Walking alone.

Away from the crowd...

'Blue chocolate'

I was listening to a podcast this morning.

Number 81.   Art Juice

with Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher.

It's always interesting and I enjoy it each Tuesday.

Today, two little things caught my ear...

"Am I a people pleaser?"    Louse Fletcher. 

 Art Juice podcast no: 81

"Being led by your own curiosity...."    Alice Sheridan. 

  Art Juice podcast   no: 81

Thinking about Louise's words...'being a people pleaser',

I know there are times when this has applied to me.

Particularly with my early art.

I mostly painted what I thought others wanted to see.

However, I realised I would never grow as a painter 

if I followed this way of life.

'After the Pink'

Following my own pleasure will take me further...

and Alice's words about being led by curiosity is an exciting thought.

Being curious can make me take risks

and take me on unknown journeys,

especially when I work alone.

I am a loner, and

as a child I loved exploring the fields 

and woods near my home.   

It was during the 1950's.

There was a different kind of freedom then.

Someone posted these words on Facebook today...

"The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself 

in places no one has ever been".   

Albert Einstein 

Quite appropriate for my musings today. 

'Jam and green chocolate'

'Debris'

All these paintings came from my curiosity, seeing how far 

I could go with spreading paint and making marks.

A lonesome but not lonely 

adventure in my studio.

That's all for now.

Is it food for thought in

your creative life?  

Thank you for visiting.

To visit my website..

www.wildartdesigns.com 

Staying small

Small is ok.

Thinking pink today

Two of a kind

I am currently taking a break from

painting larger pieces.

Two reasons...

The garden is in need of my company,

and small is good.

It's about having fun

Taking a sheet of Arches oil paper

I divide it into sections with masking tape.

Then I choose my colours.  

Mostly transparent at first.

Possibly opaque later after the 

under painting is dry.

I make random marks.

Making tiny oil studies is exciting.

It can be a way of loosening up 

and it doesn't really matter if it goes wrong.

It isn't life threatening.

Luscious...

like spreading melted chocolate.

In this case, green chocolate.

More green chocolate.


Sometimes I think about making

these paintings 'up large'.

I have tried but failed.

Painting for me, is a spontaneous affair.

If I sketched this image and scaled it up,

I would be concentrating too much 

on getting it right.

That's not what I want.

Copying is not my way.

I like the feeling of unknown.

My paintings evolve,

they are not really planned.  

Through the studio door...

Taking a break with a cuppa.

Does my wild garden influence my art?

Possibly.

It must be in my soul.

That's all for now,

time for bed.

Thank you for visiting.

www.wildartdesigns

Finding my own voice.

I have been pondering...

Who am I?

(In an artist sense).

Where am I going and do I like the direction?

Looking into a pool.

Parts of this image are blurred, but the main 

focus is the rock.  There is clarity because 

it rises above the water.

It almost shouts "look at me".

This rock is significant.

I shall explain.

There is a reason for my ramblings...nay, musings.

I was invited this week to submit 300 words 

for a 'Meet the Artist' magazine feature along with 

two images of my paintings and one of me at work.

Surely that's easy enough to do....?

Actually, I found it extremely difficult.

I had several late nights writing and re-writing.

'How can this be so hard?'  I argued with myself.

It's only about you and your art.

But...what did I really want to say?

An extract from my website introduction reminded me...

I had been here before.

"Twenty years ago I had no idea where my 

first paintings would take me. 

At first it was watercolour, then acrylic

 and finally oil paint. 

  They were works based on reality;

 landscapes and coastal studies 

and for several years I painted what 

others wanted to see.     

Then I realised it was not what I wanted...

my heart was elsewhere.  

I have not looked back.   

The work I create now has come a long way 

and I am happy".   

Being true to myself

Suddenly everything fell into place.

I could be true to myself and write

about the painter I am now.

Like the rock in the pool,

my mind was clear.

I am these paintings 

and they are me.

My voice is in the marks.  

My handwriting.

Thank you for visiting...🎨🎨🎨

www.wildartdesigns.com

Another change of plan

I couldn't wait...

From this to the one below.

Yesterday I said I wasn't happy with the 

above painting as it was full of busy bits.   

First I ripped off the corrugated paper, then

I attacked it with orange and yellow, rolled over the surface.

Still not happy.  

After standing back to contemplate my dilemma 

I mixed cerulean blue with the leftover palette 

and smothered it over the very textured canvas. 

I had nothing to lose...apart from the painting.

Taking risks is part of my painting life.

I must admit the painting looks calmer.

Will it stay?

That's for another day.

'Meet me when you return'

Oils and cold wax medium on 24x24 inch canvas 

Another painting with a history.

It has had a few changes but today I added

 a little bit of green.  It takes away the 

intensity of the sea of blue.   

Finally,

A rare moment to see the painter.

These are not my usual painting clothes!

Just posing.  🎨

All for now,

thank you for visiting.

Visit my website 

www.wildartdesigns.com

Wild about paint

My Art Story 

I will share it with you...

"Wild at Heart Studio in rural Lincolnshire 

is where I create my oil paintings.

They are everywhere in this timber cabin,

 from tiny oil studies on paper 

to larger canvases hanging on the walls.

  I love having them around me as I work.     

"Twenty years ago I began making my art. 

  A visit to a painting exhibition had inspired me.

   I wanted to see what I could do myself 

but it was many years since my brief 

encounter with art school.  

I knew I had a long journey ahead 

so I taught myself daily to find what

 I wanted to say in my paintings.   

"Oil paint became my favourite medium,

 and I began to feel my way. 

  My work turned looser and more painterly. 

  Bold and expressive paintings emerged and I got 

excited by the spontaneity and freedom that

 abstraction offered when making my marks.     

 

"I added cold wax to my oil palette and it took me further,

 transforming the way I moved paint around.  

  The oils and wax are smooth and luscious and when they 

are sculpted with knives, rollers and scrapers, 

wonderful effects happen.   I add layers and then 

destroy parts by scraping back which reveals 

the underneath, rather like archeology. 

 The painting begins to have a history.    

 

"The 'wild' in the work comes from making intuitive 

geometric and organic shapes. 

One shape can inspire the forming of another.

   Colour adds drama to my work.  

 Again, the wild is there in my colour palette.   

 The paintings tell the story. 

 It is a visual language of my working process.

"I am a member of the Lincolnshire Artists' Society 

and the Nadin Group and have received 

four awards for my work. 

  Currently, I serve on the Committee of the LAS.

"My Wild at Heart Studio, near Lincoln 

will open again for visitors in May 2021".

Thank you for visiting 

To read more about my story...

Click on the image

Going back

Taking a back step...

Making a mess

Oils, cold wax medium and 

corrugated card on canvas

I have to say....

usually I like to look forward but

on this occasion there is a valid reason.

This painting has had so many re-workings 

and I thought it was finished last week. 

Now I am not happy with it.  

I like the idea of 'shabby worn'

but it is too busy.  I need to 

reduce the 'noise'.   

Drastic cutting out is called for.

Some parts are interesting but 

I shall block out at least two thirds of the image.

When it's done I shall show you.

'Debris'

Oils and cold wax medium on 16x16 inch canvas 

I like this one more.

A quieter image.

There is a piece of corrugated card bottom right

which has a coat of Indian yellow and white.

Although the painting has plenty going on,

there are quieter resting places for drawing breath.

Moving on...

Ending on a good note.

A small picture on Arches oil paper.

About 5x3 it will make a winter greetings card.

This one was made in two stages. 

The warm background was dry before

going over the top with palette leftovers.

The paint was on the edge of a knife, pressed on and left.

I like the contrast.  

That's all for now...

Until next time.

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the link for my website.

www.wildartdesigns.com

Changes

Nothing is permanent...

'Endless flow of time'

The painting before re-working...

My painting was made several months ago and sits in my studio.

This week I decided to give it more strength.

There are traces of the old still visible but

overall the painting has taken on a new life.

The permanence of the previous image has gone...

and made way for the new.  

Musings....

A 165 year old English Oak in my garden

It gives me pleasure each time I walk

 under these magnificent branches.

Rosebay Willowherb and Hogweed

The wild garden in July.

A tangle of relaxed loveliness.

Influences...

I was thinking about the way I work.

Depicting reality is not important to me but

there is an element of it emerging in the pictures.  

Inula opening its big daisy flowers

Rosebay and Mountain Ash berries

Some little studies on Arches oil paper.

Layers of paint, and scribbles.

They might be used for greetings cards.

All for now...

Until next time.

Thank you for visiting