New Class - a Spring in the step

Starting a new class is both energizing, challenging and a little draining... but I love it. Too bad next Monday is a holiday to interrupt the flow of lessons. Still all the members of the Burnside Painters can, I feel confident, handle such a minor disruption with aplomb.
This batch of watercolours are mostly under A4 and some are or will be part of the current course.

(For more details visit facebook)

Brrrr it's cold outside

Winter in Adelaide.....
It may be cold outside but when you look at what the conditions could be like (Northern Hemisphere winters for instance) we really can't complain.
I'm one quarter of a joint exhibition "New Beginnings" opening this Friday evening at Pepper St Art Centre on Magill Rd. May I extend a warm invitation for everyone to attend. I will have oils, watercolours and sculptures on show. (The watercolours below are either for competition, exhibition or class work demos. These paintings are new and will not be among those on display.)

Before the resurrection, Christchurch February 2011 - Watercolour on Fabriano 300gsm
Approx 35cm x 45cm

 Cat Study - Watercolour on Fabriano 300gsm approx 30cm x 30cm

Pygmy Possum - watercolour on Arches 300 rough
Approx 15cm x 20cm

Lois - portrait sketch - watercolour on Arches 300
approx 15cm x 22cm

Regrette rien

I started painting when I was 53. I taught myself when materials were more expensive and scarcer and internet access to shopping and reference photos were almost non existent.
Many people who come to my classes or who see my work comment on how they used to draw or paint when young but haven't kept up with it, much to their regret. The time to start painting is always NOW. Have no regrets.

Sue - watercolour on 300gsm  about A4

Sue's duck - watercolour on Arches 300gsm rough about 15cm x 8 cm

Flinders Ranges red gum - oil on canvas sheet about A4

The BIG EVENT 19th May 2018

The BIG EVENT this Saturday 19th May won't be in London....
It will be right here in Adelaide when the Four Amigos, Mike Barr, Alan Ramachandran, Bill Truslove and I will be performing something never before attempted without a safety net.
At the Campbelltown Rotary Art Show from 12.30pm on we will be painting simultaneously, in our chosen medium, from the same mystery reference subject. Each work will be the same size and all four works will be offered for sale matted and backed ready for framing. The sale price is $200 each and, sorry, we can only accept cash.
We will all be equipped with microphones and will take questions as we go. This novel, not to be missed event is always popular.

Oil Sketch 20cm x 25cm on canvas on board

Tonal watercolour sketch - 20cm x 25cm on unknown paper

Big Red - watercolour on 200gsm sketch book paper - 15cm x 15cm

 "Nation Building - before O H & S" Watercolour on Arches 300 rough - 56cm 76cm

Watercolours .... nothing else is quite as versatile and exciting....

Here is a small sample of my recent works. 

On Thursday morning a fellow artist presented me with a feather so... well you can see the result. ( In retrospect I guess I should have painted a bird with it.) All these works are less than A4 in size, some in my sketch book, some on the backs of failed pieces and some on brown packing paper.
My Burnside class still has a few vacancies, but you'll need to hurry. The beginners/introduction workshop at Adelaide Art Society is almost booked out and the two day workshop for the Northern York Peninsula Art Group is filling rapidly.                Busy, busy, busy and loving it.

All watercolours and all approximately A4 size. 

D'YAWANNAJOINME....

D'YAWANNAJOINME....

These are a sample of the type of watercolour work we do at my classes and workshops. Drawn from previous years they are indicative of my work and my subject choices.

Join me in my Tuesday morning classes at Pepper St from 20 March to 17 April.

More classes and workshops details on the right.

Recent excitement....

All in reverse chronological sequence

Friday night:

WINNER   - St Peters Cathedral Art Prize  - Social Comment Section

"After the fire has gone out" - oil on canvas  60cm x 90cm

I was delighted to have my canvas receive the category prize at the St Peters Cathedral Art Prize 2017.  My sincere thanks to Rosie and the team for their concerted efforts.

Thursday Afternoon: 

Word from the Walkerville Rotary Art Exhibition that my bronze sculpture "Dignity" (see previous post below) has been sold.  (the new owner has let me know who he is and I am happy to report that it will go to a caring home)

Tuesday afternoon: 

I was thrilled to get advice that my elephant sculpture "Dignity" was awarded a Commendation at the Walkerville Rotary Art Exhibition. (I was just reminded that it had also won 1st prize in the indoor sculpture category at the 2017 Clare Rotary Art Exhibition - always a hotly contested category.)

Tuesday:

The last session in my current Pepper St watercolour classes.  The images below were from the final session.     I hope that members were not too distressed by the challenges I set them during the last five weeks - I know from their work that everyone improved markedly - I just hope they also enjoyed the sessions as much as I did.

Recent works from classes and demos.....

This is a sequence of images of my painting of St. Teresa of Calcutta (her saint day was just recently celebrated).  Painted on brown packing paper about A4 size.

Professor Einstein from the class demo. We are painting Famous People and animals not so famous (not so frequently painted)

.... and Albert Einstein again - a more detailed study ... once more on brown packing paper.

.... and finally a Lurcher painted in my studio and a Camel demo from yesterday's class.

If you're not having fun - then why paint?

A wrap up of a wonderful week or so....

started on Friday with a three day workshop with the internationally acclaimed watercolourist Keiko Tanabe. A great intro to landscape watercolour and a program that both challenged and inspired us. Thanks to SAWS and Adelaide Art Society and of course Keiko. ( I couldn't resist doing a quick sketch as she was demonstrating the final landscape.)

Monday it was session three of six with the Burnside Painters where I'm currently taking members through the joys of painting animals in watercolour with the occasional diversion into the use of mobile technology to help in creating art.

Tuesday it was delivery time for the portrait I completed as part of the RSASA Portrait Prize demonstrations. I hope my oil painting will be well received at the opening on Sunday.



 (I also entered an animal sculpture for consideration in the Solar Art Prize at the RSASA organised by Pip Fletcher)...

 then it was off to Pepper St Art Centre to submit my entries for the SAWS Members' Exhibition "A Wash of Colour" opening this Friday at 6.30pm and continuing until end of September.
I'll be doing a live demonstration there this Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. Please come along if you have the time. If you are interested in doing a short 6 week course with me at Pepper St starting on 17th September you'd better hurry - only a couple of places are left. (see Pepper St website for details).

Three days this week.....

The week started with the SAWS AGM and the twenty minute demo below....

Followed by a sprint to the Port Adelaide Community Centre opening of the latest exhibition, "Fusion"....  where my painting of the boy in the hat was awarded a merit... as was my elephant statue.   WOW

Then while sitting in at the Gallery on Wednesday morning I painted a couple of extra works. The one below was my favourite.

So this morning at the Elizabeth Art Society ANEAS I painted the small oil below in preparation for a larger piece.

SALA festival in Adelaide is always a busy time but I didn't realise just how busy until this year.

The week that was... and coming stuff

So what's new?....

So what's new?....

Well Mike Barr organised an article for all four Amigos ( Mike Barr, Bill Truslove, Alan Louis and I) to appear in the August 2017 edition of Australian Artist magazine and its out.... thanks Mike.(Bruce Weir took the photos .. thanks Bruce.) I am once again chuffed.

Last week's output included these watercolours...all on brown packing paper.

BTW my September/October class at Pepper St is filling quickly...

email me grit@iprimus.com.au

if you want more details.  Numbers strictly limited.

and more stuff...

The sculpture of Brian Cox (see earlier post) has been fired and mounted on a rustic wooden base. I decided to leave it in its terra cotta state without trying to colourize it or simulate a patina. The natural state has more honest integrity and shows up all the texturing well. It will be on show during the Royal South Australian Society of Arts Portrait Prize Exhibition for which it has been selected as a finalist. 
I'll be part of a portrait painting demonstration there on Tuesday 
8 August from 11am to 1pm - bookings are essential, contact RSASA.