"Somebody Cares"

NEW WORK

"Somebody Cares.........#Watercolour on Arches papers

This recently completed  painting was from a photo I took earlier this year in The Gambia.  We were on a day out with Sandy, who founded and runs Goal For The Gambia, visiting the school in Somita. Sandy took along some blankets that Maggie and the scouts had made for the sick and elderly in the village. She handed one of the blankets to the headteachers mother and I was lucky to capture the moment. Such simple, but much needed things give so much joy to the people of The Gambia.

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 Goal for The Gambia needs your help

June 27th

Disaster in Somita today. Huge winds and rain today has taken the roof off at both Bantangba nursery and the new school we built earlier this year. I am told at least 10 families have lost their roof too. We need to raise funds urgently to fix the two schools. I am waiting for estimates but on past experience it will be no less than £2000 each. Maybe more. Please, if you were thinking about donating anything to the charity can you do it now. Quickest way is through virgin money giving , donate now button at the top of the page. If you prefer to donate through out bank account please let me know and I will send you the details. Let’s get these schools fixed before more heavy rain comes and does even more damage. The students will also not be able to attend classes or do their end of year exams. Every pound donated will help. Thank you
In the photos below you can see Bantangba nursery on the left and Somita Arabic school on the left

July 1st

Update on the roof situation. The carpenter/roofer who we have used with great success in Kitty has been to Somita to assess the damage. Both roofs have to be completely replaced including the wood structure. Bantangba quote us D150000 ( £2500 roughly). And Somita Arabic school is d170000 ( £2750 ish) so we are looking for £5250. Thanks to Alison who did the Thames Walk and raised £500 for us and has agreed it can be used towards the repairs. We have also had some generous donations from supporters who saw the original post. We now have around £1000 in total, so still a way to go. Please share, donate if you and if anyone has any ideas for fundraising please let me know. We have to do these repairs urgently, both schools are our responsibility and if they are not done it will be the students who suffer. Many of them are due to sit national exams very soon. Thank you to everyone who has already donated. We will get this done but only with your help! Thanks xx

July 10th

Work has started on the two roofs despite heavy rain at times. We are still a long way short of the money we need to complete this work , we have raised £1125.74 so far, thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We still need another £4K and at the moment I am using money for other projects which of course means we need to replace that to continue with promised work. I just can’t leave the schools with no roofs! If you can spare a pound or two it will help! Never think your donation is too small to make a difference. Virgin money giving link to donate at the top of the page or if you prefer bank transfer send me a message and I will give you the details. Thank you very much x

July 24th 

Work has gone ahead , despite not having the money we need to do the work yet! We are borrowing money from our other projects while we continue to seek donations. We really had no choice but to go ahead. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! 

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If you would like to either, donate to the urgent work needed, sponsor a child/student or find out more about what the charity does. 

Please visit their website

GOAL for The Gambia

You can also help by shopping online through easyfundraising and Amazon Smile

and it won't cost you a penny. 

Find out more

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are now registered for Amazon Smile. If you are purchasing anything through Amazon please click on our link. You then click on us by searching for Giving Opportunities to Achieve and Learn ( our registered name) and remember to shop on smile amazon each time. Your choice of charity only needs to be done once. It costs you nothing but could be amazing for us! Thank you x

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1125489-0

Elected a full member of the SWA

Thrilled, excited and honoured to announce that I have been elected as a full member of the Society of Women Artists.

The Society will also be hanging 4 of my paintings at this years exhibition. I would like to thank all the ladies who work tirelessly at the SWA and a huge thank you to all my family and friends, without who's continued comments, support and inspiration I wouldn’t have made it this far. 

From left to right: Emmeline,  Behind the eyes,  Somita girl

Bottom:  Punda milia

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Society of Women Artists 157th Exhibition

Mall Galleries:  The Mall . London . SW1

Exhibition Open: Tuesday 25 September at 4.00 to Sunday 30 September 10am to 5pm daily, closing at 3pm on Sunday 30 September

Portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst

"Emmeline".....Really inspired to paint this lady as I feel us women owe her so much. This will be one of my entries into the  Society of Women Artists exhibition this Saturday, keeping fingers crossed.  #watercolour Arches papers #Vote100 #Suffragettes #Emmeline#Pankhurst

Pre-selected for the RI. . . .

Pre-selected for the RI. . . . 

Thrilled to get this painting "Behind the eyes" pre-selected for the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 206th Exhibition . Feel so honoured to even get it this far, fingers crossed for the next stage

With special thanks to the photographer for the use of his photo:  Donald Teel on Unsplash

I'm using Green . . .

Most people know my phobia of greens lol, but every so often you feel like you need to push into something new, so I just had to go for it and i'm quite pleased with this one. Haven't come up with a title yet, something I really struggle with, so at the moment it's "Untitled"

The greens are mixed from some new paints I got while in the US. These were the American Joe paints, mixtures of Skips green and Sky Blue...





Some progress pics along the way.  Sorry about the quality but these were taken with my new iPad and haven't got used to editing with it yet.

First wash of blue and pink mixes.
Cerulean
Permanent Rose
Colbalt Blue

Nest adding in some flesh tones.
Aureloin and Permanent Rose
A touch of Burnt Sienna

Still too cold so strengthened up the flesh tones, even a touch of Cadmium Red used in very dilute washes, really warms  it up.

















Next the greens, The green in the face is showing a little stronger than it actually is.
















A big thank you to Gunnar Salvarsson for allowing me to use his photo. 

  

"Believe" in Artist & Illustrator Magazine

How thrilled was I to see my watercolour portrait painting "Believe" in this months issue of Artists And Illustrators Magazine as part of the Portfolio Plus selection.. 


This painting was original started at my New York workshop back in late August and the final finishing touches put in back in my studio. The original is currently on exhibition and for sale at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt, Norfolk.

© Stephie Butler
With special thanks to Steve Evans for the use of his photo as ref. 

Eyes of Bue" voted runner up . . .

Thrilled to find out my painting "Eyes of Blue" was runner up in the Redbridge Arts Association Summer Exhibition 2014. This was done by public voting so thank you to all those who took the time to vote not only on mine but everyone's work. Thank you

"Eyes of Blue" is currently on Exhibition for sale at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt. 

Ken Bromley Cover Competition . . . Time to vote

TIME TO VOTE . . . You said it was your favourite painting so I entered it into the Ken Bromley cover competition. Well I'm thrilled to say I made the shortlist..
You can vote here for your three favourite paintings. 
http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/covercomp/

Please vote and share

This was painted from a photograph I took of my beautiful granddaughter Zahrah. She has gorgeous bundles of curls so I could play with all the twists and turns I saw in it. You don't always need to paint every strand but just enough to show the viewer what you are seeing. 

Some photos I took along the way....



The drawing ready and masking put into the eye. I don't always do this but as I wanted to spend time experimenting on other things I didn't want to loose concentration there resulting on no highlight. You can of course go back it with Acrylic, Goauche and many other products, but then we couldn't call it watercolour, could we? ..... it is also never the same effect as leaving the white of the paper. 

This is generally how I start most paintings and a style I have developed over the years, where by I paint with water. I don't was large areas as some artists do but instead draw with my brush as if it were a pencil, with clean water only.

 Time to add some paint with light washes at first.

Have added some colour to the eyes. I generally have to get most of the eyes done first, If they don't work then the portrait has no soul.

A close up of the eyes at this stage, still more to do but gives me enough to know that it's worth carrying on with.

Now time to add some more colour to the hair, but painting this section slowly and building it in different tone and colour. 

Here I called it done. I loved trying out different colours in the hair, using colour as tone in the depths of the curls. 




Please take time to vote in the competition, there are many amazing artists there to choose from, each with their own style.

Exhibiting at the Picturecraft Art Gallery in Norfolk . . . .

After a lovely visit to Holt in Norfolk today I'm happy to tell you I will be Exhibiting at the Picturecraft Gallery later this year.

Email	info@picturecraftgallery.com
Website	http://www.picturecraftgallery.com

The joy of teaching . . .

There seems to have been so much going on lately to keep me from remembering to update my blog, so it may take me a while to catch up with it all.

My demo painting "Eyes of Blue"

Among other thing I have been teaching, which is something i'm trying to do more of . One of the many friends I've met online over the years is very talented lady, Pat Elliott. Not only is Pat an Author, an Artist, but an amazing healer as well. I had known Pat for quite some time and recently started having Reflexology treatment from her, this I can highly recommend, hands that heal don't come close to describing what Pat has done for me. If you live in the south of the UK, look her up, you won't be disappointed.

Back to the teaching day. Pat wanted a days tuition on how to paint portraits in Watercolour, so off I went and spent the most wonderful day with her. The sun was shining and as it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year, we painted all day in her summerhouse.

I started the demo using a ref photo from the Wetcanvas photo library. Painting a little at a time showing Pat various techniques that I use, along with encouraging her to include part of herself in her painting. This is a little difficult to do at first when learning to paint in a different style, but does come when you learn to relax, play and take chances.

I was amazed how quickly Pat picked things up and her eagerness to learn was inspiring to me . What she achieved at the end of the day was outstanding, especially when taking into account, the ref she used was a very small snap shot.

This is Pat's painting as it stood at the end of the day. Isn't it amazing. So much more than a portrait painting, the emotions captured here are uplifting.

Pat's painting from the tuition day. @Pat Elliot  

 It was wonderful to read that Pat had kept up the hard work soon after I left and carried on playing and practicing the techniques, combining her already vast knowledge. This was a painting she produced on her own, developing the composition herself as she was already a much practiced artist. It was great to see her post a comparison to a much earlier painting, something we should all do with our own work every so often.

It gives me such a thrill to know i've helped in any way. When seeing a student paint with eagerness and enjoyment, it gives me added inspiration in my own work.

Archie ©Pat Elliot - 

Pat's previous painting @Pat Elliot 

The most important thing I can advise anyone learning is to play. Not everything will turn out as wanted, just take the bits you liked and carry them on to the next painting. It is the only way to move forward.

Selected for Mayfair Art Exhibition

I'm absolutely thrilled to have had three paintings selected Essex Art Club and to be showing in Mayfair again. I have been busy doing various things of late, but this is one exhibition I do my utmost to enter. The Essex Art Club is one of the two Art Societies I belong too, a wonderful inspiring and friendly organisation

Above are the three paintings that were selected. These will be for sale along with some unframed original paintings in the browser. In a while I'll be off to help hang the Exhibition, another experience I'm very much looking forward too. Do try and get along to see the exhibition during next week if you are in London, it's a lovely gallery with a varied collection of contemporary and fine art. See previous post for details.

 A very special thanks to both  Steve Evans and Rita Willaert  for the use of their wonderful photographs as ref for the portraits.  Please take some time and enjoy browsing through their work. 

Little Africa...

                This is one I started towards the end of 2012 only just getting the first wash down, then not picking it up again until 2013. The object of painting then was not only of course portrait practice, but more so to get the brushes wet again after the Christmas holidays. 

I'm not sure if it always works, leaving it so long. Sometimes the moment has gone from the painting, the inspiring thoughts you first had when wanting to get it onto the paper. I find I'm usually better to start it again with renewed freshness.

Pure Watercolour
140lb Arches NOT Paper
Mostly W/N paints
Ref photo courtesy of WetCanvas

Santa Ho, ho ho... Voted Best painting

Voted Best painting by members.....

I've just got back from the AGM and Christmas bash of one of the Art Societies I belong too, and am so thrilled that Ho, ho, ho... was voted Best Painting by the members.

I hadn't got quite caught up to sharing this painting on my blog yet, I was saving it until I had got the cards and everything ready so I didn't bore you with too many posts about it. Anyway, I painted this Santa with special thanks and much gratitude to the photographer Julia Freeman-Woolpertfor allowing the use of her photo. I did plump the face up a bit and round the nose off as I wanted it to look like a real old fashioned Santa.

I have just had this printed onto cards and will hopefully have them up on here and my website tomorrow for sale. All profits will be going to a special children's fund, but that deserves a post of it's own so i'll tell you more about that in the next post when the cards are packaged and ready to go... 


Thank you so much to all my friends at the Ilford Art Society and all my friends that continually support me, it's been a great year :) ........

Best in Show.......

"Best in Show"

I was both shocked and elated recently when I was asked to go to attend a presentation and meeting, as one of my paintings, "Make a Wish", had won Best in Show at the Redbridge Arts Association summer exhibition. 

Make a Wish

 This is a first for me at an exhibition so it still hasn't sunk in and i'm so very proud.. To cap it all off I was also awarded with this beautiful fine wooden box of 120 Derwent Colour Pencils, kindly donated by the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company, thank you so so much to Derwent for your generosity. 

Redbridge Arts Association consists of six groups: 

Ilford Art Society
The photographers 
U3A Art group at St. Theresa’s 
U3A Fullwell Cross Art Group
Redbridge Marquetry Group
The Redbridge Art Group. 

Each year with the hard work, planning and dedication, and of one particular lady, Nora, and the generosity of Redbridge Council kindly allowing us the use of the wonderful listed building, we are able to put on a Summer Exhibition in the old Dovecote in Valentines park, Redbridge. As we didn't have so much space this year in the Dovecote, the art was displayed over three months in total, with each two groups showing their work for one month. As a member of the Ilford Art Society, I was part of the exhibition showing in July. Visitors to the exhibition each got the chance to vote for their favourite  painting if they wished to do so. Apparently because of length of time and the numbers who voted it has taken this long to sort out the winner. My thanks again to Nora for all her hard work, it's very much appreciated. 

This is a wonderful building and location to hold an exhibition and I hope to be part of it again and for some years to come. I will post the dates later in 2013 for the next one and hope you may be able to join us there. 

Special thanks to Steve Evans for the use of his photo as ref to the painting.

Princess Zahrah ....

I can't believe it is so long since I last updated my blog, and just when I promised myself I would post more often. I have a number of things on my easels, and they tend to stay there until I am happy that I want to do no more to them. This portrait of my granddaughter is one of them, and as I started this some time ago you may have already seen this on my facebook pages. I'll still post it here as I know not everyone goes to Fb and i'm often asked to share how I paint portraits. The trouble is I get so engrossed in painting them I forget to stop and take photos of the different stages, so there are not too many photos of this one.

This is Princess Zahrah and came about as I was sorting and filing photos. I have so many of  my little princess, but just had to stop and have a go at this one... Not quite so orange looking in real life, or maybe it's just my monitor. 

This was the stage after the initial washes were done.

For some reason I find it a bit more difficult to get a likeness with the grandchildren. I wonder when we are painting someone so close to us we know them too well. It's not so much a problem with drawing them out, but when it comes to painting and choosing colours that's where I tend to lose it a little.  

I have decided as much as I can, to start using more of my own references. I'm so grateful to generous photographers for sharing photos, but I recently found I couldn't enter into a competition as the ref used wasn't my own.

Before I start I usually block out the background in photoshop so i'm not distracted by it, then I print it. I'm finding as I'm getting more experienced with drawing portraits I don't worry about the need of the ref to be the same size and can draw it in a different size if needed. I can never emphasize enough how important drawing practice is, I know how valuable I have found it to be and when I actually started to listen to others telling me so and doing it, I'm amazed how much i've improved.
 

Here is where it still sits. Some opinions are, that it is done, i'm not to sure on that yet. I know I still have to darken a few touches here and there, like the inner mouth area. Although it doesn't show to well in this photo, some of the areas in the hair are a touch darker and probably not quite so orangy. I do need to add some more wispy bits to the hair as well. It also need warming and more variation in the skin tones. I often see skin painted with the same colour but in different tints, you need to use colour as tone as well and that is what this is lacking at the moment.  It's also on hold at the moment as with Christmas almost here I have lots of other things on the list to finish. 

Hidden Tears ...SOLD

SOLD at PV of Essex in Mayfair...

Monday I spent a most wonderful evening at the opening preview of the Essex in Mayfair Exhibition. I really enjoy these occasions as it's a chance to chat with lots of other fellow artists, catch up on what they've been doing and how they are getting on. There is such a wide variety of artists working in various mediums and subjects, means the work is so interestingly different, always making for great topics of discussions. 

The exhibition was opened by Tom Coates, as our president Ken Howard is away. Tom is a wonderful artist and a very entertaining gentleman all round. He chose a wonderful landscape painting of London which was awarded the Ken Howard prize, and the rest of the evening we tested the wine of course and admired the art work on display. 

I was thrilled towards the end of the evening to have sold one of my paintings. The highlight for me being to actually meet the buyer. I'm always intrigued to know where the paintings are going, what appeals to them about it, why they want to buy it. On this occasions I chatted with the lovely young lady for quite some time which was thoroughly enjoyable. We talked about the collection I was working on "Children of the World", what grabbed me to paint these children in the first place,  the emotions I was trying to get across to the viewer and why, which she totally understand having the same love for Africa. It was really so wonderful to talk with her.

 "Hidden Tears" part of the Children of the World collection

 The Exhibition is still open until Sunday

54 The Gallery

Shepherd's Market

London

W1J 7QX

Mayfair Exhibition...

3 paintings selected for Essex in Mayfair....

    Each year the Essex Art Club put on a summer exhibition and the last few years, along with this one, it has taken place in a beautiful little gallery amongst the bustling streets of restaurants and cafe's in Mayfair, London. Members are invited to submit up to three paintings for selection process and I was thrilled to have had all three selected again this year, along with 5 unframed mounted originals. 

Ken Howard is the president and usually honours us with opening the Exhibition. This year unfortunately he can't be with us, but we are fortunate to have the very talented Tom Coates stand in for him. It's full of a mix of wonderful artist work where most is for sale.

 54 The Gallery

Shepherd's Market

London

W1J 7QX 

It really is a lovely place filled with so much atmosphere. Do try to visit if you are in the area. It is open from 11am - 7pm apart from the last day when it closes at 4pm. nearest tube Green Park Station

In Silence Shortlisted......

.... for Ken Bromleys Cover Competition 2012.

Am absolutely thrilled to have made the shortlist of Ken Bromleys Cover Competition 2012.

This painting seems to be bringing me lots of luck.

Please take time to visit Ken Bromley's page to view the wonderful display of art where you can vote for your 3 favourite  paintings. 

  *** Voting closes on Monday 13th August at 3pm ***    

Prints, canvas & cards of

"In Silence"

 now available from both

 

 

Watercolour Paper ... Fabriano test.

    As most artists I'm sure would agree with me, there is nothing more inspiring than to buy new art supplies. Usually it's a case of wanting to try everything out there that is available, often just for the thrill of it, but more importantly to find which suits us best, although I doubt this option is top of the lists :D .

    Trying out different papers is a must when we start out in painting, and especially so when using watercolour. Most of us opt for the cheapest in the beginning, before we soon learn from the abundance of valuable advice out there, to use a good quality artist Grade, and of course the advice was right.

    Using good quality paper makes such a lot of difference to the way you paint, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The pigments react on the paper entirely different, just go get yourself a few samples and try it out, the most effective way of learning is to do it and see the results for yourself.

Still to be worked on some more, but painted enough  of it so far to offer an opinion.

We all discover our favourites over time, mine?, well I fell in love with Arches, and I know it's also a favourite with many artists. Although I will admit, early on I didn't try too many other brands, once I'd found Arches I pretty much stuck with it.

Of late I've started to try a few different brands as well as other surfaces, as i've usually stayed with NOT surface up until now. I've had comments of surprise from friends about never having tried Hot Press, which is very smooth. The reason being my love of painting portraits, and am told by many that apparently for this subject, nothing beats this paper. Well I did try it recently, with thanks to my friend Ruth, and although I can see it's strong points and will probably use it again as i'm experimenting with other media, for now I still prefer a bit of texture, especially so with pure watercolour.

The main reason I tried Fabriano Artistico was mostly down to the price. Arches like most things nowadays has shot up in price, so when Great Art had an offer on and were selling Fabriano Artistico at half price, it was too good an opportunity to miss. I knew this paper was a good quality and a favourite with many friends. 

My Opinion..

     Well to keep it short and sweet, if I didn't know any better, I would almost not have known I was using another paper. The colour is a little whiter as most artist know Arches has a distinct yellow tinge, which I actually like. I also hear often artists saying they don't like the smell of Arches when it's wet, but to be honest I've never really noticed. The other important issue to lots of artists is of course the price. Even at full price Fabriano is cheaper.I need to use it a few more time before I could honestly say I would change completely.

Try it out...

     Having said all this of course, it really does come down to personal taste, as it is with many other tools of the trade. My advice is, as long as you are using a decent quality, go with what suits you best, but, you do really need to try both, different brands as well as different surfaces, most suppliers offer a sample pack, some even for free...

Next in line.. is to try are some free samples I sent for some time ago, from a lovely sounding company in Spain called Garza Papel. These papers are hand made and I must say, feel beautiful to touch, so will look forward to painting on them. I will let you know what I think. They do offer a small free sample pack of both white and ivory if you want to try too, it would be lovely to hear your views, you post them as comments here and I could use them in a follow up post later. . www.garzapapel.com                            

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