Fields & Flowers, Kilkeaveragh

Fields & Flowers, Kilkeaveragh
reduction linocut by Teresa Newham

Our recent trip to County Kerry generated so many ideas that I thought I should make a start on at least one of them.  This reduction linocut is based on photos I took from our friends' living room window, and an Inktense pencil sketch I made of the same view.

source material: the sketch helped me see the potential
© Teresa Newham

I took some time over the design; the first draft was a little too graphic, and I altered the treatment of the clouds and the trees accordingly.  I set out to print just three colours, the first two overlapping as little as possible, so as to speed up the drying.

getting it right: refining the design
© Teresa Newham

For the first time in ages I was using traditional lino instead of softcut, and I had to adjust my cutting technique accordingly.  I soon got the hang of things again.  It's much easier now that I use a cutting mat - made of carpet gripper - instead of a bench hook.

the three reduction cuts, from one plate
© Teresa Newham

I traced the design onto the lino using carbon paper, and inked it with a pen. After making a few prints I discovered that the pen was transferring to the prints. So I cut away the clouds rather than wiping them, to prevent the pen transferring onto any more.

troubleshooting the sky
© Teresa Newham

I'd forgotten to wash away as much of the ink and carbon as I could before printing, so I did that after I'd printed the blue.  I used the prints where the pen was showing as trial runs for the green layers, to get the colours right - putting everything to good use!

the second printing: uneven marks add texture
© Teresa Newham

The result is a cheerful interpretation of the countryside around our friends' house on the Iveragh Peninsula.  It's not one of the obvious views of mountains or the sea, but it has a charm all its own.  And there will be more prints to come, I'm sure . . .

the finished print: only some will make it into the edition
© Teresa Newham

Sunny and bright

Parish Church of  S Peter & S Paul, Kimpton
© Teresa Newham

The first full weekend in May means two things:  the Spring Bank Holiday, and the Kimpton Festival.   I had entered some works into the art exhibition in the parish church, which was looking at  its finest in the record-breaking warm weather.

Art and flowers
© Teresa Newham

Inside, the church was wonderfully cool, with beautiful flower arrangements amongst the exhibits, which filled every available space, including boards perched on some of the pews.  Some visitors were  wandering around admiring the art, others were sitting and listening to the choir.

glass, and more glass
© Teresa Newham

As well as paintings and photos, there was a whole side room devoted to glass and textiles, with ceramics and wooden items displayed separately in front of the stained glass windows.  Every inch of the church had been pressed into use.  My own pieces were easy to spot alongside the stewards' table.

every space was used for exhibits!
© Teresa Newham

Once we'd had a good look round, we ventured up the bell tower, where local bell-ringers were on hand to share their expertise.  While my husband tried his hand at ringing church bells for the first time, I was able to look down on the scene below.  As usual, it was a superb exhibition.

birds' eye view from the bell tower
© Teresa Newham

We walked around the village, admiring the knits which adorned every suitable object, and a wonderful display of paper flowers in a front garden on the High Street.  We had tea and cake in the Dacre Rooms and ice cream while we watched the falconry displayat the recreation ground.  It was a glorious afternoon!

knits and paper flowers around the village
© Teresa Newham

pen & wash: Asters

So, #HertsOpenStudios 2014 is finally over! The feedback I've received this year has been "you really should make more pen & wash pieces", and my final demo piece was exactly that.

no asters were harmed in the making of this drawing!
© Teresa Newham

I brought some asters in from home and tried various ways of drawing them in pencil, until I was satisfied I had the right approach - quite graphic and not too detailed.  The essence of the aster, you might say!

adding more and more colour to the drawing
© Teresa Newham

I went over the drawing in pen, then coloured in the flowers, using a thinner wash to portray the lighter areas. I did the same with the stems in sap green, then added some of the pink to the stems, referring back to the original flowers all the time (I popped the flowers back into water as soon as I could, and they made it safely back to their vase at home with no ill effects).

asters - plain background
© Teresa Newham

One visitor, peering over my shoulder just after I'd painted the flowers, reckoned I could have finished the picture right then, and although I felt that was too early, I was tempted to leave well alone once the stems were completed.  But there was still one Open Studios session to go . . .

adding colour to the background
© Teresa Newham

In the end I decided to add a background, just to see what the effect would be, and after laying down a yellow wash with lots of water sloshing everywhere, I dropped in some of the original pink and green to add more interest and tie the various elements of the painting together.  I rather like the result, and have found a mount for it already!

the finished piece, as it will be mounted
© Teresa Newham

A huge thank you  to the two hundred or so visitors who came to see our exhibition at Artscape and to meet us during our #HertsOpenStudios sessions - and to Gurmeet and his staff at Artscape in Harpenden for making it possible!

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!