial Hall, Littleton (near Winchester), Hampshire, from 10am – 5pm Saturday and 12pm – 5pm Sunday. Free admission and parking. Contact: Nat Lewis at natclewis@tiscali.co.uk NOVEMBER 22nd - 23rd – Tuesday Painters Art Exhibition combined with Traditional Christmas Fayre in the Parish Hall, Newton on Ouse, North Yorkshire from 10.30am – 4pm.

Refreshments available.

Contact Diane Parr on 01347 848373 NOVEMBER 22nd - 23rd – Hemingford Art Club exhibition in Hemingford Abbots Village Hall, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire from 10.30am - 4pm. Admission is free and there will be refreshments for sale. Wheelchair access.

Contact: Lesley Sims on 01480 463393 NOVEMBER 22nd - 24th – Epping Art Society Annual Exhibition at St John the Baptist Church, High Street, Epping, Essex, from 9.30am – 4pm Saturday and Monday and 11.30am – 4pm Sunday. There will be up to 200 paintings on display.

Contact: Robin Jackson on 01992 572077 NOVEMBER 22nd - 29th – Wisbech Art Club Winter Exhibition to be held in St Peters Church, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire from 10am – 4pm daily and 9am – 3pm on the last day. Pictures for sale, all media. Free Admission.

Contact: Margaret Frusher at mfrusher@fsmail.net NOVEMBER 22nd - 23rd and 29th - 30th – Christmas ART MART at Brooks Studios, 2 Heene Road, Worthing, West Sussex. Open 10.30am - 5pm. Festive atmosphere for gifts, cards, paintings and sculpture. Lucky dip for children. Free Entry.

Contact: www.brooksartstudio.com NOVEMBER 22nd - DECEMBER 7th – Pollyanna Pickering exhibition of original work including work completed for her 2008 BBC documentary Made in England, alongside over

40 new paintings of british wildlife at The Gallery, Brookvale House, Oaker, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 2JJ. 10am - 6pm admission free.

Contact: Anna-Louise on 01629 55851 or annalouise@talktalk.net www.pollyannapickering.co.uk NOVEMBER 25th - DECEMBER 11th – Cowbridge Art Society will be holding its Annual Exhibition and sale of paintings in Old Hall Community College, High Street, Cowbridge, South Wales.

Contact: Brenda Dwek on 01446 775735 NOVEMBER 28th - 30th – Carole Baker Christmas Art Sale and Exhibition at The Corridor Gallery, Guild Hall, Lichfield, Staffordshire. An opportunity to meet Carole, book workshops and discuss technique. Open 10am - 5pm. Admission free.

Contact: Carole on 01543 676895 www.carolebaker.com NOVEMBER 29th – Stafford Art Group Exhibition at Oddfellows Hall, Bridge St, Stafford from 10am. The group meets twice weekly at Littleworth Community Centre, St Thomas' Street, Stafford.

Contact: Gill Stokes on 01630 656549 or Email gillstokesart@aol.com NOVEMBER 29th – Fine Art by Debra Wagner Exhibition and sale of original paintings, prints and cards at Stone Railway Station, Station Road, Stone, Staffordshire. 9am - 5pm. Debra will be at the exhibition all day to discuss her artwork and greet guests. Free admission and parking. Contact: www.wagnerart.co.uk or 01785 819764 NOVEMBER 29th - 30th – Virginia Water Art

Society Winter Exhibition in The Community Hall, Beechmont Avenue, Trumps Green, Virginia Water, Surrey. JANUARY 7th 2009 demonstration by Kim Page on a harbour scene in watercolour also at The Community Hall at 7.30pm.

Contact: Jean McDonnell on 01784 741599 NOVEMBER 29th - DECEMBER 14th – Christmas Exhibition at The Mariana-Art Gallery, East Street, St Briavels, Gloucestershire, GL15 6TQ. Open 10.30am – 5pm (closed Wednesdays). New work by Mariana Robinson flowers, landscapes, contemporary pieces and abstract. Silver Jewellery and Pottery. Free entry, free parking.

Contact: 01594 530484 or www.mariana-art.co.uk DECEMBER 4th - JANUARY 10th – Exhibition of works by Darryl Doughty, Art Ache Gallery, 1a Prince George Street, Havant, Hampshire.

History in the Painting. Capturing the old world and the 21st Century together on one canvas.

Preview 5th DECEMBER 4pm – 7pm all welcome. Hours Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm.

Entry free.

Contact: sallybushnell@hotmail.co.uk or 02392 480884 DECEMBER 6th - 7th – John Kennedy and Derek Walsom Annual exhibition of approx 100 oil paintings at The Rothley Centre, Rothley, Leicestershire. Open from 10am – 4pm each day - admission free.

Contact: derek.walsom@btinternet.com DECEMBER 6th - 14th – Nottingham Society of Artists Small Pictures for Christmas exhibition in The Ground Floor Gallery, Nottingham Society of Artists Trust, 73 Friar

Call for Artists who are or who have been CARERS

‘CARING/CARERS’ Art Exhibition DEADLINE 31st December 2008 An open exhibition for all artists who are, or who have been, carers; working with any type of media to submit work for inclusion in an art exhibition to be held in spring 2009. Work will also be available to view online.

The organisers are looking for work that resonates with the theme of the exhibition, and can include any aspect of an individual’s experience of caring and those they care for.

For full details of how to enter please visit www.vanishingrites.com Please send all exhibition related enquiries via email to Ina Hume: ina@vanishingrites.com If sending large attachments, please use: ina.hume@btinternet.com Or telephone 07967 701480 Lane, Nottingham from 10am – 4.30pm daily and admission is free.

Contact: Mrs E Patrick on 01949 860771 or Mr P Gregg on 0115 987 5410 To have your event listed here, please be sure to forward details to us as early as possible – space is limited and events are included on a first come, first served basis. Information should be addressed to mary@saa.co.uk (subject: dates for your diary) or to Mary Summerfield at Head Office. If you are organising an open exhibition or competition, please be sure to highlight the fact that it is open to any members who would like to take part

WIN £10,000 and help save wildlife For your chance to win the coveted title, see your work exhibited at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London and win £10,000 enter today!

Full details at: www.davidshepherd.org

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE Any wild animal or plant that is threatened or endangered nationally or internationally.

WILD PLACES

Any scene or landscape showing the natural environment at its wildest, most beautiful or dramatic.

WILDLIFE IN 3D Any sculpture in any medium.

WILDLIFE IN ACTION

OPEN

Any wild animal jumping, fighting, flying or showing any other interesting behaviour.

Let your imagination run wild!

Detail of images courtesy of Richard Childs, Darren Rees, Barry Sutton, David Filer and Dafila Scott

Open to all amateur and professional artists aged 17 and over - five categories to suit all artistic styles and mediums

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation is a UK registered charity (1106893) working to save critically endangered mammals in the wild.

For full details and rules please see www.davidshepherd.org or call 01483 272323.

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TOP TUTORS

Introducing…

Every issue we look at the work of three of the SAA’s most talented professional artists, passing on their top tips for aspiring students

Spending my childhood growing up on a farm near St Austell in Cornwall still has a huge impact on the subjects I tackle now as a watercolour artist. As a teenager, I used to sketch a lot: I would sit at the beach and be fascinated by the interplay of light on the surface of the water and the mesmerising movement of the waves. In winter I still love walking along the cliffs, especially if it’s a bit stormy - you can’t help but feel inspired by the huge force of the weather and the sea.

The discovery of my love of painting came much later, when I had to qualify as an accountant. A circular arrived on my desk with the magic words ‘Join the Midland Bank art club’ so I

figured that would keep me sane during all the studying. My teacher was watercolourist Keith Burtonshaw whose patience and commitment meant I was soon hooked on painting.

Rural Hertfordshire is my home now, and the landscapes here offer plenty of challenges. I work at Ace Arts, running classes and demonstrations from the new Artscape2 premises in Welwyn Garden City, which will be a really exciting new challenge for me this autumn. I have a watercolour group, Willow Watercolours, plus I teach beginners, improvers and more advanced groups. Tuesday afternoon classes are at Artscape, in Harpenden, and Wednesday mornings at the Arts Centre in Ware.

This term the beginners have been learning about painting flowers and plants in a workshop format. The more advanced groups are working on improving their compositional skills and putting people into their paintings. I

Fiona Pruden

FIONA PRUDEN

really enjoy teaching these groups, and going out demonstrating to groups and clubs, and the materials and facilities of the SAA have been a big help to me.

TOP TIP Whenever I am stuck for a new subject I look back through my very first painting books – it’s very levelling to look back at your old work. I always encourage my students to keep everything they paint, and then in a year’s time you can look back to see how you have improved and learn from things that you would have done differently.

Fiona Pruden can be reached on 01438 840977 or 07956 537140. The number at Ace Arts is 01707 390955 www.acearts.org.uk or you can email her on Fiona.pruden@btopenworld.com

TONY SLATER

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Tony Slater

Fiona Pruden

Fiona Pruden

With no previous painting experience I joined an evening class in the next village in the 1970s. I began with oils and was pleasantly surprised at the results, which were achieved thanks to the

PAINT November 2008

Tony Slater

Tony Slater

he/she is doing and can observe what you are doing and advise you how to improve. Choose your tutor carefully, ensuring that their style of work is close to that which you would like to achieve.

Tony Slater can be contacted at 53 Trent View Gardens, Radcliffe on Trent, Nottingham, NG12 1AY, tel: 0115 9123613; or via email tonyslater@ntlworld.com. His website has information about his courses, including a watercolour demonstration day on 10th November in South Nottingham. Visit www.tonyslater.co.uk

IAN RISELY My first set of pastels went into the dustbin! I could not get to grips with this messy medium. My wife retrieved them from the bin, and, with the help of an extremely patient evening class tutor, I tried again. That was 18 years ago. Five years ago I took a chance and gave up a “safe “ job to make a living with pastels.

Although I attended an evening class at a local college for six months, I consider I am mostly self-taught, gleaning information from books and videos and picking up tips from other artists. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Artists are usually helpful and often flattered at your interest in their work.

progression and in 1996 I began a new career teaching watercolour painting, which has continued to this day. I still get a buzz when gorgeous rich colours mix on the paper before me, and the next best thrill is seeing the progress made by my students and sharing their pleasure when they succeed further under my tuition.

After a short spell with oils I discovered the beauty and unpredictability of watercolours and soon became addicted, so much so that in the 1980s I abandoned all other media. With perseverance and lots of practice I eventually began to grasp the practical application of watercolour painting. Some years later friends who had witnessed my enthusiasm for the subject persuaded me to use this to pass on my skills to others. With previous experience as a qualified tutor this became a natural

I run workshops close to my home in South Nottinghamshire where I keep the numbers of students to a minimum to allow me to give individual tuition, adjusting my teaching to the ability of each student.

Ian has pastel paintings hanging in collections around the UK, Germany, Canada and New Zealand. He teaches regular classes in Leicestershire and is available for demos and workshops further afield. Tel: 0116 2888272

Ian Risely

TOP TIP We are all guilty of dropping into a rut with our painting and contentedly sit in our comfort zone. Occasionally we need a lift up to the next level. Nothing can replace working alongside a professional art teacher who can explain what

TOP TIP Join a class! You will learn and be inspired as much by each other as by the tutor. It’s amazing how well you will progress - even in just two hours a week. Many times I have bumped into people who have attended my classes for a while and left. Twelve months later they have admitted rather sheepishly that they haven’t touched their pastels since the class!

Ian Risely

excellent tuition and encouragement of the professional artist running the classes. Her method of teaching has remained with me over the years. In 1979 I was a founder member of the Kirby Bellars Group of Artists in Leicestershire, and eventually became chairman of this prestigious group and continue to paint with them on a regular basis.

My interest is mainly animal / wildlife subjects.

I prefer to use the very softest pastels and nowadays favour the sanded-type papers to paint on. My method is to blend in lots of soft pastel as an under-painting, then fresh unblended pastel over the top. Care must be taken blending with fingertips on sanded paper; I use a canvas gardening glove when covering large areas.

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PROFILED

Front Cover Artist, Bernard Carter Sarah Edghill talks to Bernard Carter, who created this month’s front cover, ‘The Enjoyable and the Eatable’ SE Are you an amateur or professional artist?

BC I’ve considered myself to be a professional artist ever since 1979, when I gave up the position of photographer to the Manchester City Art Gallery, along with a regular salary and regular meals. Success ebbs and flows and there is a constant need to be looking around for new outlets and new opportunities. Over the years I have worked for numerous publishers, as well as producing greeting cards, calendars, stationery and countless private commissions. I first began painting in front of the public when I became resident artist at Lands End and have continued to do so on and off at various venues since.

SE When did you first start painting?

BC I had two gifts from my late parents; a love of the written word from my father and the ability to paint from my mother. I painted as a

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very young child, since my mother’s pots of poster paints were always available for me to use to express my artistic urges and produce confusing compositions and ghastly messes. I persevered over the years to realise my true niche in depicting the incredible and diverse world of plants.

SE Do you have a favourite medium?

BC Watercolour, without a doubt, and - despite adopting a technique that the purist might class as tantamount to bordering on heresy - it does nevertheless result in a botanically accurate image that portrays vibrancy, contrast and a 'pick off the paper' quality. I also love to produce pen and stipple drawings; again this is a medium that allows for great detail, and it is detail that I thrive on and is paramount to all my work, whether I am painting a plant, a landscape or a nude. Oils have entered my life only in the past couple of years, and I feel I am slowly getting there with them.

SE Tell us about 'The Enjoyable and the Eatable'

BC I recently held a solo exhibition on behalf

of the Children’s Hospice South West, which presented me with the opportunity to create some accurate images of fruits and vegetables in visually pleasing compositions, as opposed to botanical specimen-type paintings. The cover painting, a montage of fruits, accompanied two

MEMBERS’ GALLERY THEMES 2008 NOVEMBER Animal, Vegetable, Mineral Enjoy these paintings overleaf

other pictures of vegetables and salad ingredients. The fruits drew the most attention and I particularly enjoyed painting them, because I was able to eat the composition as I finished painting each specimen!

SE Where do you get your inspiration?

BC Apart from studying the works of past exponents like Marianne North and Rowan Ellis, my greatest source of inspiration comes from being in the English countryside, and recording in my mind’s eye its sights and sounds. This is what really feeds my soul and makes me want to paint the plants, the fungi, the insects and the landscapes I see before me. Watching the way the light falls upon foliage and feeling the differing textures of leaves and flowers; this feedback is what I try to convey in my paintings.

SE Do you work in situ?

BC In my opinion the painting of plants 'al fresco' doesn’t really work well if a detailed study is needed. Botanical painting is usually a lengthy process and therefore, I bring most specimens into the studio. Occasionally I might do a quick sketch on site or take some photographs, particularly if I’m constructing a botanical landscape, but to make the picture really 'work' much has to come from the mental images that I noted at the time and from all my experience of the subject.

SE How long have you been a member of the SAA? BC I only joined this year, but I do like to see the work of artists around the country being portrayed on the pages of Paint. I suspect the world of art has many unsung heroes who now have the opportunity to come forward and show themselves and their work through the SAA and receive encouragement.

1 CHRISTINE TOWELL 50827 ‘Night Watch’ Watercolour and coloured pencil, 30cmx18cm 2 JOHN HYDE 66875 ‘Shell Selection’ Acrylic, 28.3 x 20.6cm.

3 JOHN LIGHTBODY 81130 ‘Big Horns and a Woolly Jaw’ Watercolour, size unspecified 4 RITA JUDD 63056 ‘Botanical Study’ Watercolour, size unspecified 5 PAUL DODGE 84164 ‘Pebbles’ Oil on canvas, 46 x 61cm 6 JOHN SHAW 77497 ‘Bottoms up (three mice)’ Acrylic, 16 x 8cm 7 NIGEL HARVEY 58540 ‘Rock of Ages’ Watercolour, 20 x 30cm 8 SUSAN GOODALL 76910 ‘The Old Trooper’ Ballpoint pen, 21 x 31cm 9 JEANNE BEXLEY 28819 ‘Crystal Gazing’ Acrylic and glitter on canvas, 30 x 40cm 10 GEORGE HAMPSON 79008 ‘Emperor Dragonflies’ Mixed media, 20 x 31 cm 11 WENDY G CHATHAM 82261 ‘Artists’ Birthday’ Acrylics, 47 x 36 cm 12 TRACIE KOZIURA 82980 ‘Portrait of a Best Friend’ 30 x 40 cm, Pastels on velour 13 JACKIE NEWMAN 82537 ‘Snoozing Leopard’ Pastel on velour paper, A4 14 HELEN EVANS 50511 ‘Hot Stuff’ Watercolour, 20 x 28 cm 15 MRS BERYL CURTIS 30567 ‘Badger’ Pastel, 19 x 14cm 16 JANE DUKE 23604 ‘Apples and Pears’ Watercolour, 30 x 20cm 17 LINDSEY J COLE 69154 ‘Focused’ Oil, 16” x 20”

NEW THEMES AND CLOSING DATES FOR MEMBERS’ GALLERY We hope the following themes will inspire you over the coming months – we look forward to seeing your paintings.

JANUARY (13th November) Something old, something new …

MARCH (10th January) Long road to nowhere MAY (12th March) Glory Days JULY (12th May) All the colours of the rainbow SEPTEMBER (9th July) Where in the world…?

NOVEMBER (7th September) As the nights draw in

MEMBERS’ GALLERY REMINDER Please send your entries, by the dates indicated above, as good quality photos, copies or digital images (300dpi, minimum 8 x 8cm) on disc to Head Office or by e-mail to paint@saa.co.uk (subject Gallery), stating title, size (cm), and medium, plus your name and membership number. We are sorry but we are unable to return your entries, so please do not send original works of art if you need them to be returned.

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Teaching Art Ltd. Registered in England No. 1976314. Registered Office: 2nd Floor, 27 The Crescent, King Street, Leicester LE1 6RX. Design and reproduction by DigitalStone, Unit 1, Sleaford Road Industrial Estate, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln LN4 2ND Tel: 01522 800816.