Brushes and Paints.

Acrylic on canvas  12 x 12

Bridget Hunter 2009

 Now, I'm the first to admit that for me, arranging a still life composition is not something that comes easily . Unless I keep to just a few items I spend ages moving things and adding and taking away. Sometimes I just give up before I lift a brush. `

Today I was struggling to base a still life around an amazing white Carltonware bowl with red lobster feet that cries out to be part of a painting. But in the end nothing I tried was pleasing. Then I remembered a small painting I'd done of paints and brushes lying about on a table. Its not really finished but at the time I was reasonably pleased with the composition. It was simple but I felt it worked.So maybe that's the way to go. Forget about complicated arranging and just spend the time markmaking with the paint.

I like Kurt Anderson's words -

"When I paint a still life, I want it to be anything but still. I want it to shimmer with light. I want it to rustle with movement."

My lobster bowl

Smudge, the reluctant model.

Pen, watercolour HP paper

Pen, cartridge paper

2B/4B pencil, cartridge paper

watercolour, gouache, cartridge paper

I've finally managed to form a working relationship with Smudge the Cat. He no longer moves away whenever I get close with the sketching kit. So here are more studies - not paintings yet - though I hope to develop some into oil or gouache works.

Never work with Animals?

Smudge the kitten, 2010

Watercolour, sketchbook

Smudge the cat, 2011

2B pencil

I'd brought paints to Wales in the hope of working. But its rained - practically the whole time. So I've been trying to sketch the house cat here. But he's not co-operating and languidly changes position each time I try to capture his image. How did Gwen John ever do her wonderful cat studies? Here are my attempts so far.

Maybe next time!

The unfinished watercolour

View of Ailsa Craig at Culzean

watercolour/pencil sketch

My attempt at practising a gouache painting turned out to be a bit of a non-event. I've gone painting before without water, without thinners, without coffee but never before without paints - well, the gouache paint anyway. 

So it became a watercolour practice instead. I've absolutely no confidence in using watercolour apart from in a sketchbook. I'm still too impatient to wait the time for washes to dry and past attempts have ended in dull, overworked disasters.

However this watercolour, though unfinished, is my best attempt to date. Maybe using gouache that watery way is a good place to start. 

Why use gouache?

                           

I recently bought a painting by Archie Sutter-Watt. I've loved his work for such a long time and its a great privilege to have it hanging on the wall, to be able to look at it whenever I want, to see his brushwork and his added pencil lines to show form.

                                                     You can view more of his works at

                                                 http://www.archiesutterwatt.co.uk/gallery/

I've long had the notion to paint with gouache for several reasons. Its easier to take it outside to use than oils - less messy to clean up - no thinners etc just water - no awkward canvas or painting boards to carry

 about - and cheaper framing !!

I also like the effect that you can produce with gouache and that it can be painted over to rectify mistakes - or so I thought.

But its not that simple. The problem I'm finding is that when you put paint on top of paint it seems to rewet the underlying layer and the whole thing gets muddy and dull as the colours then mix together. 

So its a time to practice and read "How tos" especially blogs such as Martin's, a fellow Sketcherciser.

                                                          http://www.draw-a-tree.com/

But no matter what I read or am told the only way to learn is to get out the paper and paints and do it! So put the gouache kit into the car, and as the sun is shining, off to Culzean Castle grounds to follow my own advice and "keep practising" 

Lost in Translation!

What do you do when you've made a sketch and think you've captured a sense of place and now want to  translate that into a  painting. How do you capture that initial response? Its worked in the sketchbook, using watercolour, with the view there in front of you. But sometimes the liveliness of the sketch gets lost in translation and the attempt to get the same atmosphere eludes you. 

I'd like to try gouache but decide to use oil paints as I don't seem able yet to capture those brights that were there using gouache. I know its a question of practice to gain the skills. But I'm being impatient and want to paint the painting while my memories of Aird are still fresh. At the same time I'm very wary of starting. It was so green there, that lovely fresh green of May and the seas so blue when the sun actually shone. And that's what I want to paint - those colours with the white houses dotted about the hill. perhaps now I've done this attempt I might feel freer about trying a large version in gouache.

This is the resulting painting, using oil on a 10 x 12" board.

Village of Aird, Skye

Bridget Hunter 2011

A Postcard to Albrecht in Germany

A postcard from the Island of Sky

Today I received a beautiful postcard from an area which is still on my list ofplaces I would like to visit in my lifetime. Great, many thanks Bridget! I guess you have painted the postcard with acrylic. A few strokes of a pen are visible. Bridgetwrote: "I've spent the last week on the Island of Skye. Though it frequently rainednothing could spoil the dramatic landscape, the Black Cuillin Mountains plunginginto the sea. Its history is also full of drama too - the remains of abandoned crafts(small stonehouses) when the crofters were forced to leave their land to makeway for sheep, many having to emigrate and the stories of Bonnie Prince Charliewho took refuge here. This view is off the shore at ARDVASAR, on the southernpart of the island.«
I of course immediately asked at Wikipedia about the unfortunate Charles EdwardStuart. When I come to Rome next time I will visit his tomb in St. Peter's.
One more time: Thank you so much Bridget for this gem in my collection of postcards!

I'm glad this postcard arrived safely in Germany as did the one sent to Alison in London.I'd sent my earlier cards in envelopes but I thought I'd try sending it as a piece of mailart. I used thick watercolour paper and acrylic,

sketching on site but admit to adding a few pen marks and finer brushwork later.

Its so exciting to receive cards from the other members of the group and not just to see the images on the computer.

Sketching in Skye

The sketching kit

Village of Aird

Aird Church is now a gallery

Shore cattle

Holiday house

Shoreline- Ardvasar

Raining in Skye

I've been very lucky to spend a week on the island of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. I was with a lovely group of friends, 5 of us painters and though it frequently rained the weather couldn't detract from the dramatic scenery and the atmosphere of this incredible place. Though I'd taken painting materials I spent the time between showers sketching. Now I'm trying to use gouache - a new medium for me - to attempt to capture the landscapes I saw.

Coffee in the Title!

I find it difficult sometimes to think of a title but  "Coffee in Cluny" is how I remember this place on a very hot day during a trip to France.

Paisley Art Institute annual exhibition starts soon and today is "handing in' day. Its been another rush - always seems to be the way with me - and so I'm submitting two dampish oil paintings. But being framed under glass helps. As they're both oil on board there is less chance of paint adhering to the glass as once happened when the work was wet and on canvas and the canvas can't have been taught enough. 

Oil on board

Bridget Hunter 2011

The image here is of a work based on sketchbook notes done while sipping coffee in the shade.

 The colour  of walls and shutters were the appeal for me - as was the delicious coffee sold in this cafe. I've included my sketchy sketch - and looking at it again I've adjusted the image perhaps more than I should have - left out a background umbrella etc and not sure now if it was the right thing to do.

How low can I go?

Dark cloud over Arran

Oil on board

Bridget Hunter 2011

Spring Blues

Oil on canvas 12 x 10

Bridget Hunter 2011

Sold one, bought one!

The exhibition of landscape paintings "Roaming" at The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright opened yesterday 8th March. Most of my 10 paintings have been featured here on blog posts but it was completely different seeing them hanging in such a lovely setting alongside some great works by the other painters. The opening was busy - bubbly and handmade chocolates - and the people very friendly. I was lucky and sold one painting at the opening but bought a painting too. So no profit there then !!! I really love the work of Archie Sutter-Watt, who lived and painted the area around Galloway until his death in 2005, and couldn't resist buying a landscape in gouache. I know I'll learn a lot and have a lot of joy by just simply looking at his work on my wall.  http://www.archiesutterwatt.co.uk/gallery/

Will ten fit in the car?

                                                            

Walking in Bracken

Oil on Canvas  10 x 12

Where's Watendland!

Path at Watendland

Oil on Canvas 2011

Another legacy from November in the Lake District. There were some moments when the sun shone, the sky was blue and the Autumn colours just glowed. Watendland was a small place with an intriguing name where we sketched and painted - and it was just one of those special days.

www.thingstodolakedistrict.co.uk/.../Kings_and_Watendland_walk/

Under a Cloud!

Walking at Straiton

'

Oil on board 20 x 20"

Bridget Hunter 2011

I don't usually have big skies - and I don't usually have such big clouds - but I felt this painting needed a large sky area. Its a view from a hill and when you're this high up the sky can seem vast. I spent time doing watercolour sketches of skies and clouds last year but all in good weather.  Maybe now I could move onto having an even lower horizon line - though I think I'd better do some more cloud studies first!

The blues!

Edge of the Loch

Oil on board 18 x 14"

Bridget Hunter

At the moment I seem to have the blues ! I seem to be making blue the main colour - ultramarine to be specific. Its not that I've bought a new ultramarine - a different make, a different quality - I can get carried away with a new colour sometimes. This is the same old blue I've always used. But I'm enjoying the intensity of it. And I can't think why.


Sold

Is it really finished?

Oil on Canvas  12 x 10"
Bridget Hunter 2011

November Trees


Sometimes a painting just seems to paint itself. You have the idea - the colours, the shapes, the design - and the paintbrush does the rest almost on autopilot - no scraping off, no walking away in frustration, no real contemplation. But then you think, that, because it was done so quickly, is it really ok? Well -I've put the brushes down, taken a photo and accepting it as it is. It says what I wanted. I sketched these leaning trees with the vivid Autumn colours on a bright, chilly
 November day. 

                                          

Postcard from my Walk

A postcard from my walk – a global art exchange. . …pen sketch by Cathy Gatland… A postcard from my Walk  has its roots in Sketchercise, a group of artists  sharing a love for art and the outdoors, nature and different forms of exercise. As our project name suggests, we are painting postcards from our Sketchercise outings and mailing  them this way and that way to each other, criss-crossing over 4 continents. …a collage of works from our group.. Please visit our new blog, a postcard from my Walk, to follow along in our adventures the next year and more and where you can meet all the members on their introduction posts, see all the postcards and get fired up yourself to do more exercise and be creative while doing it. Many thanks to Ronell for her words.

"Her Indoors!"

Winter Grasses, Loch Doon

Oil on canvas 24 x 20"

Bridget Hunter 2011

I'm working on 10 landscapes for The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright to be delivered on the 25th February so I'm "her indoors" and keeping going by inhaling turps fumes and working in my usually brush- it- on- scrape- it- off fashion!  And using one of my favourite sketching/painting places, Loch Doon, as the subject.

When we were young!

Watercolour
Bridget Hunter 1997

I was having a clearout of workspace as I've 10 landscapes to be ready for 25th February and came across photos of watercolours I did a long time ago - a time when my youngest was very young. I was thinking that I'd like to try this type of work again.

November Snow at Borrowdale

November Snow at Borrowdale

Oil on canvas  28x24"

Bridget Hunter 2010

I've mentioned before the wonderful art course I was on at Borrowdale, the lake District with tutors Jenny Wheatley and Mike Chapman - snow, rain, gales, excellent deomonstrations, great teaching and good company. I did many sketches and used one as a resource for this painting recently finished.  I've tried to capture the atmosphere and brilliant  Autumn colours to give a sense of place at that particular time.  It was freezing !