April 2012 - Art Update

I manged to lose my login info and my bookmark for this blog in a fit of ineptitude recently, but I'm back again.  Not a huge amount has happened since my last update, at least not that I can post here, but the following are a couple of new pieces I finished a few hours ago.

"The Morrigan"

One of the myriad aspects of this interesting mythological character.  Google 'The Morrigan' for more information, she's not exactly Girl Next Door material.

"Austin Maestro Clubman D"

The misery that is the Austin Maestro Clubman D (non-turbo Diesel) depicted in this somewhat tongue-in-cheek picture

Chrysler Sunbeam "Mel's Folly"

Drawn from several reference pictures.

This is, believe it or not, a restoration project to take it from being a battered grass track racer to being a road legal Chrysler Sunbeam.  You can read more about it over here: http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=78084

Ford Fiesta

Recently completed automotive portrait for a new customer.  Enjoyed working on this one but as usual with blue, the scanner really hasn't done it justice.

First Gallery Appearance

Interesting news: I got a piece of my artwork in a local gallery!  The gallery isn't huge, but it is new and local and has some terrific stuff in as well as excellent coffee and home made cakes and pies.  Well worth a visit.

 

Go to http://www.beanscoffeeshopgallery.co.uk/ for all the info.

 

The piece that was accepted was an old one of mine that also appeared in the only thing I've been published in, Aether d'Animaux ( http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/aether/buy.html ) and is titled Eighties Jazz Cat.  The bulk of my framed work was considered too controversial for the conservative market, unsurprisingly.  However, I view this as an opportunity and I have already started taking photographs around the town for stuff I'm going to paint to better fit with what the gallery is about.

 

Expect to see some nice new art from me in the near future.  I've got a very clear idea for a Rememberance Sunday piece focused on the war memorial in town.

 

I feel all invigorated and enthused about my art in a way I haven't for some time.  Tomorrow I'm off to Wirksworth for the festival http://www.wirksworthfestival.co.uk/  there, but it's unlikely I'll get to the Melbourne Festival http://www.melbournefestival.co.uk/ as that's a bit too far for me to travel on the current budget.

 

Once a week, I'm hoping to drop into the coffee shop for a coffee and some sketching, it's got a great atmosphere and it's just what I've been after.  Who knows, this could be the start of something awesome, but I'm not going to count any chickens just yet.

Boso Standard Atlas

I've recently moved house, but I've only just got settled, so work has had to take a back seat until recently.  Happily, tonight I managed to do some artwork for myself, in this instance something for an informal art challenge on the Retro Rides forum.

Bosozoku themed Standard Atlas camper.

Watercolour Practice

It's been a while since I updated here.  I've not had much opportunity to do artwork of late, had a lot of other things to organise.  I did get a few minutes free and decided to relieve some boredom with a little watercolour practice.

It's a shame my scanner doesn't like blue, this looks so much better in person than it does on the screen.  Ah well, I hope to do more stuff like this.

Sketch Commissions

Lately much of the work I've been producing has been sketches.  I've been kept away from my art desk by a rebellious body that insists on being fixed at the hospital, but now that the rebellion has been quelled I can at least get back to work and updating my blog.

Here's the finished general audience stuff that's made it out of my pencil during June

1920s themed bartender

A raptor playing on a wiicube or a Xstation or some such.

A drunkard.