work in progress, mixed media, collage, birches

Work in progress, collage and mixed media: Birches and Pool. Vivien Blackburn

Leading on from those previous studies and sketches done from trees plein air - this is the piece currently being worked out, abstracting and developing the work. This one may be going to America. It's 11x14 - I'd really like to be doing this much bigger but that's the size it has to be for this show.

Details:





The top and the sides are a sort of ambiguous border - elements overlap and weave across but it is disjointed and separate from the central part. The top section has yet to be finished but most of the rest is complete.

All the trees are separate pieces of paper/painting and the background and foreground terrain are collage (papers that I've painted myself, cut and torn).

You can read a bit more about it here

Feedback welcome - any thoughts anyone?


Comments

dinahmow said…
Very good perspective shows up well in the top photo, Vivien.
Not easy to tell, on-monitor, but there seems to be some texture to parts of the foreground?
Overall? Lovely.
8:34 pm
Jean Spitzer said…
I'm really liking it.
8:51 pm
vivien said…
wow that was fast!

only the texture of the thickness of different layers of paper and the occasional touch of acrylic - the texture is mainly suggested by the marks, rather than being physically there.

and thanks :>)
8:51 pm
annie said…
Well, my comment got erased with an Error so I'll send this out and if it works, I'll try, again
annie
10:40 pm
annie said…
The test comment seems to have taken so here goes...The birches on my monitor look beautifully textured and the pool sparkles. It must look powerful to see it in 11 x 14,
though it must frustrate you when you are yearning to express something in a format larger than a show allows.
annie
10:50 pm
Jeanette Jobson said…
I love the colours and shapes in this piece. It works very well and draws the eye over it.
11:37 am
vivien said…
Thanks Annie and Jeanette

I'm off now to post the changes
1:32 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Eye, Urban/Rural exhibition

Image
Vivien Blackburn's work in the Urban/Rural show We've just hung a group show at the The Eye Project, Urban/Rural show.  If you want to come and see it it's on for a month - well worth seeing, 11 lovely artists and some fabulous work. Those large canvasses are 40 inches square. There are rural landscapes, flowerscapes, intriguing textile work including a large knitted building, abstracts .... something for everyone. It's in the gallery below the cafe in the Adult Education Centre at the top of Wellington street, Leicester, opposite Fenwicks.  Meet the Arttists day is Saturday 1st April 10-2.  Come and have a chat with us?
Read more

Hedges silhouetted agains the snow, winter light: watercolour and Derwent tinted charcoal pencils in Stillmand and Birn Beta Hardback sketchbook

Image
 Detail  I have always liked the calligraphic tangle of the hedges when they are sihouetted against the sky.   Recent snowfall meant even more opportunities with amazing light and the landscape simplified and hidden by the snow, throwing hedges into relief. Above is a detail of a double page sketch in the lovely Stillman and Birn Beta A4 hardback sketchbook.  This paper is so forgiving and the watercolour works beautifully with it.  It allowed me to work through wet washes with charcoal pencil - something that tears many papers, leaving holes.  Some of the hedge is paint, some tinted charcoal. First snow, more on the way, winter light: silhouetted hedges in watercolour and Derwent tinted charcoal in a Stillman and Birn A4 beta hardback sketchbook The earlier warm golden glow of the low sun is covered by clouds, threatening more snow to come.   The spiky calligraphic marks of the hedge and the underlying form of the bank, with some of the taller dried grasses showing
Read more

paint or sketch trees: challenge

Image
Close up of tree bark, Marqueyssac, France. photo: Vivien Blackburn Another challenge Rather than another update on the seascapes I've decided to run another challenge in response to feedback from the trees post. Feedback from people said they got a lot out of the skies challenge and I'm sure you will out of this one :>) click the image on the left to link to the original post on trees and you can check all posts with the tag 'trees' here The challenge is to produce sketches of trees done from life. These can be: close ups, extreme close ups, whole tree, part of tree, distant views - whatever you want. Style: anything goes - photorealism to impressionism but with underlying observation Medium: your choice, anything goes :>) oil paints, acrylics, watercolours, mixed media, charcoal, graphite, coloured pencils, pen, oil pastels, pastels, pastel pencils ....... etc etc etc Timescale: we'll finish at the end of July and I'll post links to your blogs t
Read more