'A Kentish Farm'

For those of you that I met and spoke to at The Ideal Home Exhibition on March 19th on the Warner Leisure stand here is the finished painting that I was working on to highlight the Art/Painting Experiences available at Warner's various resorts. I spent just another half an hour or so putting in some finishing details at Norton Grange on Sunday Morning (27th) in the bar. This picture was inspired by the artist Norman Battershill and a recent holiday spent exploring the Kent countryside, a beautiful part of the country and really should be visited!
I used a fairly limited palette for this painting and the colours I used are listed below :-

Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Alizirin Crimson, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and Payne's Gray.

Painting A Landscape In Artisan Oils

This is a pre primed cotton duck canvas 900 x 300 on which I have drawn in HB pencil the very basic details of the scene, a wide open vista of Dartmoor with Bel Tor in the far distance, not visible yet. After establishing the basic scene on the canvas I give the canvas a wash of acrylic, I usually use an earth colour for this, yellow ochre, raw Sienna, raw umber or for a slightly warmer wash, Burnt Sienna or burnt Umber, in this instance I have used Raw Sienna. I mix the colour with enough water to make th acrylic wash transparent (you still want to be able to see your drawing) similar to a watercolour wash, this serves three purposes; firstly it seals the graphite pencil so that it doesn't mix with and contaminate any pale colours used, secondly it kills the white of the canvas which if you work outdoors with the sun behind your back will stop you getting sun blindness which I have had and  recommend it's avoidance, it is really unpleasant! Finally it makes judging colours and colour mixing easier than on a stark white ground (canvas). I am now ready to start painting the sky, I find it is so much easier to work a painting from that which is farthest away layer by layer towards the foreground, this enables each successive layer to overlap the last as you will observe as the painting progresses. Keep your eye open for the next stage!

The beauty of large open spaces like Dartmoor is the drama of the skies and although in this painting it takes up only the upper third of the composition it is none the less important, it sets the mood and can impart a sense of foreboding. The blue I used in the thin light strip on the horizon and for mixing some of the other sky colours was cerulean blue, to create the darker, brooding blue/grays I used Prussian blue and Paynes grey.The soft creamy yellow is achieved by blending White and Raw Sienna and a little warmth was introduced by mixing a little Raw Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna and White and then softly blending this into the underside of the darker rain clouds. The lower edges of the dark blue/grey clouds are feathered down into the  lower sky colours which achieves both a sense of falling rain and wind whisked edges. This sky will now set the mood for the rest of the painting. The little mole hill on the horizon to the right is Brentor which is surmounted by the 13th century Church of St. Michael.

The patchwork of fields in the distance was created by firstly laying in brush strokes of various soft grass greens and field colours placed  directionally to describe the undulations in the landscape as on the right hand side of the above image, then the distant hedges and trees were applied to create the patchwork as seen on the left hand side of the painting above. The greens for the fields were made up from mixes of cobalt blue, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow pale, paynes grey and white; little touches of alizarin crimson were added to the greens to grey them off a little which has the effect of pushing them back in the picture, helping to create aerial perspective, the illusion of depth. Rain is on it's way and so the colours are fairly subdued in the distance. I mixed some darker blue greens using the same colours as above and with the addition here and there of a little olive green I created darker earth greens for the slightly closer trees and hedgerows, this method will be continued across the painting to the right and I will finally put in the rocks and buildings of Tavistock, Peter and Mary Tavy and the more isolated farmsteads that sit in the green patch-work quilt.

Middle distant moorland has been put in at centre and left and detail is now being put  in. The Tor if memory is correct is Great Mis Tor. I was there in September and the heather was still out in places on the high moor which adds a little colour. The greens are a continuation of the palette already described; the tor is painted in mixes of Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre and White, whilst the heather is a mix of Alizarin  Crimson, Raw Umber and White. Next is to put in more detail, trees, bushes and shadows to finish the middle distance.  

The middle distance has been built up with, and highlights put on the trees and bushes using the same colours for mixing the greens. The foreground was established using various green mixes as used throughout the painting, as this is the closest area of the scene to the viewer I have worked with larger brushes and made the strokes bigger; starting at the line of the brow of the hill in the foreground I worked from top to bottom overlaying the strokes to create the layered effect that you get in nature (the grass and vegetation in the front overlaps that which is further away). the next stage was to have a cup of coffee or two or three and sit and look at the painting and decide how much and where to put in the Heather and yellow flowers which I'm not sure of their identity (in your garden they would be weeds I suspect)! Having put in more detailed vegetation and grasses I am now going to live with the painting before I decide if anything else needs further work. If you get to a point in a painting where you're not certain what to do next then DON'T DO ANYTHING! put it somewhere you can look at it and usually alterations or the need for additions usually become apparent. Try looking at your painting in a mirror, it is like looking at it through someone else's eyes, if nothing jumps out at you, sign it and announce it completed!

"What else has he done"? You might ask, well in truth, very little, I added a few more touches of rough vegetation in the foreground, sat and had a cup of tea whilst contemplating the whole, signed it and announced it complete! This was always intended to be one of a pair but I have another two in mind and so I think it is destined to be one of a series of four, incidentally the painting is 900 x 300. Look out for my next blog, the painting of the Widecombe Vale, coming to a computer near you soon!!!

Technical Pen and Water-Colour Wash

Market Cross House, Windsor 

Vernacular architecture such as this famous building in Windsor 

(now Woods The Chemist) is my favourite sort of subject matter 

for the pen and wash technique, in this case drawn with a 0.3mm 

technical pen with waterproof ink and then a few simple sepia

water-colour washes are added giving a sort of aged feel to a

building that dates back to the early 1600s. In the drawing I used 

a few simple shading methods like hatching and cross hatching.

If you are not confident enough to go straight in with the ink then 

you can start with a very light pencil drawing then put in the 

definite lines with the pen and when it is quite dry erase your

pencil lines with a kneadable/putty eraser then your ready for your 

colour washes. Haven't got sepia watercolour? Try a tea bag!

With Sepia Water-Colour Wash

Dartmoor

                                                         'Dartmoor, View Towards Hay Tor'

This is my latest landscape, it is painted using my favourite medium, Winsor and Newton's  Artisan water mixable oil paints. I love the wilds of Dartmoor, especially up on the high moor where you see large dramatic skies, the patchwork of fields echoed by the shadows of clouds. It is heaven to just stand, breath in the fresh air and let the wind blow away the cobwebs, truly a painters paradise, if you haven't been I urge you to visit and take your art equipment if you are like me, you won't want to leave!

Fine Art Tuition

Private lessons with Murray teaching on a one to one basis are available at the following rates,

One hour   - £16.00

Two hours - £28.00

Four hours - £50.00 (2 hours in the morning, 2 in the afternoon.  Please bring your own lunch).

Current special offer available for one to one tuition -

Four lots of two hour sessions for £90.00.

Current special offer for group tuition (2-3 people) -

Four lots of two hour sessions for £80.00 per person.

Murray also offers art group demonstrations all over the Island at the following prices,

One hour - £25.00 + travelling expenses

Two hours - £35.00 + travelling expenses

Please contact Murray regarding the costs for Mainland appointments.

Tutorial Subject Areas:

•            Drawing and Sketching

•            Landscape Painting

•            Seascape Painting

•            Still Life

•            Painting In Oils

•            Painting In Acrylics

•            Pastel Painting

•            Painting In Gouache

•            An Introduction To Water-colour

•            Greetings Cards

If you would like any further information regarding the above then please contact Murray using one of the methods below:

Address: Merrie-Bank, York Lane, Totland Bay, PO39 0ER

Tel no: (01983) 752059

e-mail: hello@murrayince.com

Earl Mountbatten Hospice Charity Art Auction

On a Friday afternoon I have the privilege of tutoring The Barbara Newman Art Group of Brighstone where we meet up and enjoy a two hour social painting session. Approximately once a month I do a relatively long demonstration and the rest of the time I do shorter demonstrations and help the members out with their individual projects or just chat about painting.

We have recently created a painting where the members of the group each had a section of painting (a couple of lucky ones did two pieces) to replicate using the medium of their choice. I selected the painting because, with the exception of the lower right hand corner there was something reasonably interesting to paint. Some sections were more detailed than others so we drew lots for who had which A4 sized section. The object of this exercise was to sharpen observation and more interestingly to see how individuals perceive colour and how the different mediums looked when put together as part of a whole. The painting consists of sixteen sections created using acrylics, pastels, watercolours and even oils.

The finished work will be displayed at various exhibitions on the Island, any one interested in owning this work are invited to send or give me closed bids, the highest bid procuring the work of art and the money raised will be given to The Mounbatten Hospice. The painting is 1140 x 850 unframed and is quite a conversation piece. Details of which piece is painted in what medium and by whom are below. If you are interested in owning this unique painting why not e-mail a bid to me today? All of the winning bid going to Mountbatten Hospice, ideal for exhibiting in a public place!

                         THE FLOWER SELLER AFTER LOUIS DE SCHRYVER 1897

Painted by members of The Barbara Newman Art Group

THE ARTISTS AND THEIR SECTIONS OF THE PAINTING

Picture Framing and Beautiful Photographs

My very good friend Brian Gilbert has been framing my pictures for very nearly as long as I have been painting them. His shop 'Artframes' is in Avenue Road, Freshwater, Brian is a man of many talents and takes beautiful  and breathtaking photographs of the Isle of Wight landscape and seascapes. If you have a picture or painting to be framed Brian is your man, he has the skill of knowing what mounts and frames will set a picture off to it's best advantage, so if you are unsure of what you want he will be able to guide you. Brian also has recently equipped himself to be able to produce giclee prints and prints on canvas a very useful service for us artists.

I have put a link to Brians website www.isleofwightlandscapes.com not to be confused with www.isleofwightlandscapes.net which is the site of Robert Jones the Isle of Wight Landscape painter. On Brian's site you can view his fantastic photographs and buy prints from him online or visit his shop. In short if you have pictures to frame, or need a print or wish to buy a beautiful Island photograph you should visit Brian at Artframes. I reccommend you to have a look at his site.

Artist Materials / Supplies

I buy most of my art materials mail order from Great Art, it is well worth checking them out, they have a staggering range, the service is second to none and their prices are extremely difficult to beat also look out for their monthly special offers with up to 40% off some products.
www.greatart.co.uk

Winsor and Newton's 'Artisan' water soluble oils

I am a devotee of Winsor and Newtons 'Artisan' water soluble oils, I started using them when they first appeared in Winsor and Newtons range back in 1998 and have used them ever since. My wife is asthmatic and the strong odour and fumes from both white spirit and distilled spirit of turpentine would cause her breathing difficulties. The innovative creation of an oil paint with all of the qualities of traditional oil paint but without the need for fumy thinners gave me a new lease of artistic life. Water can be used to thin the paint and I use a little soap and water to clean the brushes at the end of my painting session. Winsor and Newton produce a range of mediums and varnishes for use with 'Artisan' oils, full details of which can be viewed at www.winsornewton.com
If you are an artist who has avoided painting in oils because of the strong smell of thinners I urge you to have a go with 'Artisan', all of the oil paintings in my galleries are painted with this fantastic medium. Thank You to the geniuses at Winsor and Newton.                                            

Learning To Draw or Paint

It's easy for me to sit here at my computer and say that any body can learn to draw and paint but I assure you they can! It is true that some people progress a little faster than others but the main requirements for creating art are non physical abilities such as observation which can be practiced, patience, if you don't already posess it can be gradually acquired and desire which if you want to have a go you already have. Technique is the other element which anybody can learn. My job is to show you how to achieve results that you will not have believed possible in such a short space of time and encourage you to go home and paint! The danger is that drawing and painting is addictive and you won't want to stop, the time flies by and you forget little things like going to bed. If you are interested in lessons then all the details are on my website :- www.murrayince.com

I will regularly upload photographs of artwork of mine and my students but please bear with me for now as Blogging is very new to me. I would be delighted to answer questions about painting or my work.