Friday 31 July 2009

The Turnbull Building



The Turnbull Building 2002 (oil on board, 30 x 30 cms)

Last week, on my trip to the Valley, I picked up some small picture frames from Hobbycraft. Not overly expensive, averaging about £15, and not overly exciting either it has to be said, but presentable nonetheless.

I've has several paintings lying around in the studio, some finished, some not, but as they are on board, my interest in them had waned. If they weren't framed, they couldn't be shown anywhere, and as everything else I've shown this year has been unframed canvas, I didn't want to mix the two.

However, because I sold quite a few pictures at last year's Newcastle Gateshead Art Fair, I was beginning to think my stock of small works was looking a bit impoverished. Maybe these cheapish frames would serve to get the small pictures in showable condition, was how my thinking went.

Today I hunted out all the paintings I thought might look OK in the frames. First off, of course, I discovered that I've always been prone to painting on Imperial-sized boards and my 12 inch square paintings didn't fit the 30 cm frames. Still, a Stanley knife and a steel rule put that right. And you know what, I think they'll look OK.

The painting of the Turnbull Building (the site of Newcastle's first £1m apartment) is the only one completed, but the simple plain wood frame suits it quite well, I think. Now I just have to finish the others. More on this in due course - it's been exercising my mind lately.

4 comments:

vivien said...

I really like this one :>)

harry bell said...

Me too. I painted it in a rather cynical attempt to get a sale.I was told some of the new residents of the luxury flats the building had been converted into would be going to a show I'd been asked to submit to. Then the show was cancelled. Serves me right, although I was happy to have painted the picture.

Kevin Williams said...

Harry,

My, but you're busy. No sooner had I subscribed to the Feedblitz' (whatever that is), and I'm getting blog updates daily.

Like what you're doing in the Brighton pics. I like that kind of 'framing' myself. Regularity interrupted by a figure is always effective. A really appealing landscape or depopulated urban scene is vastly improved by a solitary figure (or two - but no more!). The day you took the pics for these works in progress, I have one which I think works similarly. I'll send it separately.

I'm pretty sure these would sell in Brighton. Worth ding a few more and getting a stall??!

Kev

harry bell said...

Welcome back to Boogie Street, Kevin. All you have to master now is the knack of commenting under the appropriate post, but we'll let that slide.

I agree with what you say about the inclusion of a solitary figure - Hopper would approve.

Glad you like the way the Brighton pictures are going (and thanks for sending those other photos) and the idea of showing them in Brighton has distinct appeal. But a stall? I'm not a barrow boy!