Fast & Loose

Two Jugs on a Windowsill
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

As soon as I'd finished Borough Market I had an overwhelming urge to do something in a completely different style. I'd taken a photo earlier in the year of some tulips making a lovely shape in my favourite jug on the kitchen windowsill; the tulips had long since wilted but I could at least recreate the jugs from life and use the photo to recall the flowers.

So - completely different. No initial drawing, just putting colour straight onto the paper. Forget perspective, paint the jugs from life - OK, but the yellow one's a bit small, let's make it much bigger in the picture. Three colours only (alizarin crimson, indian yellow, cobalt blue). Concentrate on the flowers and the jugs and add the background later. Lots and lots of water and free application of paint - splash it about a bit . . . . from start to finish it took and hour and a half - and that included a break for a visit from the gas man and a cup of tea!

On the whole I'm pleased with the finished painting; ironically the least spontaneous part is the flowers which caught my eye in the first place. Painted from a photo, you see. I could probably make a better job of the jugs if I did it over again, but they'd be far less lively!

Underneath the Arches

Borough Market

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

One dull February day I found myself wandering around in the colourful bustle of Borough Market, popular amongst foodies for its vast array of fruit & veg, fish, meat, unusual cheeses and other delights. Nestling under the railway arches at London Bridge station, it's due for some hopefully sympathetic redevelopment as part of the Thameslink Project. I've been meaning to paint it for some time, so I took a series of reference shots with the camera on my new mobile phone.

Initially I stuck a dozen photos on my ideas board, hoping to capture the hustle & bustle, the colour, the soaring Victorian cast iron work, and the variety of goods on offer. I realised fairly quickly that a conventional painting Would Not Do, but the snap of a girl clutching a bouquet of white roses and lilies (and a can of coke, which has become a paper cup in the painting) gave me something to anchor eight or so of the other images to.

The result is Borough Market (original title, eh?). 48 cm x 36 cm, it took me eight intense two-hour sessions over four weekends to complete, using a no. 6 brush and plenty of Viridian Green, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson and French Ultramarine. The whole experience has been absorbing, exhausting, and ultimately tremendously rewarding!

a touch of Spring

white hyacinths

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

Back in the cold, dark days of January I bought myself a pot of white hyacinths; the gorgeous flowers and wonderful scent hinting at the springtime to come. They looked so lovely that I got out the camera; and I was so encouraged by the outcome of this impromptu photo session that I wasted no opportunity to capture the beauty of every bowl or vase of spring flowers that entered the house.

red tulips

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

These were the first photos I'd ever taken which set out to be "arty" from the beginning; I played about with some soft focus effects and deliberately concentrated on close-ups to bring out the vibrant colour and delicate features of each bloom.

yellow daffodils

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

The result is a small selection of colourful and evocative flower photos which I'm hoping to exhibit at this year's Herts Open Studios in September. Meanwhile they are now available as canvas prints at the marbretherese art and photo pro gallery on Photobox.

pink tulips

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

Of course, now I've been bitten by the bug, I want to do more; some are already in the pipeline. Not just flowers, either; I've a few ideas which may (or may not) come to fruition later in the year. We shall see!

Trial & Error

Toward the end of last year I went on a printmaking course at the Eagle Gallery in Bedford (you can read about it here), which inspired me to have a go myself. I started out with a Christmas card design linocut (Christmas being very much on my mind at that point) and had great fun cutting a little Christmas tree and attempting to print it up:


















Tree © Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

I quickly realised my first mistake: unless you are using a press, a paper with a rough surface is not a good idea. It took ages to produce even this result, and my hands felt as though they had been cut to pieces. I painted the red in afterwards but it still looked shabby - I'd coated the lino with emulsion first (to show up the design) but neglected to sandpaper the surface, so the ink was never going to take properly. But I'd Made a Start.

Fired with enthusiasm and virtually no knowledge I decided to attempt a reduction linocut, where you cut away the white areas first, print, and then cut away the next colour and print, and so on. I wasn't completely mad, though - I was still only using my two colours LOL. I didn't bother with proper registration, either, I just wanted to see what would happen (after all, this was my experiment and nobody else's!). I'd got hold of a couple of books on printmaking by now and using one of their tips I added a tiny amount of washing up liquid to the ink. And I used a smoother paper this time. Which yielded the following result:

Lily © Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010


Now, I'd be the first to admit that this is far, far from perfect - it's way out of register, for a start. But I loved it! the depth of colour, the zen quality of the simple design; I knew then that reduction linocuts are the way forward for me no matter how long it takes to perfect my skills. I'd sorted out what paper to use; I knew which way to go; now I had to try something a little larger than these 2 inch squares.

For my third experiment I went up to an A5 lino block. I'd found an excellent online tutorial here which helped me to set up my registration and organise my design. I abandoned the emulsion idea and used a waterproof pen to mark it up. When I began to print it I realised I'd chosen to work with four colours - which was at least one too many, but so what? I was Having a Go:

Skelligs I © Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

Ok, this one isn't perfect either. It's one of five hand pulled prints, none of which are great but in terms of registration and design are getting there. The colours are far too strong, so my next lesson is to Learn My Inks (and I need to Cut Deeper, and work at A4 size, because I'm cramping myself).

I'm certainly not there yet, and because of the time and effort involved (and the need to do painting in my free time as well!) I won't be there for quite a while. But watch this space - I'll keep you posted!!

Coming Unstuck

New Year Lilies
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

No, this isn't a reference to collage (although if you read the last post you could be forgiven for thinking that it was!), but to the fact that for several weeks I had a painting on the go which I couldn't finish - no, let's be absolutely clear here - I could barely start. Back in January I was given some beautiful lilies which sat in a vase on my windowsill looking like the perfect subject for a painting, with the wintry light slanting through the window behind. I was too busy to get the paints out then and there, so took some photos, put them on my inspirations board and let them simmer for a bit.














My first dilemma was the composition. Did I want to paint a vase of lilies? one lily? abstract lilies? portrait or landscape? I'm not used to being that indecisive. Eventually I decided on a landscape format - no vase - and found enough time to lay down the background wash. The colours I could see through the window were blue, yellow and green so I used ultramarine and indian yellow and lots of water so they ran into each other, and left it to see how things would turn out (see above pic) . When it dried I put in the slanting light with a sponge.














And then - nothing. A fortnight passed with no inkling of what to do next. Eventually in desperation I decided to treat it as though I were on a life painting course (the one where my tutor told me I was using watercolour like pastels), and blocked in the lilies with alizarin crimson, adding highlights of titanium white.














So far, so good. I added some leaves and stems and stamens but it wasn't right; I'd forgotten the shadows. I still didn't like it, so I painted over the background with an ultramarine wash and - hey presto! - it came together. I could even see the slanting light through the wash.



















In summary, then: time spent thinking about painting: four weeks; time spent looking glumly at the background wash: two weeks; time spent completing the painting: 90 minutes. It's a funny old world . . .!

Close Encounters with Collagraph

Recently I attended a two-session workshop on collagraph at the Harpenden Arts Club, led by Lilley-based artist Kim Major-George. It had been billed as a demo one week and a workshop the next - in hindsight completely unfeasible as the first session was about creating the plate and the second one about printing from it. So Kim had to give her demo to a largely unprepared audience! She'd brought along various bits and pieces from which to make a collage - pieces of mountboard to use as the starting point; she showed us how to cut away layers to get specific effects: if we preferred we could glue interesting pieces of textured wallpaper and found objects to the surface of the board instead. Most of us hadn't brought along a craft knife so opted for the wallpaper option.


















the assembled plate - five pieces of wallpaper, two bits of scrim and some twigs and moss!
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010


I hadn't prepared anything at all; but this turned out to be a blessing as if I had, I would probably have attempted something far too ambitious. Far easier to rip up some pieces of wallpaper, inspired by their various textures to create a riverside scene! I glued them to my mountboard using washable PVA glue, added some found items (bits of leaves and moss) and some scraps of printmaker's scrim for good measure, and checked with Kim that I hadn't produced something unfeasible. She removed a couple of harder bits of twiggy material (which the press would have struggled with) and gave it the thumbs-up.



















collagraph plate, sealed with two layers of diluted PVA
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

Back at home, we had been instructed to seal the plate with two layers of watered-down PVA. At 50:50 my first layer was a little too watered-down; it took ages to dry and I couldn't see much difference. I did the second layer at 70:30 and it worked much better. I couldn't wait to get to the printing stage!


















the inked plate after printing - a work of art in itself!
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

At the second session a week later, Kim showed us how to ink the plate using water-soluble inks and dollies made from J-cloths. It's important not to use too much ink and we were encouraged to burnish back some areas using tracing paper to create a variety of tone throughout the piece. But first we had to tear our paper to size and soak it. At this point I discovered that my plate was quite a large one, which was brought home to me as I struggled to ink it. Luckily Kim had encouraged us to wear rubber gloves and old clothes!


















the first print from my collagraph plate - a little too heavy round that tree!
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

We queued up to use the press she'd brought with her (her husband makes them). Some prints came out great the first time, but many of us (including me) had over-inked the plate or done something else which needed to be corrected for the second printing. I left the over-inked areas of my plate untouched and inked up the other bits, and joined the queue again. Kim helped everybody print their plates for the second time, encouraging us by holding up the best ones. Some people had done cut-away mountboard plates at home during the week, which turned out beautifully. I was happy with my second print which came out lighter than the first one.


















the second print from my re-inked plate
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

I love printmaking and want to do more. Some day I will have one of those presses for my own; but for now I'd better dig out the linocutting equipment and get cutting and burnishing by hand!

Interest and Incongruity

Until the advent of digital technology I'd only used cameras for holiday snaps; then I got myself a Canon Sureshot, which although now only nine years old, is already a museum piece, with it's 64MB memory card and the four AA batteries needed to power it up. By the time I bought my Ixus 850 I'd discovered Picasa and was also bringing my dormant Photoshop skills into play.

When you have the ability to take a hundred photos a day (yes, I've done that!) it's easy to lose track of them, and useful sometimes to look back through the archive; you unearth all sorts of forgotten bits and pieces which deserve a bit of an airing. I've dug three out to share on today's blog; not the most scenic, or the prettiest, but ones where something unusual caught my eye.
















The Ballroom of Imagination and Desire, Waterville, Co Kerry
© Teresa Kirkpatrick, 2005

The first was taken on a holiday in County Kerry; we were taking a walk around Waterville when I spotted this doorway up an alley. It refers to an art exhibition held four years previously; there was something haunting and at the same time incongruous about it. It's still one of my favourite Ireland photos.


















Arnemetia's, Buxton
© Teresa Kirkpatrick, 2005

The next photo is the window of Arnemetia's the Purple Shop in Market Street, Buxton. We were staying just around the corner for the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival; every time we passed this window I had to stop and look! When I took the photo I knew that the houses opposite would be reflected in the glass but I hadn't realised how successful the effect would be. Again, it was the incongruity of finding a lovely little New Age shop in a side street of Buxton which first grabbed my attention - although, when I think about it, why not?

Shed, Ballinskelligs Pier

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2008

The final photo is a more recent shot of a shed near Ballinskelligs Pier in Co Kerry. It's a lovely area with beautiful scenery, so why this, you may ask? I liked the colours and textures of the paint, and the stone, and the bits and bobs lying about. The shed itself isn't incongruous - it fits perfectly well in its own surroundings - but perhaps my choice of subject is!

We are all photographers now; the digital age has seen to that. Long may it continue!

Paint and Personality

Pato's Wish
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

Here are two new paintings completed earlier this month. Random subjects, I thought; the only thing they had in common was that I'd been meaning to get round to them for ages. The first is Pato's Wish, which is intended to be a companion to The Marbre Therese at Portmagee. These two fishing trawlers have been based at Portmagee since I started going there more than ten years ago (and longer, I daresay); but earlier this year Pato's Wish was decommissioned and is no more. I think she went for scrap. The Marbre Therese (or Marber Therese, as she is actually registered - she now bears her correct name following a repainting) is too small for decommissioning and I have high hopes that somebody will take her on. I have fond memories of watching both boats have their catch unloaded, usually after dark in the freezing cold; the crews were always friendly and didn't mind having their photos taken, although we were careful not to get in the way!

I was keen to paint Pato's Wish while she was still relatively fresh in my mind; I've taken many photos of her over the years so it wasn't hard to find suitable source material. As usual I put in the background, and a little foreground, then started to work on the boat herself. At which point I'm almost embarrassed to admit I became terribly emotional, being only too aware that I was depicting the passing of an era. So this painting, while I'm glad I've done it, made me feel terribly sad; hopefully that will pass.
















Lear at the Globe
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2010

The second painting is another London-based one; I walk past the Globe Theatre every day on the way to work and have seen quite a few plays there. The atmosphere is marvellous, always buzzy, and I wanted to try and portray that; the views are spectacular but always a bit crazy, given that the space is circular so you're often looking at the stage from the side. I wanted to show that too, so I threw careful perspective out of the window (the Globe doesn't have any windows, anyway) and just enjoyed myself making up little stories about the people as I painted them in (these are some Scandinavians over on holiday, here are a couple of students etc) even though they were only impressions. But to my mind the building itself is the star of the show in this picture - as it is in real life . . .

It was only when both paintings were finished and I took another look at them that I realised I hadn't just painted a boat and a theatre. They are both distinct personalities; one sadly no longer with us, the other hopefully around for many years to come!

Merry Christmas!

Bauble
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009

As Christmas approaches and the year draws to a close, it's time to take stock. Eight of my paintings are on show at b Gallery in Toddington; I have a raft of ideas for paintings in the coming months, which I hope to get started on once Christmas is over. And I've begun, tentatively, to make linocut prints; it'll take a while to get the results I want, but every journey starts with a single step, as they say!

2009 has been quite a year, both personally and art-wise; I feel that I've learnt a lot and will continue to learn more. And just as importantly, I've had a lot of fun!

I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to anyone reading this blog; and may 2010 be everything you'd like it to be.

Blessings x

b-loomin' marvellous!

my paintings at b Gallery

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009

I've just got home from the b Gallery Opening Day, and boy, has it been a success. There were a lot of people at the pre-launch party last night, mainly exhibiting artists and a few friends, and the trend continued today; when we arrived at lunchtime the place was packed with eager art-lovers. As I walked through the front door someone was leaving clutching one of my photo prints - let's hope that's a sign of things to come!

Demo in one of the downstairs rooms

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009

The range of art is stunning. And there is so much; paintings in the hallway and up the stairs; fine art in reception where prints by Rolf Harris, Fletcher Sibthorpe, Beryl Cook and Jack Vettriano sit alongside wonderful jewellery, glass art and a variety of cards; paintings, jewellery, glass and more cards (including mine!) in a lovely relaxing square room beyond which we all agreed was so cosy we could live in it, and where today two wonderful artists were demonstrating their work; and even paintings in the small back room where Judi Menges was demonstrating glass art and Sara Wickenden was working in wax encaustic - and that was just downstairs!

A cosy corner downstairs at b Gallery with some of Judi Menges' glass art on the wall at the end

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009

Upstairs is a huge room running the width of the building where at least thirty local artists have paintings, photos and prints on display. There are browsers everywhere full of tempting unframed pieces (and yes, I was tempted!). All in different styles to suit every taste. Today was also a great opportunity to chat to other artists and photographers - many of whom were doing demos too. There was even some art in the loo!

Watercolours and prints on display upstairs

© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009

The building itself is something of a star in its own right. Old and beamed, it has a distinct character which lends charm & intimacy to the gallery; to emphasise this Mel and Julie have cleverly created several cosy corners with seating throughout the building, which gives parts of the gallery the ambience of a mad art collector's living room. I'm so pleased to be associated with b Gallery and I hope today is the first of many successes for this amazing new venture!

Sue Wookey's paintings and another cosy corner
© Teresa Kirkpatrick 2009