Gloria's Hat

(Above) Gloria's Hat
March 2011
15.5cm x 18cm
Mixed media (Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons, Windsor & Newton Indian ink, Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink) on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper (weight 200g).

This painting was developed from a drawing (below) inspired by a black and white thumbnail photograph of the American silent film actress Gloria Swanson (1899-1983). I've also been thinking again about the work of the French painter Marie Laurencin ; maybe it shows.

The Silent Movie Star

(Above) The Silent Movie Star

15.5cm x 18cm

March 2011

Mixed media (Windsor & Newton Calligraphic ink, Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons, Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks) on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper (weight 200g).

I developed the painting above from the drawing below, which I produced using the handwriting app of my Sony Reader in response to some black and white pictures that I found on the Internet of the silent film actress Louise Brooks.

The Polka Dot Hat

(Above) The Polka Dot Hat
15.5cm x 18cm
March 2011
Mixed media (Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons, Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks, Windsor & Newton Indian ink) on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper (200g).

As with "The Spanish Hat" and "Flower Power" (see the two posts immediately before this one), this painting was developed from a drawing inspired by a thumbnail photograph that I saw on the Internet of French actress Leslie Caron (Gigi) in a polka dot hat and dress.

The Spanish Hat


















(Above) The Spanish Hat
March 2011
15.5 cm x 18.5 cm
Mixed media (Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons and Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks) on 100% cotton rag, acid free paper (200g) developed from a drawing (below) that I produced using the Handwriting App of my Sony Reader in response to a thumbnail photograph that I saw on the Internet of French actress Leslie Caron.




Flower Power

(Above) Flower Power
12.5cm x 14.5cm
Mixed media (Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons, Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks) on 100% cotton rag, acid free paper (200g).

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will probably already know that I often work from drawings that I produce using the Handwriting App and stylus of my Sony digital Reader:

"Flower Power"

The Handwriting App is quite basic as a drawing tool: the actual drawing area available on the tactile screen is very small (about 10cm high) and the line produced by the stylus is relatively thick and invariable. These limitations aside, I enjoy the drawings/doodles that I do with my App and I appreciate being able to print them (to a slightly larger format) on paper for reworking in mixed media. In addition to the drawing that I rework to a painting, I usually also print out 2 copies that I then sign : an artist's proof for myself and an extra copy that is available for sale, if anyone is interested. I then delete all the electronic copies of the drawing so leaving only the hand signed paper versions.

This drawing and its sister painting were based on a thumbnail photograph that I found on the Internet of Leslie Caron who seemed to enjoy wearing hats of various shapes, sizes and colours. Again, I often work like this, drawing from images in the public domain that have caught my attention for whatever reason. My aim is NEVER to produce a copy of the photograph or painting or sculpture that I have seen but rather to draw my response to it, to comment, in line so-to-speak, on what has caught my attention. Of course I am by no means the first artist to do this: Picasso produced a lot of paintings in response to Velasquez' work.














Above: Leslie Caron

(Above right) Picasso's version of the Meninas girl by Velasquez (above left).

The French Sculptor's Russian Muse

(Above) The French Sculptor's Russian Muse
14cm x 16cm
Mixed media (Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour crayons, Windsor & Newton indian inks, Daler Rowney Calli inks, Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks, Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons) on 100% cotton rag, acid free paper, 200g).
March 2011

The Story Behind the Picture

(Above) Picasso's Girl
Mixed media on paper, 2010
I did this painting a few weeks ago. Some of you may remember seeing it in an earlier blog. It's one of my favourite pieces. It was inspired by the photograph below of Françoise Gilot.

Born in 1921, Gilot is a painter and a best-selling author but she is probably best known as Picasso's lover and muse. Below is an example of Gilot's paintings, Oceanic Woman:

(Above) Oceanic Woman by Françoise Gilot.

Encouraging Sales at the Affordable Art Fair

The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, London, is now over. The Enid Lawson Gallery (New Cavendish Street, London) had a stand at the show and were able to sell four of my paintings (all small works in mixed media on paper):

(Above) London Girl (born in Djibouti) (2010)
























(Above) The Ascot Hat (2010)

(Above) The American Actress (2010)

(Above) The American Widow (wears a big black hat) (2010)

Odalesque and The Girl in the Blue Hat

(Above) Odalesque
March 2011
13.5cm x 16cm
Mixed media (Faber Castel Albrecht Durer watercolour crayons, Windsor & Newton Indian ink, Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink, Caran d'ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax crayons) on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper (200g).

I developed this painting from a drawing that I produced using the Handwriting app of my Sony Reader inspired by a drawing and a painting of a reclining nude by the American artist Milton Avery (see below).


(Above) A drawing and a painting by Milton Avery (1885 - 1965).

The other painting that I've been working on today is
The Girl in the Blue Hat (below)
Again, mixed media on paper and as always at the moment, a small work :
13.5cm x 16cm.
My partner is keen for me to do more paintings of women in big hats.

The American Widow at the Affordable Art Fair, Battersea

My Mail on-line is now carrying an article about the forthcoming Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, London. The report features one of my paintings, which will be on show at the fair at the Enid Lawson Gallery stand. To read the report, click here:
http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2011/03/02/the-affordable-art-fair-2011/

For more information about the Affordable Art Fair, click here:
http://www.affordableartfair.com/london/home/
The other event on the horizon is a joint exhibition at the local library in Bromley of drawings by Heather Stewart-Jones and myself together with a few poems by Sean Elliott.

Below: The Lost Poet Refound (2010)
A portrait of Sean Elliott
Drawing produced using the handwriting app of the Sony Reader, printed on paper and hand signed.
11cm x 9.5cm

Heather and I both use the handwriting app of the Sony Reader as a portable sketchbook. Here's another example of one of my Sony Reader drawings:

(Below) The Man in the Tuxedo (2010)
Drawing produced using the Sony Reader Handwriting App, printed on paper and signed by hand.
11cm x 9.5cm


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This drawing was inspired by a self-portrait by Max Beckman.
 
Sometimes I rework the drawings a little, as I've done with the drawing below of one of my cats, Eddie:
 
Eddie
March 2011
A drawing produced using the handwriting app of the Sony Reader, printed on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper, reworked with Faber Castel Albrecht Durer watercolour crayon and black biro and signed by hand.
11cm x 9.5cm

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But more often than not I use the drawings as a basis for a painting, as with The American Widow, which now features in the My Mail on-line article.
 
Below : The American Widow (2010)
Now at the Enid Lawson Gallery (New Cavendish Street, London) and soon to be on exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park.

Steel Magnolias at The Place, Bedford

The Swan Theatre Company in Bedford is currently using one of my paintings in the publicity for its forthcoming production of Steel Magnolias, which will be playing at the Place, Bradgate Road, Bedford from  3rd - 7th May 2011. For more information and tickets go to: www.theplacebedford.org.uk/tickets