Xmas card painting

Yes it has soon come round to that time of year! I like to do winter landscapes, but they can be very sombre. Taking on board criticism, I hope this picture is bright enough for Xmas!

Experiment, experiment, experiment!

‘Don’t stick to the same painting techniques — the time comes to take risks’

Shirley Trevena

Well, Michael has certainly taken this advice seriously. Members were amazed and enthralled with the techniques he demonstrated.

Dendritic technique

He used plexi glass rather than traditional glass for this technique. He recommended Soden Plastics in Leicester; 477 Welford Road, Knighton, Leicester LE2 6BL.

1. A paper template was placed under the plexi glass, this acted as a painting guide. 
2. Acrylic paint (buttery consistency) was painted over the plexi glass.
3. A second piece of plexi glass was gently placed over the paint (avoid sliding about).
4. Slide a knife between the two sheets and carefully lift it off.
5. Lay paper over the paint (little heavier than writing paper) with your fingers gently smooth the paper down. Do not slide or smudge the paint.

One off prints

1. Create a see through door by sticking cellophane to mount board with a larger aperture than you want for your finished print.
2. Place your paper template underneath the cellophane, this is your paint guide.
3. Use masking tape on one side of the paper you wish to print on, stick it on your board so that it can form a hinge.
4. Apply acrylic paint to the cellophane keeping within the template guidelines.
5. Tear random shapes of paper and lay over the acrylic paint.
6. Put the print paper over the paint and paper shapes, and draw onto it with the pointed end of the paint brush.
7. Lift the paper up and look at your image, you can add more to it by rearranging the paper or tearing different shapes, place the paper back and redraw.

Prints using oil blocks

1. Put the template under the plexi glass as this is a guide to where you put the oil.
2. Put masking tape on the plexi glass around the guide area, so you get a clean edge
3. Use a knife to remove the skin off the oil bar, and rub over the plexi glass within the masking tape (NB you can use many different colours).
4. Tape down on one side of the print paper, so you can form a hinge and check your work.
5. Once you have laid your paper down, you can use many different mark makers to create your image (String block, wheels on children's toys,fork).
6. Keep the print in line by opening the paper like a door, check the work and make your improvements.

Wire wool

1. Use coarse wire wool and dap it into acrylic paint (don’t pick up too much paint).
2. Dab the wire wool on the mount board.
3. Pick up another colour and repeat number 2 to build up your picture.
4. You can draw and or paint into the textures you have created.

Acrylic ink

1. Drip, drop and or draw acrylic ink onto white or black mount board.
2. Spray water around the borders of the mount board.
3. Angle spray the water across the acrylic ink, and allow the paint to flow.
4. Gum arabic can be added to the ink to make it granulate.
5. Iridescent and or crackle fluid can also be added to create different effects.
6. It works best if you let the ink settle naturally rather than moving it.
7. Allow a couple of days for the ink to dry out.

Michael makes up words to give his work titles as he doesn’t want to influence the viewer thoughts. Ambiguity is where art begins. Art relies upon a form of elusiveness, the title could leave no room for a viewers own interpretation.

Shirley Trevena’s also strongly believes in experimentation. She says anything  can be used to put paint onto paper for example, bamboo, rollers, twigs. She believes you have to take risks to almost destroy a painting to make it exciting and vibrant (the alternative is painting by numbers).

So there you have it, be like Picasso.

‘I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else’.

Ways of seeing

Rorschach a Swiss psychiatrist invented the ink blot test.

Our chairman Ken Lilley led the evening’s activity, he introduced club members to Rorschach psychological test as a means to create art. The inkblot is where your mind starts to see recognisable patterns from ambiguous forms created on paper.

Andy Warhol Rorschach 1984; invented his own inkblot to create art.

Materials: Paper (watercolour works best), acrylic inks, or water colour paint, coloured pens or pencils.

The technique

1. Fold your paper in half.
2. On one side of the paper place random ink blots.
3. Fold your paper and gently rub over the paper with the flat of your hand.
4. Open up the paper, and interpret what you see. Use your pens or pencils to change it to whatever you see.

Further reading

A detailed article, ‘The deliberate accident in art,’ by Christopher Turner, published 1/10/2011 can be found on the Tate website.

Check out our members work!

Creating a Composite Picture

The finished masterpiece

Our members brought along their paints to our September meeting to paint a composite picture based on a painting by Cesare Vecellio. The evening was led by David Coleman, who had divided a large photo of Cesare’s famous painting “Portrait of a Large Family” into postcard sized pieces.

Our task was to reproduce one of these pieces using our preferred medium on an A4 sized piece of paper or card, and to complete the work in less than two hours. This was quite a task and meant that we had to work quickly with a relatively dark source photo.

Working furiously with our paint brushes and making cheerful banter, most of us managed to complete the task (somewhat) and at the end we assembled each painting in a grid and compared it with the grand master’s original. If Cesare were alive today, I’m sure he would have howled with laughter at our meagre attempts at realism art!

Sections of the original

We were four participating artists short of completing the work, but four intrepid volunteers came forward to complete the missing parts at home in their leisure.

Hopefully our handiwork when finished, will be assembled and be on display at our forthcoming exhibition later this month.

Left: Alan Walker well into his piece

Ken Lilley gets to grips with his part

Leslie Burrows flying along

Painting together - July 2017

Another lovely evening spent with like minded friends. Here is selection of their paintings.

Open 28 Art Exhibition.

Congratulations to 2 of our MHAC members; Frank Bingley and Sally Struszkowski. Both have art work in the Leicester 28 Open Art Exhibition. Competition for a place was fierce this year so they have  both done particularly well.

The exhibition takes place in the refurbished old Library Gallery at the Leicester Adult Education College on Belvoir Street.

Opening times:

Monday - Thursday: 9am - 5pm

Friday & Saturday: 9am - 4pm

Closed Sundays.

It is open to the public now until 19 August 2017.

The art work is varied and interesting, so pop along and take a look

.

Flower painting proves popular

Welcome to old and new members. A lovely evening painting flowers, which proved to be a popular subject. Please bring your finished work to the next meeting.