LAKE GARDA PAINTINGS AND SKETCHES

Here's Polly again, with more memories of her painting holiday, with Hazel Soan, to Italy.  Lake Garda was the second part of the holiday (went to Verona first) and challenging it certainly was, what with heavy rain, damp and cloud, it was a grey few days. It was also very cold and I had to buy another thick top. One day I had 5 layers on. Anyway, after the morning demo with Hazel, we went off and did our own thing in the afternoon, sometimes meeting up with other painters, especially when it rained, we would all have found some place to shelter. Beware there are NINE! So have patience if you want to read to the end.

Quickly dashed out of the hotel to paint this bounganvillia (can't spell it) at the side of the hotel.  Bit of a mess really but I just had to paint it.

This couple were sat in front of me for ages, so painted them but the rest of the painting is made up.

Here I was sheltered under some arches. This is the main square in Salo.  There was no-one about. Teaming with rain and windy.  How do I remember that?  Because I was sketching and I remember the sounds, the loneliness, oh everything.  A photograph would have just shown a wet day.

This is another view of the main square and the Lake was behind me.  I was sat on the war memorial steps and we were waiting to catch the ferry.  Hazel Soan is the one in black with a camera in her hand. I sketched this while I was waiting and then went back on a fine afternoon and painted it. So it's a painting in two halves!!!

The doorway to the Duomo, last afternoon, and cruelly the sun was trying to break through the clouds!  People were buying ice creams from a little shop in the square, but I did NOT succumb!

Final sketch of the holiday, by now the sun was shining albeit watery.  Used my water soluble pen and water brush for speed. 

We took a ferry to this little place, the rain was torrential by the time I painted this.  Hazel had done a demo of orange trees so I incorporated that idea in my painting. 

Was looking for a place to paint (This was the ferry destination place called Geronimo or something similar) when it started to rain.  Four of us ended up sketching in this little place where we had a quick lunch and Prosecco.  This poor man you will notice is tall with a decidedly dodgey skinny knee.  In actual fact he was rather on the short side! So you can see that I am not very accurate! Especially when I have had a glass of wine.

This was literally a 10 min sketch done when we stopped at San Sirmione on the way to our second destination, using my Elegant Finewriter water soluble pen.  Too many angles.  Nightmare.  Stupid to attempt when 10 mins was all I had to spare.

Well here endeth my on the spot paintings. My next post will be the fun personal paintings I did in my room at night.  

VERONA PAINTING AND SKETCHES

These are done without the safety net of Hazel, and were done in and around Verona before breakfast, and after the demo paintings, later in the afternoon.  I apologise here if I may be boring you with my work, but it is nice to share work rather than just shove it in a draw.  Also, for people who have never been on a course, will give them an idea of what you can do. These were all done on the spot .....................

Wonderful stairway in a little piazza. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to paint it carefully, and did so on the last morning before we caught the coach for Lake Garda.

This one tells a story, was painting this before breakfast, suddenly looked at the time and quickly packed up. Now the drawing below continues this story .....................

As I was packing up a young girl, about 12 or 13 came over and gave me this signed drawing she had done of me sketching, what a lovely arty memory and I shall keep this forever!

Fit this in between rain showers, and is a lamp that was in front of the famous arena in Verona where the opera is performed.

The camera angle I took of my painting has distorted this even more as the right hand shop wall IS straight. I was drawn to the crooked balcony that was in the market square.

This is a statue of Dante, but you know what, every time I looked at him whilst drawing, I swear he moved!  The folds were always in a different place

A view across the river from Verona of the  Roman Teatro.  Done in water soluble black and brown pens and softened with a water brush

Just had to paint this Fabriano Shop near the hotel.

Right near the hotel, just inside the city wall. Water soluble pens again

And finally, Phew I hear you say, something carved in the wall.


I hope you have enjoyed this little journey around Verona with me, memories far more precious than photographs. I haven't finished yet as there are some from Lake Garda (not as many) and then I will post my little sketches done in my favourite Khadi pad that I did in the room at night.

HAZEL SOAN COURSE ITALY 2

Second part of the paintings done in Hazel Soan's style, this time on the second part of the course, in rainy Lake Garda.  It was interesting to see how Hazel dealt with the considerably difficult conditions, rain, mist, damp and even deluge!!  We even had workshops on the covered terrace at the front of the hotel overlooking Lake Garda because there would have been no shelter in the little town. Not  indoors, in the damp outside.  Virtually impossible, but great for wet in wet and slow drying time (hairdryer needed really)

Eeek flowers! Done on a wet balcony, with Hazel's guidance.  Exercise in light against dark or to be posh, counterchange. Colours used Quinacradone Red/Permanent Rose/ adding ultra for shadows. Greens were sap green and ultra and darkened with burnt umber. The pot was raw umber. Hills were to be soft and wafty (Hazel's words) very technical.

Another balcony painting. Clouds floating between the hills.  Hard top and soft at the base.  Hazel asked us to bring a new colour, to me, transparent turquoise, really for the water on  sunny days.  You will notice this colour more on the second painting of the hills.  Here sap green was also used and perm rose to grey the mix. 

The above two panoramic paintings were our own choice of colours.  And Hazel suggested we checked out each others to see which versions we liked.  The top one is predominantly yellow ochre or was it Indian yellow, I can't remember and winsor violet.  The second aureolin, prussian and alizarin.

This is definitely the transparent turquoise (winsor and newton)  and I stress here, Very Staining and Very Intense.  In fact very difficult to work with, there is no going back! Don't think I will be keeping this in my bag of colours. It is a beautiful colour though.  This painting did not dry until I took it to my room.  The paper didn't cockle as both sides were damp with the moist air.  Mainly Turquoise and Permanent Rose and Sap Green.  Waves were done with white.

Here endeth the paintings done with Hazel's influence.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing them and can try and appreciate the conditions they were painted in.  The next tranche will be the work I did in the afternoons and some of my personal sketches, done in my khadi pad.

HAZEL SOAN COURSE - ITALY

I've had a wonderful 11 days with Hazel in Italy along with 18 others.  It was a challenge for Hazel as well as us, as the weather couldn't have been much worse, grey, damp and cold. But boy did she manage to find some subjects to challenge and inspire us. Colour mixes for grey days were interesting and workshops indoors when we were unable to paint en plein air.  A keen bunch to say the least, mixed abilities but all progressing under her gentle but constructive tuition.

I will post some of my versions of her work with a little explanation. Later I will post the paintings I did in the afternoon, without her as a safety net!  And also some of my sketches done before breakfast and in my room after dinner (no one was venturing out for the nightlife oh dear).  I did over 30 paintings, so will obviously pick out the best!  I am no fool. And perhaps do a few posts.

I will start with paintings done in Verona. First 3 are 16 x 10, and are in the style of Hazel Soan. I will give you the main colour combinations as some are quite interesting.

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A reddish bridge with strange thingies on the top.  Clouds Aliz and F.Ultra, Bridge Burnt Sienna and Winsor Violet two colours I would never have thought of.

Section of the famous Arena where the Opera is performed en plein air.  Hazel thought the arena wouldn't make an interesting composition but still wanted to paint the main thing in Verona. Painted mainly in Indian Yellow, Alizarin and Prussian or Winsor Blue.

This was a really difficult subject, especially as the police were having to park around us! We didn't get booked for taking up their parking spaces!  Look at all those windows and shutters. Camera has distored the lines but must confess it wasn't my best drawing, and the people are not in correct proportion.  Was glad to get this one over with!!!  Main wall was in Raw Umber and and F.Ultra.  Raw umber is a colour I don't often use.

BRUSHO BASKET CASE!

Yes you heard it officially  from me, I am a big fan now of brusho, but realise that it may not be something I will do a lot of until next summer. I don't know why, but painting with it in the outdoors seems the right thing to do, with all the lovely vibrant flowers in the garden, and the beautiful bright blue sky above me. (they are not all done in the garden I might add)  So, here are some more from this summer.

Also, for a while I will be back be back painting in my first love of  Watercolour (you will find out why in my next post) and later on fancy trying water based oils (it's many a long day since I used oils).  So enjoy seeing this lovely vibrant medium with it's bright summery colours.

Here's an ephalump (my childhood word) first drawn with ink and twig, then paint sprinkled on and then sprayed.  I really didn't do any painting, it painted itself!

Same method as above, but a pencil line first and some wax. But careful painting done to bring out the flower

Here is a more gentle use of brusho, leaving some of the sprinkled texture on and then some exciting spraying and tipping



As we say goodbye to summer and hello autumn with it's lovely rich oranges, gold and rusts perhaps I may squeeze in another outdoors painting, weather permitting

Have a lovely autumn.

HAZEL SOAN AFRICAN WATERCOLOURS WORKSHOP 2013

Am I lucky, or am I extremely lucky, to be able to join Hazel Soan in her studio in London,  this weekend, along with other like minded people,  to learn from her and be inspired by her.  She is so generous in passing on her knowledge to mere mortals like myself, and so good at demonstrating her magical skills.  We watched her first and then attempted to do something similar!

In at the deep end to start with,  we painted lines of ostriches and a giraffe without drawing.  Yes, I said without drawing!

No drawing remember. Colours used were Prussian Blue, Indigo and a little Alizarin, trying to use the least number of strokes

Best lion I ever painted in my life.  The last one looked like the advert for The Lion King!

  I still can't believe I did this without drawing. I thought I would paint him again without drawing just the outline to see if I could do it a second time and a third!  I don't know why, but if I am on one of Hazel's courses my brush seems to behave itself!

This poor Masai chap has a tiny head, but I enjoyed painting him and it was done in a very short time.  Last  painting  of the workshop

This is an excellent exercise for getting to know your brush.  We drew roughly the outline of the Zebra and don't they have a big head, and then twisting and turning the brush we painted the lines in Inidigo. I thoroughly recommend this 

This is a lovely picture of an elephant with highlights.  This was painted with love and care as ephalumps are my very favourite animal.

Thanks to Hazel I now have some wonderful reference material and memories too.  I surprised myself with what I managed to paint.  It is amazing what we managed to do in a weekend workshop with the lovely Hazel.

I have put a link to her website at the top this post and also recommend her wonderful African Watercolours Book. Do have a look at her work if you haven't already come across it.

Do you think I am a fan of hers. Yes, absolutely.

BRUSHO CRAZY!!!

Brusho crazy is what I have been this last week.  I have Joanne Boon Thomas's ebook and DVD Brusho Moments, at last. So, armed with my brusho, brushes, bleach and enthusiasm, and fear of a change in the warm weather (I wanted to paint outdoors as I am a very messy painter), I had fun, fun, fun trying out some of the exercises, and then painting without the safety net of the book and DVD.

Exercise mixing the powder in the palette like watercolour.  See how vibrant the colours are. They don't fade like watercolours

This was drawn with a stick and ink and spraying method

Well I am over the moon with this one! Some negative painting here.  This was following a superb red poppy that was demonstrated by Joanne.


Money well spent if you ask me.  I have had a ball.  Got more ideas in my head but need to set up the cold garage, which is away from the house, as a makeshift Brusho studio.  Buy some thermals and fingerless gloves.

IT'S TO SAVE THE PARK

First a little about my day painting in Botanic Gardens on behalf of the art club I belong to.  Churchtown is a small village and it is a small park near where I live and where the art club is. It was the first time they had a Victoria Fair and it was to raise money to help maintain the park, which shouldn't really be the volunteers task!  Some people came in Victorian Costume. And then a nice story, so please read to the end.

 This is not a proper painting, I just painted the odd person who was standing in front of me. They just looked at the brass band playing then moved on.  So they were quick studies.

And this is me!  I had painted all of the previous day at our exhibition so what a lovely arty weekend.  Here is what I managed to do in the afternoon I was there.

Here is the nice story.  Five youngsters about 10ish, were asking me what was going on in the park, they usually went there and didn't know this was going on.  So I explained that the volunteers were trying to raise money to keep the park looking nice. We talked for a while and then one of them asked the others for some money and they raised the grand sum of 40p between them.  Then one with a sad look in his eyes said 'It's to save the park'.  That was what I call a special arty moment.  It made my day and I will remember those children whenever I go to the Park. Now that IS special! I hope they grow into lovely adults.

CHURCHTOWN ART CLUB

Well Did I have a busy few days!!  It was the exhibition at the art club that I belong to.  Churchtown Art Club (they are on facebook). I loved it.  It's the highlight of the club's year.  So lovely to see the work people have been painting and that we haven't seen on our regular afternoon meetings.

However, we do have a problem with the screens, so this is also a plea for those of you who may be able to help.  The screens, pic below, are heavy and awkward to assemble.  As most of our members are nicely mature, the lifting and moving them is quite a worry. Does anyone know of any lightweight, simple to erect screens, that are easy to store (only used one day a year) and we don't have the money to pay the earth.

Right now on with the fun I had at the exhibition, and be warned it may be a longish post  ..............

Ok three of us were working at the exhibition and I could hardly sleep the night before, hoping that my brushes wouldn't let me down and paint rubbish, but they were kind to me.  It is hard with lots of lovely interruptions and chats.   Here is me in full flow, having a bash with Brusho, the white tree trunks were taken out with bleach!

Then I painted a a view from Douglas in the Isle of Man, where I had recently been, and of course I had to paint a Pyrrol Scarlet painting.

And finally I managed to do some of my wacky flowers, clematis I should tell you, in case you are wondering what they are supposed to be.  My brain was hurting by now not to mention my feet,
and I just went berserk! People watching couldn't believe I was splattering over my painting.  But they could see I was having fun.

I had a wonderful day and to cap it all I sold a painting Autumn Colours, Derwentwater, in the Lake District, and quite a few of the cards that I make of my paintings, and print them off myself.  So, hey ho, a brilliant day all round.

This was followed by a stint painting at a local park, but more about that later. A real arty farty weekend!

    I hope you enjoyed sharing it with me.