The Shoot Stock site has been updated though I am still wrestling with how to seamlessly connect additional pages to a section. Something to look into when I have some spare time as, although not difficult, I want to avoid coding which I used to do on my sites in the past.
A number of paintings have been recently uploaded to Saatchi Art, either for sale or simply to show what I have been working on on commission or for me.
The new large acrylics are not on sale as I have no idea how to crate them up. Finding a supplier takes time and the impact of the pandemic creates issues. Once I have worked out the methodology and cost I will be able to offer large format paintings for sale.
I plan to have a regular re-fresh of the paintings available on Saatchi Art so that I retain about 100 images on view with 10% only for show (ie already sold or not for sale), that is to say that there will be about 90 paintings available for sale via this channel. The older ones, that I remove from Saatchi Art, will be shown separately on my Shoot Stock site and may go on sale via my ETSY store.
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Having, last month, made a list of subjects to paint I have been more in control of my painting time, though for several reasons I still have a battle to ensure my time is balanced between things I want to do and things that I need to do – the latter being anything apart from painting.
At least I have made progress from the month of June where I was able to paint just 6 subjects in the whole month!
In September I managed 25 paintings though, if I am honest, a few will soon be consigned to my To Be Dumped area as I do not feel they are worthy of either keeping or selling.
October was not a bad month even though I completed only 7 paintings. One of these was an ink painting in Sumi-e style while the others were all acrylic paintings which take a bit longer to complete than watercolour, hence I am relatively satisfied with the output.
There were three paintings of Ashdown Forest that I completed (and I have one still in progress). The first is at the head of this post and is a general view of the forest though it has to be stressed that Ashdown is heathland rather than woodland, though there are significant wooded areas. It is an ancient forest that was used for hunting deer in Norman times but its history goes back to probably before the Roman arrived in Britain.
In the painting above there are deciduous trees in the background, bracken and gorse in the foreground and bridle paths that criss-cross the area.
Gorse, bracken and a scots pine tree
This second painting shows one of the pine trees (Scots Pine?) next to a gorse bush. The area is great for walking in, relaxing and breathing in fresh country area. I used to take my camera and wonder around though, nervously, I did ride there with my daughters on one occasion. I prefer steering wheels and gear stick but my girls are much more comfortable in the saddle than I.
Bluebells under an ash tree
This third painting has a touch of colour provided by bluebells. The woodlands are carpeted with these protected wild flowers.
The ink painting was made on a heavy weight paper, 1,125gm/m2, which is about 4 times the weight of my usual paper. It is quite absorbent so one has to be quite definite in mark-making.
Passion vine
The subject is a passion vine, a single flower painted in watercolour on the vine while buds and leaves were painted in ink – I varied the dilution of the ink to provide a couple of tones.
Two paintings were experimental using the heavyweight paper. I prepared the paper for both of these using gesso. One was a landscape of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, with plenty of colour. I think I overdid the sky but I enjoyed doing it and it will not be leaving my house. I just need to find a frame for its size (100 cm x 80 cm).
San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
The second of the experimental paintings was of a Trogon, again 100 cm x 80 cm, that I deliberately allowed paint to drip and run.
Blue-collared Trogon
Having cut one of the large 100 x 80 sheets into four smaller sheets I used one for the final painting of the month. Meet Nasibu, a male silverback western lowland gorilla who resides at Lisbon Zoo where I saw him two years ago:
Nasibu
I have difficulty in believing that we are now in the final two months of 2021. The past two years have been difficult ones, principally owing to the Covid pandemic. I hope 2022 will be better and that I shall be able to travel to see friends and family, having just missed my mother’s 94th birthday and, in September, the wedding of one of my daughters. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime I expect to be more productive in the remaining weeks of this year.
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Skyrme Gallery 