Some photo's from Bianka's demo evening

On Tuesday evening Bianka demonstrated various techniques to create non objective abstract art using liquid acrylics.

Here are just a few photos from the evening of Bianka in action.

 

Thank you Jean for sending me the photos to share here on The Waterfront and thank you Bianka for a wonderfully informative demo.

Feature Artist- Jackie Grisley Step by step demo

Our Feature Artist for this month has very kindly completed a step by step demo of her latest painting for us. Thank you Jackie

 

JACKIE GRISLEY SWA-demonstration

I am currently exhibiting with a selected Members SWA show at Picturecraft Gallery in Norfolk. As I was painting for the show I thought it might be of interest for my blog to take pics at significant stages.

CASTLE RUINS

Pic 1 - I’ve completed a simple outline drawing

Pic 2 - to preserve my whites I have masked off with tape and fluid.

Pic 3 - my paint mix using naples yellow, French ultramarine blue, davy’s grey, burnt sienna, perylene violet and ultramarine violet.

Pic 4 - the sky is done. First I wet the paper and used naples yellow, then a very watered down French ultramarine blue to the lower parts which is hardly noticeable but granulated nicely. I mixed naples yellow and davys grey for around the castle and then added a tiny amount of burnt sienna to that mix. Then I strengthened the grey with perylene violet and ultramarine violet, got that down and then added French Ultramarine blue to darken that mix a little more and over painted once more, always leaving some of the original colours exposed. Then I left it to dry. I got a small run back to the right of the castle – I quite liked the way that happened.

Pic 5 - the distant mountains go in

Pic 6 – masking tape peeled away, ready now to put some detail in

Pic 7 – the castle is done

Pic 8 – the loch water goes in leaving pale areas where the light from the sky breaks over the water

Pic 9 – a closer look at the castle

Pic 10 – the painting is dry

Pic 11 – the outer masking tape is now peeled off

Pic 12 – The finished painting- CASTLE RUINS. I wanted this painting to have some tranquillity.

Actually I’ve just noticed the sky, unintentionally, looks like a flying dragon hissing fire! 

 

Bianka Guna demo's for BWS this coming Tuesday

Bayview Watercolour's next EXCITING demo will take place on Tuesday November 13 at 7 o'clock in the Program room of the Langstaff Community Centre.
Bianka Guna CSPWC TWS, will be demoing non-objective acrylic painting. 

 Expect to learn more about new acrylic materials, wet- in- wet  techniques, design and  composition, the use of colour, texture, movement and be ready to get inspired . Non- Objective  Acrylic Painting is the perfect way to explore and get challenged. Working with fluid  acrylic is more fun than fun!

Hope to see everyone on Tuesday. Non members are welcome too so come and say hi and learn all about non objective abstract painting.

November Feature Artist Jackie Grisley SWA

Hi everyone and welcome to the beginning of a new month. I would like to introduce to you our feature Artist for this month, Jackie Grisley SWA, and to say thank you to Tony who made the initial contact with Jackie. Welcome to the Waterfront Jackie!

STAIRWAY TO STRUMBLE HEAD

Strumble Head Lighthouse in beautiful Pembrokeshire with its jagged, rocky coastline is so appealing to me and I’ve painted it a few times now. The first time I ever saw it a black storm was developing and as it strengthened the whiteness of the lighthouse against that dark sky was an impressive sight and the vision stays with me. In this painting I have introduced some colour in the sky but my aim was to replicate the image I still have of that first sighting.

I’d like to say thank you so much for inviting me to be your featured ‘artist of the month’, it made my day when I got Tony Cook’s email. I confess I have never done a blog before so I hope I do it justice. I will certainly do my best and am looking forward to conversing and sharing my way of watercolour painting. To kick off with it seems like a good idea to offer an insight into what my goals and inspirations are.

The British coast is what really inspires me to paint. The dramatic skies are my ‘wow’ factor, the stormier and wilder the better. We have such varying weather here which creates ever-changing conditions, especially around the coast or in the mountainous regions such as The Lake District and The Highlands of Scotland. I’ve found watercolour is the perfect medium for achieving the effects I want in my paintings. I love its freedom but also its discipline. Knowing when to stop painting and put down the brush to allow the drying process is crucial and knowing when comes with experience, fight the temptation to keep ‘fiddling’, I’ve spoiled quite a few paintings in my time doing this and have learned to tell myself (out loud occasionally!) to ‘STOP!’. Watercolour has such a unique and magical quality when you do stop painting it keeps on doing its own thing until completely dry. That really excites me-to leave a sky to dry and to come back a few hours later to see how it has developed whilst drying gives me a little thrill.

I aim to achieve mood, drama and atmosphere in each painting and that all comes from the sky for me and how that affects the rest of the painting, deciding on the light direction etc. You may have guessed by now blue skies with fluffy cotton-wool clouds do nothing for me! I try to keep things simple and spontaneous with not too much detail, I seem to achieve more impact this way, and I hope to leave a degree of interpretation for the viewer. Less is more so they say. The use of light against dark is a technique I use frequently to create contrast and bold impact. I like to work wet-in-wet completing the sky in one session, leaving it to completely dry before proceeding. By profession I started out as a graphic designer and I’ve found it’s been very consolidating and useful in regard to composition, expression and balance in my paintings, bringing a sense of right and wrong instinctively.

LAST LIGHT ON THE CROFTERS’ COTTAGES

I was pretty excited with how this sky wash had dried and I think it demonstrates that controlling the wet-in-wet technique cannot be totally mastered. The way the paint continued to dribble into the underlying colour is as we say a ‘happy accident’. It also makes my point of knowing when to put the brush down and let things happen.

I like to use a restricted palette in order to introduce harmony into my paintings, I always want drama but harmony is equally important to me. I use Winsor & Newton, blocks and tubes. My brushes range from Isabey Petit Gris to W & N sables, round and chisel in varying sizes. My paper is always Saunders Waterford and Arches not and rough surfaces 200lb and 300lb. They don’t cockle and are quite forgiving if you need to lift out. Most important to have confidence in your paper, I’ve used others and have been disappointed with the finish.

When I’m travelling for my reference, my latest trip was September to the Lizard Point in Cornwall, I do simple pencil sketches and take my camera everywhere. I have no qualms about using photographic reference, even though it can be frowned upon, it’s a great way to gather plenty of material to work up in my studio. I don’t like working outdoors, there are too many distractions and it doesn’t suit my painting technique. Plus the viewfinder immediately helps with composition. I’m not afraid to move elements around or even leave some out until I feel the scene is balanced.

I am self-taught and as I mentioned my graphic design background has been very useful to my painting development. After this I helped set up a craft based business making model trees for architectural modelmakers. This has also been advantageous, working in scales and perspective in a 3-dimensional way has helped me understand how to achieve these elements within a painting.

In 2006 I was invited to become a Member of The Society of Women Artists and I felt extremely honoured to become a part of such a special and historical Society. To have my work recognised by such a wonderful Society was and is very special to me.

I really only began watercolour painting about 15 years ago and was hooked immediately and my style has evolved and developed the more I’ve painted. Turner’s watercolour skies and seascapes have been a tremendous source of inspiration to me. His imaginative use of paint and reaction to dramatic weather made him so ahead of his time. I look in wonderment at how he achieved those storms out at sea-incredible-oh to paint like that! But that’s what I love about painting there’s always more to strive for, more to improve on and so much to keep learning.

Well that’s a bit about me, I look forward to the month ahead and hope to be able to chat with fellow watercolourists.

www.jackiegrisley.co.uk

NIGHT GUARD

Lismore Lighthouse in Scottish Highlands has a backdrop of impressive mountains and I would imagine for passing ships in the night the lighthouse must do a crucial lifesaving job. So I wanted to paint a night time view of it showing its power and importance for those vulnerable seamen.