Printmaking at Porthmeor Printmakers workshop

Last Thursday found me at a workshop held by Michele Wright and Marie Keeling at the Porthmeor Printmakers premises in Back Road West, St Ives.  There was an opportunity to produce a drypoint print before moving on to create collagraph prints - the first example of which can be seen below.

With collagraph, all sorts of materials can be stuck onto board to create texture and imagery.  My board has some sort of fibre thread, bracken fronds, anaglypta and at the top, pieces of an absorbent paper that's often used to wrap flowers, all glued down with PVA adhesive.  The entire surface of the board is then sealed with Shellac and when dry is put through the printing press.  (Now I've slipped up here having not photographed the prints before painting on them at home - my favourite part!)

The first was very inky - there's even a splodge at the bottom.  The bracken has been painted over with watercolour and gouache with pink gouache over the light area around the thread.  Hologram structure gel has been painted over the dark area at the top.

The next probably wasn't inky enough!  Some contrasting 'mud' colour was rolled over the top of the plate before printing and the bracken has been painted with watercolour.  Pink watercolour and hologram structure gel have been mixed together and painted over the lower part of the print.

This last printed rather flat, probably because I didn't put enough ink on and was lax about wiping it off.  A fine brush was used to paint gouache on the fern fronds and around the thread.  Washes of gouache have been laid  across the lower part of the picture.

A simple drypoint print

In the next collagraph sandpaper has been used to create texture, it's also very absorbent, so was good for the rocks and headland.  Anaglypta has been used for the waves and lines were scored into the board to denote ripples.  Black ink was used to make the first print, which has been painted over with gouache and acrylic paints.


SOLD

Blue ink was used for the second print which again was painted over with gouache and acrylic.

Click to enlarge.  Once mounted, the above prints will probably be placed in the browsers at St Ives Society of Artists, Old Mariners Church, St Ives.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

Porthmeor - Seaweed and Surf

See below 'Porthmeor - Seaweed and Surf' which has been submitted to St Ives Society of Artists annual Spring Open. 

Painted in acrylic and oil, approximate canvas dimensions are 51 x 61 cm.

Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

Night sky and abstracts

When uploading images of two recently completed abstracts (below)  I also came across these pictures of the night sky showing the alignment of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter.  They're not the greatest pics and don't come close to the nightly spectacle we were lucky enough to witness during those many clear nights towards the end of last month, but here goes anyway.........

This first shot shows all three setting low down in the Western sky - the lights of a solitary house visible at the bottom of the photo.

In this cropped view the light of the Moon is so bright that it glows through the area in shadow.

Click here to see some terrific shots on The Mail Online.

'Spring Deconstructed 2012' mixed media on deep-edge canvas, 61 x 51 cm.

There were elements of this painting that I was really pleased with but as a whole somehow didn't work!  Only when the original arrangement was 'deconstructed' using thick swathes of impasto did the composition come together.

'Landscape & Weather' acrylic and oil on canvas, unframed, 46 x 61 cm.

This painting is much simpler and I'm pleased with the dark contrasts.  It looks good currently displayed alongside 'Spring' at Art Space Gallery.  SOLD

Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

Bath Society Open Exhibition

My goodness, time flies and the Bath Society of Artists 107th Annual Open Exhibition is already underway.  Click here  to visit the website and for information re opening times and location.  Admission is free and the show continues until 19 May 2012.

I'm delighted to have had two paintings accepted this year:

'Jug of Anemones', oil on canvas

and 'Waves Piling Up', oil on board.  SOLD

Again fingers are crossed that they'll sell.  Visit if you're able, as there are hundreds of diverse artworks displayed, with something for every taste.

Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.  Happy Easter. x

A week to the day....

So tardy, nothing's going to change there - yes it's true - a week has passed since Carolyn, Andrea and I got together.  Plus, unlike the others, I didn't think to bring a camera, so have used a publicity photo of the restaurant we visited and harbour photos from my archive to give an idea of our day.  They're not really necessary though because Carolyn has recorded everything already in this wonderful post.  There was plenty of glorious sunshine - and also a very stiff Easterly breeze blowing.

Andrea, click here to visit her blog (users of Google Chrome will be able to translate the German to English) travelled from Switzerland the day before, making a long awaited return journey to St Ives and the three of us enjoyed lunch at Ocean Grill before going down onto the sand and heading for West Pier.

The tide was very low, so conditions were ideal for a spot of beachcombing, with Carolyn leading the way to one of her 'hunting grounds'.  

  

These beach photos were taken in August, but the colours are very similar to those on that March day........

Lots of treasures were found and we spent a happy couple of hours 'pottering' before calling it a day.  Andrea was fortunate to enjoy sunny weather during her entire stay.   Carolyn and I ordered it, of course!

 Keep checking Andrea's blog because she has taken many, many photos.  

This recently completed painting is entitled 'Man's Head Rain Cloud' SOLD - Man's Head is the distinctive rock formation on the Western side of Porthmeor Beach and is rendered in oil on board.  I'm currently working on two abstract paintings and some additional seascapes on board.

Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.