“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”Franklin D. Roosevelt
Life has been incredibly busy these past few weeks, so much
so that my blog writing has fallen to the wayside.
The Agapanthus commission for the de Jager Bulbcompanyhas been by far the most challenging painting that I have
ever painted. Getting it finished within the deadline meant that I have
been spending long hours at my easel!
Painting long into the evenings. Thank goodness for Daylight lamps and coffee!
I will be writing about my "Agapantha-marathon" in more
detail in my next blogpost, but there has been a flurry of good news
recently, so here’s a quick update!
Buff tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris, on kelmscott vellum
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
Where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that it’s been
over two weeks since my last blog post but recently I have been as busy as a bee
in a wildflower meadow.
My Spice Market painting at the SBA's show in Westminster
To my delight, an image of my painting was also used on the poster describing the theme of the exhibition.
I love visiting the SBA exhibition. It’s such a treat to be able to see
such beautiful and inspiring art up close, but it was also really fantastic to
meet up with all my friends, old and new. It made a great event into something
really special.
This year I was honoured to be asked to do a demonstration of
my work during the exhibition. Honoured and ever so slightly daunted, because
the other demonstrating artists are all incredibly talented, award winning
artists. Just seeing my name included on that list was a thrill. The lovely paintings hanging behind me are by Enzo Forgione
I decided to do my demonstration on vellum, because it’s the
topic that I’m asked the most about. There is a video at the bottom of this post taken by my good friend Sarah Morrish.
I was fortunate because Paul Wright, the
manager of William Cowley’s the Parchment and Vellum makers, agreed to meet me at the exhibition. Paul is a
self-confessed ‘vellum-nerd’, and he regaled myself and Sarah Morrish with
wonderful stories about vellum, it’s history and how it is made. If you are curious about how vellum is made, there is a link to a video about it here (not for the squeamish)
I liked vellum before, but now I have an even greater respect for it. It’s easy to forget that each piece of vellum comes from a living creature (calf, sheep, goat), How that creature lived it's life really effects the appearance of the vellum. For example the calf that dies after a summer out roaming in the fields will have different skin (more tanned, less hair) than one that has been overwintered in a shed (paler and with visible hair follicles).
I should point out here that animals are NOT killed to make vellum, it is a byproduct of the meat industry. You can read a statement on the ethics here
Paul from William Cowley's explains how vellum is made
Vellum most typically comes from a calf, but can also come from a goat. Parchment comes from sheep. Sheep tend to have a lot of fat, so parchment is very thin and white, which means that it is not as suitable for painting.
A selection of calfskin vellums showing the variety of colours and markings
Manuscriptvellum is very thin, almost transparent and creamy in colour. It’s more often used for calligraphy.
Natural calf vellumis my favourite vellum and the one that I use the most. Each piece is completely different and has it’s own character. It can range from a lovely honey colour to one that has a dark mottled appearance. I especially like the Veiny vellum, which has distinctive markings that give it character.
The mottled appearance of natural calf vellum (Erythrina lysistemon seedpods)
Kelmscott vellumis considered the best vellum for botanical artists. It is coated with a special chalky paste that is made from boiling up all the tiny vellum offcuts together with some secret ingredients. That paste is painted onto the vellum, allowed to dry and then sanded smooth. Then the whole process is repeated several times more until the vellum is quite thick and sturdy. This coating gives a beautifully velvety surface to paint on, which is so forgiving. You can wipe the paint off at any time, and also scratch into the surface, albeit carefully. I would definitely recommend kelmscott for vellum newbies. My only grumble is that the smooth white surface is a little bland in appearance in comparison to the natural calf vellum.
A close-up of a calmondin orange on kelmscott vellum. You can see how I scratched out details
Goatskin vellum I like goatskin vellum because it has an interesting appearance with large visible pores. However these pores can present a problem when painting because the paint has a tendency to catch in the little holes. It’s probably better in this case to avoid subjects with a smooth shiny surface and go for something with texture instead.
Close up of a Iris foetidissima seedhead on goatskin vellum. You can just about make out the large pores on the surface of the goatskin.
Preparing vellum
I use a bag of pumice powder that I bought in Cornelissen. A large bag costs £5.50 and is enough to last a lifetime!
Because I was flying into London, I didn’t fancy explaining a bag of white powder in HM Customs, so a kind friend supplied me with a small pot for the demo.
I brought my own footie though! You put some of the powder into the footsock and gently rub the surface of the vellum to remove any grease spots.
Kelmscott does not need to get the ‘powdered footsock rub’ as it is already prepared, but as with all vellum you do need to take care not to touch the surface with your fingers as you can transfer grease onto the surface which can repel the paint.
I also use the powdered rub to remove graphite or to knock back some of the painted areas if I feel that they are losing tooth. This happened when I was painting the grapes and it got to the point where I couldn’t add any more layers (the paint had started to lift). The grape second from the right has been rubbed back.
I use a soft brush (the fan brushes are ideal) to dust off the powder.
Mounting vellum
Vellum will always try to go back to the shape of the animal it once was. It is sensitive to heat and humidity, and can buckle and roll up quite alarmingly. Don’t worry though, it will settle down and lie flat once more. I found that the blue scotch tape is the only thing that can tape it down effectively. Masking tape and even brown painters tape can’t hold it down for long.
Vellum buckling within it’s mount and frame can also be a huge problem. I discussed this with Paul and he suggested that for larger pieces, more space should be left around the painting than would normally be left for with paper (think of Rory McEwen and how much space he left). Ideally with larger pieces, the vellum should be mounted onto board. It’s something that I have never tried, so I was very interested to hear that William Cowley’s also offer a vellum mounting service.
(Oh yes!! that’s next year’s Christmas present sorted then! With bevelled edges please).
Painting on vellum
The key ingredient with vellum is PATIENCE.
I try to avoid drawing on vellum as the graphite can smear, and the putty rubber can leave a mark. I prefer to transfer my drawing using tracing paper. My first washes are usually quite wet, but you need to make sure that once the wash is laid, you leave it alone until they are dry! Paint seems to go onto vellum lighter than it does on paper. The paint needs to get progressively drier with each layer. I usually dry the brush off on a piece of kitchen towel before I touch the vellum. If the brush is too wet, it will disturb the lower layers and before you know it, you are pushing globs of pigment around in circles. Sometimes it better in this circumstance to reach for the powder-filled footie and when the paint is dry, give it a gentle rub. It takes time to build up the colours. When it goes wrong it’s frustrating, but when it goes right, the results are beautiful.
Grapes on natural calfskin vellum, finished
It’s definitely worthwhile paying attention to your pigments and sorting out the transparent and semi-transparent ones from the opaque colours. I do use opaque colours, but usually in the first washes only.
I just want to say thank you to all the lovely people who came to my demo, and to the people who came up to me and told me that they read my blog (you know who you are). It was humbling and heart-warming to get such great feedback. Thank you.
Many thanks to Katherine Tyrrell and to Sarah Morrish for taking the photographs and allowing me to share them here.
“Don't ask what the
world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world
needs is more people who have come alive”
– Howard Thurman
Spring has finally arrived bringing in an excitement of warm
sunshine, blossoms and bees.
I've plenty of reasons to be smiling this week because London
is beckoning!
Yes, the Society of Botanical Artistsare holding their annual exhibition in Westminster, London, and it’s always an inspiring and exhilarating
event. The theme this year is In Pursuit of Plants and my Spice Market painting
is part of the exhibition.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the SBA, so
there are also daily tours and demonstrations being held. I am delighted to say
that I have been invited to be one of the demonstrating artists, which is a
huge honour as well as slightly daunting!
So what to paint? I always get asked a lot of questions
about painting on vellum, so it seemed the ideal choice of subject. My purple
paints were already out, so I decided to do a few quick studies of grapes this
week to work out the colours that I will need to bring with me.
It’s always a challenge to paint a fruit and retain the bloom on the surface. I have found that using a combination of cerulean and cobalt violet in my first washes really helps establish the bloom colours. I also used a recent purchase, Daniel Smith’s Verditer Blue which is a lovely light and transparent blue (think summer skies).
I did a practice grape on paper first and then selected a
small piece of natural calf vellum.
If you are thinking about trying vellum, it’s
worth contacting William Cowley who make parchment and vellum and asking them for some of their small
offcuts. There is a small fee for this, but it’s a great way of trying out all
the different types of vellum. Kelmscott is the best one for beginners as it
has a beautiful chalky surface that is so forgiving, but I prefer the subtle earthy
markings of natural calfskin. It’s a matter of personal taste.
Painting dark colours on vellum is always a challenge. To
retain the translucency you need a lot of layers of transparent colours and
oodles of patience. I decided to paint a small sprig of grapes and leave some
of them unfinished to show the underlying layers. When I do my demo I will
paint a few small grapes to show the dry brush techniques but this small studies and colour charts will also help explain how it’s done.
So if you are in London on 17th April, be sure to
come along and say hello!
I'm off to pack my paints and brushes… let the adventure
begin!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the
bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
I remember feeling very excited reading about this course. I
have always painted but never had any formal training. Inspired by a visit to
the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, I had been dreaming of taking up botanical art,
but didn’t know how to begin. As I was living in Egypt at the time, this really seemed
like the perfect solution- a botanical art course from the comfort of my own
home.
To apply for the course, you need to submit a sample of your
work. They do state that this is not a course for beginners, so I really wasn't sure if my work would be good enough to be accepted.
However nothing
ventured, nothing gained!
Encouraged by a friend, I sent off my application form, daring at my own audacity to dream so big.
A clementine (Citrus ×clementina) done before the SBA course
Clementine studies done during the course. I had started to learn about disappearing edges here.
A recent study of a calamondin fruit (× Citrofortunella microcarpa)
Fortunately my application was successful, and I
took to my studies like a duck to water. I loved doing the course. The feedback
from the tutors was informative and insightful, and very quickly I could see
improvements in my work. I cringe now when I look back at my submission
efforts, but sometimes it’s good to look back and realise how far you have
progressed.
The SBA DLDC course taught me to me methodical, observant and patient. These are preparatory studies for one of the assignments (mixed flowers)
Studies of red and yellow dates (Phoenix dactylifera)done before the course
Red dates (Phoenix dactylifera) 2013 It's quite gratifying to see the improvement!
I finished the course in 2012 with a distinction, a wealth
of botanical knowledge and best of all, a circle of friends who shared my
passion for art and the natural world.
I could have stopped there, but still I dreamed. The SBA
have been both encouraging and supportive to me, and I really wanted to become
a full member. It isn’t easy to do. Getting a distinction meant that I needed
to submit six paintings to become an associate member, and then a further five
the following year.
Starting out, this seemed like an impossible ambition, but
this week, my dreams came true.
I flew to London and was presented with my Society of Botanical Artists Certificate of Membership!
Hooray!
It was fantastic to
meet my fellow students who also became full members, Janet Pope and Sarah Wood. Both of these women are wonderful artists who have already begun to win
prizes for their work, so I felt really honoured to be standing beside them.
The new members (photograph by Angeline de Meester )
I stood for a moment looking around the room at all the
amazing artists who had come to London for the AGM- artists whose work I have long
admired, artists whose names are now as familiar to me as the colours in my paintbox,
artists whose work fills me with both inspiration and awe… they are all SBA members.
I dared to dream, and it came true.
If you are interested in studying botanical art, the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course might be the right course for you. Applications
close on September 30th 2014, so application forms and a sample of work must be
received by the Course Director by then. You can read more about the course
here-
Botanical art can be a solitary pursuit. A lot of the time,
it’s just you alone in the studio with your plant and your paints, and a gentle stream of creative thoughts going through your mind.
However, after months of hard work, it’s finally time to lay
down those brushes, dust off the party dress and have a bit of fun!
May has arrived
with a dizzying whirl of exhibitions and events, and a chance to catch up with
all my amazingly talented botanical friends!
I was thrilled to have my painting included. I had been asked to
illustrate Hedera hibernica, a plant that I had really never paid much
attention to before, but which I grew to like and admire. I blogged about my ivy studieshere. As well as the
finished painting we were asked to submit any preparatory sketches, and I was
really chuffed to find that my sketches had been given a glass box of their
own!!
What a surprise!
Detail of some of the ivy studies
It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, share in their excitement and
to see the artwork. The highlight of the evening was meeting Dr Shirley Sherwood, who signed my catalogue and talked to me about her interest in botanical
art. The exhibition runs until May 25th, with daily demonstrations by participating artists.
A few days later I found myself travelling down to the beautifulBurtown House with a couple of botanical artist friends, Elizabeth Prendergast and
Yanny Petters. Burtown House is the family home of the late Wendy Walsh,
Ireland’s best known botanical artist, and her family are keen to continue her artistic legacy by encouraging artists to visit and paint in the beautiful gardens.
A portrait of the late Wendy Walsh by her daughter Lesley Fennell
They
have a nice little gallery in the house with paintings by Wendy Walsh, her
daughter Lesley Fennell and other contemporary botanical artists. We dropped down new paintings for their summer exhibition, had a really delicious
lunch in the cafe and then settled into Wendy’s beautiful studio to sketch and
chat. Bliss!
Liz and Yanny
Quick bluebell sketches
Finally, the highlight of my botanical year… it was off to London to visit the
I was thrilled to discover that
all five of my paintings were included. The exhibition was packed to the brim,
and the atmosphere was electric with excitement. The artwork was extremely impressive
and I really liked how the exhibition had been carefully thought out in terms
of colour, style and habitat. Mine were in the tropical section.
Five on the wall!
Even the catalogue was colour co-ordinated! Here is the page with my painting of fresh dates
The most
enjoyable part of the day was meeting up with all my friends, both old and new.
It’s wonderful being in the company of like-minded people… they inspire and
encourage you, share the excitement and the dreams and above all keep you
motivated.
After the exhibition we all went out to dinner and the
conversations and merriment continued until late in the evening. Thanks to an
inspired “art swap”, I left with a bag full of new paints, pens and paper to
play with, and my mind buzzing with new ideas.
This really is a fabulous exhibition… a superb
collection of botanical art in a truly inspiring gallery that should be on any botanical artist's list of places to visit. I was delighted to see two of Yanny’s glass
paintings there, two jewels in a hall of treasures. It was hard to pick a favourite amongst such great work.
The best thing about going
to something like this with other artists is that you get to see things in a
different way. You learn new things and gain a deeper understanding and
appreciation for the disciplines involved. We spend ages poring over each
painting, discussing what we liked, what we felt worked, what we would like to
try, and came away feeling invigorated and excited about the future.
Next year's SBA exhibition- definitely something to get excited about!
It's time once more to return to the quiet of my studio.
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