Barn Owls Appear As Summer Holidays Come To An End

Today has been HUGE! Not only did my youngest daughter start ‘Big School’ but I was able to get my pastels and paints out for the first time in weeks!!! The Summer holidays have been jam-packed with all sorts of exciting events – causing me frustration at not being able to paint regularly, but also providing plenty of inspiration for painting when time permits.

It was by sheer chance I was in London for 2 days in July at exactly the same time as the SAA’s ‘It’s All About Art’ roadshow…where I was delighted to take part in several workshops with my favourite artist, Vic Bearcroft. Practice using pastels on velour is just what I need right now, and to have the guidance of a professional like Vic is, well, the best thing since sliced bread!!!

Vic Bearcroft workshop at SAA London It’s all about art.

My version of Vic’s gorilla, pastel on velour.

Kitten, Pastel on Velour, painted in Vic’s workshop.

August brought Portreath and Clevedon Art Club’s Annual Exhibitions which were a great success and it was rewarding to be exhibiting in both again this Summer. I made the most of my trip to Cornwall, and spent a  day in St Ives (the ‘Art Capital’ of Cornwall!!) where I visited the studios of 2 wonderfully talented artists – Hilary Mayes and Jon Tremaine who both specialise in Wildlife Art, although their styles are very different. Not only is their art superb, but they were incredibly approachable people and happy to chat, which I really appreciated! Check out their websites to see their work:

http://www.hilarymayes.co.uk/

http://www.jontremaine.com/

Barn Owl on Black Velour.

Mid-Summer, I managed a very quick attempt at a Barn Owl on black velour, but I only had a very small piece of paper…I’ve had to wait until today to unleash the big sheets. I started the first one using sand coloured paper, to try and get my eye back in before adventuring onto a large sheet of black velour. I’ve called them ‘Day’ and ‘Night’…until I can decide on better titles! It was sheer pleasure to paint these today – having waited since the workshop in July when I first used the black velour in Vic’s workshop to paint a gorilla. With a bit of luck I’ll get lots more practice in over the next few weeks…after a visit to the MIWAS exhibition last week, I have lots of ideas…more on that next time 🙂

Barn Owl, Day. Pastel on Velour.

Barn Owl, Night. Pastel on Velour.