'Entwined' Fragment: sale at Art in the Heart

'Love Entwines Two Cultures'
H: 130cm x W: 36 cm
Oil paint, oil pastel, silver enamel, resin on hand made paper

This frameless fragment has just sold in Art in the Heart Gallery, Peterborough for over £450! I'm very pleased as this is a new departure for me and I'm happy that the discerning art public have taken it on! The piece is inspired by my mother in law's wedding sari which is unusually a pale eau de nil rather than the red or crimson traditionaly seen in Indian wedding saris. The sari has delicate silver thread embroidery and fine silk fringing which I have incorporated within the design. 

The title is a reference to two marriages, my father in law travelling from Kenya to India to meet and marry his bride, followed by a move to England to bring up his family in the West. My parents moved from Holland to Britain via the USA and Africa, finally ending in Scotland where my husband and I met and subsequently married. So it's really the story of 'love entwines many cultures!' 

Yellow Chinese Robe: more work in progress

A few more sections of the painting in detail....some more work to be done on the crimson flower on the right which I will work on in oil pastels.

Robe neck detail and Ceramic Plate

Robe neck detail and plate fragment

Yellow Chinese Robe: painting detail

Yellow Chinese Robe
Panel Painting
Oil, pastel and enamel paint on Thai hand made paper

This is a detail of the painting, due to be finished soon!  A few more additions and it will be ready to resin and then exhibited at the Peterborough Artist's Open Studios.  More of my work can be seen at the Peterborough Gallery 'Art in the Heart' at 47 Bridge Street,  http://www.artintheheart.co.uk.  Currently on show is my large panel 'Lata's Sari' based on a family member's wedding sari, and a large 'Fragment' piece entitled 'Entwined', also inspired by the pale silver embroidered, eau de nil silk of the same sari.

Chinese Robe painting: work in progress

This is a 'work in progress' that has taken a long time to progress! As always some large pieces have to make way for other works or commissions, so this has had a year's 'gestation'. Not a bad thing really as it allows me to make decisions gradually and allow the painting to evolve. Paintings rarely emerge straight from my head onto paper/board/canvas, I like to allow the beginnings of a painting to suggest it's end.

This one is large 120cm x 60 cm, and is my usual combination of oil paint, pastels and enamel paint on Thai paper which has been fixed to a board frame. I will use resin for the final stage, which will always add another dimension to it. 

I took inspiration for all the elements of this piece from the Victoria & Albert museum, building up reference sketches over a few months. I would like to subtitle this painting 'Homage to  Felicity Aylieff' as I couldn't resist a variation on the theme of her outstanding monumental ceramic jars, which I have hinted at on the lower left side of the painting. As a contemporary ceramicist her works are influenced by the traditions of Chinese ceramics but have a wonderful modern freshness. Definitely my favourite ceramicist! 

I plan to have this piece ready for the PAOS exhibition in June 2013. Come and see it then!

Sketches from the Chinese Ceramic Collection V & A museum

Stage 3
Yellow Chinese Robe 
120 cm x 60 cm
                                                      Just some more work required on the top left hand side and then the resin coat!

Watercolour sketch from V&A
Silk robe with flower embroidery

Sketch of flower detail

Sketches from the Ceramics collection

Stage 2
The top left section is empty at this stage while I make my mind up....

Detail of lower flower

Detail of plate with peony and dragonfly

Work in progress: Mary Queen of Scots Panel (Oxborough Hall)

This large piece is progressing, although slowly! As I work on several large paintings at a time, in theory I should have 3 finished in the next month.... If only there were more hours in the day! Above is a detail of the painting, showing some of the first gold leaf application (thanks to fellow artist Garth Baley for the loan of some today!) on the twisted paper 'thread'.
Below is Stage 3, 4 and 5 of the painting, once the background is complete I will go to work on the borders (with more enamel paint, gold leaf, pastels) which are under painted in red and gold enamel paint at present. The red and gold brocade sections on the upper right and lower left will recieve additional detailed work, as will the small creatures. I am considering overlaying the green velvet background with scaled down red/gold 'raised 'thread' work, painted in rather than sewn on however. The red/green contrast is working really well, as opposing colours they each enhance the strength of the other.

Stage 3, 4 & 5
The green velvet background is growing, a mix of Emerald Green, Cadmium Yellow, French Ultramarine and white, all Daler-Rowney oil paints. Some more mythical creatures have found their way into the painting; unicorns, dolphins, exquisite horses...

Upper Right Detail
The Rose emblem and my variation of the red and gold brocade which trims the centre panel on the Marian Hanging. I like the way the raised rolled paper 'thread' in gold and red is working with the underpainting of the brocade section.

The 'Delphine', symbol of the Dauphin of France, later Francis II, Mary 's first husband

A Unicorn, with banner unfurled above it's head