Month: March 2023

Pastel is one of the most permanent art mediums in existence. Many pastels painted hundreds of years ago are still as bright and fresh as the day they were created. The artist’s pigments in pastels are the same as those used in fine oil paints. The only difference is that with pastel the pigments are not mixed with a liquid binder which may degrade over time. The pure, bright hues will not change or yellow. I predominantly use locally made Unison Pastels to create my artwork.

My art work is inspired by local landscape, the changing seasons and the time of day. I use pastels to capture the ways in which colour and light transform the everyday view into something beautiful. I am fascinated with the way in which colours sit together, pushing forward and pulling back, altering atmosphere, understanding and the way in which we view the world. 

I offer an original hand painted work of fine art, painted on location and in my studio using the best archival materials for its creation and your enjoyment.

Pastel

Pastel is a beautiful medium with vibrant colours that can last more than a lifetime, but it is particularly important to handle and frame pastel paintings with extra care. Before you open your new unframed pastel art work, please read the guidelines below to make sure you keep it in its original condition.

Your pastel painting may shed a few particles of pigment when new. This is normal and will not damage the image. The surface will become more solid with time and shedding will stop. Please do not attempt to rub or brush away fallen particles, as you may mar the surface of your painting. Keep your unframed painting flat, face up, in its original archival package until you take it to your framer. This keeps the piece safe from dust, hairs, and smudges until it can be properly protected with a frame. If you wish to remove painting please cut the archival cellophane away from the sides and pull away from the painting surface. do not drag or touch surface.

Handle around the edges only. Pastel is a delicate medium and while fixative may have been used at some point in the creation of the piece, it is still very capable of smudging when touched. This means that colour and details can be lost and paintings can be ruined if not handled properly. Your pastel painting has edges that do not have pastel on them. This is easy to tell if there is paper of a different colour as there will be a border or pencil mark where the edge of the piece falls. Please always handle your piece by the edges and avoid touching the pastel itself.

Framing

Ensure your framer is very comfortable framing pastel paintings and request that they do not spray additional fixative on the artwork.

All frames must use real glass, not acrylic or plexiglass as pastel particles can come off of the paper if there is any type of static, therefore it is very important to use real glass in front of a pastel painting.

Your pastel painting needs to be framed away from the glass. When speaking with your framer, make sure they will frame with either a mat/mount or with a spacer/double mount so the pastel painting and paper will not be directly against the glass. An experienced framer should be able to provide you with a variety of options to keep your new pastel artwork in good condition over the years. If you are moving or traveling with your artwork, keep it framed and store it face up for the drive. 

Having spent a glorious week in Paris I thought I would share a few snaps of the amazing Charvin Art shop window.

You can find this tiny shop at 490 AV De L Arlesienne, 83210, Sollies-Pont, Paris

It is well worth a visit and full of all mediums, brushes and sketchbooks alongside an amazing history and warm staff. As we travelled light, with only hand luggage, sadly I could only bring home a few tubes of their Acrylic paint. I already have the images in my mind and I can’t wait to paint with them.

As the Art Fair season has begun I am looking at different ways in which I can make my art work more accessible and have been working with Digitalab to create photographic prints in addition to the Giclee Prints I currently offer. These will be available as matted prints, without matt and framed upon request. Prints are available of my pastel paintings and my acrylic/ mixed media paintings. Some are also available as cards.

The popular card range has been increased this year to include new work and some well loved work that remains in demand.

I hope that you can make it to one of this year’s events, if not please take a look at my website. If you would like to discuss any of the art work or would like a commission piece please get in touch. I am happy to help you in any way I can.

As we enter Spring art fairs and events are on the horizon. I feel privileged to be part of the fantastic art fairs in the North East. I have met so many talented and lovely people who stand together to show what we do and also keep many crafts alive and thriving in the North East.

Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth, is a beautiful location for any art fair. I have the pleasure of attending two Spring art fairs there and another later in the year. The first fair is hosted by Lesley McNish of The Tin Shed. The second event is the following weekend and is hosted by Hindmarsh Hall itself with proceeds going towards the hall upkeep and the many community events provided there.

In April you will find me at Whalton Village hall for the start of a series of art fairs all hosted by The Tin Shed.

Card sets

Starting the new painting year is always exciting and a little daunting. Its not until I get back into the studio that I can relax and begin to play with the materials that have been waiting for my return.

At the end of the year with the holidays and festivities almost upon us its so easy to simply drop everything from the final art fair into the studio to deal with later however later gets pushed and pushed until its time to clamber over everything and find a space to begin sorting, clearing out and putting away the very things I will need to start the art year again.

One sorted and tidy I can hit the easel with ideas and play with images that have been sitting in my sketchbook waiting for inspiration to hit and get me into the studio. 

I started the year with a few small pieces which then translated into larger pieces such as ‘Northumberland Coast’ which can be viewed at Woodhorn Museum, Ashington until 8th May. This is the first painting of many for 2023. I look forward to sharing these with you.