Another fanny on the horizon

I had a really long chat with my good American friend from across the seas last night. Well, nowhere near the sea as far as he is concerned, and nor me either come to think of it! And although there were many miles between us (and a lot of ocean!) he could have just been in the next room to hear his voice.  We talked of various things, and people in our lives, and have many similarities and similar interests in common, which is probably one of the reasons we get on so well. But, the first thing he wanted to mention, with some intenseness of urgency, was the last painting I did, of the Royal Crescent at Bath and the various people depicted within the oil painting. He reads my blog, and follows my art with avid interest, and was aware of the latest painting I was working on, but until I showed it here, he hadn't got a clue as to what it was reeeally going to look like (any more than anyone else had, other than my description of it here, which didn't fully describe it other than the bare bones of it). So, when he saw it for the first time here, he was taken aback by the colours, the feel of it, and the detail, and the work that had gone into the painting. I think I sometimes forget that because I'm working on it, and describing it in words to people, that really they don't fully comprehend what it will look like, until they actually view it. I know when I have a painting to do, whether it's for a commission, or for an exhibition, I have a definite and intense thought of how to start, how I want to lay out the composition, what colours I shall use, the tones, and siting of the lights and darks, and where the focal point will be, but after that I work on it as I go along. MMm..... no, that's not exactly right, as that sounds like I haven't got a clue as to what I'm doing or how. And I have.

Let me explain it a little better......

I spend a lot of time thinking about my artwork, nine tenths of painting it is the thinking aspect of it, no matter how many actual hours I put into painting it, it has far more thinking put into it. And that thinking will start with the practical ways to start it, but I don't have a finished picture in my head (unless its exactly a copy of a photograph depicting a place, or person in which case it will look like the image I'm working from!). But after that, once I' ve started, I will be thinking whilst I'm painting, I will be thinking when I have a tea break, when I'm having my lunch, or a walk, when I am watching TV at night later on, even if I'm out with friends in the quiet moments between conversations, when I am in bed falling asleep, and when I wake the next day, and so on, and so on, until the painting is finished. In in all that thinking, I will be assimilating ideas, working on colours, on the design, on the textures, and thinking of previous paintings I've done, and the experience of all of those, and using all that artistic talent and my huge experience to paint this painting, and add the artistic bits that make the picture more interesting and dramatic. So, its no wonder people don't have a clue as to what my painting will look like, since its all in my head, until it gets transferred from there, down on paper or canvas.

Towards the end of our conversation, he asked me what my next painting would be. And I smiled, and said that I wasn't fully sure. But, that wasn't actually true, because I know what I shall paint next, it's the one after that I'm not fully sure of!

Because, the one that is next, is one that I have been wanting to do for some months. One that I have been waiting impatiently to do. One that I shall LOOOVVVVVE to do. As its one of my favourite subjects.

And the subject matter?

Oh, I think you can guess......

It's another Queynte.        
To add to the collection of  "Fantasy Fannies". And I think you might have  clue as to what that will look like! But not the colours I shall use. Not the shapes within it. Not the end result....

Pastel skies and sunny atmospheres

One of the thing I love about the art workshops I go on, is meeting old friends. So, I was delighted to bump into two of them on Saturday who've I've not seen for some months, and catch up with their seperate news (yes, the cats still fine, her mother is better now thanks, her husbands got a new job, the daughter is getting divorced, and the painting is going well - is a generall summing up of the two of them!).

The workshop was well attended and the tutor very on the ball so we were kept busy and well informed all day which I much prefer as the day is more structured than if we're just left to get on with it. The lesson was about atmospheric skies in pastel. I don't do pastel much. I CAN do it, and I DO tend to enjoy it when I get into it, but I find that my results can be sometimes surprisingly fabulous, and sometimes strangely disappointing. But, I found on Saturday that that was because of the pastel paper I've been using, and the method of applying the pastel. I've not been using enough, I've found out now - and should put more on the paper and really rub it in to get more of the soft cloud effects that create a powerful stormy sky. Also, the use of a "colour shaper" would be incredibly beneficial I now know. I've seen these strange looking tools before and never been quite sure what to do with them - they have a long handle like a oil painting brush but with a small wedge shaped piece of rubber at the end, which is brilliant for rubbing in pastels and moving the colour about on the paper. Of course, it helps if you know about all the different kinds of paper too, as some are smooth, some have a "tooth" to them, some are like vicious sandpaper, and some like soft velvet, and all of them will affect the pastel  in different ways - either to make the effect more artistically rough or beautifully smooth. We all had the opportunity to sample and buy small squares of the different types of paper and have a "play" (artistic term!) with each to see which we most prefered. I wasn't so keen on the sandpaper stuff, and not at all surprised to find that the tutor didn't have ANY fingerprints on the fingers she used to rub in the pastel!

I was quite pleased with the picture I did on the day - a pink and purple sunset with the sun lighting up some of the clouds. I want to do more work on it though, before its finished, so I won't show it to you here, as its not done yet! I want to bring out the drama of the clouds and the colours a bit more first. And maybe add a tree in silhouette to add some focus to us, unless the clouds are interesting enough on their own....MMm..... I'm not sure yet.........

And on Sunday, I had a different kind of arty day - at the Guild of Erotic Artists event day. It was my first visit there this year as last time it was snowing heavily which curtailed my being able to get there, and the time before that I had a stinking cold so was better nursing it at home. This time all was well with snot and weather, and great to catch up with my friends there again! Lots to talk about, and discuss, and I was delighted that a guy I met from San Francisco at one of the event days last year whilst he was working over in England, had decided to return again. He'd emailed me a few times since we met last year, and I knew he was going to the event day as he'd let me know how keen he was to be drawn by me. He loves my innovative art and we discussed the likelihood of him having time to pose for me whilst he's in England. I'm hoping that I can get some good drawings done of him, if he's able to come and sit for me.

I was also delighted to catch up with two couples there whose company I really enjoy, and also thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them about life, art and people!

Later in the day, I was most amused to hear a couple of the guys say they were far more interested with what was happening outside Beaumont Hall studios than what was happening INSIDE them. You have to bear in mind at this point that inside, there was an attractive brunette girl in a basque draped in provocative poses, with good atmospheric lighting on her, and a number of guys photographing her. Outside, was a radio controlled plane being flown over the open fields. This was FAR more interesting. Apparently. :)

And to add to my amusement........later on....after the model had been photographed in provocative poses on some pretty sheer fabric, the female owner of the fabric remarked "If that's been around her fanny, I hope she's going to wash it after!!" - which made me burst out laughing and reply "You don't get THIS problem at the local flower show, do you!!!!!"    LMAO