Category: From the Studio

Comforting diversions

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It’s a busy Autumn. November sees a group exhibition of The Pie Factory Artists, late October is The Pie Factory Margate open studios (in a few days), and we’ve recently ended the SGFA’s annual open exhibition DRAW18 in London. Other work is also heating up.

Aimless creative play is vital, particularly when most of my time, creatively or otherwise, is spent in long-session, detailed and intensive focused work. With a couple of large, detailed, intensive artworks completed, I thought it time to play a little: ease the pressure, enjoy the process for no other reason than the hell of it.

Drawing for the sake of it is freeing, yet difficult to justify in a buy world that demands every waking moment is functional and earning. More affirming activities take a back seat too often: it’s a daily battle for me.

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A few fun images was the result of hours of “just doing it” (and a few pieces of paper in the recycling bin). I think I need to actively schedule some of this time into my week. It was fun.

Non-toxic oil painting

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I have given oil painting a wide berth for many years. The last time I tried, solve fumes had me suffering sinus and upper respiratory inflammation for a couple of weeks. Plus, I loathe the smell of linseed oil.

Some work plans dictated the need to use slow-drying paints. So I recently played with Golden Open acrylics, which are quite wonderful, but still will not give me the kind of longevity I need, particularly for larger works.

There are several options to solvent-free oil painting now: Citrus-based cleaners and other thinners, strict use of oil over solvents for cleaning. But none of these also solve my revulsion to linseed oil?

IMG_3995Research led me to M.Graham oil paints. These are high-quality, artist paints, created with walnut oil – very stable and less yellowing than linseed, particularly with whites and blues. It is easy to clean brushes in pure walnut oil, and apparently, there’s barely any smell.

A sample pack arrived in the post last week and I’m delighted to report that there is almost no discernible scent at all, neither in the paints nor the pure oil itself.

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The set features primary colours, plus titanium white, and a bottle each of walnut oil and alkyd medium (for thinning and reducing doing time). It’s refreshing to see a sample pack that is fully usable, not merely a few odd colours to try out. Interestingly they are now explicitly marketing M. Graham oils as a solvent-free alternative to traditional oil paints.

More about how I get on with these once I’ve had a proper play with them, but right now, I’m thoroughly optimistic.

Another one done

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Another solo exhibition is done, works are either off to new homes or once again wrapped in storage. Its a strange feeling.

If you have ever put together a solo event, you’ll have some idea of how much effort is involved in making it happen. Most artists will appreciate how much we put into what sometimes appears to be just a matter of sticking a bunch of works up on a wall. It is deceptively straightforward.

This year’s show at Ramsgate’s York Street Gallery was well received, and, thankfully, some sales. I am already thinking about something special for next year.

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The current post-exhibition breathing space offers low-pressure creative time. In place of planned, structured, deadline work, the studio schedule consists of random experiments and playtime with different and new materials. There’s usually so little time for such no-pressure playtime.

Pastels anonymised

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I de-labeled all my soft pastels.

Pastels are glorious: intense colour held together with a minimum of binder. Their purity is their super-power but also their flaw.

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The re-organised pastel box – for now…

Quality soft pastels are expensive, and I find myself overly preoccupied by which brand I’m currently scraping across the paper. Brief thoughts wondering how much that sky just cost, clutter thinking and interrupt focus.

Yesterday I did two things: reorganised my studio pastel storage (a regular task, particularly when there are a few new arrivals); tore off all the labels.

Of course it’s not hard to distinguish the make of a pastel once in your fingers. Size, shape, feel, colour intensity all point to its origins. But no labels mean the primary consideration is colour – exactly how it should be.