local colour

Red Tulips in a Blue Glass Vase among the cakes in Taste Buds

For the past month two of my watercolours, Red Tulips in a Blue Glass Vase and View from my Back Bedroom Window, have been on view as part of the 2012 Hitchin Art Trail, during this year's Hitchin Festival.  Nearly seventy shops and businesses in this historic Hertfordshire market town were kind enough to choose at least one piece of art for their windows.

the paintings were on view to passers by

Both of my paintings had been chosen by venues in Bancroft, one of the main shopping streets, and purely by chance had ended up almost next door to each other. Tulips was on display in the window of Taste Buds, a catering business with a mouth-watering range of cakes on display which were selling like - well, like hot cakes - when we arrived.

View from my Back Bedroom Window
alongside another exhibit in Home Extension Team

Back Bedroom Windows could be seen in the shopfront of home improvements specialists Home Extension Team, alongside a similarly home-themed watercolour by another artist.  A feature of the the Art Trail is the way that the businesses choose a piece: perhaps the subject matter reflects their work, or the colour blends cleverly with a window display.

the HET forms part of the historic roofline of Hitchin . . .

Hitchin is a lovely place with some very old buildings at the heart of it.  The Hitchin Festival - which includes the Rhythms of the World music festival and numerous cultural events, as well as the Art Trail, is a great way to promote the town and encourage visitors.  Long may it continue!

. . .  as does Taste Buds!

Many thanks to the proprietors of Taste Buds and Home Extension Team for choosing to display my paintings, and to Tim and the team at Tim's Art Supplies for organising yet another excellent Art Trail for so many local artists.

a lesson in leaving well alone

source material and colour swatches

For some time I've been meaning to do another watercolour based on photos taken on our honeymoon in Venice over a year ago.  I finally settled on a shot of some Gondoliers, waiting for passengers on the Riva del Schiavoni.  This time I stretched some grey-tinted watercolour paper, which I hoped would add a wintry atmosphere to the finished article.

the basic sketch

The painting was going to be a fairly big one, so the basic sketch for it had to be done on two pieces of A4.  Somehow if I make a sketch from a photo before doing a painting, it doesn't feel so much like painting from a photo - and it gives an opportunity for editing. When I transferred the sketch to the watercolour paper, I hit the first snag: the two halves didn't quite match up, so some sleight of hand was needed.

transferring the sketch to the paper

Because the subject is a watery one, I decided to use plenty of water in the washes - keeping them pale and building them up if necessary.  I was so busy sloshing the water on, I realised too late that I'd hit a second problem:  the paper had buckled so much that it had come right away from the tape at the top, which was supposed to keep everything in place.

some very wet washes . . . 

Panicking slightly, I considered my options: (a) chuck the whole thing away (b) cut the paper away from the board completely, re-soak and re-stretch it or (c) wait until it had dried before deciding what to do.  Sheer indecision led me to choose option (c), which was basically 'do nothing'.  Just as well, because when the painting had dried completely it was still glued perfectly flat, as though nothing had happened!

a background in search of a subject

Carrying on with the background, I added layer upon layer of pale wash to build things up without overdoing it.  At one point I realised that the gondolier who was supposed to be leaning on the rail was actually leaning on nothing at all.  I fiddled with the idea of changing the angle of his arm, but decided to leave well alone again - he could be gesticulating instead!! Much of the subject is black (gondolier's coats and trousers, and the gondolas themselves) so I began to add darker, thicker washes of various colour combinations to distinguish one area of black from another.  By the time the painting was finished, the gondoliers had about six or seven layers of paint on them . . .

Gondoliers in Winter

So here's the finished article.  True, I've taken a few liberties with San Giorgio Maggiore; the gondolier on the left is reading a book rather than texting, another gondolier is missing completely and the chap on the right has sprouted a red stripy sweater (the gondoliers do wear a variety of red-striped or black-striped tops, sometimes on top of their padded coats, and either red or black ribbons on their hats).  I'm enjoying painting figures!!

At leisure in Lewes

White Hart Hotel, Lewes
© Teresa Newham 2012

We recently spent a weekend at Lewes, in Sussex, for a wedding.  We could have stayed closer to the reception in a nearby village; but when we realised what a historical town Lewes is, we decided to base ourselves there and take a look around.  We stayed at the White Hart Hotel, originally a 16th-century coaching inn.  The location was perfect, right in the town centre;  so as soon as we'd unpacked we headed down the High Street for a look round.

The Fifteenth Century Bookshop, Lewes
© Teresa Newham 2012

The High Street is simply overflowing with history.  There are some magnificent Tudor buildings, such as the Fifteenth Century bookshop, cheek-by-jowl with Georgian terraces and Victorian attempts to recreate the town's Tudor origins. 

Bull House, Lewes - home of Thomas Paine
© Teresa Newham 2012

Lewes is very proud of the fact that the 18th century radical Thomas Paine lived in the town for a while.  Paine lodged at Bull House for several years, working both as an Excise Officer and a tobacconist, and marrying his landlord's daughter.  Eventually he headed off to America to become one of the founding fathers of the United States. 

Tom Paine Printing Press, Lewes
© Teresa Newham 2012

I was thrilled to discover that one enterprising printmaker had set up shop in the High Street, trading as the Tom Paine Printing Press.  We spent a little while in here admiring his letterpress prints and the work of some other local printmakers.  I just loved the fact that he was drying his prints pegged to a washing line, just as we had at the printmaking course at the Eagle Gallery. 

interior of the Tom Paine Printing Press, Lewes
© Teresa Newham 2012

The shop was jam-packed with interesting artefacts - and a steady stream of eager customers - including us.  I didn't feel comfortable photographing the work too close up, but to my delight I've discovered that there is a Tom Paine Printing Press blog which talks about this project and shows the prints in more detail.

Polish Pottery at Baltica, Lewes
© Teresa Newham 2012

By now we were fairly desperate for a cuppa, and chanced upon our next find; a cafe called Baltica which is also an outlet for Polish pottery.  As you can see, we ate off it, drank out of it and poured our tea and milk from it (and then, of course, we bought some).  The choice of patterns and pieces was incredible. 

We hadn't expected our trip to Lewes to involve art and shopping, but it didn't end there.  The morning after the wedding we went to mass at St Pancras Church, and happened upon exactly the statuette of the Virgin Mary we'd been waiting for (Father Jonathan was kind enough to bless it for us).  This was serendipity indeed . . . I suspect we'll be going back to Lewes.  The wedding was fun, too!

Jubi-lation

Jubilee souvenirs at the Garden Centre
© Teresa Newham 2012

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee crept up on me, rather.  It's not that I didn't know about it - we were getting an extra day off work, after all - our neighbours were organising a street party and we were going to a bit of a "do" with friends where a beacon was going to be lit.   And on a visit to the local garden centre we'd discovered an amazing display of Jubilee souvenirs for sale (I had to persuade my husband that we didn't need a "dress up Princess Kate" book or any other bit of tat). But it wasn't until I was walking along the banks of the Thames from Blackfriars  to my office at Southwark Bridge last week that I realised it was really upon us.  This part of Bankside has been under renovation for months, and  suddenly the workmen had picked up the pace - but surely it wouldn't be ready for the Jubilee Weekend?

finishing touches, Bankside
© Teresa Newham 2012

Day by day I watched as things progressed.  New bench seats arrived and were installed.  Trees appeared.  Tarmac was laid and railings painted.  The steps to the Millennium Bridge sprouted new balustrades.  A massive flower bed was filled with compost and planted up.  It was like a soap opera:  will they won't they finish in time?  One morning I found myself thinking what a shame it was that the Blackfriars railway bridge (not due for completion until July) was still covered in scaffolding - by the evening much of that scaffolding had disappeared.  Clearly this Jubilee was going to be a Big Deal.  Some photo reportage was called for!

red, white and blue at the Founders Arms, Bankside
(Blackfriars rail bridge in the background)
© Teresa Newham 2012

By now bunting and flags were in evidence everywhere. Red, white and blue was the order of the day - and not just in shop windows and floral displays, either. My colleagues had already suggested that we wear red, white and blue to work on the Friday prior to the Jubilee Weekend; the local primary school had the same idea.  I felt a bit self-conscious on the train until I saw a chap in navy blue trousers and navy blue and white checked shirt casually carrying a red sweater.  And a man in a navy blue suit, white shirt and navy tie wearing red socks .  .  . decorations went up in the office and a whole raft of portaloos appeared outside as crowd barriers were assembled on Southwark Bridge.  Something about a River Pageant, apparently . . . which was going to be HUGE!

flags pretty much everywhere!
© Teresa Newham 2012

We found out almost by accident that there was going to be a fair on Harpenden Common on the Saturday.  Sure enough, despite the cold wind loads of people had turned up and many of these were wearing red, white and blue . . . 

red, white and blue on Harpenden Common
© Teresa Newham 2012

The Local History Society exhibition in a nearby hall was also pulling in a crowd.  It showed how Harpenden had celebrated various Jubilees during the 20th century; and the Queen's Coronation.  Fancy dress parades with a fairy theme figured extensively - including some extracts from Gilbert and Sullivan (Iolanthe, presumably!).  The white ensign from HMS Harpenden was on show - she was mainly active during the First World War and decommissioned in the 1920s.  

White Ensign (folded), HMS Harpenden
© Teresa Newham 2012

There was a  massive amount of local memorabilia, including one of the original street decorations from the Jubilee in 1937 - glass jars painted red, white and blue on a wire frame.  The local Scouts had to light them all one by one!

street decoration, 1937
© Teresa Newham 2012

The Society chairman had dug out the breeches and shoes he wore as a choirboy at the Coronation, along with a photo of his fifteen-year-old self running (late) to a rehearsal.  And then it struck me.  This wasn't just any old royal event.  We were witnessing history.  That was why so many people were here at the exhibition with their kids.  Few amongst us (apart from the very young, maybe) would see a Diamond Jubilee again.  Suddenly the idea of a souvenir didn't seem so tacky.  So it was straight round to the shops for a decorated tin of shortbread (me) and a book of photos of the Queen's life (my husband can't resist a book!).  We're not ardent royalists or anything.   We weren't going to spend our weekend in front of the TV, oh no!!  But we could recognise history in the making.

choirboy's Coronation breeches and buckled shoes
© Teresa Newham 2012

Of course, in the end we watched pretty much all of it.  The stunning Thames pageant had us glued to our seats most of Sunday afternoon - incredible, despite the rain  (now I understood why they'd spent two years painting Southwark Bridge).  Monday  however was for socialising; that street party (under gazebos, in the rain) gave us the chance to finally meet most of our neighbours; and was such a success that we might do it again next year.  It was intended to finish around 3.30pm, but in fact only a final downpour at 5pm drove us indoors, and then just to get changed and go out again for the evening.

flags, fancies and favours
© Teresa Newham 2012

Red, white and blue was the theme again as we danced to our friends' vocal harmony group at their local village "do" - the village had been partying all day.  We were grateful for the hot meal on a chilly night, which warmed us enough to go outside to see the beacon lit at 10.26pm precisely -  more dancing, then back at our friends' house we started to watch a recording of the Jubilee concert.  Which is why the two of us were creeping into our house at 3am the next morning, still clutching our Union Jacks from the party!

lighting the beacon
© Teresa Newham 2012

So we spent Jubilee Day itself very quietly, watching the service from St Paul's Cathedral on TV; the procession; the balcony appearance and the fly-past by the Red Arrows.  Frankly, we were exhausted.  And unexpectedly rather proud of our Queen, who's life really sums up the meaning of the word vocation.  And now we have those Union Jacks hanging in the window, they might as well stay there for the duration of the European football.  And the Olympics.  It's going to be quite a summer!

the partygoers sing "Land of Hope and Glory" as the beacon is lit
© Teresa Newham 2012

Work Progressed - Signs

Signs
© Teresa Newham 2012

Who does not recall the symbols which marked the first appearance of an art both pictorial and plastic? The fish, the loaves, the shepherd: in evoking the mystery, they became almost imperceptibly the first traces of a new art.   Pope John Paul II's Letter to Artists 1999 

Today is the feast of Pentecost, and feels like the right time to unveil the piece which regular readers of this blog will recall I've been working on since last Summer.   It was just after Pentecost last year that I read Pope John Paul's wonderful Letter to Artists;  the above quote stayed with me for some time.  I remembered a quartet of mounted photos which were no longer needed - perhaps I could make some linocuts of the fish, the loaves, the shepherd, and display them in it with another Christian symbol?    I could call it "four signs". Living water !  of course.  And the vine. Whoops, that's five.  And the lamb.  And the lost sheep . . . seven signs.  It was a bit like  the Spanish Inquisition sketch from Monty Python . . . and what about the Cross?  it needed to be there but I couldn't decide how or where.

And then I realised the Cross was there already, hidden in plain sight.

Having just completed the RCIA course and become a Catholic just a few weeks previously, I should have realised that it would be.  But I must admit, recognising the Cross already physically present within the template I had in mind freaked me out rather.  There was no question now of my not making those linocuts.   And as I've worked on them on and off for the past year I've found myself meditating on those symbols a lot. There are prayers, parables, psalms and sacraments if you look deeply enough.  And the cross is central to them all.

Painting the Boat

colour swatches, original photo and basic sketch for Painting the Boat
© Teresa Newham

The last time I managed to get to the Set Dance weekend in Portmagee, Co Kerry, was almost exactly two years ago. The fine weather had prompted some of the locals to prepare their boat for the summer - in full view of my hotel bedroom window. So of course, I'd got snapping - intending to do a painting based on the photos one day.  I took advantage of a recent week off work to do exactly that - I stretched some cream watercolour paper from my tinted stock, tried out some colours and made a basic sketch from one of the photos, which I then attempted to transfer to the stretched paper.

interim sketch
© Teresa Newham

The first draft (above) was reasonable - somewhere along the line the chap on the right had moved forward and was now holding a brush in his right hand - but it required tweaking:  the crate on the right had to go, the boat needed to be bigger, and my idea of putting the paint tins front left was clearly not working.  Eventually I found a suitable arrangement - which ironically was closer to the original photo - and started laying down some washes.

Painting the Boat - half finished
© Teresa Newham

Within two days the painting was complete - not bad, considering I spent quite a lot of time doing other things including performing in an amateur production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, and rather more mundane stuff such as shopping and cooking.  At least it gave those washes a chance to dry properly . . .

Painting the Boat
© Teresa Newham 2012

Here's the result.  As with my last painting, close cropping seems to suit this subject, and it was definitely worth making a sketch from the photo as the basis for the painting, rather than using the photo itself.  I wonder what colour that boat's painted now?  I'll have to go back to Portmagee to find out!

Two Hand Reel

 

sketch "Two Hand Reel"
© Teresa Newham 2012

By now the days are lengthening fast and the increased amount of daylight urges me towards watercolour.  But this year I've had a particular dilemma - apart from my little Easter card, I haven't painted in watercolour since last July.  And what to paint?  Lack of practice means loss of technique, which leads to loss of confidence.  Then I remembered a sketch made in Ireland two years ago - and some photos - all involving figures which I'd intended to use to develop paintings of people.  I dug them out, and went in search of the piece of cardboard I pin my "inspirations" to.  During the house move this had been shoved in with a pad of tinted watercolour paper bought when I attended a life drawing in colour short course at Central St Martins, and never used.  The same short course which had prompted me to make that sketch and take those photos . . . !

source material & colour try-out
© Teresa Newham 2012

 I was clearly on the right track.  Aware that I'd not used this paper before, I chose some colours I thought might be appropriate and tried them out on a sample of oatmeal paper, using a photo taken at the same set dancing session as a general guide to the colour (the girls in the sketch are in the background of the photo).   Then I soaked the watercolour paper and taped it to a board to stretch and dry it.  This was really going back to Central St Martins basics, and felt extremely satisfying! 

Two Hand Reel - the finished painting
© Teresa Newham 2012

To get the figures right, I enlarged the sketch on my printer and traced it onto the paper, realising as I did so that I would have to introduce more figures to put the original two in context.  Rather than having the dancers suspended in mid air, I tried to give a sense of the floor of the community centre in Portmagee, and the bunting hanging from the ceiling.  And because it is only a study, I managed to lay the entire thing down in one session!

Two Hand Reel - cropped
© Teresa Newham 2012

However, it wasn't until I took some photos of the finished article for this blog, that I realised the top and the bottom of the picture aren't necessary.  Cropped tight it looks completely different - and cropped tighter even more so.  Guess I'll have to think about that one!
 

a reflection for Easter

Jesus said to her "Mary."
John 20:16
original watercolour © Teresa Newham 2012

For this year's Easter card I turned to John's Gospel. It takes a different approach to the other three Gospels - they tell Jesus' story  as it happened, stressing various elements for their particular audiences: followers of Jesus amongst the Jews (Matthew), the Romans (Mark) and the Gentiles (Luke). John was writing in the contemplative tradition - his Gospel was known in the ancient church as the "spiritual" Gospel, and is full of rich imagery.  John also - albeit discreetly - tells us that he is an eyewitness to the events of Christ's life, passion and resurrection.  He has enough standing within the Jewish community of Jerusalem to be allowed to witness Jesus' trial;  from the Cross Jesus charges John with the responsibility of taking care of His Mother (by implication extending God's family beyond natural blood ties to encompass us all).

The other Gospels tell us that on the first Easter Sunday some women came to Jesus' tomb.  John chooses to focus on Mary Magdalene.  Arriving at the tomb, she sees that the stone placed there to protect it has been rolled back, and hurries to tell Peter and John.  For those of us brought up on the story of Jesus, it's easy to forget how they must have felt at this point - we know what is going to happen.  But Mary and the disciples have had their world shattered. Jesus himself - whom they had seen do such loving and wonderful things, and who had given them such hope - humiliated and put to death for political ends.  Their own lives in danger.  What does Mary's news mean?  at this point, do they recall Jesus's words at the Last Supper: "A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me"  (John 16:16)?

Peter and John running to the sepulchre on the morning of the Resurrection
Eugène Bernand 1898 - original at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris

This beautiful painting by Eugène Bernand perfectly depicts their situation.  They don't know what's happening.  John (traditionally beardless) is clearly praying as he runs. Can it be true?  Peter's sense of urgency is palpable.  John outruns Peter and arrives first at the tomb, but in deference to Peter's authority waits for him to go in first (allegorically Peter represents faith and John understanding; morally they represent the  active and contemplative missions of the church).  Jesus' body is gone. The grave-cloths are still there, so the tomb has not been burgled; grave-robbers would have taken the cloths and left the body.  What is happening? what should they do?  John tells us that the disciples went back to their homes.

Mary, however, stays behind, weeping.  Her love for Jesus leaves her rooted to the spot where she last saw His body;  she sees two angels sitting where the body had been but doesn't understand the implication of their question: "why are you weeping?" because Mary does not yet realise that there is no need to weep.  When Jesus appears to her she thinks He's the gardener and begs Him to let her have the body, convinced that she will be able to take it away and deal with it herself.  And then . . .

. . .  Jesus calls her by name, as He does each one of us.

Mary responds by crying out "Rabboni!" (Teacher) - this is how she has addressed Him in the past.  He replies "Do not hold [on to your old idea of] me" - because he is no longer as he was before - and sends her to tell the disciples that He is ascending to His Father in heaven.  So, according to  John, the first person to see the risen Christ is Mary Magdalene - a woman, and moreover, a woman with a past.  And when she returns to Jerusalem again, she is the first person to deliver the Good News, when she tells the disciples "I have seen the Lord".  By now, she knows who He is.

Easter blessings to you all!

hanging at the Hoo

the Walled Garden project at Luton Hoo
© Teresa Newham 2012

Last weekend was the third annual Open Art Exhibition at the Luton Hoo Walled Garden.  The renovation of this garden is an on-going project, and it was good to see how much work has been done since last year.

the Open Art Exhibition at Luton Hoo Walled Garden
© Teresa Newham 2012

As usual, the exhibition was held in the Conservatory,  and included exhibits from local schools on the subject of  "The Secret Garden", as well as entries from all over the UK to the Open Exhibition itself, which had the theme of landscapes.

"Poppy Fields" was displayed with other exhibits of a similar colour
© Teresa Newham 2012

I had entered two of my watercolours: Poppy Fields and Lavender Fields, an older work which is still one of my favourites.  Given the amount of interest and the number of entries, I was extremely pleased that they were both hung.   The whole event had been extremely well curated, with works of similar colours grouped together into a pleasing whole.  It's a while since I visited an exhibition and this one was particularly enjoyable!

Lavender Fields
© Teresa Newham 2012

NB many thanks to the organisers who allowed me to take some general photos for this blog.

Work in Progress 3

The final element of my ongoing linocut project is now complete.  For many reasons, it was the trickiest image to realise; that of the Shepherd.  Not only did I have to attempt to depict Our Lord;  I had to draw a sheep and a lamb.  I copied a suitable lamb from the internet but struggled with the sheep, until I remembered a photo I took several years ago in Kerry: 

from Valentia to the Skelligs
© Teresa Newham 2012

So my favourite sheep made it into the image; and, having discarded as a cop-out the idea of denoting the presence of the Shepherd by a hand, or a foot,  I did what so many artists do, and plagiarised something else - in this case, the Paternoster statue by Dame Elisabeth Frink.

tracing the image
© Teresa Newham 2012

As you can see from the above photo, I changed my mind about the design halfway through, deciding to omit an unnecessary horizon and swap some of the black and white elements around.  Plus it was vital not to repeat the mistake I made with the previous image in this project - it had to come out the right way round.  So I was understandably nervous by the time I took the first print:

first print of The Shepherd
© Teresa Newham 2012

The half-dozen prints I made of this image required a bit of touching up; but are none the worse for that. The next step will be to display all four images together . . . !

linocut prints: The Shepherd
© Teresa Newham 2012