Well, the bain-marie came out today for the first time in 6 months (the last time I did some raised gold leaf), and I have applied my gesso base. This needs 24 hours to dry properly; I can then sand it down to a smooth finish ready for application of the gold leaf.
Here are three progress piccies for your amusement:
All the gear is out ready.A bit more weight to the Elephant’s back!A few lumps depicting the vague whereabouts of the Zagros mountains, Lut desert, and Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat areas
It has taken three days to transfer my initial illumination sketch on tracing paper on to my lovely Aquarelle Arches water colour paper. The original sketch on tracing paper was the basic design which I transferred to the paper and I have now added most of the patterns and motifs which will make up the finished artwork. I have found that it is much better to draw in all the intricate details first as this makes the painting process a lot simpler and faster – a bit like painting with numbers without the numbers! (Although I have been known to change the designs as I go, especially if the paint brush does not behave itself!
But no painting yet: the first thing is to build up layers of gesso on the parts which will be gold leaf, allow that to dry, then apply the gold leaf; then painting may begin. Some elements will have gum arabic mixed with the paint to provide a sheen, others will be basic body colour (a main colour mixed with a tad of white to make it very opaque), and I may even add some metallic colour – which is different coloured metal powders mixed with gum arabic. This illumination will be painted in the style of “Tina Bone”!
I intend to use a limited colour palette, probably green, red, yellow, blue and mixes of these colours, and black and white for edging – except for the elephant and camel which may be realistic. Most illumination elements are outlined with a dark colour.
This is the picture for Update Progress 2. Please note that the pencil on the original is very feint. I have made it darker by computer so that you can see it more clearly:
1605 Update Progress 2: Final Drawing on Aquarelle Arches water colour paper.
If you wish to comment, or would like further information about illumination, please be in touch: email
I have made some progress with my Pint of Science Lecture complementary artwork. My 2016 scientist, Dr Alex Copley, has approved the preliminary design so I can now push the throttle right down and work in earnest. I am also currently trying to complete a commission of three beautiful labradors in their garden, so probably a bit of midnight oil will be flickering for a few weeks. We had one night without street lights, but they seem to be turned on again now, so it is still bright at night in our street – what about yours?
I have decided that my artwork will be an illumination, in which there will be blobs of raised gold leaf over the areas of Dr Copley’s research (hatched on the draft sketch, see below). There will also be gold leaf and shell gold in other patterns and motifs as the design unfolds. The border will be traditional Indian and Iranian patterns. The world on the elephant’s back will show the continental faults for the side of the earth showing the Asian continent and beyond. Dr Copley has suggested that I alter the 2013 dates in the border and on the sign to 2016, to reflect his 2016 research on which his lecture will be based. The left hand geology patterns have been designed from the Zagros mountains in Iran. Completed artwork for each lecture (circa 50) will have a little paragraph describing what it is all about. These are the media, painting and draft paragraph details of my little picture:
Artwork: 12″ x 16″ illumination; 23 3/4 ct gold leaf and shell gold; Water colour with gum arabic; 140lb Aquarelle Arches 100% cotton rag.
Draft Title: “Earthquake – the Elephant moves?”
In the twelfth century BC people believed that the earth was held up by an elephant (or other large animal, for example, frog or llama) and that earthquakes happened when the animal moved. In 2016 we have moved forward and have much science and knowledge in understanding nature’s forces. Although man knows where the faults in the earth’s crust now are, he still insists on building along these faults! Science has provided much information on how to build stronger houses, but many poor places do not have the resources to do so, hence the sometimes huge death toll when disaster strikes. “Earthquake Safety Day” is celebrated in various places the world over, and in Nepal every year, but still Nature wreaks her devastation. This illumination shows the “golden” areas of research by Alex Copley (Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat in India, and The Zagros Mountains and Lut Desert in Iran); a camel is jumping for its life as the earth opens during a tremour, and the geological stratification of mountains and rocks is depicted lower left.
Approved draft sketch from which I shall build my final drawing and artwork
To view the first post on this subject, please click here
After opening this new website, my first online sale was a framed original water colour (under glass). The painting is entitled “Hmm, Nice Trill!” – two little wrens amongst foxgloves beneath a very blue, slightly clouded sky. For full details of the painting, please click here
The Painting has gone to Singapore. It was a good learning curve to find and use a local dedicated artwork carrier, who did a splendid job.
Framed original under glass which was packaged up and sent to Singapore.
I cannot believe it is almost a year since the last Pint of Science Lecture series in the pubs in Cambridge and in other towns and cities in the UK and overseas.
Today I visited the Bullard Laboratories (Cambridge University) and met up with Dr Alex Copley who is my scientist and lecturer for this year’s event.
We had a nice chat about his work to do with earthquakes, and I have come away with a few ideas for a complementary artwork to be shown on the lecture night and in the finale exhibition.
“Earthquakes” is a rather challenging subject to try and illustrate!
The event will run from 23rd to 25th May 2016
Please watch this space for further developments and information. Click here
In March 2015 I ordered a cushion with my artwork on and received a lovely big white cushion, nicely finished. In March 2016 I ordered what I thought were the same size cushions, but with a different design picture on them (costing 99p more than last year). I received them this morning. I was very disappointed on opening the package when it revealed two tiny little cushions that do not even measure the 12″ across as mentioned in the specification order – which of course I checked as soon as they arrived and realized I had mis-read the instructions. I did order 12″ cushions (by mistake), but am most perturbed that the internal padding was torn and is stuffed in the cover so hard that I am sure the seams will burst very soon. They look as though they are a size 20 trying to fit in to a size 14!
I attach a photograph of the three cushions together – guess which one is the original purchase! I shall have to remove cushions for sale on my website for the moment and find an alternative supplier. As little cushions go, I think they look a little bit reasonable, but who needs a 10″ square cushion? It does not even support the whole of your back. I did not mind making the mistake in size ordering, but I very much do mind not receiving “what it says on the box”.
Just received a lovely email from Jamie Patrick of Cowling & Wilcox Ltd today:
“You’ll be our Featured Artist through next week and your Q&A is scheduled to go live on the blog on Monday afternoon. We’ll also be posting selected pieces of your artwork on our Instagram page (@cowlingandwilcox) throughout the week as well. Have a great weekend! Kind regards, Jamie Patrick”
It is so nice to sell a painting, especially if it is soon after completion. This painting has not yet been added to my website, but it was seen privately and sold. Wonderful!
To celebrate ten years as a professional artist (2005 to 2015), I have published online my “Catalogue of Artwork, Volume I” containing my work over the last decade for everyone to share. You can download it here
The Volume comprises 96pp and shows over 140 artworks, averaging 14 paintings a year over the ten years, as well as a short script about each work, some with poems for the paintings that have been used in calendars or books I have published.
It is a large file to download at 14MB, but if you do decide to download it, I do hope you enjoy reading it, and thank you to everyone who has given me support in my arty endeavours, and to all those lovely people who have commissioned me with such a wide variety of wonderful subjects.
Volume II begins from January 2016; I have about 15 paintings and drawings on the go at the moment and hopefully will post some new work in the coming weeks.
