Trying a Box Canvas

A Vase of Spring

Oil on Canvas 8x8"

February has brought longer hours of daylight and that means more time to paint in natual light.

In the garden the signs of Spring are already showing - the snowdrops through and other bulbs beginning to grow.

And it's impossible to resist buying bunches of daffodils from the local gift shop.

And it's impossible not to try painting them.

This time though I've been using box canvases and trying out ways to paint the edges, trying black at first but settling on using the background colour.

I'm not sure whether this type of support is for me. I think I prefer a canvas with a frame.

Coffee and an Exhibtion

Oil on Box Canvas  10x10"

Oil on Box Canvas  8x8"

Oil on Canvas  8x10"

Print available

My friend Margaret Law and I are taking part in a joint exhibition at a venue in Mauchline, Ayrshire.  It's a new local gallery which started out life as a gift shop. It's now a Coffee Shop and Gallery and well worth a visit for the cakes alone. 

Carol, the owner, has started evening craft classes there too and, from what I've been told, I hear these are very popular.

It's great to see a new local Art Gallery becoming popular.

Above are 3 of the paintings and prints I'm exhibiting.

North Ayrshire Art Exhibition

Road to the Loch

 Oil on Canvas  24x20"

I got word today that my two paintings entered into The North Ayrshire Art Exhibition had been accepted and that's always a good feeling.

It's been a few years since I tried for this exhibition as I never seem to have enough works for 

the shows that come along in groups, like buses, in the summer months.

But this year I've involved myself in less and so have more paintings ready.

The Garden Poppies

Oil on board  10x12"

The exhibition is held in The Raquet Hall at Eglinton Park

and starts Saturday 12th July 2014

Join us for the preview

Friday 11th July
7.30pm

Visit the exhibition

Saturday 12th - Saturday 26th July
10.00am - 4.00pm

The Raquet Hall
Eglinton Country Park
Kilwinning

Join us for the preview

Friday 11th July
7.30pm

Visit the exhibition

Saturday 12th - Saturday 26th July
10.00am - 4.00pm

The Raquet Hall
Eglinton Country Park
Kilwinning

Red, Red, Red

Poppies Red

Oil on bard  12x10"

Bridget Hunter 2014

It's hard to believe it's half way through June and the summer solstice is just 4 days away. 

It doesn't get dark here until 11.30 pm and the birds are still singing, then they restart at 3.30 am.

It's the time of year I love the best and that is partly due to the splashes of garden colour.

I've a clump of the brightest red poppies, that started out in my grandma's house in southern England but bloom just as happily here on the West Coast of Scotland.

This year I've decided to try painting them, and because I love using and mixing red its become a series of poppy paintings.

Oil on Canvas paper  12x12"

Oil on Canvas paper  12x12"

I've used 2 reds - Cadmium Red Daler Rowney

and Permanent Rose Windsor and Newon.

And the dog came too !

My home with the Open Studios Banner and a visitor at the door.

It's been a week since our Open Studios event and I think I'm still recovering from all the painting and tidying and welcoming and talking.

It was extremely busy and I think most people had a successful time .

Here are a few photos of inside my house though they don't feature the studio which is up a few stairs and was also open for browsing thfough. 

Most works are oil paintings though there are a few gouache too.

I didn't have greeting cards ready nor prints as I ran out of time and realise this was 

something I should have organised.

Ah well, note to self for next year.

Four Days until Open Studios

The opening of our 2nd Open Studios Ayrshire weekend is only 4 days away.

The windows are washed, the garden tidied, the frames have arrived and some more paintings have been brought out and finished off. Some have been binned or painted over but a few have survived after a bit of reworking.

Lots more to do in the way of organising the wall spaces and small paper works to mount and cellophane, a price list to sort and of course labels.

I've finished the largest painting I've ever attempted "Storm over the Carrick Hills"

and also the smallest, three tiny box canvas images of Spring flowers. 

Storm over the Carrick Hills

Oil on Canvas  32x32"

Spring Yellows

Three oil on box canvas  4x4"

Just remembered there's wine to buy and tasty bits to put on plates.

And hopefully the weather will be kind unlike last year when some of our artists were snowed in!

The Red Corner

Lemons on Red

Oil on Board 20x20"

This is the latest painting combining that wonderful Amaryllis with the cool yellow of lemons. 

I used this other painting below as the resource reworking the idea in a different format and enjoying the mark making and the rich warm and cool reds.

Amaryllis with Red

Oil on Board 30x24"

I've now got a red corner in the back room and it's a great place to sit with the morning coffee.

So, more work ready for Open Studios and also another exhibition in May, one red still life for each.

Amaryllis and Red

Amaryllis and Red

Oil on Canvas  30x24"

Bridget Hunter 2014

I've wanted a painting for the corner of the back room and always had in mind that something predominately red to hang near a favourite blue chair would be good.

In the end I decided to base a painting around two amazingly red Amaryllis I got at Christmas.  

 I've no confidence in arranging a still life so I thought I'd try to limit the number of elements and just enjoy playing about with lots of different tones and shades of red.

I think this has worked better for me and I'm going try this simple type of arrangement again.

Small Works in a Basket

Small oils  on canvas  4x6"

Sometimes I really enjoy making small studies in paint as opposed to the larger landscapes. 

These are usually little subjects found in and out of my house and 

this year I've been painting them on very small canvases 

and popping them into a basket for sale at the Open Studio event.

A Studio Sale

Spring Yellows  

Oil on Board  10x10" *

I recently held a 3 day Studio Sale with 2 friends, a painter and a leadglass maker.

Despite the awful weather we were delighted with the support we got from family, friends and passers-by who came to browse, drink coffee and blether and buy !

It's strange to see these photos of my house transformed into a gallery but it seems to work quite well.

Cyclamen with a Samba Look

Cyclamen 

Oil on board 6"x6"

Bridget Hunter 2013

I just love the Samba sway of these miniature cyclamen .

Painting for Myself

Cyclamen in Miniature

Oil on Board 6x8"

Bridget Hunter 2013

I enjoy doing small studies and these cyclamen form a wonderful umbrella above the blue/green leaves.

The overall shape has proved fascinating to such an extent that I think I've now painted the plant 4 times, from different angles and on different shaped boards, though all quite small.

I'm now painting for me, myself and enjoying just looking and recording and using paint for it's qualities as "a visual language" to express an idea.

The painting "The Coastguard's Garden 1" is trying to show what it was like to be in a partly neglected garden behind a wall but where sea breezes were causing ripples of movement.

And I like adding the "1" in the title to show it's the first of a group of paintings, a series, which is another new way of working for me.

It's wonderful to feel free to paint what I want 

rather than be under pressure to produce.

The Coastguard's Garden 1

Oil on Board 20x20"

Bridget Hunter 2013

Same shell, three sketches

Sometimes it's a treat to lay the bigger brushes aside and do some careful observation with a bit of watercolour and a small brush.

The first ever Open Studios Ayrshire.

Part of the kitchen

Back of the living room

The hall

What a weekend - the first ever open Ayrshire Open Studios. I've a tiny house and over the 3 days  approx 100 people came for a 'look see' and much to my amazement bought and bought. I ran out of printed greetings cards the second day and couldn't make any more as the printer gave up the ghost 

The upstairs "studio" looking unusually tidy.

The visitors were wonderful to brave the bitterly cold weather to support all 36 artists involved in this new venture.

Because of the snowdrifts closing roads though a few artists living further inland only got a few intrepid visitors on the last day which was such a shame after their preparations. To think that last year at this time we were rubbing on sunscreen.

Watercolour cards I rushed to make because my printer stopped working!

This was the first but already we've a list of many more participants for next year so hopefully it will become a noteable event in the Ayrshire calendar.

Thankyou to the people who supported us.

And thankyou to some wonderful friends who came to help.

Spring Yellows

Spring Yellows

Oil on board  6x6"

Still painting flowers from the outside pots for potential card designs to use at the soon to start Open Studios Ayrshire event . And it's been snowing again ! March - duh