Performance Costume Design at ECA Degree Show

Went to Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show yesterday. Some interesting stuff but as always my favourite section was the theatre costume design (even though I'm a painter!)

 

 

 

This Grasshopper outfit looked really great close up. My photo doesn't do it justice. Big sticky out tail at the back!

                                         (The hanging black thing is a swimming fish!)

 

 

All very creative and inspiring. Especially since I'm useless with a sewing machine...

 

Artist's Block aargh!

Been suffering with artist's block for a couple weeks or so. Probably result of the final push to get my last painting finished before my end of year assessment at Edinburgh Art college.  Have found that the book "Art & Fear" by D Bayles and Ted Orland is always helpful at such times and so been reading it again. Can highly recommend it for all artists, whatever stage they feel they are at in their artistic lives.  

Anyway, finally got my self going again and have launched into some new small paintings inspired by my holiday to Florida Everglades in  February. Have decided to try and capture the fun of me and my family experiencing all the cool wildlife and natural surroundings there.  

Also been restudying the work of two well-known Scottish artists I admire - Joan Eardley (for her paintings of Glasgow street children) and Barbara Rae (for her use of bright colours in the landscape). Love this blue gouache painting of the kids hanging out the window.

New blog resolution - post more!

Hi Blogger World,
I'm hoping to make my blog a bit more informative, and more regularly updated, from now on. 
I've been doing a lot of painting since Christmas and am hoping to keep up the pace. Here is one I finished last week - ~It's called "White Shoes" (Acrylic on canvas, 1m x 1.2m approx.). It's part of a body of work I've been doing concentrating on young trampolinists in training.  

For anyone out there who paints themselves and is interested in how images come about, this one is based on the following photo collage I created in Photoshop (from three separate photos of three different trampolinists jumping, at different times):

Wall Drawing Fun

Have had a very busy time this last week. I spent two enjoyable days making a giant wall drawing with my student colleague Kirstin Johnston. We worked organically to incorporate my drawings of jumping trampolinists with Kirstin's nature drawings. The final work seemed to achieve the sense of flowing movement we were trying to capture. Neither of us had ever done a wall drawing before and it was a great experience. (Need to rest my arms before doing another one though...) 

Kirstin against the blank wall!
 

Getting Started
 

Cracking on

Ta da!

 

 

"Paperwork" Exhibition, at Edinburgh Ski Club

Macmillan Art Exhibition & Sale 2014

I just got back from delivering the below two pieces to the Macmillan Art Show "INSPIRED!" 2014, at Bonhams Auctioneers, Queen Street, Edinburgh. "Rhododendron Joy" can be seen on their show website at www.macmillanartshow.org.uk. Fifty per cent of the sale proceeds for these pieces will go to Macmillan Cancer Care.

Full Bloom

 

 

Rhododendron Joy

Latest Rhododendron Painting

I finally got this one finished today. Tried to capture the drama of the blooms against the dark leaves.