Thursday 22 January 2009

Club Stockpile


Free Trade (work in progress - 1st day)

I find that having several paintings on the go is the best policy for me: I can switch from one to another as I choose and gradually move each one to a conclusion. It's a system that does have its drawbacks, in that sometimes I feel none of them will ever be complete and there's no denying that some pictures go off into a kind of limbo, waiting for me to revive interest in them.

However, that is the way I prefer to work, and I haven't felt that there were enough paintings awaiting attention at the Art Club of late. So I started another one today. This is a painting of the Free Trade Inn at the mouth of the Ouseburn in Byker. I started with an orange PVA ground again and fairly quickly established the general colours I wanted.

Getting back to regular work is proving very difficult this month. I probably won't be able to work on this or any of the others at the Club for the best part of a month because of various commitments on Thursdays.

Tomorrow I'm off to York for a few days, so no posts from me until I get back. Stay tuned.

6 comments:

Trevor Lingard said...

Hi Harry
This is a nice piece.
Have a great time in York.
Regards

harry bell said...

Thanks, Trevor. I'm meeting up with friends from round the country - enjoyment guaranteed, I reckon!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Harry. Just found your blog - I didn't know you had one. It is a long time since we sat in the same art room with Mr Doxford...

I love your subjects - many of them I have photographs of from similar locations, like Burning Bush for example, and it is fascinating to see the subtle ways in which the artist's eye rearranges things.

harry bell said...

Hi Ian -- good to find you here! When I think back to Doxford's lessons I often wonder how I ever maintained an interest in art. But then, by and large, academics have never served me well.

Anonymous said...

...well 'lessons' is putting it a bit strongly, don't you think?

harry bell said...

I know what you mean, but I think I learned a great deal about surreptitious sherry drinking from Mr Doxford.