Painting class starting in September.

Kurtb Jackson, acrylic 7.5ins x 7.5ins 1997.




















Copy of a painting based on a Kurt Jackson for the class.


It's that time of year again and the classes are enrolling for September.

Learn to paint with Steve Strode a fully qualified tutor with a Bachelor of Education and a Masters Degree. An Artist with over ten years experience providing both painting and drawing classes for adult education. Using a variety of techniques with acrylic paint, you will create landscapes, seascapes, townscapes and portraiture. You will learn all about watercolour and oil techniques, perspective, colour basics and lots more. There will be between 12 to 15 places available. Book your place on the next course starting Tuesday 27th September 10 – 12 noon at: S.A.R.A. Hall Rundle Road Aigburth Liverpool L17 0AQ All classes are supported with artist led step by step painting demonstrations, and regular handouts. 10 two hours sessions, for just £60.

http://courses.vivastreet.co.uk/private+aigburth/learn-to-paint/37357689?login_email=stevestrode%40blueyonder.co.uk&utm_source=classified_publish_confirm&utm_medium=email&utm_term=email_confirm&utm_campaign=manage

Watercolour after James Ravilious.

12cm x 12cm watercolour.

I’ve been trying out my new Rosemary watercolour brushes today and decided to have a go at some black and white photos by the late unsung James Ravilious. These are paintings I could never hope to get in a world that has changed so much since the seventies. James managed to compile an archive of a life that was on verge of changing. Take a look at his work on the link below, great stuff.

James took over 80,000 black and white images of all aspects of local life: landscape, farming, everyday life in the local towns and villages, and their special occasions. He also borrowed and copied over 5,000 early photographs of the same area.

The resulting historical span, and detail, he gave to the Archive makes it probably the most intensive record of any rural area in England. But it is more than that. Though never posed, James's pictures are composed with the eye of an artist, and they capture subtle qualities of light - the result of years of experiment with pre-war Leica cameras and uncoated lenses. Above all, they are warmed by his affection and admiration for the people whose lives he recorded. His pictures reveal real life as it was being lived in late 20th century rural England when the country traditions that have been handed down for hundreds, if not thousands, of years were still part of everyday existence.

http://www.jamesravilious.com/biography.asp

30 Minute paintings

12cm x 9cm acrylic on paper

30 minute study, an exercise by Craig Nelson from his book,' 60 minutes to Better Painting'.
The trick is to paint small, paint fast and don’t be tempted to back and tidy things up to a finish. I was really tempted to sort the vase out, moving the top slightly right, but the time was up...ping.

'Focus your efforts on the essence of the subject and don't get bogged down in tiny details'. Craig Nelson.

It reminded me of one I did a few weeks back which took about 2hrs so I suppose it's not a bad start.

Sennen, Cornwall.

10cm x15cm oil on canvas studies.

Two quick colour studies done on the land at the back of the house. It's really good to have a go at these small oil studies and take as little time as possible, just get down the main elements. On this occasion I think each study took about 20 mins and this really takes the pressure off the painter to walk away with a finished picture.

‘Colour plans or quick study on paper with oil, the plan is not a complete painting. Create a very small study with areas of flat colour representing the big shapes of the scene. This study becomes a guide for the quick lay in on a larger canvas. Simplicity is strength, a complex scene reduced to simple shapes’. Kevin Macpherson.

Marazion, Cornwall.

Marazion 21cm x 14cm acrylic on canvas board £90, mounted ready to frame and postage included.

We spent another scorcher of a day at Marazion, after a walk along the coast from Penzance. This is the first painting that I tried out my new Rosemary brushes on and so far so good, I really like the way they handle. They won’t make you a better painter but I think they make for better painting.

http://www.rosemaryandco.com