June!

My panel being set up at the Art Fair yesterday

My busiest month of the year and in a few hours I have to get ready for the Private View of the Tunbridge Wells International Art Fair. This photo shows me setting up my panel at the Art Fair yesterday, on one of the most humid days I can remember, and in amongst all the final debates on TV all day for the EU Referendum! Every time I entered the flat, another heated debate was going on, and when I had finally finished my panel, at 8.30pm, I came home to watch the FINAL debate!

Today I went to vote early and then went back to the Assembly hall to check that none of my labels had fallen down, and I put my prints in the browser. Now I feel a huge sense of relief that I have survived the month, and just this week I had to book my visa appointment for China, and received all my details about the residency in August.

My large panel, 'Trees,' at the South East Open Studios

I only took down the work at the South East Open Studios on Sunday afternoon, after a two week event. I held this with two other artists in an empty unit in Ely Court, the Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells. Kent. During the event, I worked on an 8 foot by 4 foot panel, painting a section of trees. My friends also worked on panels, and each artwork demonstrated a different style and approach. This daily demonstration was much appreciated by our visitors who talked to us about the work as it changed day by day. I loved painting these trees, which were originally inspired by some photos of trees but gradually began to relate to a group of trees opposite my flat. Quite by accident, a pathway emerged in my painting and I kept it!

'Fiona's-World,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 23 cm

Our studio was really large and we were able to spread out and paint, and also had a small 'office' section where we had our daily coffees. I found that an unexpected benefit was that I made a series of small paintings in between working on the large panel, and some of these have now gone on display at the TWIAF.

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.

A Larger Arena

'Landscape-Meditation,' Chinese watercolour and gouache on rice paper, 35 x 34 cm

For this post I am going to add a selection of paintings. Colour brightens my day during these dark winter months and heralds the approach of Spring. 

'Somewhere Else,' acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

Painting on canvas will have to wait for a few weeks as I am off to Cyprus on Tuesday. On my return I will be working on some much larger canvases because I feel that my ideas about colour and brushstrokes need a larger arena. In Cyprus I will work on paper.

'Landscape-Meditation,' gouache on paper

I have recently sent out several applications for exhibitions and residencies. My favourite residency place in China is closing down and I am now applying elsewhere in China. The thought of working back there and exploring Chinese calligraphy is really exciting.

'Landscape-Meditation,' gouache and pen on paper

As well as national and international exhibition applications, I have just signed up for the SOUTH EAST OPEN STUDIOS, which will take place across Kent, UK, in June.