JULY 2016
Apologies I have not updated for a bit . I am sure you will understand as I have so much to update. I have been in a very creative phase. Whilst completing two paintings and making frames for them, in time for submissions to the Royal Highland show this year, I have also been learning the art of working with silver.
I am now well on the way to my goal of designing and making jewellery. I have made some nice individual pieces and I love it. The girls who are teaching me are fantastic and encouraging. My next stage will be progressing to using recycled silver as well as wood. I think it might take a lot longer than I initially thought. The melting process and reforming is an art in itself. I have also been creative in starting a social media pressence to market my artistic creations. See my link to facebook page and Etsy shop bellow I am marketing under Aardvark Art and Kraft.
DECEMBER 2015
One evening whilst at the workshop I rescued a beautiful piece of wood destined for the fire. I took it home and worked away on it for weeks. I enjoyed bringing out it's natural beauty. I crafted a lovely piece of jewelry which I have worn as a pendant. I enjoyed doing it so much I began to look for other pieces of wood to up cycle. It is not always easy to look at the little piece's of wood which initially looks discolored and dusty and decide which will clean and sand up well. However I seem to have been lucky so far. The small one off pieces bellow were perfect for me to transform into hand crafted jewelry. I have used sterling silver as a contrast on the dark elm wood. It also worked well with the lighter Larch. All of this wood was grown in Scotland.
I have been signed up to a silver jewelry class by a very generous, person who is special to me. I am really looking forward to it. Currently I am busy working away on some new pieces of wood which will act as the base for learning to work with silver. My long term aim is to up cycle old silver to use with the wood to create truly original pieces.
One evening whilst at the workshop I rescued a beautiful piece of wood destined for the fire. I took it home and worked away on it for weeks. I enjoyed bringing out it's natural beauty. I crafted a lovely piece of jewelry which I have worn as a pendant. I enjoyed doing it so much I began to look for other pieces of wood to up cycle. It is not always easy to look at the little piece's of wood which initially looks discolored and dusty and decide which will clean and sand up well. However I seem to have been lucky so far. The small one off pieces bellow were perfect for me to transform into hand crafted jewelry. I have used sterling silver as a contrast on the dark elm wood. It also worked well with the lighter Larch. All of this wood was grown in Scotland.
I have been signed up to a silver jewelry class by a very generous, person who is special to me. I am really looking forward to it. Currently I am busy working away on some new pieces of wood which will act as the base for learning to work with silver. My long term aim is to up cycle old silver to use with the wood to create truly original pieces.
AUGUST 2015
It has been 2 months. I have had a busy summer with "The Thistle Series" I went a bit mad on texture and colour see what you think? Click on the Image below....
It has been 2 months. I have had a busy summer with "The Thistle Series" I went a bit mad on texture and colour see what you think? Click on the Image below....
I also painted "The Waterway to Lagavulin" the month before I travelled to the Islay whisky festival.
Hand carving a cube of oak into a quaich was quite a challenge. A friend saw me struggle with the work and offered to show me how to use a laithe. This would have made it easier but I declined. I completed it by hand.
This was my first quaich and it was for a very special person. My design was a chunky quaich with silverwork on the handles. I gouged out the oak and I finished it by hand. The burning of the lettering (not shown here) was completed by a friend who co- incidentally shared the same birthday as the person who received this as a gift. The silver work was completed by the girls at The Makers Workshop on Pollokshaws Road Glasgow http://makersworkshopglasgow.com/, who I would recommend without hesitation. They were fabulous and they managed to finish it 2 hours before it was presented. Thank you.
This was my first quaich and it was for a very special person. My design was a chunky quaich with silverwork on the handles. I gouged out the oak and I finished it by hand. The burning of the lettering (not shown here) was completed by a friend who co- incidentally shared the same birthday as the person who received this as a gift. The silver work was completed by the girls at The Makers Workshop on Pollokshaws Road Glasgow http://makersworkshopglasgow.com/, who I would recommend without hesitation. They were fabulous and they managed to finish it 2 hours before it was presented. Thank you.
JUNE 2015
I visited the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh on Friday 19th of June, I was delighted to find that my midnight thistle was hung and was very well lit. When I saw it, it actually took me by surprise. I think many artist would agree that often we do not see our own work as others see it. The comment from the judges was "Original and different Uniquely presented. well done."
The Show was fantastic there were many exquisite handcrafted pieces of art on show.
This is the sea spray in Iona which was also hung at the Royal Highland Show. The show is absolutely fantastic and worth every penny. I had a great time thanks to everyone who helped make the day so memorable. I would recommend this show to everyone it is well worth a visit.
APRIL 2015
The items I mentioned in March you will see below a small carving that is work in progress and a painting inspired by a visit to Nairn and the Dolphins in the Moray Firth. The link with both of these is that some of the wood chips from the carving have been incorporated into the painting to create some texture to the sand on the beach.
The third painting you will see is not my usual Scottish Theme. After spending much time wrestling with the idea, I agreed to a commission for a good friend "a Caribbean pelican" I think completing the Dolphin painting helped me decide to do it. Part of that was because I enjoyed working with the pinks and blues and felt I could incorporate these into the painting. Im off in search of wood to do some more framing I am planning my next update at the end of June.
MARCH 2015
Whilst I have not updated you lately I am sure you will be happy that I have not been idle over the winter. Below you will see my new creations. I have designed a thistle which I have used in a few paintings. I have added pictures of the frames which I have individually designed and created by hand. I have developed a passion for woodcraft and a great respect for the life of a tree which yields such a beautiful product for me to use in my work. I have to thank a very talented and artistic clan "GalGael" who have helped me by sharing their knowledge of woodcraft. I think they will be pleased with the fact that I have a great respect for the wood and I ensure that nothing goes to waste. My update in April will add a picture to the site of a small carving which is almost complete and a painting where I have used some of the chips from the carving to create a beach on the canvas.
Whilst I have not updated you lately I am sure you will be happy that I have not been idle over the winter. Below you will see my new creations. I have designed a thistle which I have used in a few paintings. I have added pictures of the frames which I have individually designed and created by hand. I have developed a passion for woodcraft and a great respect for the life of a tree which yields such a beautiful product for me to use in my work. I have to thank a very talented and artistic clan "GalGael" who have helped me by sharing their knowledge of woodcraft. I think they will be pleased with the fact that I have a great respect for the wood and I ensure that nothing goes to waste. My update in April will add a picture to the site of a small carving which is almost complete and a painting where I have used some of the chips from the carving to create a beach on the canvas.
OCTOBER 2014
I have had fun this month painting some daisies:
I have had fun this month painting some daisies:
SEPTEMBER 2014
Around June time a friend of mine suggested that I try some small paintings on the run up to Christmas perhaps brightly coloured thistle theme. Initialy I was not that keen to do small pictures. I thought about it for a bit and decided to give it a go. I bought a few 12 cm by 12 cm canvases and looked at them for a while hoping for inspiration. I then painted the backgrounds and looked at them for a bit longer, planning what I would do next. I have now after three months let my imagination loose and created heavily textured pictures: number 1 has a handcrafted frame the wood was sourced from recycled wood. Whilst I would love to have had enough of this wood to do the other two pictures in the same type of frame I had to find other wood which as you will see from picture 2 is very difrent. Number 3: I have not started the frame on this one as yet. The process of sourcing the right wood for the picture can take some time and I look at many pieces of wood before I find the piece that is just right for the painting.
Around June time a friend of mine suggested that I try some small paintings on the run up to Christmas perhaps brightly coloured thistle theme. Initialy I was not that keen to do small pictures. I thought about it for a bit and decided to give it a go. I bought a few 12 cm by 12 cm canvases and looked at them for a while hoping for inspiration. I then painted the backgrounds and looked at them for a bit longer, planning what I would do next. I have now after three months let my imagination loose and created heavily textured pictures: number 1 has a handcrafted frame the wood was sourced from recycled wood. Whilst I would love to have had enough of this wood to do the other two pictures in the same type of frame I had to find other wood which as you will see from picture 2 is very difrent. Number 3: I have not started the frame on this one as yet. The process of sourcing the right wood for the picture can take some time and I look at many pieces of wood before I find the piece that is just right for the painting.
JUNE 2014
New works inspired by kingfishers and wood grain. look out for Blue at Art Village in Shawlands Arcade Where he is on Show through July/August Sporting a very original frame.
MAY 2014
Art Village Shawlands sees the first public exhibition of my work. I was delighted when Argyll was chosen for the exhibition and I have now had two other paintings accepted: Wee Sleekit and Thistles in the Mist.
The exhibition is fantastic and the idea of bringing art to the local community, ensuring that art is accessible to all is certainly very well done by the directors and army of volunteers. The opening night was packed with all types of people, brought together to see the art exhibited over the four units which have been taken over by the art village. It might have been raining outside but we did not notice, walking between the units meant going through the square which was filled with people mulling around enjoying the band in the center of the square who were entertaining everyone including the children, who had by that time decided to dance. The atmosphere was invigorating with many people I had never met stopping to talk.
In addition to bringing in the art works, it is also about regeneration of the local community and the fabulous space that is the Shawlands covered in public square (Arcade) which has been extremely under used and undervalued in recent years. It seems criminal to hear that it only opens till 8pm, probably the main reason restaurants avoid opening here. If restaurants that enjoy giving their patrons the feel of the alfresco dinning experience winter or summer were to get together to invest in the square, it could easily be a top venue in the future offering a selection of eating venues alongside local art and music.
I had an extremely enjoyable night it was a privilege to see the art work and the venue so alive, thank you Art Village. http://southsidefringe.org.uk/
Art Village Shawlands sees the first public exhibition of my work. I was delighted when Argyll was chosen for the exhibition and I have now had two other paintings accepted: Wee Sleekit and Thistles in the Mist.
The exhibition is fantastic and the idea of bringing art to the local community, ensuring that art is accessible to all is certainly very well done by the directors and army of volunteers. The opening night was packed with all types of people, brought together to see the art exhibited over the four units which have been taken over by the art village. It might have been raining outside but we did not notice, walking between the units meant going through the square which was filled with people mulling around enjoying the band in the center of the square who were entertaining everyone including the children, who had by that time decided to dance. The atmosphere was invigorating with many people I had never met stopping to talk.
In addition to bringing in the art works, it is also about regeneration of the local community and the fabulous space that is the Shawlands covered in public square (Arcade) which has been extremely under used and undervalued in recent years. It seems criminal to hear that it only opens till 8pm, probably the main reason restaurants avoid opening here. If restaurants that enjoy giving their patrons the feel of the alfresco dinning experience winter or summer were to get together to invest in the square, it could easily be a top venue in the future offering a selection of eating venues alongside local art and music.
I had an extremely enjoyable night it was a privilege to see the art work and the venue so alive, thank you Art Village. http://southsidefringe.org.uk/