Oil Painting Workshop at Waldergrave School
Curious to try oil painting? Find out about the recent oil painting workshop I did at Waldegrave School, introducing their year 12 students to oil paint for the first time.
Ever tried oil painting?
Well, last week, I was invited by Waldegrave school, to introduce their Year 12 students to it! I am so proud of what they achieved in just a few short hours.
The workshop was both a practical how to, where I shared my approach to palette layout, colour mixing and paint application techniques. I also gave a talk, explaining my path into painting and what being an artist in this day and age, looks like.
Claudia, one of the students, shared her thoughts: "In the beginning of the workshop I had no experience in oil painting but by the end I felt I had gained an amazing understanding thanks to the artist Susie. I loved learning and insight into the everyday life of an artist!"
These short intensive workshops are a wonderful way to begin your oil painting journey or, if you’ve dabbled before, to enhance your confidence working with it.
I do workshops, either one to one or in small groups which I can accommodate, or can bring the workshop to you. For more info, click the button below and say hello with your requirements.
“Susie is an amazing artist and communicator! She began with a talk including information about her educational journey, painting mediums and studio setup. She also covered the business side of the artworld including informing students how to use various platforms for selling work, being represented by galleries and taking part in markets and trade-fairs. This led onto a practical portrait painting session. All of the students developed their skills during the workshop and thoroughly enjoyed the day”
Painting a Dog Portrait - Part 3
The final part of this portrait story, showing you what I do to finish off an oil painting. Watch a mini video of the varnish and framing stages.
Today I’m showing you how I finish off an oil painting.
I start with a coat of retouch varnish to even out the surface of the painting whilst providing a layer of protection. I always use a nice big brush to do this.
Then onto the framing. I’m a big fan of float mount box frames, which give a shadow gap effect around the painting. I’ve recently discovered a great online company, called The Picture Gallery that makes them to measure, in different coloured finishes. I opted for a smart steely grey which offset the colours of the portrait well.
Tussock’s portrait, now framed and ready to go, will be packed and posted out to its new home very soon!
Want to know more about my commission service? click the button below for more info!
Final Day of Studio Sale - Putney Boats
My studio sale ends tonight, so I am spotlighting an ‘evening’ themed painting of Putney boats at dusk. Read on to find out more about this artwork and further details about my sale.
STUDIO SALE ENDS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
My last highlight for this sale sequence is my painting of Putney Boats, Evening (oil on canvas board, 8 x 10 inches)
These boats are part of a lovely cluster, moored off the riverside quarter pier, right next to my local Wandsworth park.
Silhouetted against the fading evening light, the view looks out across the river toward the Hurlingham club and harbour.
I have painted these boats from many angles, times of day and tides, but this evening scene played with a very different palette of colour, where less was more and everything was focused around that extraordinary shift between the dwindling natural light of day and the introduction of these fairy-like glimmers of electric light which danced in reflections across the water.
IMPORTANT STUFF
🔈My studio sale will end at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT - so just a few hours to go!
🔈Click the button below to browse what’s available
🔈Many of the artworks are framed and ready to hang - so easy peasy possible pressies
🔈Free UK delivery (international delivery available upon request)
Do get in touch with any Qs, wishing you a happy rest of Sunday!
Celebrating World Elephant Day
A little dive into the world of Elephants in celebration of World Elephant Day (19th August). Using my painted allegory ‘A Little Help’ to ask a few questions. Read on to discover what I found out.
Another animal day of celebration paying tribute to the Elephant, this time with one of my toy paintings called 'A little Help' (oil on canvas 60 x 60 cm).
The painting itself was an allegorical play on ideas like 'the elephant in the room' and 'whistle-blowing' and I think it fitting to offer it up today as a way of asking the question:
How are elephants getting on in our world?
This is what I've discovered so far
🐘Elephant facts
They are the world's largest land animal, have a super thick skin (2.5cm in most places), a voracious appetite, an extraordinarily agile trunk, and are very keen walkers, so much so that they are up and walking within 20 minutes of being born.
🐘Problems
They are also under massive threat with an estimated 415,000 wild elephants left in the world (around 90% less in number than a century ago).
These dangers include poaching to supply ivory trade demand, loss of habitat and an increasing strain on human-elephant relations with migratory routes now shared with agricultural developments, human settlements and infrastructural constructions.
🐘Solutions
Building awareness, changing perceptions and reducing commercial demand for ivory, helping local rangers enforce measures to protect existing elephant populations and promoting local education whilst exploring the application of new technologies to improve human-elephant interactions.
Highly recommend checking out
WWF website for more info🤓
Portrait of Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon - A painting Spotlight
To celebrate International Women’s day, I have put together a special 10 minute spotlight on my portrait of the wonderful Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, where I tell all about her and the story behind the painting.
Happy International Women’s Day!
In honour of the day I wanted to share a portrait I did of a very special lady called Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon. Here it is, all 100 x 100 cm of canvas.
To find out the whole story behind the painting I have put together a fun 10 minute video, where I tell you how it came about, take you on a tour around the portrait and reveal a very exciting new feature which I will be demoing toward the end!
Click play on the video below to watch, hope you enjoy and do let me know what you make of the surprise feature in the comments below.
Dreams of Tomorrow and Yesterday
Dreams of Tomorrow & Yesterday is part of a new series of narrative portraits which places street performers against an urban backdrop in which an inner world of hopes, fears and dreams are manifested in graffiti, street signage and textures.
Dreams of Tomorrow & Yesterday is part of a new series of narrative portraits which places street performers against an urban backdrop where an inner world of hopes, fears and dreams are manifested in graffiti, street signage and textures.
Street performers have always fascinated me with their ability to conjure a crowd from nowhere and a stage from nothing. With no guarantee of payment, their performance is given on trust, offered up with as much as they can muster in the hope that the general public will reciprocate in kind. It is the ultimate in theatrical meritocracy. Over the years there are certain individuals that have stood out for me with their careful construction of character, costume, makeup and sense of story which convey often poignant references to human nature and experience. I am now finally attempting to put these ideas down on canvas beginning with Dreams of Tomorrow and Yesterday.
I first encountered the street mime from this painting at the Edinburgh Festival some years ago and have been haunted by the poetry of her expression ever since. She conjures for me all sorts of references both personal and universal. In the painting I have tried to do justice to the way she conveyed, for me, a blend of hope, wisdom, love and truth; a fairy godmother of sorts and a messenger of self-belief.
It is no easy thing choosing to pursue the path of an artist, in whichever field it may be. Self doubt is a constant companion, which both beats and drives one forward. With this painting i have tried to remind myself that kindness and encouragement are also vital for growth and self-development.
Work is now underway on 3 new Urban Narrative compositions (scroll down for a glimpse of works in progress) which weave together various ideas that i hope will trigger, for those looking, many a story.
Dreams of Tomorrow and Yesterday, oil on canvas, 100 x 161 cm (2017)
work in progress, oil on canvas, 140 x 70 cm, 140 x 120 cm and 100 x 162 cm. 3 new street performer compositions that I am now working on.
The Acrobat
The Acrobat is an allegory about balance and the inner energy that can both create and destroy. A diecast toy acrobat hovers in the air above an unlit bonfire of matches. The bonfire is on the one hand literal, a dormant promise of fire and all the associated dangers, but it is also a metaphor of an 'inner bonfire' of inspiration and energy, waiting to ignite. Action is on pause and expectations abound. What will become of the acrobat, will he spark the flame, escape the fire, or rise up, phoenix-like from its ashes?
The Acrobat is an allegory about balance and the inner energy that can both create and destroy. A diecast toy acrobat hovers in the air above an unlit bonfire of matches. The bonfire is on the one hand literal, a dormant promise of fire and all the associated dangers, but it is also a metaphor of an 'inner bonfire' of inspiration and energy, waiting to ignite. Action is on pause and expectations abound. What will become of the acrobat, will he spark the flame, escape the fire, or rise up, phoenix-like from its ashes?
When painting this, so many associations passed through my mind, of the challenges i have faced and those I have watched others face. There is a therapy of sorts in the evolution of a painting where, focused on one thing for an extended period of time, one manages to exorcise all the thoughts of the moment, weaving them into the tapestry of the subject and releasing them in a way at once abstract but true.
The Acrobat, oil on canvas, 60 x 60cm
Bridging The Gap
Bridging the Gap is a painting about conflict and reconciliation, measuring out the space between with all it's ambiguity.
Bridging the Gap is a painting about conflict and reconciliation, measuring out the space between, with all it's ambiguity. The idea began as a 'shots at dawn' format, the dinky car racers stepping out their paces with a toy policeman acting as adjudicator to the proceedings. But as the composition developed I wanted to weave in the possibility of a more hopeful outcome. The word dice, upon which the policeman stands plays with our assumptions; are the characters making ‘up’ or breaking ‘up’ ‘with’ each other? The Tower Bridge stencil behind is likewise suspended between meanings, is it opening or closing? The policeman is caught in the middle, his head framed by the vice-like gap of the bridge which is either about to crush or release him.
Bridging The Gap, oil on canvas, 51x71cm (2016)
I Know Where I'm Going
To mark the launch of this new website I am going to do a series of spot light blogs about individual paintings and the stories behind them. I'll kick things off with I Know Where I'm Going, 60 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
To mark the launch of this new website I am going to do a series of spot light blogs about individual paintings and the stories behind them. I'll kick things off with I Know Where I'm Going, 60 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
This was a piece inspired by an analogy made by Grayson Perry in his Reith lectures (2013), where he likened the journey of young artists to choosing a bus route. No matter what the provocation or temptation to change, he emphasized the importance of sticking with it and staying your course. This is something that deeply resonated with me and all the challenges that I have faced on my path.
Here the Ballerina represents the artist. She is suspended in arabesque, at once supported by and tethered to a rooted ‘safety-grip’ tyred base of elephant and bus. She neither flies nor falls, but patiently holds her balance as she continues on her journey. Facing forward or back, in the right or wrong direction, she moves along, keeping her fingers crossed that the bus knows what it's doing!