The Cycling Artist - In the studio, on the shore

D Rings

2009-07-15T14:29:00.003Z

Back on my own bike (my precious), a ride to the studio, coffee with Veta, and a nice lunch of baked beans and big garden salad (yes, from my own garden! the beet spinach has done really well in the container this year) and I'm starting to feel back to normal.

Despite a 2am bedtime (combination of jetlag + World of Warcraft).

Unfortunately the things I went to the studio for - D rings to hang the Greenwich Park paintings on a wall - were not there. Drat. That means they really are in the house somewhere from after open studios...

Urban Art

2009-07-14T17:43:00.003Z

Time to hang my paintings on railings, have my plastic dropcloth ready for rain, sunscreen ready for sun, coffee flask, and my little folding chair to sit on the curb. I haven't quite decided what to show yet but I promise it will include the Greenwich Park paintings and a selection of English Coast canvases. (If there's anything in particular you'd like to see just let me know.)

I know I know, last minute planning! But my excuse is that I'm still jetlagged...

Urban Art

Pitch 35J
Josephine Avenue, Brixton, London
Free event
10am-6pm, 18-19th July
www.urbanart.co.uk

The finish is the start

2009-07-12T15:45:00.007Z

My long holiday in the USA is nearly over, heading towards the finish. And towards that new start I blogged about earlier. July 2009 is my 2009 New Year. (bad/stressful things took over my January to May really, no more, I'm reclaiming my year)

So...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

3 aspects to the new year:

New plans. Looking forward to drafting a whole new snazzy business plan (yes again, but going way outside the box this time), reading books I've set aside for too long, listening to podcasts and conferences I subscribed to but couldn't face. A general overhaul and catch-up on "deskwork".
New studio. Finally settling in! The studio has been the light of my year so far, but the first months involved building, arranging, moving, and just getting some new stuff done for the more urgent events (like open studios). I actually finished the last gallery work, which went to the Yorkshire show at Calder Gallery, in my old studio so as not to disrupt the flow. So new studio hasn't been the place for big work yet. NOW! hooray!
New work. As well as finishing the Dorset coast series (still a few places I want to do paintings of), I'm inspired to start that new 4th of July Lake Michigan series. The Lake Michigan/Chicago sets come up far less frequently (there have been 2 previously) but then become quite obsessive subjects for a while. It will be a good focus right now while I seem to be at a creative borderline - constant pondering of the if/how/why behind my imagery and technique. It's ready to shift, but shift towards what I'm not sure yet. A Chicago series might find that direction.

I land on Monday, UK time. See you then!

In fact, the new year starts straight off with Urban Art on the weekend (18-19th July) so I'll be there. Stop by and say hi, and see my spring paintings of Greenwich Park.

(Photo from Race 6 at Arlington Racetrack last Thursday. 1 1/6 mile race so the starting block was set up by the finish post - this is my mom's great photo of the start!)

Surrounded by inspiration

2009-07-08T14:30:00.009Z

Looks like 2009/2010 is going to mean another Lake Michigan series of paintings, like the 2004 series. In a serendipitous way the timing is good - I'll be returning to London without a new English coast journey under my belt (it had been sort of planned for May and just didn't quite happen due to other circumstances). While I do want to paint more of the Dorset series it'll be great to have a 2nd set to work on at the same time.

So a whole 4th of July series is in my head... water, lake, fireworks, sunshine.

The sketchbook has some scribbles and I've even done four small acrylic studies, but the camera has been capturing most of the ideas for now while I've been walking, running, kayaking, swimming, or motoring around (either in a big orange inflatable dinghy or my parent's large powerboat).

Images from Chicago and Racine.

Learn from Apple's mistakes

2009-07-06T18:14:00.008Z

I'm currently in the USA and on a variety of internet connections - some unreliable, some fleeting, some just frustrating (not their fault, me expecting too much and used to a 20gb connection). Hence the lack of blogging! I need to get something off my chest so bear with me. I promise to follow this up with something arty or watery. :)

As usual I've been keeping up with Chris Brogan's blog as best possible and it always has me thinking about what my customers might want, expect or just like. What makes them happy? What would make me happy? How can I take what other companies are doing for me and apply that to my business?

And flash to the Apple Store. Any Apple store.

Apple has disappointed me on several fronts in the last month. I'm a long-time Apple customer, all of my computers have always been Apple laptops (bar one Mac desktop, and one Dell desktop funded by Open University). "Only" 15 years or so, which in the Apple community definitely isn't on the top end of longtime users.

1. Apple underprovided on hardware.
I have always given them the benefit of the doubt, or at least a bit. If Macs ship with a bit less than a PC I shrug it off - after all the cost might be higher and the machine is superior anyway. Often I didn't need the extra because of the nature of the Mac OS. Two things, however, seemed too close to the mark on the MacBooks when they first arrived. (the machine I have)

First, the hard drive on the basic machine. 80Gb. Seriously? When low-end PCs ship with more space? Perhaps financial, the drives would up the price too much. Ok. I'll live with it.

Second, no DVD writer. Again, seriously? When, again, low-end PCs ship with one? Nevermind, I never burn DVDs anyway.

Except... I found a tutorial on how to swap out a hard drive on the MacBook. With my machine out of warranty I felt there was little risk (I could always put the old one back in). So for less than £75 I bought a 320Gb hard drive and external usb casing. Let me repeat that: less than £75.

Suddenly my view of Apple's provision is very very different. It took me about 10 minutes to do the swap (not including time to clone my drive using Disk Utility). Hey Apple, guess what? I'm already opting for a more expensive premium product! In fact, pondering the situation I realised I would have happily paid an extra £100 for a larger hard drive that they should be able to purchase for far less at wholesale than I did.

Lesson: identify your customer and if they're are happy to pay more to get more then give it to them. Yes, I'm on a budget but if I were truly a budget customer I wouldn't be buying a MacBook. (this applies to any business, and applies even to my own artwork)

2. Apple is providing hardware unsuited to its use.

I'm a laptop user. Always have been. I beat up my machines. One of my main praises of Apple though has always been that I almost never have broken one beyond use. In 15 years of Macs that's pretty impressive. I've never had cases for them, or sleeves. They get thrown around, dropped, and flung onto surfaces. They get dirty and, I admit, have had their fair share of liquids. Since 1995 I've had one single laptop go in for a repair, and in that case it was entirely my fault and involved an entire pitcher of water. (oops)

Until the MacBook.

My keyboard casing has cracked around the edges 3 times (to be fair, they have replaced it every time and now I'm told always will - but this shouldn't be necessary). My DVD slot drive has failed. My hard drive has failed and I suspect the replacement (that I swapped out myself for the 320Gb one) would have too because it started clicking. The hard drive and plastics were/are known issues. (which itself is unacceptable)

But let me consider the DVD slot drive. Many won't agree with me but I think the nature of the slot drive is completely unsuitable for primary machines (companies can no longer consider laptops to be secondary machines) that are, by their nature, picked up and moved around a lot. Often by the area of the machine that encases the slot drive - causing it to be physically "squooshed" often.

I don't use my slot often - in fact when it failed I only realised because I wanted to insert my system disks. It was probably last used months earlier. So here's my dilemma: I want to upgrade my OS. Even the Genius Bar guy said I could just get an external for about £35 since I don't use it often. Fair enough. But it's a laptop. It goes back and forth to work daily, across London at least weekly, across the UK about quarter, overseas yearly. And that's nothing compared to many business people. I take it to fairs and galleries. Why should I have to carry external equipment just in case I need it to view one disk? Here in Chicago I was going to buy some games and the new OS, but there's no point since I can't install them. In fact they've probably lost a few good impulse buys, I won't buy some of the software back in the UK. (The main reason now for wanting 10.5.6 is for the new Harry Potter game!)

The lesson? Why aren't the components made and tested to suit their purpose? Computers aren't treated delicately anymore, but more importantly these problems didn't happen for me with any previous machines which makes me suspect only the latest components. Are you having really hardcore users test these things? Don't worry that we won't upgrade if they last so long, we premium customers (remember Lesson 1 up there?) upgrade anyway. (Artists: are your items suitable for their use? Do you make sure you use quality materials? Will you guarantee at all? Do you prepare and pack appropriately?)

Which leads me to...
3. Inconsistent pricing, and undercutting.

Finally, in the Apple store on Michigan Avenue I picked up OS 10.5.6 and the Harry Potter game. Had 'em in my grubby little hands. A birthday present for myself.

Went downstairs. Looked at the prices on Amazon (because I might be impulsive but I'm not stupid) - both cheaper than the Apple store. Compared the US$ prices to the UK prices - the OS is the same price on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. That was very strange. You see, the .co.uk will already include the 15% VAT tax in the price. The .com will add on sales tax at checkout. So essentially the UK price is cheaper. Plus both are much cheaper (at least 15%) than the Apple Store where I gone out of my way to visit specially.

Thanks Apple. Now, maybe you think it's good that you let online venues undercut you? Okay. But how are you tempting me with new goodies in the store if I don't have to go to the store? I will fully admit that every Apple purchase I've made in the last 2 years was based on visiting stores in London or the Chicago area and playing with goodies that I really didn't actually need. So you *want* me to go to the store for hands-on experience of your product. Yet you're punishing me for doing so and dissuading me from buying on the spot.

Lesson here: In this internet age give me a reward for coming to you. You know I can buy online much more easily, so give me a reason to buy more when I visit you directly. At the very least don't slap me in the face by charging me more. (Artists, you can figure this one out. Think of your galleries, your open studios, any exhibitions you invite people to. This isn't just financial - think of other benefits you can offer.)

Here's where I end on a positive note!
I've not lost anything in my harddrive failure. With Macbooks I'm still able to change some hardware myself, so a £75 hard drive upgrade is a great thing. I can get free Genius bar advice and assessments even out of warranty (though this appears to be a UK service, US folk have told me it costs something here). I've never found a PC that can get set-up to go online as quickly and easily as any Mac can. In the end the Mac is still fantastically stable and that's what I'm paying for. I couldn't live without mac.com (me.com). If need be, I have XP I can run on it (which I had on the machine, never touched it for about a year so finally reclaimed the partitioned harddrive space). Apple employees give good, impartial advice and in my case at least even advise against expensive repairs if there's a more appropriate option.

Will I still recommend Macs? A qualified yes. (I would never recommend someone buy something out of their price range if they only have needs that a cheap PC and Open Office will meet.) But am I still in love? I'm not sure. Oh, go on. I am. Love is blind.

(Happy Mac by by Jonathan Urch, thanks! Used under Creative Commons license, click here to see his photos.)

Open studios today! (and next weekend)

2009-06-07T08:25:00.003Z

Must make another batch of cupcakes this morning... second day of open studios ahead of me. My friend Terry did well yesterday which is nice. The sun actually seems to be coming out today. And of course we're enjoying the cupcakes as much as the visitors! Oops. Which means I must go for a cycle before the day starts...

Greenwich Park paintings exclusively on sale at the open studios:

(Full previews here: http://www.tina-m.com/greenwich-paintings.htm)

and if you miss it today, Open Studios continues next weekend too.
www.greenwichopenstudios.org

Sketching skies

2009-05-31T08:13:00.003Z

Back at the beginning of May artist Vivien Blackburn issued a challenge, to sketch skies from observation while she was away travelling.

I took up the challenge and decided to sketch the sky from my studio window each day in pastels. Quite enjoyable although in typical Murphy's Law fashion I then had the same clear blue sky every day!

All pastel on watercolour paper:

Vivien is going to post all the artists who took part in the project, so I'll add a link when it's live.

Plugging away...

2009-05-29T08:38:00.005Z

Still here.
Painting.
Prepping for open studios.

Greenwich Open Studios
6-7 and 13-14 June, open 12-6
Everyone welcome
www.greenwichopenstudios.org

For artists: Round up

2009-05-19T11:52:00.002Z

Zarko Drincic - Yesterday news
Originally uploaded by Zarko Drincic

A bunch of news/announcements have come my way so I'm going to do a special post to share them with you:

Opportunity
The Annual Cork Street Exhibition for Charity
Entries still being taken, discount if you enter by the end of May. First stage selection is by digital image, second stage requires delivery & collection in person in London.

Studios available soon
The Second Floor Studios group is expanding. Building work is progressing on the second floor and Matthew is taking names for the waiting list. More info here: http://www.secondfloor.co.uk/
SFSA is also a member of the National Federation of Artists' Studio Providers, which I didn't even know existed! Interesting.

Podcasts
Two recommendations that have had some excellent articles the last few weeks. If you don't already follow them you should. :)
Tony Moffitt's Art World
Joanne Mattera Art Blog

Art Funding
Did you know the Arts Council England published an article Action on Recession? It's short but addresses the £4million cut in arts funding and what grant systems are now available for artists. If you're an artist working with the public or for the public check it out.

Social Networking
The Art Newspaper has an article about why museums should be on Facebook. I find this fascinating (and do agree). But it begs the question of how we all use Facebook, and how to use it without being just promoters. Do you use Facebook? How? (and I do mean that last question! I loathe Facebook and am still trying to understand how it can work for me as an artist.)

Today and yesterday

2009-05-14T14:36:00.004Z

1 folding table brought to studio for printmaking
2 paintings wrapped to take to Greenwich Picturehouse tomorrow
3 weeks until Open Studios
4 12" canvases primed for a set of small storm paintings
5 new canvas pieces prepped
6 paintbrushes found
7 (er, I don't have a 7...)
8 new ACEOs
9 paintings of Greenwich Park signed and mounted
10 tiny monoprints mounted on paper

To print or not to print?

2009-05-12T14:05:00.005Z

The last few months thoughts have been zooming through my head of printmaking and creating something a bit more generally accessible. And I really do miss printmaking...

In the new studio I'm hoping, in time, to have space for a small table for printmaking. A separate table would mean having somewhere to print (which I prefer to do by hand with a baren) and lay out finished pieces to dry, without putting aside the painting palette area.

But what to print? So many ideas. I could return to linear ideas and slightly more figurative images - like I did on my printmaking day with Jo Oakley in March. That would be linocuts. Or I could experiment with taking my usual abstracted seascapes into monoprints or monotypes.

What keeps coming into my head as a sort of economic "solution" is of course reproduction prints. So many artists do them. But whenever I think about I feel awful in the pit of my stomach. I really don't want mass-produced multiple copies of my paintings out in the world. It's one of the very few things I'm precious about. (which is not at all to say reproduction prints are a bad thing, they're just not for me personally)

Saying that, I'd love to know your point of view. Am I being silly? Is there even demand for reproductions of my paintings? (a few people isn't enough to justify it) And of course if you do think I should go that direction - where on earth to print? (I have researched it and can't find anywhere that makes the prints affordable enough for my US$ based selling sites - I have no offline market for this type of product.) Any and all feedback welcome.

Until then I shall make some phone calls to recover my long lost wind-down press, and perhaps take my folding table from the shed to the studio... I might even do some madness-inducing linos like my Cutty Sark one from the late 90s. In fact, I could even do more prints of that, of a sort. Some areas of the lino have been damaged over the years (it's about 1m high) but I could take prints of areas. Hmmm...

If you'd like to see images of the Cutty Sark itself, before the fire, click over to the Watermarks blog! I've posted a set of photos I took some years ago while it was used for a film set. With sails.

iWhite

2009-05-10T16:40:00.006Z

Any excuse for a monkey photo - Harvey with my MacBook

non art alert! *whoop! whoop!* I'm so excited I just had to post this. (I lead a very sad life, please keep in mind)

My MacBook, the pretty white thing you see in shops, was an embarrassment. While justifying it's grey grimyness as "it's a work computer, a tool" even I knew it was pretty horrible. I can't help it! I use it while I draw, paint, eat, drink, design, do laundry, and even watching DVDs while in the bath has not been unheard of (with the laptop a long ways from the water, don't worry).

What's a mac-lover to do?

I had read that about the only thing that can actually clean these white casing without damage is the Magic Eraser. Didn't think it was something we had here in the UK. But while waiting for a bus in town I browsed in Robert Dyas and found one! A £4.99 gamble. (you only need a little piece though)

OMG. It works. It's true to its name - MAGIC!

My MacBook is sparkly new and presentable in public once again. :)

More sketchbook notes

2009-05-09T15:21:00.004Z

Last Tuesday night after two wines and a very large cider, sketchbook notes:

Info on wall at exhibition includes my set text about relations of horizontals and the canva - I think that's no longer relevent - have hit that mark & pushing further now. Now my interest is in pursuing the elusive colour fields & how they can relate to figurative (actual) parts of the landscape - sea, sky, shore. So the horizons still there but not the goal anymore, not the thing to push.

Don't want to break down into complete colour fields & lose the relation to objective subjects - so how to push & pull the space & keep some aspect of reality? Not recognisable but near it, a sense of place - rather than complete abstraction. They're still about place.

Pondering...

(image: Boat ropes at riverside outside studio)

Renaissance

2009-05-08T12:49:00.004Z

Peeters the Elder, from my book

Renaissance:

the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world
a rebirth or revival
a renewal of interest or creativity in an area

A longtime favourite painting, Seascape with Sailors sheltering from a rainstorm by Peeters the Elder, has inspired a reconsideration of a Dorset painting abandoned in progress.

My scribbled sketchbook notes:

Cliff on the left in earth tones with highlights in green sea tones. High contrast to light sky next to it that glow down to the sea - slowly becoming darker/opaque to foreground.

Portland needs the lightened sap green mix I've been working with [earlier today on the Greenwich Park paintings]. Already has strong yellow iron oxide (fore) to turquoise (back) underpainting. Add another horizontal for Chisel Beach with Weymouth main horizontal behind. Probably just zinc white glaze purple underpainted sky. Reflect violet of sky in Portland cliff but darken with raw umber.

Take Portland ALL THE WAY UP. Cliff becomes completely a right side frame, with sea painting in square to left.

Portland Isle underpainting

This is how I think as I work, but I rarely write it down. Something I hope will change with the new studio. In fact the very reason I wrote this is because I was sitting in the red chair looking across the room at my half-started canvases while browsing through Turmoil and Tranquility. I was able to sit, think, and look at both sets of images (and also my Turner postcards scattered all over the wall opposite the chair). In the old studio I didn't have the space for this and when I was reading or thinking I would go into another room. Having the distance from the canvases and the place and space to think in the studio itself will revive my neglected sketchbook practices.

Difference makes a difference

2009-05-06T17:34:00.003Z

Today I seem to be channeling Tracy Helgeson (her blog here) and so I apologise but it was completely unintentional. :) But you should go see her work, it's gorgeous.

These are some of the finished Greenwich Park paintings. (they will be wrapped around thick boards)

Greenwich Park is an unusual subject for me in several ways. The shapes are different - with hills and curves - but since I used to paint the Scottish Highlands it's not exactly something I can't paint. There are lines of paths through the park - and lines aren't something usually included in my work (in fact I have glazed over most of the strong lines in these paintings also). And it's just so GREEN. Now, I know the sea is green too but up until a few years ago I never used green, didn't own a tube of it and didn't mix it. Now I do use green quite a lot but it's usually glazed in combination with all sorts of blues underneath.

Greenwich Park is just green green, grass green. Gah.

So why, other than loving my local park, did I want to paint it? It's different. I wanted to take something and explore how and why I do or do not paint lines and areas. In the midst of the project I started really considering my use of colour fields and how to break away from figuration even further to explore these fields while keeping a true sense of landscape. Working with a subject matter vastly different from my seascapes gives leave to be totally unrestrained.

And unrestrained means I can just throw away a painting too.

For artists: Call for entries - Cork Street Charity Open Art Exhibition

2009-05-03T09:35:00.004Z

A brief interruption to your May Day holiday weekend, a reminder for the artists reading that this year's Cork Street Charity Open Art Exhibition has been announced.

From their press release:

The Cork Street Charity Open Art Exhibition is an open exhibition of contemporary fine art held annually to support a different charity each year.   

The 2009 charity is Children of Peace, a non-partisan, multi-faith charity dedicated to building friendship, trust and reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian children, aged 7 – 17, and their communities.  

The exhibition will take place at the prestigious Gallery in Cork Street, London with £2,000 in prizes.   All work must be original, conceived and executed by the artist, and completed within the past eighteen months without instructional assistance.

  All media except film, video and giclée reproductions of original artwork are eligible for entry. There will be no provision for work requiring electricity or special installation.  

Maximum of four entries per artist. Early entry discount of £2 off the regular entry fee of £12 per work on all entries received before May 31, 2009. (Entries close June 12, 2009)

www.corkstreetopenexhibition.co.uk

One of my Lake Michigan paintings was juried in last year, so I will be entering again this year. If you get in quick you get a little discount on the entry fee too. The profit goes to the charity, I believe the gallery space is donated, the sponsors help cover some of the logistics of the project, and the very hard-working organisers (just 2 people!) arranged a very impressive jury last year.

Please feel free to pass on this information or re-blog it to other artists!

Yorkshire return

2009-04-30T12:25:00.000Z

Heading home...

And today I head back from Hebden Bridge. Relaxed and recovered from the excitement of the show opening and a lovely day out in the countryside! Though I'm still looking forward to getting back to my industrial lot studio I'm afraid.

Now last time I came back from Yorkshire I was bouncing with energy! This time is no different, but for different reasons. I have open studios fast approaching and am looking forward to working on my Greenwich Park series to show over the weekends. Then I get to hop across the Atlantic and go "home" to Chicago for 4 weeks and work on a new Lake Michigan series while I'm there. After that jump back home just in time for Urban Art street fair in Brixton. Whew! So no rest allowed!

Re-experience the energy with my other podcast recorded after the Yorkshire cycle trip...
Studiowaves: Excess Energy!

Photo: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park, home

Sunburnt in Hebden...

2009-04-29T16:47:00.003Z

Image by tina-m : click for more Hebden photos from today!

The private view last night was nice - small group of visitors but all very friendly. No sales so clearly my adoring fans are waiting until I leave Hebden Bridge.

Today I woke up to glorious sun here, a contrast to the last couple days of drizzly depressing rain. So went out walking and got sunburnt (as I do). Of course it is still a stupid cyclist sunburnt because I was wearing long sleeves (it was still rather chilly) and my cycling top with a collar. *sigh* I give up, really I do. When I visit Chicago in June I'll simply swim in a wetsuit to hide my cyclist tan lines. (I have no sleeveless cycling shirts. Yet.)

Roll on pub supper...

Yorkshire catch-up

2009-04-28T12:19:00.001Z

Image via Wikipedia

Today I'm on the train to Hebden Bridge for my solo exhibition "2.73 Miles". Very excited! but it's a lot further than 2.73 miles... So about 4 hours on the train to amuse myself (Battlestar Galactica, some knitting, some magazines).

So journey with me through a different part of Yorkshire for a while...

For those who missed it, here's my post with the podcast recorded live from on the cycle route around the Yorkshire coast, when I went from Scarborough down to Spurn Head and around to Hull.
Studiowaves: On the Bike!

The journey to art

2009-04-23T13:44:00.005Z

As an Earth Day follow-up, I decided it would be fun to track my journey to work. I actually have no idea how long it takes because I keep forgetting to check the time at one end or the other. But reckoned it was a couple miles. A good 15 min at least getting my heart going.

My journey starts with a wiggle over to Maze Hill where there's a cycle crossing so I don't have to turn right into Trafalgar Road traffic. The only traffic bit is when I have to join the main stretch to go through the lights at the A102 junction (to Blackwall Tunnel) and then the roundabout to the Dome/O2. There is a badly planned cycle path around that I can't be bothered with; oddly the cycle path in the opposite direction, coming home, is excellent. Through the quiet Millenium Village and I'm on a river path that takes me nearly all the way to work! I come off the path right at the Thames Barrier then turn into Warspite Road.

It comes up as 3.3 miles on the Gmap Pedometer. And when I want to cycle a bit longer I can add on another mile by going over to the Dome via a different cycle route (a cycle bridge over the A102) and picking up the river path there. I wonder if bell-ringing at pedestrians on the cycle path burns any extra calories?

Today I saw another painter working on the path. Said hi but will stop and chat if I see him again.

Water on "Earth Day" - what's in the Thames?

2009-04-22T09:09:00.000Z

Generally I don't think the Thames is a terribly polluted river. Yes, no doubt it is, but much of the initial sight of a brown river is due to the tidal nature of it. The tides continually churn up the muddy bottom. If you want evidence just wait for low tide then play around on the river beds! You'll need new shoes afterwards.

Alas, there's no escaping our littering. These photos were taken along with some of my Watermechanics series:

Fortunately the kill-zone for bikes appears to be further east of my studio (out towards Abbey Wood). Whew! But the trolleys are along the stretch by the gravel company on my cycle to work. Every day they disappear under meters of water then reappear like ghostly shoppers at low tide.

________

For Earth Day I've also posted a long photo-rich post about coastal erosion I've seen during my English Coast project trip, along with tidbits and even some pics of paintings! http://watermarks-art.blogspot.com/

Back on the bike?

2009-04-21T17:38:00.006Z

Is it time for another cycle trip? With my map of England finally up on the studio wall, I'm itching to go somewhere new. Chatted with studio neighbour about places we've been, emailing old acquaintances about where they live now on the coast, new studio crying out for new paintings...

In all seriousness, I will finish some more Dorset coast paintings first. Though during May it seems sensible to take a week and get in the next stretch. June is Greenwich Open Studios (the site is *very* out of date, sorry, and that's my job) and then I'm in the USA for a month, back in mid July just in time for Urban Art. And I don't usually ride in summer. So that would mean a dearth of new material until September.

So should I get a bit ahead on reference material and inspiration in May? Something to return to for July? Where to go? A few day jaunts? Jump to Devon? Over to the Blackwater area and West Mersea? Or around the Wash?

Changes in the air

2009-04-19T09:11:00.006Z

There are a some changes happening online - so here's a quick news flash blog!

Podcast
Since I haven't edited a podcast in months and months (I keep recording them then they're out of date) I am cancelling my podcast website with Libsyn.com. Basically I'm paying for monthly file hosting that I never use. Hopefully the podcast will still appear once in a while but I'll simply put it on the regular blog. This may mean the podcasts aren't available historically after a period of time, but I can live with that.

I have copies of the 15 episodes I have recorded and will happily send them to anyone who'd like them - they're about 10-12Mb each and I would email you a link to download them (not an email attachment, don't worry!). Or you can access them all for another 30 days at http://studiowaves.libsyn.com

Mailing List
The money I save on the podcast host will allow me to offer you all a much better service with my newsletters and updates! The mailing list is growing beyond my abilities to edit and maintain it by hand. Thanks SO much to all of you because you've made it grow!

If you aren't already on my list, what's stopping you? You can join on my website's sign-up page.

New "Paintings of the Coast" blog
Not so new really, I experimented with this blog back in the new year and it's now properly going live. This blog is to show you current works available to purchase, and is an easy no-sign-up way to buy a painting from the studio. I'll also offer exclusive blog-only items such as drawings and studies. You can subscribe at coastpaintings.blogspot.com

Thanks for following my artwork, hoping you'll enjoy the changes in store. :)

Art studio porn

2009-04-17T18:19:00.003Z

My essentials, my loves, my tools of the trade... alongside the predictable things it takes those personal quirks (or obsessions) that make it all come together every day.

Top pic: The brushes of course (in temporary makeshift water jar), the laptop with T-Mobile broadband dongle, the Doctor Who coffee mug.

Middle: Paints (Liquitex and Golden) sit on the glorious big glass tabletop alongside a marker (Muji). Below you can see the Greenwich park paintings in progress.

Bottom: Alongside the painting and sketchbook are the water bottle, wireless headphones, and Science Putty (great for squishing while pondering, it's like silly putty. I have a yo-yo too.).

I'm so happy here these past couple of days. Working on the small canvases, which is something I do when I need a new injection of energy or inspiration. Turning to small work gives me a chance to play with line and let go of any preciousness.

(Greenwich) Park Life

2009-04-16T18:32:00.005Z

First real working day in the studio and it's so great! Brought my pack lunch (peanut butter, oakcakes, beetroot, apple) and settled in for the day. I not only sketched my ideas for Greenwich Park paintings - including 4 new ideas from photos I took in the park on Tuesday - but I even put them down on canvas and painted a defining underlayer! Yes, they will be softer and more "me" when they're done. But for now I'm enjoying working with the crisp lines and perspective.

I've been excited about the idea of this series for a while now, but not excited about doing them. Which goes to show what energy the new space is giving me! No more cramped working - I could spread out everything on the table - canvases, paints, computer, sketchbook and all!

And my mom send me a pretty bunch of flowers to christen the new studio! Thanks mom! :) They were on the worktable until I nearly knocked them over for the third time - they're safer up on the shelves.

Looking forward to tomorrow.