Button Oak Art Cub Workshop

We went back to Button Oak art club today to do the Birch Tree workshop..it was our third time there to teach and it was lovely to see some familiar faces again! My camera has managed to lose over 600 photos today somehow-so I have only got a few of the class...don't know what has happened to it--2nd time that's happened :-(( Anyway above you can see the birch trees taking shape ....the splattering is great fun--once you get the hang of which brush stays still and which one moves...

Gail is the organiser of the club and what a grand job she does too....we had a lovely lunch of carrot and coriander or mushroom soup with nan bread and some lovely cakes for after all sorted by Gail.Tea and coffee were supplied regularly as well....here you can see Gail finishing her painting..

Mary adding the finishing touches to her painting...

Gwyn is nearly done here too-she extended the branches out a bit further across the birches and it made a huge difference to the finished painting.

Beryl's painting was quite subtle compared to some of the other ones--but that is the beauty of this painting--it works no matter how you decide to do it..

Mel is pointing out something to Olga as she dries both their paintings with the hairdryer! We had lots of laughs with them today--was great fun...

Sue adding some branches to her trees....

We had some lovely results today..even though a few of the students found it very tiring to do..it is a very physical painting to do with lots of getting up and down to do watch me and do splattering on the birch trees...we are looking forward to going back in 2012 to do another painting--but I think we will stick to the oils then--its much easier for the students to handle I think..I forget that the majority of the students are not as able bodied as they were! Anyway judging by the comments in my book-everyone enjoyed the workshop today--I bet they  all sleep soundly tonight after I tired them out! See you in 2012 Button Oak !

Summer Day Workshop Oct 8th

We had a full house today for the Summer Day workshop--14 ladies so Bill was out-numbered good and proper! 13 of the ladies  were first timers and Margarita has been a few times before! They travelled from far and wide with Karen travelling over 2  1/2 hours away from Mansfield..Everyone was a little nervous--and as I told them all it would not be natural if they weren't...most students were pretty convinced they would never be able to create anything that looked remotely like the subject and it was lovely to watch their reactions as they watched the paintings develop..lots of laughs about the 'bashing ' brushes, 'tickling 'brushes and not forgetting the 'bush' brush!!

Karen adding some colour to the sea..

very relaxed!!!

Lynne using her bush brush to create the foreground..

Bea lives just across the road from the venue..and she loved it..she is quite disabled but we got her a seat/easel  next to me so she could watch me demonstrating without having to move from her seat..

poppies are going in here--what a lovely calm painting

Margarita made a lovely job of her picture...she has used acrylics and oils now in the different workshops and seems to get on well with both mediums!

We met Melanie at the steam fair not long ago--she wanted to do her painting in a soft teal colour to match a newly decorated room...she really surprised herself with her results...a beautiful soft gentle seascape

well done everyone..

it never fails to amaze me just how different the paintings turn out--everyone finds their own style..

all very different, all calm and relaxed paintings.

lovely work ladies..

I'm looking forward to seeing you all again ladies!

Poppy Painting

Ive done several of these acrylic and wax paintings over the past few years and all have sold except Poppy Quartet 6 (above) ---the huge 4 canvas art work -each 16in x 20in and a large 36in x 36in one. The Poppy Quartet has been hanging in our front room for a little while now--while Ive been deciding what else to do to it..its never looked quite finished! Anyway after  a lovely morning out at the local boot sale on Sunday I came home and suddenly got the urge to take some photos of it...couldn't put my finger on why--even Bill asked why I was taking pics of it!  Then yesterday I had a phone call from a lady who explained that her son Martyn had bought a version of Poppy Quartet from me over 3 years ago.--I remembered Martyn and had thought about him only the previous day when taking the photos--Martyn had contacted me from Iraq-he is in the forces and he commissioned the art as a remembrance for his fellow soldiers who had died out there.Anyway Martyn no longer had the art-he has parted from his girlfriend and she kept the painting. So his mum wanted to replace it for him as he really loved it and what it represented..so she had spent the day tracking me down---and all she could remember was my name was Diane....she must have been sending out some really strong vibes when she was looking cos I picked them up! Its to be a present for his 30th birthday--wish I was able to see his face when he opens it!

the first change I made after discussing it with Penny was to make the black centre bigger so I could increase the size of the melted wax centre as well.So I used several glazes of black paint  to do so....

you can see the texture quite good in this photo..

once the paint was dry I was able to get on and do the melted wax part...back breaking stuff as it involves leaning over the canvas and dripping the wax onto it...cant be done at the easel!

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I made the stamens longer with 2 shades of silver melted wax and added load more texture using the drips of wax...

I'm really pleased with the end result...and Ive emailed each step to Martyn's Mum as Ive done it and she loves it as well...

Its worked out really well--I also did some alterations to the 36in x 36in one while I had the wax out..they will both be varnished tomorrow and again on Thursday to protect the wax and the paint....

What A Lovely Day!

I met Fiona for the first time last Saturday when we called by the market to see our friends Mick and Debbie....Fiona, hubby and their friends were chatting with them and we all ended up going to the pub!
As Ive been off the booze for over 4 months one pint was all I needed to get merry! I'm a cheap date now!
We all ended up having a hell of a laugh about one thing and another...and we found out that Fiona and hubby had been living/ working in the area for 17 months while over here from New Zealand....and they are off back there shortly!
Anyway Fiona rang me yesterday and asked if I could do a one to one today as they are off tomorrow--and I was happy to do so.
As the painting was going back as hand luggage we decided that an acrylic one would be the best option and opted for the birches. It didn't take long to see the results happening very quickly..

small trees going in here..

then the bigger trees...Fiona was amazed at how quickly the painting took shape..

we had to go into the garage to do the splattering--its amazing just how far the little specks of paint travel----

I had 2 phone calls while we were painting from people wanting to book classes--as I was explaining to one lady about the bashing brushes and tickling brushes Fiona was chuckling away..of course she hadn't used those today as we were using acrylics...so after finding out that she was OK for time I told her she would be able to have a go with those brushes and some oils  as well!
In no time at all she had bashed and tickled a lovely sky and sea..and she loved the way that the paints moved around so differently to the acrylics.
Fiona went away with some varnsh to protect her birches with tonight and one of my fact sheets on oil painting so she can carry on when shes back home in New Zealand.We will be staying in touch via Facebook and emails as well.

one very proud artist.. she really enjoyed her day with me...and said it was shame she hadn't known about me before as she could have done loads of paintings in the 17 months she has been here !
She will end up getting an addiction like Rod who rang today to ask to be  booked in later this month for the Grasses  workshop--he has been to the last two workshops and went back to Clacton on Sea to work out when he can fit in another painting session with me! Unfortunatly the Yesterday worshop is full  and he has gone onto the reserve list alongside Jenny who was also in class last Saturday.
All in all a lovely day!

Birch Tree Workshop

It was lovely to see Rod back-he came last week to paint Emerald Woods and loved it so much he came back to paint Birches before going back hone to Clacton on Sea-he chose to use the browns and silver combination on a 12in x 24in chunky canvas.Birches works well whatever colours and size canvas we use...and allows the students to personalise the painting and make it theirs!

Howard and Hilary were back again,they really enjoyed the workshop-though I think I tired them all out in it---there is a lot of up and down to the table to do the splattering each stage!

Carole has been before,,and we met up again at one of the shows--cant for the life of me remember which one now--anyway-it was lovely to see her again and she made a lovely job of her painting..

Nancy has been once before and has yet another gift voucher to use up after this one---gift vouchers make a great pressie-especially if families know they have been to me and enjoyed it..

it always amazes me just how engrossed the students get when painting--its rare that they seem to notice me with my camera snapping away...

Jenny was very nervous to say the least when she came in with Trevor who was doing his 3rd painting.She works alongside him, and was convinced she wouldn't be able to paint anything that looked like a picture....

Trevor....he has always been a confident artist and very early on made decisions without being prompted by me..

Rosemary was another first timer...and came along with her daughter Rachel who had been once before and used oils in Stormy Poppies...she was also convinced she wouldn't be able to do it and thought she had overdone the first stage when using the sponges...as she found out--you cant really do that bit wrong!

Jenny received her artist brooch today for achieving her 6th painting.The painting is for her sons Christmas pressie..and she made a lovely job of it....

this is the fun bit--splattering the tree sand background..lots of paint flying everywhere..and me shouting "that's it hard and fast" to the amusement of everyone,,,,but you have to really do it hard and fast for the paint to come off the brushes properly!So we had lots of laughs and chuckles from everyone when we were doing this bit!

Rachel made a great job of her picture--good mix of light and dark in her background

Howard doing his splattering

all hard at it..totally unaware of me and my camera!

Trevor's painting almost finished...

Jane's painting -nearly there..

Hilary's painting--lovely job..not much more to do to it now..

don't they look great?

brilliant!!

well done everyone !