Travelling

Tonight I start my trip to Ethiopia. I am part of a group helping Ethiopian project managers to help the very poorest communities to overcome poverty through self sufficency and on their own terms. Our programme is based on the principles of self-organised learning and systems thinking. We don't aim to tell people "what to do" but rather to introduce them to a methodology by which they can be more successful at what "they" want to do. I'll be back in UK on 5th September so there will be no posting (and no painting - or at least no "on canvas" painting till then - I often continue to paint "in my head" when I don't have chance to paint directly.)
Be seeing you, as we used to say over here.

My black cloche pastel painting self portrait black

Pastel on Murano paper approx 17" x 12"

I didn't have brothers or sisters and grew up with "grown ups" around me. One of my favourite games was dressing up in my mum's clothes and acting out plays I created myself. Doing this pastel painting felt exactly the same - I was dressing up! As with the other hat I have never worn this one outside either. In fact, as I worked, it kept slipping down over my eyes - hilarious. Then I would grab it by the brim and push it further back, covering it with some nice pastel tints in the process.

I'm enjoying these portraits - anybody want their portrait doing?

My favourite pastel portrait of all time is Manet's pastel work of Irma Brunneror "Woman in a black hat". I saw it when I was in Paris. Didn't want to leave it but it wouldn't fit under my coat.

Myself in a felt hat painting self portrait red black grey

Pastel on Murano paper approx 15" x 12"

I have had this hat for years and never worn it outside once. I love the colour of it - a sort of warm reddy tan. I'm busy preparing for an Ethiopia trip next week and won't be able to make the life class on Thursday so thought I would squeeze in a little autoportrait.
What I am loving about the pastels is that they are so "pure" - it's difficult to get "mud". I start with an indian red one to get the basic shapes and composition and some shading, then I start picking from my box and as I use a pastel I don't put it back in the box, I keep it on one side just picking out a fresh one when I need it. So eventually I have about 10 or 12 that I am using for this particular work and I stick to those. This stops you getting too much of a mish mash of colours. It's the opposite of painting with oils or acrylics where I select the colours first and squeeze them out on the palette before I begin.

Figure study 9th August 10

Pastel on Murano paper approx 18" x 11"

This paper comes in different colours. I love the slate grey as a background for working on skin tones. It does have a bit of a "tooth" and I am beginning to wonder how pastel behaves if worked onto a very smooth surface. I must say I am liking the integrity of the colours pastels provide.

Life drawings - Ellie from Studio session 5th August 10

This painting has been sold





Last night we did some shorter poses and a final one hour pose - thats the pastel drawing I have at the top there. All these are done on 12" x 15" paper but I have used cropping to display them. The middle two are in charcoal and the bottom one in ink.

Figure study

Acrylic on hardboard 12" x 12"

Last night's model, with her upswept hair and black choker necklace, took me back to the Musee d'Orsay in Paris with all the beautiful impressionist portraits of Degas, Manet, Caillebotte, Fantin Latour and others. One room had portraits done all in pastel. They were amazing. Makes me want to try.

On Crosby beach painting beach sea liverpool crosby gormley iron men

Oil on hardboard 24" x 24"

In 1998 the British sculptor, Antony Gormley, erected 100 iron men, based on casts of his own body, on Crosby beach near Liverpool. I was lucky enough last week to visit the place as I have a cousin who lives there. It was the first time I had seen them and it was a very moving experience. The two non-sculptural figures at the front of the painting are based on real people. In the case of the man, my Uncle Bill from Canada, who was visiting us at the time and in the case of the lady, I don't know her but saw her in a Paris street some few weeks ago and took a picture of her.