Monday, May 07, 2018

A Little Shop of Artery Goodness!

In common I suspect with many artists, I'm usually a pretty solitary person.  We tend to work alone, and if like myself your work is marketed mainly on the internet, day to day contact with other arty folk is limited.

Happily for me that began to change when I discovered a gem of an art shop: The Artery owned by Barry Whitehouse, and through him became a member of the Banbury Artists' Cooperative (more of that later).






The Artery has everything I want in an art shop.  I can drop in to gather supplies and have a chat.  Or I can log in to buy online, connect via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

It's an Aladdin's cave packed floor to ceiling with mouthwatering art and craft supplies. Top product knowledge from Barry and his staff is always on offer when required. There's an astonishing number of art classes and courses taking place upstairs and demos on The Artery YouTube Channel. It's no wonder The Artery is a go-to hub for students of the visual arts and art lovers everywhere.

So in March 2017, Barry who is art tutor and owner of The Artery, found a vacant shop on Church Lane, Banbury, and together with a few talented local artists opened it up as a pop-up art gallery. 

From it's early popularity it seemed clear a gallery exhibiting work by local artists was just what the art lovers of North Oxfordshire and South Warwickshire had been waiting for.  Footfall and sales increased steadily.  And in August last year the Banbury Artists' Cooperative was formed with 35 active members giving Church Lane Gallery solid foundations and a permanent bricks-and-mortar venue for local artists to promote and sell their work.

Our exhibitions change every month with regular Private Viewings and Meet-the-Artists Days for visitors to connect with all of us who create the original paintings, ceramics, art glass, handcrafted jewellery, fine art prints and art cards.  This month we are part of Oxfordshire Artweeks featuring stunningly beautiful art glass created by Ruth Lyne.

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Paint & Politics

'Something Afoot' mixed media Bee Skelton
I've been concentrating on making work rather than blogging about it for some time now.  When I lived in Cyprus, blogging helped me sort out how I felt about all kinds of things; art, life.... the whole confusing conundrum.  After a nudge from an arty friend today (thank you Jennifer) I decided to make an effort... so here I go again boring the pants off you!

In my last blog post, those of you polite/desperate/drunk enough to read it, will have noted that I've decided I'm too old/stubborn to follow my old art school tutor's advice to adhere to a particular genre in my work.  I now don't give a toss, and I am gloriously indulging myself in whatever takes my fancy with a complete lack of guilt.

I still absolutely adore working to commission;  oil portraits of people, pets, landscapes, favourite places and houses etc etc., inspired by client photos and personal insights.  But inbetween I change gear completely letting intuition and imagination take over.

It's liberating to begin with a blank canvas, with hardly a clue what I'm going to do.  I use mixed media, usually beginning with a rough wash with acrylic to kill the whiteness of the canvas, and then things start to happen with scraps of painted papers, acrylic/oil paint, coloured inks, soft pastel, oil pastel, graphite, charcoal etc etc.  Often finished with a lush glossy textured finish to pull it all together!

With the piece above 'Something Afoot' it ought to have a sub-title (Before HS2)  I had local environmental issues on my mind, which very soon took control of the subject.  My muse, Jennifer, will probably remember during our past collaborations, how disgruntled I was about the High Speed Rail project, which is going to destroy so much of the rural landscape where I live.  With construction work imminent this picture is my homage to how my country dog-walking feels at the moment.  It is not a literal representation of a particular piece of the landscape, or wildflower meadow.  It's how I feel about it inside.  And the lack of careful thought that has gone into considering the distruction about to take place.

OK that's me done venting for today.  I don't expect what I have to say will be read by anyone who can make a difference.  But I feel better ......I think.

 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com

Monday, October 02, 2017

Happy Artist!

So much work, in and out of the studio, since my last post almost a year ago!  I won't dwell on how terrible I am at this social media malarky, you all know how bad I am ;) So I'll just carry on and pretend I was here only yesterday.

So where am I?

It used to bother me that other artists had a clear voice;  that they produced work in a consistent style and genre immediately identifiable as their own.  Those days are gone.  I've now accepted that my art personna is never going to be like that.  And finally I'm OK with it.

Currently I'm working in 3 different ways.  And I'm in love with each one equally depending on what the day brings:

I love the collaboration with clients when working on portrait commissions inspired by their photos:
commission painting from photo, custom portrait, Bee Skelton,
Custom Family Portrait - oil on canvas

Natural still life and landscape, observed wherever I happen to be, continues to fascinate.  I've always had a thing about rooms with a view, and windowsills are the focus of some recent work using what I call 'happy colours':




anemones, clematis, flower painting, still life, window art, Bee Skelton artist
Anemones & Clematis - oil on board

flower painting, still life, window art, Bee Skelton artist, hydrangea, wildflowers,
Hydrangea & Wildflowers - oil on board

flower painting, still life, window art, Bee Skelton artist, orchid painting,
Pink Orchid - oil on canvas
flower painting, still life, window art, Bee Skelton artist, roses, Cornwall, Mousehole harbour,
Roses & Mousehole Harbour - oil on board
























And then the mixed media work that evolves using many layers of different paint, ink, pastel, crayon, graphite, pencil, charcoal and resin has me more excited than ever:

collage, mixed media, art, autumn, Bee Skelton artist,
Feels Like Autumn - Mixed Media on canvas
 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com

Saturday, October 08, 2016

Small painting of Golden Hare

Golden Hare - acrylic painting on gessoed board by Bee Skelton
Here in farming country it's not unusual to see rabbits and foxes along with the sheep, cows and horses.  But whilst I know hares are part of the wildlife mix, I see them less often, and when I do they're usually moving too quickly to take proper note.  Imagine my surprise when this one stopped outside my kitchen window, pausing long enough for me to grab a photo!  He is such a big handsome fellow.  I just had to paint him.

Ignoring the barred gate in the photo I composed his portrait on square 8x8 inch gessoed board using acrylic paints.  Although it doesn't show well in the photo, it was late afternoon magic hour, and the light made him appear to glow golden.  I've attempted to emphasise this by contrasting the warm colouring of the fur with the cool blues and greens of the background.

It's now available for sale unframed, so you can choose a mount and frame style to suit your decor.  Here's an idea how it could look with a frame added.  Please check my shops and website for further information or contact me personally. 

 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com

Monday, October 03, 2016

Homage to Vincent

 
The Orange House oil painting 10x12 in on canvas board.

 I love the location of our home.  It's situated on farmland in rural Warwickshire, England.  So it was only a matter of time before it became the subject of a painting.  I painted it in oils with a hint of Vincent on 10x12 inch canvas board.
Sketchbook study in pencil

At a local art group recently, I attended a lecture by Anthony Slinn, about Vincent van Gogh, which made quite an impression.  It was particularly interesting because Prof. Slinn has carefully researched, and physically visited locations of many of Vincents paintings.  From assessing the viewpoints, he discovered how Vincent re-imagined and manipulated the landscape to express his feelings.  Though key features are recognizable in the paintings, when compared with the locations today, it can be seen how Vincents mind and eye re-interpreted them in his unique manner.


Sketchbook study in pencil
 My paintings can begin in several different ways.  With this one, I could easily have set up my plein air easel along the lane, as Vincent would have done for sure.  Alternatively because I know the place so well, I could have used memory and imagination.  However some time ago I'd made sketchbook studies, so on this occasion I referred back to these drawings as a starting point.

 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Sketchbook study and painting on the farm

Walking the dogs every day I see so many scenes I'd love to paint.  This shady gap through a hedge offered a good view of a wheatfield after harvest.  Farm life moves on rapidly. Straw bales are being shifted into barns already. I needed to to be quick before they all disappeared.  A sketchbook drawing using graphite stick and watercolour did the job.


Back in the studio I tried to develop the feeling of the scene in oils on a small gessoed panel, with composition tweaked more to my liking. Having worked the sketch from life and direct observation, some how the brain retains additional visual information.  You feel back in the moment.  It's a good alternative when time or full plein air painting kit isn't available. 

 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com