BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Here are a few of the pieces of work from last term. I'm afraid I have only taken pics of those up on walls, so if you come to a class where we haven't got any display space then sadly I can't show your work. So here we go then

this is work from Cawston and from Marsham, not really shown here to best advantage, but I hope you can get a general feel for how work has progressed this Autumn, and a feel for the gorgeous colours in these watercolours. The portraits are in water mixable oils, and one in charcoal, I'm sure you can see which one that is.

Don't forget about the new (ish) class at Cawston 1.00-4.00 on Monday afternoons, which will be portraits from life. And maybe you know someone who would sit for us? there is a token payment of £10, but that is only money, and how can that compare with the charm and banter of class members, and copious tea and biscuits to make for an enjoyable afternoon?

ADVENTUROUS WATER COLOURS

I have been trying to emphasise some aspects of water colour. Just the fact that is doesn't have to be faded and so subtle as to be barely visible! I know that I overstate the case, but I just believe that if you can control the materials enough to produce vibrant colour when you choose, and strong and dense colour and elegant marks when you choose, then the versatility of the medium means that every aspect will enhance each other, so that delicacy and strength, and every level in between will make your work more expressive and delightful.
I have also been promoting the idea that every inch of a painting counts. Spaces can be powerful, but one of the unusual delights of the professional water colours we have been looking at this term, Shirley Trevena's in particular, is that the 'backgrounds', subtle as they are, fill the entire page. So that ghost shapes and sheets of light and colour, and implied volume and distance, or perhaps just gorgeous colour fill every single inch of the painting.

These are by Audrey B, Kathleen S and Sarah W I think, (I can't always read the signatures) from the Cawston group, and there have been many paintings that work really well, but I haven't managed to get good photos of yet.
Keep practising, and enjoy the vibrance of the paint!
And don't forget homework for next week, our last week, theme Festive Season, the challenge here being to use the idea in a non obvious way, trying to avoid cliches!

Homework

 My idea about homework is that if you have time to work on your own but don't quite know where to start then here is a focus to get you going. Of course this is absolutely your choice to do or not to do.  The next title is ' Festive Season', for the week at the end of term. Don't think you have to take an obvious route with this idea, in fact one of the challenges with this sort of title is to see how you can interpret it!  so what could you do with 'Festive Season'?

NEXT TERM

Just to let you know that next term will start on Monday 6th January, then six weeks till half term which is the same as the schools, starting on Monday17th February. So then four more weeks till the last week starting Monday17th March.

My holidays

Just to show you a few photos from my holiday in Gran Canaria

the top one is a close up of a palm tree bark, and what a fascinating pattern it makes, the second one is a view across the harbour at Porto Megan, just look at the reflections, and the bottom one just a lovely view of pretty white holiday bungalows, with that elegant palm tree providing a focus to the view.

MY FANTASY WORLD

Life has been getting in the way of what for me is my fantasy world, most people call it 'work', so that I've put nothing new up here for you for a week or two, and now I go off for ten days hols! So don't
forget to finish your 'Autumn Trees, Autumn Colours' homework, lots have and lots of you havn't quite yet!
one of the developing themes this term has been that you, as 'the artist' have choices to make, how you work, how you portray your subject matter, how you approach it, so keep thinking about that, in order to maximise your ideas during the next half term.
Which just brings me to dates, the 4th, 5th and 6th November are the dates I will see you again, for another five weeks, then it will nearly be Christmas!...... so I look forward to seeing you then.

GETTING LOOSER

Here are some of the watercolours from the Cawston group, quick application of colour, resulting in the lightness of touch and delicacy which can show watercolour off to best advantage. This is just a start, and I hope that the confidence you gain will enable you to push this medium a lot further, the next few weeks will tell!