Harlequin: workin progress

This is a 30x40inch work in progress - oil on canvas.

Slapstick Project: Harlequin

A group I belong to have been invited to take part in an exhibition linked to the Comedy Festival early next year and I've been trying to get my head around how to tackle it. The theme of the comedy festival (and our project) is slapstick.

I did some research on Harlequin and the Commedia del Arte and decided to make that the basis of the paintings. It was bawdy and crude and they went on stage with only a rough storyline planned and then ad libbed - which seemed very contemporary to me.

Harlequins costume was originally patched but later had the diamond pattern to represent the patches.

I've worked out some stuff on the computer and have started a 30x40 inch canvas.

The images here are all digital images - the one in the post above is the start the canvas.

digital images

I've been working on these digital manipulations from sketches this morning, I think the first one may become my Christmas card this year.

The second one could be done in charcoal and a little pastel colour but not much, keeping it subtle - a large scale drawing, The first and third I could do on a big canvas.

They'll change a little in the translation from computer image to paper/canvas but I think they give me a good start. A good morning :)

Beacon Hill

watercolour/mixed media

autumn plein air

I spent the afternoon painting at the top of Beacon Hill, one of the highest points locally. It was a gorgeous autumn day with sunshine, passing clouds casting shadows over the hills, woods and fields and the light changing constantly. One minute the row of trees nearby were highlighted and vivid against a dark shadowed field, the next dark silhouettes against the light and then dark against dark and hard to make out at all.

I was out of white in my Griffin Alkyd oils that I like to take out with me so took my watercolours - I should have known better, I get on so much better with oils plein air. It's so much easier to respond to those changes in light where you think WOW and want to catch. I can do 2-3 oils in the time it takes to do one watercolour!

It was nice heavy, rag paper though so it didn't object to lifting out and changing but because it was cold it took ages to dry enough to work over areas :(

I still haven't totally warmed up inside - just on the surface. I was wrapped up in layers as well and painting in woolly gloves, which I don't normally do. I thought I'd better protect my fingers though as I have arthritis and the cold makes them hurt.

I'll probably add the painting tomorrow when I have time to scan it.

Dawn

(the two previous pictures of dawn skies are photos)

13th November

brought the unsold paintings back yesterday, It was a gorgeous autumn day with fantastic dawn skies (I had to get there early) and lovely long shadows as the sun came up. The show went well and I'll show there again next year.

I stopped at another gallery on the way home and showed them my work. They are interested but they are a framers and won't show work that isn't framed by them, They say if work is unsold you only pay cost - but as my framer does me a good deal for quality work, they are still more expensive and won't be the same as the rest of my work - I haven't made up my mind yet. I may try just 3. He liked the canvasses but I felt he wanted the framing business and would probably not take them in the end because he couldn't frame them. I will NOT frame canvasses!

The sea was amazing with silver strands of light and I would have loved to stop to paint but couldn't as I had the car full of paintings and didn't want to leave it. You can't park where you can see the sea. :(

Now I have to get my head around a project on Slapstick to take part in an exhibition for the comedy festival early next year and do some more large canvasses,