Mushroom Ink : Inktober 2019

Mushroom Cat

Created with Mushroom Ink

INKTOBER 2019 

I first discovered the value of painting with mushroom ink some time ago when we first moved into our cottage. I found  mushrooms in our woodland garden that resembled judges wigs. When I read up about them I was thrilled to learn that this fungi was used by monks years ago for calligraphy and after reading up on the subject I decided I would try painting with the same ink. The above painting of a cat is created using mushroom ink from inkcap mushrooms.

I have now learnt how to prepare the ink from the mushrooms and how to avoid any fading of my finished work. I have also discovered mushroom ink really does create the most gorgeous effects just like purchased inks. They are fascinating. You can lift the ink colour, make fabulous watermarks with it and have fun experimenting to gain all manner of effects with this soft and interesting fluid mushroom ink.

Rather than appear as black on paper even though the liquid certainly looks black, a brownish shade is usually gained at places in my results/

To avoid fading I now apply two coats of mushroom ink building up my painting very gradually.  I often  allow the first layer of mushroom ink to dry and then add detail on top, so the softness of my muted background shade acts as a base for my stronger more prominent detailed brushwork which is added finally to complete my composition.

This natural ink is so much fun to experiment with and what better month to try this idea than Inktober?

There are many natural dyes to try, this is just one.My blackberry paintings always involve the juice of staining, real blackberries for example. So here is a challenge, How about finding something from nature that you can paint with?

I double dare you and perhaps you could share your favourite dyes with me.

Happy Inktober!

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Believe

 "Believe"

Unicorn 2018

 Maybe for the first time in my life I really understand what the word " Believe" means. And why it is so important to us.I'm not talking about anything other than believing in ourselves because until we do we have nothing to offer others. From childhood I was often told what I couldn't do. The focus then was always on telling me what would be impossible to achieve. Strangely this had the opposite effect on my young soul. Knowing I couldn't do anything made me fearless in attempting new things. Because as I knew I couldn't do "it" whatever it was I had nothing to lose by trying. My expectations of myself were never high. I wasn't worthy, good enough or important enough to matter. How sad. But maybe that was my grandparents' way of parenting.

Now as an adult I believe we are all worthy and capable of far more than we realise. Apart from  talented artists I also meet people constantly on my watercolour workshops from all over the world who think they "aren't good enough".  Not just at painting. They are.  It saddens me to meet so many wonderfully incredible people too on my courses who have been through so much and yet still smile and give freely to everyone around them.  So where am I heading with this blog post. The last of the year.

We are now seeing out a twelve months period and we have a choice of how to face the new year. I would love everyone to face it feeling positive. Feeling as though something really magical is about to happen. And it might just happen. If we allow it to. We could see dreams coming true. We could simply enjoy relaxing more or making or creative time even more fantastic.

We have so much power individually to make a huge difference to our own lives and the lives of others. We really have if only we knew it.

With age comes wisdom so they say. I decided long ago to avoid any form of negativity. I have surrounded myself with amazingly positive people who not only smile but share their joy for living in so many ways with everyone they know or meet.

So here's my wish list for 2019.

I am going to make this new year the best ever.

I am going to continually keep looking for the magic in life. The magic of kind people who are everywhere making miracles happen when least expected.

I am going to try to inspire everyone who loves watercolour to paint non stop and encourage them to try something new as often as possible.

I am going to discover as many new watercolour techniques by the end of the new year and have shared each discovery with as many art friends as I can including you.

I am going to enjoy every minute on this earth while I can and make each minute count.

I am going to share as many smiles as possible

BUT importantly..................

I am going to be kind to myself by resting more often and enjoying my home and garden.

Happy New Year.

Please make your own positive wish list!

 And may all your wishes and dreams come true. 

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Painting FROM the bin : Those scraps of coloured paper!

"Cherry Blossom"

Created on painted paper found in my bin. 

Do you throw away paintings that you don't like, or crop paintings you do like and end up with small pieces of paper that are covered in colour. Pieces that look deliciously tempting to paint on and seem far too good to throw away but are not good enough to frame?

I love those pieces. I learn so much from them because there is never any pressure to achieve anything because they were thrown away anyway. They are worthless in their own right so you have nothing to lose by experimenting or overworking on top of them by adding further layers or details.

I found a gorgeous square piece of paper with colour on in my bin. It was so dark that I had no option but to paint on top with white gouache to achieve some light areas.  I applied colour by following the line that was already there to apply a few blossoms. The pink background  gave my new freshly added white flowers the illusion of being pink not white. With my rigger brush I added a few centres and branches and the result are seen above.

Now here I must confess this piece will go straight back in the bin as I don't feel it is frame able. But I will now start a new composition keeping some sections of paper white using my original colours as the background option. This little "play break" led me to some great ideas for new work.

This was so much fun. All by delving into my studio bin and seeing what was there as coloured paper to play on.

So before you throw your trash out, check if you can play on top of any of the scraps of paper in your own bin.

You may just surprise yourself!

Have fun painting !

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Through a Childs Eyes

"Christmas Wonder"

Last weekend I enjoyed watching my Great Grand daughter Cali pass baubles for the Christmas tree from her Auntie to her Mum, my daughter ,to put on the huge tree in their wonderful home. The laughter and giggling was infectious. But while the adults carefully took out the new, shiny baubles from their boxes the sweetness of a child emerged as Cali gleefully picked up wrapping paper and the boxes the baubles had been in. Each piece was obviously a new exciting treasure to be explored.

Cali was so very cute. Moving as fast as her little legs would carry her. The sounds of giggles erupting each time something caught her eye was fantastic and the evening was a memory I will share forever.

Children have a wonderful innocence that in itself is a form of magic. They see the beauty in the simplest of things as every day brings new incredible adventures from touch, sense, sound and of course sight.

I loved my time with my family last weekend and of course can't wait to return.

Now all we need for Christmas is snow and via my paintbrush I can create that around little Cali too.

This is definitely not my best portrait painting. I am a little rusty in this area  and this watercolour is painted from the sketch I drew previously. And it is well known that I don't enjoy painting from previously drawn sketches. I prefer to capture the magic and movement of a subject without the restrictions of lines. My next watercolour portrait will be without a preliminary sketch and I will enjoy creating it far more.

But for now, below is Cali minus the snow. Her eyes are shining with the joy and curiosity of a child. She looks full of wonder. And she should be because she is absolutely wonderful. 

But then I may be a wee bit biased, but seriously, she is adorable in every way!

"Christmas Wonder"

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Winter Berries 2016

"Winter Berries"

I am still very much wearing a nurse "hat" at the moment. While my husband is recovering from surgery I have had little free time to paint. It is amazing how well we work as a couple but at the moment everything in our home depends on me, so painting is a luxury I look forward to as and when free time allows.

Right now part of my husbands rehabiliation is walking and I am using this time to find new inspiration which has come in the form of winter berries hidden amongst the foliage on our country rambles. But I have painted holly and ivy berries so many times before and I was reluctant to paint them in the same way.

This afternoon I tried a new idea and it worked beautifully. You might be surprised at how I prepared the paper for this new approach to working in watercolour but as I am now heading into a new year, full of new workshops and a new literary project I'm going to keep my new technique a little secret , just for now because it is fabulous and so much fun. Naughty of me to mention it I know but if art was only about one way of creating, even I would get bored of painting!

You can see the beauty of flow in this section of the above winter berry painting, with gorgeous icy effects forming.

 Ice effects from preparing the paper surface prior to painting

 After creating the above composition I couldn't resist painting another simple berry scene. While I was in the mood. When there is so much going on in life and you can't concentrate on really serious detail or complicated pieces it is always best to paint something from your heart, something simple and usingc olours that make you feel relaxed and wonderful.

I loved painting these pieces today and now I have some great ideas for new work when I am next in my studio.

 

 "Winter Berries Too"

Artist tip for today?

Simple.

Go for a walk.

Look for treasure

Bring one simple thing home and paint it in a way that is different to how you usually paint

And most importantly?

Have fun!

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What is Watercolour?

 
Darks in the hydrangea painting.

As I worked this afternoon I remembered a question I have been asked recently that led to a rather long  discussion on what is, and what isn't watercolour. There will always be a debate on this topic because the artists who only work in pure watercolour will favour the explanation regarding art that has been created by watercolour products alone. In that, if you paint only with a product that has the words "Watercolour" on it, it is indeed watercolour.

But as many exhibitions accept acrylics, collage and inks etc. as watercolour I can fully understand the confusion and why the question is continually raised. It certainly does seem that any medium that can be used with water is classed as "watercolour".

I would love to hear of an exhibition that only shows and accepts paintings that have been created with pure watercolour alone. And know that every artist in the show has worked with similar products, from the same starting point. So that you could genuinely see a watercolour collection without any addition of acrylics, inks or water based oils. It could be very interesting.

I must confess I love experimenting to bring life and light into my work. I avoid the use of  other products because that , to me, is the excitement of working in this medium. The challenge. Seeing just how dark, bright or light I can go in each new piece. This afternoon I worked with dark shades, building up layers between hydrangea flowers in this piece and I like it. It has impact already and with a few  further leaves added will be complete. 

And whats more, I can honestly I can say it is " Watercolour!"

 
Hydrangea coming to life in a new composition.

 

Feeling Blue?

 Enchanted by Delphiniums

Last week on my watercolour workshops at the  Market Street Gallery in Alton a variety of subjects were covered but the delphiniums in one particular session have not left my mind all weekend. In my imagination I could see their almost translucent petals and the mixture of  balance throughout the composition. Today I started a completely new painting and this is how the painting has evolved so far. It feels  fresh, alive and exciting. My blank piece of white paper quickly became a riot of blue hues.

A close up  shows how much I am enjoying the white centres of these  beautiful blooms.

Tomorrow is a new day and I close my studio session this evening with a feeling of yearning for the morning when I can take another large piece of white paper and  cover it with vibrant clear colour, energetic brushstrokes and a sense of beauty.

It is going to be a wonderful week!

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What If..................

Snowdrop Demonstration from yesterdays Market Street Gallery Workshop.

What if...........

What if today was the last day you ever had to see a snowdrop?

What if today was the last chance you ever had to capture this flower in a painting?

What if a million artists were painting the very same snowdrop, how would you makeYOUR painting different?

What if you were invited to submit your piece to an exclusive exhibition of paintings  purely of snowdrops? How would you make your work stand out to be selected out of  thousands of entries on the very same subject?

Now your snowdrop isn't just a snowdrop.

It is a challenge.

One you have to think about and consider carefully to make your painting unique and stand out from the crowd.

And now let's forget  we are talking about a snowdrop.

What if...........

You are painting any subject,how are YOU going to make it different, more interesting, more exciting, more full of life.

And now you are feeling the sense of being on one of my workshops. We are not simply painting. We are looking for so much more that is exciting and fulfilling to the artists soul. We are looking at ways we think, breath and feel as an artist at one with their medium and technique.

We are aiming  to create magic and draw the viewer into our world to see what we see.

A very unique world.

The world of being an artist.

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At The Touch of a Brush

"At The Souq"  ( Unfinished ).

The beginning of a collection of paintings.

When a Private Preview approaches no matter how large or small the event I usually find it very hard to settle. With so much on my mind with a cottage renovation I feel my imagination is all over the place at the moment when it comes to painting.

Last night I took a large piece of watercolour paper and covered it with a blue wash for a sky. Then I started adding violet mountains on the upper right corner. I had  a wonderful vision of Scottish highlands and thought of a friend who loves painting skies.  It had been such a busy day  and the sun had shone all morning. I had looked at the light hitting my English countryside surroundings and thought of how soft it was compared to the light I witnessed when living in Dubai or visiting Morocco. I thought of the hustle and bustle of market scenes we had witnessed from travelling all over the world.

I looked at my quiet blue violet wash . I couldn't resist my next action. I literally loaded my brush with vibrant  sunshine shades and  threw the pigment at the paper watching bursts of vibrant red and gold  push the cool colours out of the way. The effect was incredible. In front of my eyes magic happened as the peaceful Scottish lake scene immediately turned into a busy market scene. I could sense the ochre buildings half hidden by stalls with make shift ancient coverings. I imagined people sat on the ground displaying wares hoping passers by would stop to buy. I longed to be there. To take in the aroma of herbs and spices once more.

I could see ladies dressed in abayas enjoying the day and casually strolling through the narrow souq lanes. In the distance I could easily depict men in white dish dash making decisions of the day. I imagined the sounds and feeling of life where ever you looked.

All that is left of the initial scottish highlands is a small section of purple and blue which now could be  buildings behind the market scene. You may notice them if you look at the above  image. The normally black abayas are hit by strong sunlight turning them into glowing reds and golds. The scene is full of life,energy and a sense of movement.

Without even trying to add detail faces are already appearing in the distance and fugures also.

Abstract figures and "ghosts" of people not there but appearing in the distance.

Can you see the young arab boy in white on the left in the above  close up of my souq scene? Or the face of the arab gentleman on the far right looking down at his hands? He is almost disappearing off the edge of the paper.

Magic can happen when we pick up a brush. Here I turned away from a simple landscape to a market in a hot country at the simple change of direction in colour placement.

Our imagination is a wonderful gift. 

We all see so differently and where I see figures others may simply see colour or nothing at all.

In spirit I am in Dubai  but in a heartbeat I could be anywhere in the world.

All via my brush.

Wonderful isn't it!

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