LOOKING OUT FROM THE INSIDE...

I did this small artwork for my artist friend Penny, who has recently spent a day with me in my studio.  I showed her printing with a gel plate - a technique she loved so much, she now has bought her own gelli plate!

She loved the subtle colours of the above background paper that I had just printed, and asked me to develop it into a picture.  I have always liked depicting windows, looking out from an interior - it is a subject that I often return to.

I love the paintings of the late Mary Fedden, who painted still life and landscapes in the same artwork by looking out through windows. "Each of my paintings is a mixture of things that I'm looking at, and my thoughts and imagination," is a quote from a very interesting article taken from the May issue of The Artist magazine in 2008.

PENNY'S PICTURES

Some close-ups of Penny's landscapes.

Today, I have visited my friend Penny Lloyd who had opened her house as part of a local arts trail.  Penny, a talented artist, works in watercolour, oils and acrylics.  Favourite subjects are flowers and landscapes, particularly woods and scenes including water.  She loves to paint the reflections in water. Whenever she is out and about she takes her sketch book and camera and then works on her pictures back in her studio.

Penny with some of her paintings and cards.

TULIP TIME

I recently had a fun day in the studio with my friend Penny, an excellent artist who works mainly in oils or watercolours.  Her work can be seen on my blogpost - Friday, May 10th, 2013. She wanted to try some of my collage and layered mixed media techniques.  We both worked to a size of 20cms square.  I worked on a wood panel and Penny used a deep edged canvas. Penny had brought along a photograph she had taken - a cauldron full of colourful tulips. We used this as our inspiration.

Penny's work in progress

At the end of our time together we both had something to show for our efforts.  However, she is taking hers home to finish and I wasn't happy with lower half of my picture so I went back into the studio to work on it some more.  I added a quote suitable for Mother's Day and made some radical changes!

My work in progress.

Finished picture

OBA ART TRAIL

'Foxgloves' - watercolour by Penny Lloyd

This morning I have been to see Penny Lloyd, landscape and botanical artist, at her home which is open for three days as part of the Old Bakery Artists (oba) Art Trail in the Midsomer Norton, Radstock and Paulton area of Somerset.  It is a group of artists that has been exhibiting together regularly for a number of years.  I used to be a member of this popular group and have exhibited my work at Penny's house on previous art trails.

Penny lives in Midsomer Norton and works in acrylic, oil and watercolour. She often sketches the landscape when out and about or the lovely flowers in her garden.  From these detailed drawings she produces beautiful paintings that have great atmosphere and reflect the weather at the time.  Penny loves painting seascapes and is particularly good at representing water and its reflections.  I have one of her oil paintings of a local somerset landscape in my house, similar to the one shown here.  Although it is representational, there is a simplicity and naive quality about the painting that I love.

'Deep Reflections' - oil painting by Penny Lloyd

'Kilmersdon' - oil painting by Penny Lloyd