New Work

'Looking For a Friend,' acrylic on canvas, 45 x 55 cm

This past month I have not been able to write this blog because I have been preparing work for shows and also making more paintings. On my Birthday at the end of May I delivered my two paintings for participation in the NOT THE ROYAL ACADEMY show, at the Llewellyn Alexander gallery in London. I am preparing work for a group show in August and a joint show in November. It's always a case of marking in advance which paintings may go to each show, so there have to be enough available!

'The River,' acrylic and marker pen on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

For this post I am including a few pieces of new work. I feel fortunate that I have been able to carve out time to work and to push ideas through.

'A Place to Dream,' acrylic on canvas, 45 x 55 cm

'Feeling My Way Through the Land,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 22 cm

Everything also has to be signed, varnished and labelled on the back with title, etc.

'Vista,' (2) acrylic and ink on canvas, 30 x 22 cm

Four Exhibitions

'Stormy Day, Brighton,' acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm

I was surprised to find that it is over a month since I last wrote anything in this blog. Time has once again been an issue and I wrote a long post recently on Facebook about this because I believe that it is a problem for most artists: juggling life commitments with earning money and family obligations, and trying to fit painting in between! I have found a way to paint 3 to 4 days a week but this calls for much planning and rigorous adherence to my schedule in order to get paintings finished and canvases stretched. It's also a case of developing a rhythm that works for you, and for me that means working between 4 or 5 canvases and also making works on paper or rice paper. A dialogue emerges between different images and mediums which I believe extends my ideas further.

Also, there is a chunk of time gobbled up by submitting to Open Calls - and I had work in three exhibitions last month and the two paintings posted are going to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery in a few weeks for their annual 'Not The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.' I received a phone call to inform me that these two Brighton inspired paintings had been selected. They are different to my usual style and approach but figuration has been creeping back into my work and I do not have fixed ideas of how my work 'should' look; I just follow its call!

'Bringing in the Canoes, Brighton,' acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm

I have work in a painting and photography exhibition at the Crowborough Community Centre (Sussex) until May 17th, and also I had a painting in the annual Haywards Heath Art Trail last month, and currently I have two paintings in an Abstract exhibition at the Baker Tilly offices in Crawley (Sussex)

Preparing for June

My three paintings ready to be delivered to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery

June is going to be my busiest month of the year, apart from August, when I hope to be in my studio in China painting away all day, every day! Yesterday I delivered my three paintings to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery in London, for their wonderful 'Not The Royal Academy exhibition.' Work can be submitted initially by photograph (if you have had work rejected by the Royal Academy in the last 5 years), or by taking your rejected paintings from the RA straight to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery and receive their decision at once.

I sent photographs of my 3 paintings and all 3 were accepted! I box-framed them, as the photograph shows, and I was really pleased with the framing. The exhibition runs from June 7th to June 20th.

One of the three paintings, 'Calverley Park,' acrylic on canvas, 7.5 x 9.5 ins

 Right now I am preparing work to set up on Wednesday for the South East Open Studios, and only 2 days after that closes I will be setting up my stand at the Tunbridge Wells International Art Fair. Then when that ends, on June 26th, I have to get ready for China and sort out my visa, materials, travelling, etc. 

'Human Exchange,' watercolour and gouache on paper, 76 x 56 cm

This was painted partly to reference a poem and partly from some personal ideas. My local group of artists were all given a set of poems with the choice to illustrate one or several of them. I liked one called, 'We Three Tribes,' and this inspired some of the imagery in my painting. The poem paintings are to be shown at the forthcoming Tunbridge Wells International Art Fair. The painting, which is watercolour and gouache on 300gsm watercolour paper (76 x 56 cm) surprised me because I worked it as I went along, just as I did as a child. Sometimes I really love working from figures and though there was some light pencil drawing for the positions of the figures, I worked most of the painting just by intuition and wanted to overlap abstraction and figuration. I will update you on what happens!

My final news, which I am not at liberty to disclose fully, is that I have been selected as a participant on a painting programme! More about this much later in the year when I can disclose the full details.

Inundated!

'Fiona's World,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 cm

There have been years when exhibition opportunities were less or I was rejected but this year I have found myself inunadated with opportunities and - as often happens to artists - it is now a case of making sure there is enough work to fill them all!

'Colour-World,' acrylic on canvas, 25 x 30 cm

Maybe it is luck from my Chinese astrological sign (I am the Year of the Monkey, and it is this year!) or perhaps my work just became better or fits the market better, but I now find myself with 4 exhibitions in June, a painting residency in China for the month of August, and another exhibition in Singapore in November. In June, I will have work at the Awe-Some Fenix gallery in Singapore, three paintings at the Llewellyn Alexander gallery (London) for the 'Not The Royal Academy' exhibition, and I am taking part in the South East Open Studios across Kent, and also will have work in the Tunbridge Wells International Art Fair. 

'Paint-Poem,' oil and acrylic on panel, 25 x 30 cm

In between organising work for these events, I am doing new work. Being an artist is much harder work than most people think because you have to juggle so much AND evolve your painting ideas, aiming always to improve your work. It takes a lot of focus and discipline.

'Fiona's World, 2,' acrylic on panel, 25 x 30 cm

Today I received an email that 'Fiona's World, 2,' has been chosen for the November exhibition at the Awe-some Fenix gallery in Singapore. It was only painted a week ago!

Three Exhibitions in June

Me with 'A Journey Through Paint,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 95 x 54cm (behind, right)

The Private View of 'Landscape - Urban/Rural,' at 'art gallery 110 camden road,' was on 14th May from 6 - 9pm. It was a wonderfully sunny evening and visitors spilled out onto the pavement, attracting further attention for the newly opened exhibition. I have four paintings in the show, with two more ready to hang later. The painting to the right behind me is the largest one I have in the show.

Me with 'Rape Seed Fields, Kent,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30cm

I also have a couple of paintings in the exhibition that are slightly more landscape-referenced and this is one of them.

My husband Thanos with two of my abstracted landscapes - to his left - 'Seasonal Echoes,' (the orange-based landscape) and 'Reverie,' (below the orange painting) both oil and acrylic on canvas

For the first time, I will have work in three shows in June! Two paintings are going up to London for the NOT THE ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION (Llewellyn Alexander gallery) this week, and the show opens on June 10th. The current show at 'art gallery 110 camden road' runs till June 29th. I have work going on show in the SEE Artists group show at Woods restaurant in Tunbridge Wells on June 4th.

New Work - New Opportunities

'A Journey Through Paint,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 95 x 54cm

My diary for this coming month is full. It is getting to the point where preparing work for shows, and doing all the admin work and website updates, social media updates, and all web-related, promotional admin is taking over from actual painting! But these two paintings are some of the recent work.

I have to deliver two paintings to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery (London) in May, for the NOT THE ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION, and they are still not framed. I am showing some work at The Art Pull gallery, in Tunbridge Wells (Kent, UK), in the middle of May. I'm entering a portrait for a portrait exhibition, which is a long shot as it will be very competitive. I haven't painted a portrait for a while and it was a very interesting thing to do. Also I have several applications for exhibitions pending and I am still planning a show in Cyprus with a friend, though currently we are looking for a venue.

'Paphos Walk,' (2) acrylic on canvas, 60 x 50cm

My work is still hanging in Camden Quarter (Tunbridge Wells restaurant), and every time I walk past the bright colours catch my eye. I think they catch everyones' eyes as they walk by!

I have also made a few updates to my novel's details and hope to get on with the sequel soon. The link is:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jagged-Green-Line-Fiona-Stanbury-ebook/dp/B00IIOX92Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398699203&sr=1-1&keywords=fiona+stanbury

New Work

'The Wasteland,' oil and acrylic on board, 46 x 61cm

Yesterday I heard that the Llewellyn Alexander gallery (London) has accepted two of my submitted paintings this year. I was really pleased! Both are landscapes and a bit less abstract than my current work, but I submitted my photos, CD and documents with hours to spare, and was not sure if they would choose anything! I have shown with them for the last 11 years and it is always a highlight of the summer. The exhibition is well-known and called NOT THE ROYAL ACADEMY. It runs at the same time as THE ROYAL ACADEMY SUMMER SHOW.

I have been very busy painting. I have quite a few new canvases and I'm including some of them in this post. This week I have worked on 3 more paintings. Spring always has this affect on me.

'March Paintscape,' oil and acrylic on board, 46 x 61cm

My book is getting some good comments from the people who have read it so far! I think that the best thing an author can hear is that someone did not want the book to end, and that is what people have been saying. This is the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jagged-Green-Line-Fiona-Stanbury-ebook/dp/B00IIOX92Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395930907&sr=1-1&keywords=fiona+stanbury

I hope you might take a look. Though it is an e-book right now, I will be making it available in print very soon. As an e-book, it can be read on an iPhone, iPad, and Kindle device.

Not The Royal Academy

'After the Long Hard Winter, it was Time for a Picnic,' (2) oil and acrylic, 45 x 30cm

It's almost a month since my return from Latvia, and I still haven't had the time to write about the new Rothko Centre, and my exciting trip. Interrruptions appeared in the form of emails, housework, galleries notifying me that I can go ahead and apply to them, hubby returning from Cyprus, and lots of paintings demanding to be finished. I also still haven't written my article for the JACKDAW, which has to be submitted by the end of May. Deadlines tear at my dreams!

Not wanting to have long lapses between my posts, I'm attaching a new painting, and will write about Latvia very soon!

'Paphos Joy,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 45cm

Yesterday I was called by the Llewellyn Alexander gallery (London) about their Not The Royal Academy Exhibition (an annual Salon Des Refuses, that runs at the same time as The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition). My painting above was rejected for inclusion in this exhibition, but the NTRA wants it, and a second painting. Today I had to rush the second painting (below) to the framer, as they have to be delivered next Wednesday.

'Summer Shadows.' oil and acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30cm

More painting materials arrived today by post, and I'm starting a new series of five canvases. Meanwhile, my application for a US gallery is almost completed. It's been particularly long and complicated, but worth

the extra effort as the gallery is one I really admire.

(Click on the images for a larger view.)



Old and New

'After the Long Hard Winter, it was Time for a Picnic.' Oil and acrylic on board, 30 x 45cm

Paintings don't always end up the way you expect! The above painting started as something else, but the band of white I was trying to 'fit' into the composition wouldn't accommodate my wishes. Sometimes it happens that forcing shapes is against the overall composition, so I had to give up trying to control everything, and  let the paint flow into its own identity. Any kind of insistence can be against your painting, as it can rule out other possibilities! I squeezed some tubes of paint onto the board, and began breaking the block, and as I was at the time thinking of sunshine and Picnics, it suddenly took this form. It's more abstract than my previous work, but I felt that the paint suggestions and title really worked. 

This way of working reminded me slightly of a painting from a couple of years ago, which I'm adding below.

'Terrain,' (Cyprus series) oil on canvas, 98 x 60cm

Again, the painting evolved structurally as I worked, and colours began to suggest worlds. This is mostly how I like to work, with paint and meanings overlapping.

The Easter holidays interrupted my work, as time became rather fragmented, but I have framed my painting to take up to the Royal Academy this Thursday, and submitted drawings to the Painting Center, New York. As I am on their Register of Artists, they email me about exhibition opportunities.  They want 'working drawings,' the kind that artists make either as compositional studies for a painting, or working out ideas for paintings. The brief was that these should not be finished works, just studies, and could include paint and colour. I often work from quick watercolours or pen drawings, either from my imagination or as a synthesis of something seen. My application took a long time, as the work had to be submitted on a CD, by post, and I'm praying that my fee (dollar notes) reaches the PC safely - I could find no other way to submit the fee, as they wouldn't accept electronic payments. Below are a couple of the preparatory drawings I submitted.  Competition will be huge but if you don't try, you don't get the chance!

'Study for Terrain,' gouache on watercolour paper, 11.7 x 8.3ins

'Study for Evolving,' gouache on paper, 11 x 8ins

'Study for City with Fountains,' pencil, felt tip and gouache on watercolour paper, 11 x 8ins
(Click on image for larger view)



Magnetism

In the same way that matter has an attraction to matter, there seems to be a similar magnetic force to events, dates and situations. Why is it that dates so often collide, or form sticky groups within an otherwise unworried filofax? An artist friend suddenly found two Private Views of exhibitions his work is in have popped up on the same day in different parts of the country, necessitating a choice of which to attend. Random groupings seem to have their own underlying energies and life. (It's something I like to think informs my artwork too.)
For the first time ever, I've found myself preparing paintings for delivery to two separate exhibitions in the same week. The dates for delivery to the Not The Royal Academy Exhibition (London), are 21st, 22nd and 23rd May. Today my 10 paintings are being collected for the Kings Hill Project, and on Wednesday I have to fit delivery of my watercolour in between other obligations in a busy week. I'm hoping the attraction of these growing numbers will increase, and pull more opportunities my way!
As I will have more room space, I began a larger canvas (120cm by 80cm), hoping to expand my approach and challenge myself as an artist. I love working on the smaller canvases, but the large ones demand a lot of consideration and 'holes' show up more. In the past I have painted very large canvases, but space restrictions prevented this for a few years. I hung the new, untitled canvas in the bedroom, to surprise my husband on his return from Cyprus.
Top photo: My new in-progress canvas, on the right, with a Blue Baths painting. Below, a close-up. The colours are deeper - but I'm looking forward to tackling it further this week.

Potential.

Life is incredibly busy right now! My art agent is coming to select paintings for the Kings Hill Project on Wednesday. The selection will be awaiting approval from the people at KHP, and I hope my work ends up going on display. But it's one step nearer to exhibiting. It's also very positive as it means I will clear some space and have a place to start the large canvas I'm about to stretch up.
I have found two more galleries which are interested in viewing my paintings, so I will be preparing the images and my statement, and emailing them this week. I'm also submitting two paintings to the Cork Street Open exhibition, again an online submission. Last year I was turned down, but I feel more confident about the paintings I'm submitting this year. Of course, it all depends on the selectors.
Then at the end of this month I have to deliver my watercolour to the Llewellyn Alexander gallery in London, for the 'Not The Royal Academy Exhibition.'
I've also found out that I can publish my Cyprus novel on Kindle, once I have formatted it and prepared it digitally and met their requirements. I have tried to get my novel published, but nowadays Publishing Houses are not the only option. The internet has opened up many more opportunities for artists and writers. It has immense creative potential and means that there will be a wider range of talent on display.
So, I am approaching this week with a lot of optimism and energy.
('Square Choices,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 45cm by 45cm, 2012)

Emotional Cords

There comes a point when you have to detach from a painting. I have a natural tendency to obsess over my work so I'm quite grateful when I reach a state of detachment through outside forces. Often a friend or family member will say, 'That looks finished to me,' and I step back, drink a coffee, and try to view the painting as if I hadn't painted it. How many times has a friendly remark prevented me from over-working a picture! Sometimes turning it to the wall for a week has the same advantages.

As I prepared to deliver my latest commission, I realised with some relief that it was finished after all. Up until that moment of cutting the emotional umbilical cord, I can't enjoy the painting. Once it stands separately from me, it can go off into the world hopefully with the meaning that was intended. My 'Nicosia Balconies at Night,' held exactly the sense of place I'd wanted to convey.

Then the process begins all over again; the same searching, the same self-doubt that is the Artist's life. I'm working on 5 more canvases, of differing sizes, and the first rays of sunlight brought with them an invitation to put two painting in the Not The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London.

(Photos: Fiona with a large Turkish Baths canvas/A selection of recently completed works, and works in progress.)

My June Exhibitions

June was a very busy month! I took part in a group show at the Brick Lane Gallery from June 17th to June 22nd, and also in the 'Not the Royal Academy,' at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery. The 'biggie' was my solo show here in Tunbridge Wells, from June 12th to June 25th. It was my first solo show in several years and I was quite nervous. 18 paintings were on show and I received a very favourable response. Below are some photos from my solo show, with me in front of some of them.