I recently visited the exhibition being held at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow of works by a group of artists who became known as The Glasgow Boys. They included George Henry, Edward Arthur Walton, Arthur Melville, Sir John Lavery, Sir James Guthrie and Edward Aitkinson Hornel. It is remarkable to see so many of their paintings on display together and in order to appreciate the many excellent paintings requires several visits. There are over 140 works in the exhibition and is the first time the Glasgow Boys have been shown together in over 40 years. There are so many great paintings it is difficult to choose any in particular. However the painting by George Henry and Edward Aitkinson Hornel of The Druids bringing in the Mistletoe is one of my favourites which you can see at;

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Visitors/MuseumsGalleries/AddToBasket.htm?Image=216

I also very much enjoyed the watercolours of Arthur Melville. His use of strong colour belies the mistaken belief by some people that watercolour is a wishy washy medium, incapable of achieving great depth and strength of colour. I was particularly drawn to the strong blues and oranges he used in his work. There is a video being shown at the exhibition, part of which gives an interesting insight into how Arthur Melville achieved his wonderful colours.

Another great exhibition being held this summer in Kirkcudbright Town Hall is of work by many talented women who attended The Glasgow School of Art around the same time as the Glasgow Boys. This group has now become known as the Glasgow Girls. Frances and Margaret MacDonald, the Gilmour sisters, Ann Macbeth, Jessie M. King, Jessie Wylie Newberry, Norah Neilston Gray, Bessie MacNicol, Stansmore Dean, Eleanor Allen Moore, Chris J Fergusson and Annie French were part of this group. Many of the pieces in the exhibition have never been seen in public before and range from small beautifully detailed works in pen, ink and watercolour to large scale oil paintings. There are also lovely pieces of jewellery, embroidery, enamelling and silver boxes.

Aileen

]]> http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/glasgow-boys-glasgow-girls-exhibitions/feed/ http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/the-west-end-festival-glasgow/ http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/the-west-end-festival-glasgow/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:45:31 +0000 admin http://aileenwrennall.com/blog/?p=161 I regularly take part in The West End Festival exhibition and sale of paintings which is held on three weekends in June. Artists, mainly from Glasgow, Show their work at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow and it is a poular venue for local residents and visitors to purchase affordable unique pieces of art,cards or jewelry produced by the artist. The variety of styles and media mean that most tastes are catered for and one fairly commonly heard remark is that “…there is too much choice”. Even when people do not buy work, often their comments and feedback to the artist provides valuable insight into how people view the work on offer. Sometimes the comments can be quite funny or galling depending on your point of view. One very broad glaswegian was heard to say to her friend on viewing a piece of work…

“Eighty quid for that; aye and I’m the comedian!”

Aileen

We invited guests for dinner recently and during the conversation one of them said that he’d love to be able to paint, but unfortunately he wasn’t born with the special ‘gift/talent’ to be able to draw or paint in other words no artistic ability. Others around the table agreed, that they didn’t have the ‘God given gift’ either.

I don’t know how or when this urban myth started, but it has had a very long life to date. It’s amazing just how many hours the gifted and talented have spent learning and developing their God given gift, if in fact it was God given in the first place. And that’s a matter of opinion. I started out 15 years ago not being able to draw and paint but worked at it and now my paintings win prizes and sell to the general public.

I’m not suggesting that there aren’t people with a leaning towards painting, just as there are people with a leaning towards languages or maths, but I believe that it’s a true saying ‘The more I practise the better I become’. Where have I heard that one before?

If you’ve never tried or have been told you never could paint, or have the idea in your head that you cannot do it, there’s no better time than now to start and give it a go. The more you try and practise the better you’ll become, no matter where you start. Painting is not an elite subject or craft and what you produce will be something unique to you.

Whether you start learning from a book, CD, go to classes, join an art group, or simply draw objects around you, there are lots of options available, but remember, actually starting and the motivation to continue are the key to developing your hidden talents.

Aileen

I have recently from Antwerp where I was attending the 7th International Aquarel festival with my artist friend Shirley Trevena, who was invited to exhibit 5 of her paintings. The exhibition was arranged by the European Confederation of Watercolour Societies and is held bi-annually in different member countries. This year the exhibition was at the Galleries of Campo and Campo in Antwerp in Belgium

It was a real pleasure to see over 200 pure watercolour paintings on display (acryllics not allowed - only watercolour!) in many different styles and subjects from artists from many different european countries. An interesting feature of the exhibition was that nearly all the paintings were ‘big’ in size and most were probably A3 or A2 before framing and some were even larger than this.

It is good to know that watercolour painting is being supported well in Europe and that there are many active watercolour societies promoting the media and its methods. In talking to some of the organisers of the European  Confederation however, I got the impression that approaches to major British watercolour societies to get them to join the confederation had been rebuffed and that the British Societies had no interest in the Europeans. I think this is a great pity given the obvious interest in the media on the continent and these large-scale exhibitions which would give great scope and encouragement to british painters in watercolour.

Aileen

March 28th 2010

I recently had an interesting conversation with a good friend who has 30 years experience of painting and selling watercolours. We were discussing a visit I’d had to the Glasgow Affordable Art Fair 2010 (Glasgow, Scotland). Of the hundreds of paintings for sale, very few were watercolours – why? My friend and I want to know why the relatively poor representation of our preferred beautiful medium in the many galleries offering paintings for sale.

Many artists claim watercolour to be the most difficult of mediums to control and master, which may make many give up and switch to more predictable materials. It is also a common perception that watercolour paintings suffer from washed out colours which fade readily and are unstable. (It might surprise some to know that all colours and dyes fade if they are subjected to strong light or harsh environments for long periods.) Also it may be that watercolour is seen as a medium only for beginners to use or for initial sketches and ideas rather than to paint a piece of artwork in its own right. It may also be perceived as the medium of older ladies painting little sketches at their evening classes, or at the kitchen table - easy to pull out when they have a minute to spare and pack up in a corner when dinner has to be prepared.

I should point out that I’m talking specifically about ‘watercolour paint’ rather than ‘acrylic paint’ which, in my opinion, has slipped through the back door and is frequently referred to as watercolour. I know it can be applied in a similar manner, using very wet, thin washes, but because it dries to a hard immovable plastic-like finish, which has to be painted over and can’t be lifted, it can never, in my opinion, match the beautiful effects which can be achieved by a true master watercolour painter. In the hands of such a ‘master’ the transparency and vibrancy of watercolour is truly bold and stunning. Today paint manufacturers are very aware of the need to make colour as stable as possible and work tirelessly to produce such materials. Their colour ranges in the medium are vast.

So, for all you true watercolour painters, stick at it and learn all you can about handling this challenging medium. You never know, there might be an amazing revival where your special unique skills and creativity are acknowledged.

Aileen

]]> http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/what-value-the-special-skills-of-watercolour/feed/ http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/february-blog/ http://www.aileenwrennall.com/blog/february-blog/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:37:46 +0000 admin http://aileenwrennall.com/blog/?p=127

I’ve missed a few months of the Blog due to having been busy preparing paintings for various exhibitions and fairs.

Currently I have two paintings in the Glasgow Society of Women Artists’s (GSWA) ‘Exhibition of Small Works of Art’ being held at the RGI/Kelly Gallery, 118 Douglas Street, Glasgow, 1st - 13th March 2010. One of the paintings is called Dordogne Hillside and you can see it below.

The GSWA has been in existence since 1882 and was originally formed by the first eight female students of The Glasgow School of Art. It now has a membership of around 140 elected artists. www.gswa.org.uk

I’ve also been teaching watercolour painting to new students. In the first lesson we’ve looked at how to use a variety of techniques and materials, starting with a large piece of cartridge paper and making all sorts of marks and designs.

The second part of the lesson involved looking at various shapes of objects and the spaces in between them and how to put shapes together to form a good composition.

Aileen

Last week, my friend Isabel invited me to stay with her for a few days in a beautiful cottage in the English Lake District. The cottage overlooked Lake Windermere and was part of an old converted school. While I was there, she asked me to show her how to paint in watercolour since she wanted to try it, but had never painted since leaving school. We started with a blue flower and then moved on to a strawberry. I will let her tell you of her experiences, in her own words.

“I think the best thing was that you chose very simple shapes and a single colour. Even using something as simple as this, I was able to learn a great deal.   I also appreciated watching you demonstrate, seeing you do it and then for me to create my own version. I found it interesting that you were aware that we see things differently and was prepared to let me paint what I saw, for example the sage green strawberry leaves.”

“You made it much less scary by stressing the fun element and the fact that it was very private; that no one needs to see it.  By saying that, the process became almost more important than the outcome and the pressure was taken off. You have always said that time passes quickly whn you are painting, but I had thought that that wouldn’t be the case with me. I thought I would struggle so much I would lose heart, get bored and want to stop soon. In fact I almost missed lunch - most unlike me!”

I am very happy to say that Isabel went off and bought  paper and books on watercolour painting and drawing so I am sure she will get as hooked on it as I am. Thanks to Isobel I had a very happy time with her at her cottage and look forward to seeing what she paints in the future, that is if I’m allowed to see it.

Aileen

My display on the first day

Over the two weekend I sold 18 original paintings and 18 prints directly from the display or from a browser  and the response from the public to my work was very gratifying. Even those who did not buy, but stopped to look, were very complementary in their comments. In addition to this, I met lots of other artists who were all very friendly and chatty and it was very enjoyable talking with them when there were few people about.

Some of the 22 artists showing their work on the railings

Given the success and enjoyment of the weekends, I hope to be able to do this event again next year.

Aileen

(http://www.painters-online.co.uk/magazines/issue.asp?issue=125)

has published an article by my husband, Mike on his experience of building a studio for me in our garden.  You can see a summary and pictures of the article in my first Blog.  It’s now been nine months since the studio was completed and I’ve been working steadily in it ever since.  During that time the temperature has fluctuated during the winter from -5C to a summer high of +26C which for the West of Scotland is unusally high.

I have an electric heater which has been perfectly adequate for the cold winter months and in the summer, with the door open or closed, it’s been comfortably cool to work in.  The two main windows are north facing and the side window and window in the door are shaded from direct sunlight by the balcony roof overhang.  I did think I would need blinds for the strong summer sunlight, but so far I haven’t found it necessary which is great, because the blinds could have greatly reduced the light.

When we first decided to build the studio we thought a good size would be 3m x 3m, however I am very pleased we chose the larger 3m x 4m size as this has enabled me to have shelving on one wall for my collection of props, books and other bits and pieces.  It’s also made it possible to paint from life without being too close to the objects.

I’ve found having my own studio and designated painting space a really liberating experience, as I can leave things set up and not worry about having to tidy everything away at the end of each day.  It’s a special place with a very relaxing atmosphere and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

Aileen

When I’ve chosen the subject for a painting and stretched my watercolour paper I then select most of the tubes of paint I think will work for both the subject and which ones will go well together.

Not all of the colours I’ll use in the painting are chosen at the start, however, and I’ll quite often wait until I’ve laid down some paint then place scraps of coloured paper against what I’ve already painted until I find a colour I like that suits what’s already there. I either find the required colour in a tube, or I’ll usually be able to mix two colours to get an accurate match.

I would rarely mix more than two colours together to make a third as I think this can result in muddy pigment and dull mixes of paint. The exception to this would be if I wanted a dark solid area in the picture.

Because I like to have a large selection of paints to choose from, I don’t have specific favourites I stick to and I like to pick and choose at random for each painting. This week I’ve been using Purple Madder, Rose Madder Genuine, Indigo, Cadmium Yellow Pale and Pthalo Green in my painting of Fritillaria.

It’s very interesting and sometimes a great shock to see the result of mixing colours I haven’t fully experimented with. When it comes to choosing paints I’m not one for staying within my comfort zone and am very happy to experiment with new colours. I don’t like always using the same colours with predictable outcomes and would far rather take a risk which makes each painting a fascinating adventure for me.

Aileen