At the very beginning of the month, just as
we were packing up to head back from France (see below), a selection of my
work went on display at The
Gallery on the Wolds. The exhibition continues until 5 August.
Free admission and plenty of parking.
A couple of weeks later I was down in Cornwall for a
family holiday and while there I was able to pop in to inspect
The Crantock Bay Hotel where I am planning to host a Charles Reid Watercolour
Workshop in October 2011. I was very happy with what I saw and will
be confirming the venue booking. Full details of this and a
subsequent workshop with Charles in the Cotswolds will be published later
this year on the
Paintings Holidays page of this
website.
Also this month, Stoneflower Studio has joined Facebook.
Up-to-date information on events, workshops and developments will
be posted on the wall there but with the added benefit that others also
can post their thoughts, comments, photos, reviews of workshops and so on.
To join in simply visit the
Stoneflower Studio page and click on the 'like'
icon.
June
2010
Early this month I completed a painting for
the Multiple Sclerosis Trust's Secret Art Show to be held in York later
this year. 250 anonymous works will be exhibited and sold with the
purchasers only finding out whose work they have bought after the show
closes. For obvious reasons, I can't show the painting I have done
here, but more information about the show is on the
Events page.
At the end of the month I headed off to the south of
France for a wonderful week tutoring at
Manzac d'en Bas in the Ariège region. All who attended made
great advances in their work with some real breakthroughs being made; I'm
sure the sunshine, the tranquillity and the excellent wine and food all
helped! We were looked after magnificently by Giles and Louise
Nevill and have fallen in love with this fabulously beautiful and unspoilt
area.
I will be leading another holiday at Manzac in September
2011. Details will be published on the
Paintings Holidays page later this
year but if you would like to reserve a place provisionally do get in
touch.
May 2010
May started with the annual Newton Art Group exhibition
over the Bank Holiday weekend. The standard of exhibits was
particularly high which was reflected in both visitor comments and sales,
with most exhibitors selling at least one original piece as well as prints
and cards. I am pleased that the original of Sleeping Baby III,
which had previously been licensed as a CD cover, has now gone to a
permanent home.
The month also saw the completion of this portrait
commission, a posthumous painting which was drawn from a number of photos
and discussions with the client. Such works, sadly, can be
undertaken only when good clear photos exist of the subject which is often
not the case, with only small, indistinct snapshots available.
Fortunately in this case I was provided with excellent resource material
which made this result possible.
April
2010
The autumn workshop schedule was published
this month and is already starting to fill up. Full details and online
booking can be found on the workshops page as
usual.
In response to demand, online ordering of gift vouchers
has been added to the website. As before they can be purchased in
denominations of £100, £50, £25 and £10 and can be personalised with the
recipient's name. They can now be bought with a credit or debit card
(or PayPal balance) on the Gift Voucher
page.
I'm continuing to get a lot of enjoyment from the
printmaking sessions at York College. The etching to the left, made
this month, will be exhibited at York Theatre Royal early in May (see
Events). Sadly the college
has announced that the sessions
are to be discontinued after this academic year but I will be carrying on with
printmaking and expect to be showing linocuts and woodcuts in future
exhibitions.
March
2010
This month I have been pleased to become a
member of the York Art Workers Association, 'an eclectic association of
craftsmen, artists, conservators, academics and others who share a serious
interest in the design of buildings, interiors and landscapes'.
I look forward to broadening my knowledge in the company some very
interesting people.
Also this month I was approached by
Smartbox™
who sell gift 'experiences' through high street retailers such as John
Lewis and HMV. As a result, Stoneflower Studio workshops will be
included in the range of gift days available from August 2010. As
around a third of workshop bookings are currently made as gifts for third
parties, this seems a very good fit.
Workshop places will of course continue to be available directly
through this website or by writing or phoning.
The double portrait (or triple if you
include the puppy!) to the left was a commission completed this month
while the new still life of three pears will probably make its first
public appearance at the Newton Art Group show in May (see
Events).
February
2010
The month started with a wonderful invitation
to tutor a painting
holiday in SW France at Manzac d'en Bas. The prospect of a week in
French sunshine was a welcome antidote to the February gloom of
rain, sleet and fog. The week long workshop, entitled 'Fresh
Watercolour', will run from June 25 to July 2 and will include portraits,
still life and open air painting of the marvellous surroundings. The
holiday is full board (apart from two restaurant meals) in gite style
accommodation with a swimming pool. All materials and equipment are
provided. For full
information see the Painting Holidays
page.
At the end of the month I received the excellent news
that guest tutor Mark Azopardi (see workshops)
has once again had two pieces selected for the Royal Institute of
Painters in Watercolour Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries. The
two paintings of pebbles and shells which were chosen by the hanging
committee are examples of the sort of work he will be
demonstrating at the 'Detailed Still Life' workshop in May.
Meanwhile back at the easel, the latest piece finished this month is the watercolour
still life to the left which was a private commission.
January
2010
The year seemed to start slowly with
everything being put on hold by the weather in the first couple of weeks,
but things soon started getting busy again. While kept indoors by
the snow I completed this watercolour of cherries in a china bowl on a
lace cloth.
Early in January my workshops were featured in the
February issue of Caravan magazine as the 'Try Something New'
activity of the month. It was a colourful full page article which
you can read here.
Two new exhibitions have been arranged for 2010 at the
Gallery on the Wolds. Full details are on the
Events page. The first of these
runs from 2 July to 5 August and replaces the scheduled exhibition at
Burton Agnes Hall which I have had to cancel because of a clash with
family commitments. The advantage of exhibiting at the Gallery on
the Wolds is that I don't have to be there in person every day!
I'm still enjoying my printmaking at York College and
this month have been working on linocuts like the one shown to the left.
The process is so completely different from my familiar watercolour work
in every way, I find it both challenging and stimulating.