For ArtTrek09 I was delighted to be based in a lakeside marquee at the beautiful Marwood Hill Garden, alongside the youthful and talented Ed Crumpton.
I produced a number of small canvasses which were hung upon the trees and chosen to complement the marvellous bark colours; turning the garden stroll into a "journey of discovery". I had one of my recent large canvasses on display in the cafe, and also - to show the different behaviour and characteristics of oil paint - had a board of my entire range of browns, from umbers through to ochres and siennas.
We were drawing throughout the week, with a growing number on show in the marquee. We also ran some sketching workshops where all ages and abilities were invited to explore and get some tips and tricks in a variety of different media.
The garden obviously provides huge inspiration and source material, but the sheer scale can be quite daunting. To guard against overwhelming the beginner I personally adopted several strategies:
More elevated viewpoints were used - this miniaturised the landscape and therefore made it more manageable.
Materials such as charcoal were used which allowed basic tonal structure to be focused upon.
Oil pastel (although a challenging medium) did allow for areas of colour to be worked in conjunction with a more graphical linear approach. This suited the garden well.
When focusing on single flowers then lessons in negative shape and proportion allowed the transition to more adventurous subjects - even to portraiture.
Here are some images giving the flavour of this very special week.
I produced a number of small canvasses which were hung upon the trees and chosen to complement the marvellous bark colours; turning the garden stroll into a "journey of discovery". I had one of my recent large canvasses on display in the cafe, and also - to show the different behaviour and characteristics of oil paint - had a board of my entire range of browns, from umbers through to ochres and siennas.
We were drawing throughout the week, with a growing number on show in the marquee. We also ran some sketching workshops where all ages and abilities were invited to explore and get some tips and tricks in a variety of different media.
The garden obviously provides huge inspiration and source material, but the sheer scale can be quite daunting. To guard against overwhelming the beginner I personally adopted several strategies:
More elevated viewpoints were used - this miniaturised the landscape and therefore made it more manageable.
Materials such as charcoal were used which allowed basic tonal structure to be focused upon.
Oil pastel (although a challenging medium) did allow for areas of colour to be worked in conjunction with a more graphical linear approach. This suited the garden well.
When focusing on single flowers then lessons in negative shape and proportion allowed the transition to more adventurous subjects - even to portraiture.
Here are some images giving the flavour of this very special week.
ARTTREK AT
MARWOOD GARDEN
MARWOOD GARDEN
Some of my visitors, and their work.
Some of my work showing the various media.