Saltwell Park, Evening

Saltwell Park, Evening

(acrylic on mountboard, 10x10 in.)

The Shipley Art Gallery said: "For this challenge we would like to see artwork of a place that you visit that has changed over time or since you last visited."

In my mind and from my memory, I went to Saltwell Park again and painted this evening scene. Today, I actually went to the park again for the first time in over three months and it didn't look like this.

This painting was based on another of my Second Year Special Project Saltwell Park Sketchbook drawings:

Coffee with Susie and a Wooden Duck

Coffee with Susie and a Wooden Duck

(mixed media on mountboard, 9x9 in)

This week's contribution to the Shipley Art Gallery Art Challenge. The coffee set is by Susie Cooper and the wooden duck is from Argentina.

Now SOLD.

In Saltwell Park

In Saltwell Park

(acrylic on mountboard, 25x25 cm)

Shipley Art Gallery’s next Art Challenge, asked us “to paint somewhere close to where you live that you like to visit to relax or exercise.” Fifteen minutes walk away, Saltwell Park is a favourite place and in these Lockdown times is taking on an element of magic in my mind.

In my second year at Newcastle University (1999), I chose as my Special Project, Saltwell Park and partially filled a sketch book with drawings of the Park. None of the paintings I started for that Project came to fruition, so it seemed a good opportunity to take one of those drawings now and finally make something of it. I'd always wanted to make it slightly mysterious and that's the atmosphere I get from this painting.

The Winged Vase

The Winged Vase

(mixed media on board, 9x9 in)

Finished yesterday, this is my contribution to the week's Shipley Art Gallery Challenge. It was painted over an abandoned painting that revealed the pots when turned upside down.

Now offered for sale under the Artist Support Pledge scheme, this unframed painting is priced at £90, (incl. P&P in the UK). To buy, or ask for more details, contact me.

Three Men in a Bar

Three Men in a Bar

(acrylic on canvas board, 8x8 in)

Week 3 of the Shipley Art Gallery's Lockdown Challenge gave us this 19th C painting  and challenged us to "paint your friends, family or neighbour."

Grandfather's Tale 

by E J Davis

My painting is based on a photograph of me and a couple of friends at my stag night in 2014. The painting doesn't set out to be three portraits, although some might think they recognise two of the people in it.

Marsh Marigolds

Marsh Marigolds

(acrylic on watercolour board, 8x8 in)

The Shipley Art Gallery's second Challenge to Gateshead Art Society members presented us with two paintings, ‘Apple Blossom’ by Roger Ashby and ‘Summer Time’ by Ralph Hedley, showing the start of Spring and the middle of Summer. The challenge was to "create an artwork that shows how we are witnessing the start of Spring from our home, garden or daily walk. What flowers are starting to bloom and what animals are appearing?"

I wasn't going to do the Challenge this week because we have - or had - no flowers. Then the marsh marigolds in our little pond came to the rescue.

I found myself struggling a little with this painting, mainly I think because it's in such a very realist style and I could have achieved that more readily with oil paint. Blending acrylic is not so easy.

Man with Birds

Man with Birds

(acrylic on canvas board, 8x8 in)

Gateshead Art Society can’t meet these days at the Shipley Art Gallery because of the virus, so those nice people at the Shipley have set the Club a Challenge based on a painting in their collection. This is the painting:

'The Chorus of Birds'

by Jan van Kessel

 We were asked to "draw or paint any birds or animals you see out of your window or garden. If you have a pet, you could draw them instead." 

Being a disobedient artist with precious few birds in the garden and no pets, I decided I’d just riff on the basic idea and the painting you see above is the result. It's a curious affair, but one that answers a little voice in my head that often asks why I don't get on and paint the kind of figure paintings I've always intended to paint. How to interpret that answer I leave to another time, but the Coronavirus Lockdown is leading me down interesting paths.

Spanish Pot

Spanish Pot

(acrylic on board, 7 x 7 in.)

Friday afternoon at Gateshead Art Society sometimes presents me with a decision on what I should do. There's a published programme that I'm free to ignore or follow, as the whim takes me, and this can be useful when I'm between paintings.

This week we had visitors at home so what spare time I had available was used to finish of a painting to take to the Newcastle Painters meeting on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) and little opportunity to research subject matter for a new painting to start at the Shipley on Friday. The programme suggested we do a painting without using any brushes and complete it in one session. In a rush, I chose a few tools and paints, grabbed a small prepared panel, printed off a photograph of a pot I'd seen in Seville and set off to make my little painting.

And after about an hour and a half, the painting was done. It was fascinating, frustrating and enlightening to see what could be done with my chosen tools - a pipe cleaner and a cosmetic sponge. The pattern on the pot proved most difficult but I like the rather primitive effect the folded sponge achieved.

Bad Sharpie!

Mint Street WIP

(acrylic on board)

I spent yesterday afternoon in the Shipley Art Gallery, sitting at a table in front of the big Tintoretto, smiling benignly at the people who'd come in to look at Gateshead Art Society's Xmas Exhibition. As part of my duties, I'd been asked to do a bit of painting, just to demonstrate what it is we do at our meetings (as if the paintings on display weren't enough), and so I did.

I'd hurriedly thrown some paints, brushes and a prepared board into a bag, together with a printout of a potential subject, but what I neglected to add was a pencil. So when it came to squaring up the board I had to fall back on the only alternative - the black Sharpie in my coat pocket. And what a disaster that turned out to be.

I'm sure you can see from the photograph above that the construction lines are still plainly visible and that's after several layers of paint. Acrylic is so transparent! Even the layer of white acrylic gesso I added when I got home failed to cover the lines.

I have one other solution in mind, but if that doesn't work, I'll simply have to scrap several hours work and paint over the board and begin again.

Drawing in Saltwell Park

The Climbing Tree, Saltwell Park
(0.5 Micron marker in 21x26 cm sketchbook)

As a break from the normal session in the workroom of the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead Art Society decided on an afternoon sketching in Saltwell Park. 

Amazingly, after a morning shower, the weather decided to co-operate and half a dozen of us turned up in bright sunshine to make minor masterpieces in our individual ways. For good or ill, I opted for the very complicated "Climbing Tree". It's a very old yew tree whose branches have played host to generations of kids, and I speak from personal experience.

Part way through the drawing I realised the sun had moved round and was now shining directly into my one good eye. I should have brought a hat to shade my eyes, but in the absence of one, I went for a walk to see how others were doing.

Coming back to the tree about ten minutes later, the sun wasn't being any more helpful, so I moved position to work on the right hand side branches, ignoring the small boy now clambering over them. Eventually, however, I realised I'd done enough for the day and coffee called at the cafe in Saltwell Towers.

I walked home via the bird cages and listened for a while to the nice grey parrot in the end cage telling people to "F*ck Off!"

The tree still intrigues me and I plan on going back to work on the drawing some more, taking in the branches that will spread across the left hand page.

Gateshead Art Society Annual Exhibition 2013

The preview of the Art Society's Annual Exhibition at the Shipley Gallery went well today. A good turnout, including some old friends I was able to chat to and catch up with. But the financial climate was demonstrated by the lack of red spots; usually there's a decent scattering at this regular event, even if it's the cheaper paintings that go, but not this year. Only two red spots.

Still, apart from two hung in a darkish corner (I've asked if the lights can be adjusted), it was good to see these seven of my submitted eight pictures hanging in a good gallery.

St James's from Windmill Hills

Clouds over Holy Island

Sunset, Holy Island

Vindolanda

South Tyne Valley Landscape

In the South Tyne Valley

Venetian Balcony

Shipley Art Gallery

Shipley Art Gallery (Oil on canvas, 9 x 12 ins)

At the beginning of the 1970s I joined Gateshead Art Society and for a while went along to their Tuesday night meetings in Gateshead's Shipley Art Gallery. It was there that I met Dave Richardson who persuaded me to take an 'A' Level course in Art at night classes and so launched me into a career in the world of art. In the process, I left Gateshead Art Society and although I've thought about rejoining in the intervening years, the Tuesday night meetings were never convenient. 

Now, however, the Society has changed its meetings to Friday afternoons and as I'm unsure about continuing membership of the North of England Art Club, I'm going along to my first meeting tomorrow. The facilities at the Gallery are limited and there's nowhere to store wet oil paintings so I'll be forced to return to water-based media, something I have very little experience with but which I've lately been thinking would be useful in my search for a new direction.

If I produce anything worth looking at, I'll be posting it here, but don't hold your breath. I will report back, however.

[Later] I didn't go. There are weighty factors working against me in this regard, but be assured, I will get there eventually.

Shipley Art Gallery

Shipley Art Gallery (Oil on canvas, 11 x 14 ins)

I pushed myself to get this done at the Club today. It's one of a set I've been asked to do for inclusion in an exhibition in March. Not really a subject I'd have chosen, but the theme is "Heritage Buildings of Gateshead," so my choices were limited. For something completed in about three hours, it's turned out OK, I think.

I needed to get it done today so that they might consider a photograph in the publicity being prepared this week. There's a flag pole missing, but the paint was too wet to try adding it. I'd rather be able to add it later anyway, because I'm not sure I want it in. I've already eliminated a lamp post.

I wonder why red comes out so strong when photographed? It's not that red in the painting itself - I used mars red toned down with a bit of alizarin crimson - but even Photoshop doesn't seem able to do anything about it.