Friday 13 June 2014

Art Class Weeks 12 & 13


'Sophie' is finished and I am now trying to find a mount for the picture so I can send it to NZ.  I would like to get it framed, but it just adds to much to the weight and cost of postage to the parcel unfortunately.  


I will take a final photo once mounted...and hopefully capture the true colours.  On a whole I am really pleased with this painting and really hope my Mum and Dad like it.  I am not overly happy with the back end, but some of that will be covered with the mount anyway.  I want to get it posted early next week as I want it to arrive in time for Mum's birthday.



This week I spent most of my time staring at a blank canvas...the class tutor wanted me to paint a scene with a Chinese Pagoda in it, but I find those straight lines and buildings really difficult and my heart wasn't in it.  Try as I might I just wasn't happy with anything I came up with.  

In the end so I didn't go home with a blank canvas I decided to paint a bird.



This was done in about the last half hour I think.

It is painted from a photo I took of a shag on a rock in Whangarei.  Interestingly, having just put this photo on here, I can see things that I need to add to the painting.  I had printed it out on paper, but some of the detail was missed.




So thirteen weeks into my very first ever art classes having not painted or drawn since I was at primary school - I didn't take Art at secondary school as it was an 'optional' subject and I chose to take Woodwork and Music instead - I can say I am rather enjoying the experience.  On a whole it is something I can do that doesn't hurt too much...sometimes it is a bit problematic when I am having a flare up, but as the class is quite relaxed, I can get up, move around, stand or sit and paint and sometimes I swap hands I am painting with to give my right hand and arm a rest.



6 comments:

  1. Sophie looks wonderful ... I'm sure your parents will love her.
    Your bird pic looks great too ... specially for just 30 minutes work ... the detail in its perch is fantastic.
    I'm glad you're enjoying your art ... there's something soothing about it don't you think.
    xx

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    1. I hope so! Yes there is something soothing about it, I am really enjoying it.

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  2. Sophie does look like a truly incredible likeness, and I think you nailed it on the back end too actually. I love to paint, but am really very basic, hardly anything comes out. I just like to do it because music is such an ephemeral art form for the performer, so any of the visual arts I find very healing and rejuvenative, and it always helps bring something back to the playing as well. Thank you for this inspiring post - your parents are going to Love that portrait :)

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    1. Thanks so much for your wonderful and inspiring comment. With the music looking less and less likely an option for me any more (giving it until the end of the year as my teacher really is excellent and we are working hard on position, posture etc...) then it is good to have art to turn to and whilst it doesn't 'give' me like music does, I do derive a lot of pleasure from it...if only I can not be too fussy with what I do!

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