Adorable Penguin Trio

This picture is a coloured pencil drawing I did a few days ago. I think with a little adjustment it would make a great basis for some handmade Christmas cards. I don't generally think of Christmas till November after my daughter's birthday but usually end up finishing making cards and gifts on Christmas eve. Well, alright, Boxing Day when I visit relatives. So I'm starting early - for me that is :-).
There was a time I would be making Christmas cards all summer, but that was when I was demonstrating paper craft products. I also used to make them to sell but find that too time consuming these days.

I digress. Back to the picture, I think a little bit of glitter and maybe a snowflake frame would make this just right for the season.

What do you think? Does this get your creative juices flowing?

Happy Crafting

Janice.

PS I have a new blog on my own website that I would love you to subscribe to as I post there more frequently now :-)

During the last week of October, I will be exhibiting at the Gage Gallery, Kelham Island, Sheffield, with a good friend and fellow Artist Jeni Holness (Jeniveve).

It is a beautifully light, airy and spacious gallery with a slight industrial feel. Jeni and I will be filling it with an oasis of rich and vibrant colour from Felt to Glass, Paintings to Prints.

The hard part is letting people know when and where, so if you can help by sharing this post or following me on facebook and sharing from there, that would be fantastic!

If you can make it along that would be even better - please say hi, it's lovely to know this is read by more than just my family :-)

All the best, Janice x

29th Great Sheffield Art Show

The submission date for the 29th Great Sheffield Art Show is almost upon us. There is just a week left to get your form in.

Entering open competitions can be a very expensive game for artists. Many shows charge for your entry whether you get accepted or not, often about £15 per work. If your work never gets past the digital entry it never gets seen so all that work can't even be put down to a marketing budget.

The Great Sheffield Art Show is different. An artist only has to pay if a work gets hung, and then only £5. The prizes are not great compared to the national exhibitions, but being realistic, most of us are just hoping to get shown and maybe have some interest from a few people.

A maximum of 6 entries are allowed and there are 2 submission dates, 10th and 17th of September.

I have posted my form in with my 6 entries. I won't show them on here, but this is one of my recent paintings. It's called On the Surface, and is an impression of rippled reflections. I like this kind of abstract that has a connection to a natural effect without being too explicit.

New Website and Blog

I now have a new website after much trial and tribulation. It looks really great, not because I designed it from scratch but because the templates to use are fantastic. Credit for an easy to use, does what it says on the tin and looks amazing in the process website builder goes to WIX. And I'm not getting paid to say that!

My new site is at www.jangill.com and I would love you to come and have a look. Comments would be greatly appreciated.
This painting is currently being exhibited at Greenspace Gallery in Carmarthen, more about that in my next post or take a peak at the blog on the new website.

In the meantime,

Happy Crafting,

Janice ;-)

Art competitions - You've got to be in it to win it!

A couple of weeks ago I got some great news - I won the Abstract and Experimental category of the SAA Artist of the Year 2017.

To say I was pleased is an understatement.

In fact it has rejuvenated my efforts to get my art work in front of more people with the aim of ditching the day job.

It's a year since I last said that. To be fair to myself I was an undiagnosed diabetic with zero energy after work. Now with my blood sugar under control I feel fighting fit. So what better time to climb back on the horse and try again.

As for Art competitions, you have to be in it to have any chance of making your mark. Why not give it a go?

This is my winning piece, which will be on show at the SAA headquarters over the summer and at the ICHF Art materials show in November at the NEC.

Oriental Abstraction, Mixed Media on Canvas.

A Journey into Art and Craft e-commerce.

I am trying out a little experiment. I have an account with Artfinder to sell my artwork on line. I have now started a blog with e-commerce to see if it is possible to get sales on my own. The advantages of my own site are much lower costs and direct contact with the purchaser. A free wordpress blog and a plug in e -commerce solution are all that's needed to get started and payment can be done straight into your own bank account by bacs or through Paypal.

This is the link to what I have done so far Jan Gill Art

I am also writing a blog which will keep up to date with progress. In addition, I will be comparing sales versus cost for any exhibitions and craft fairs. I am hoping that other artists and crafters will share their experiences and help make this a valuable resource for all.

I'm looking forward to the journey and would love to hear from everyone.
Please feel free to comment :-)

This painting is one of  series I have just completed. It was great fun making them as I just "let go" and revelled in the actual process of creating rather than aiming for a finished product. It employs my favourite set of colours, blue, purple and green. It is a great way for me to work as I am really bad at spoiling my work by fiddling and trying to put too much into a painting. This painting has no right or wrong, no perspective to deal with, no tight and stilted brushwork. 

It also makes me want to look at it because it makes me feel good. That may be because I am unusually pleased with it as a piece I have made, or because it reminds me of how much fun it was or because it contains the colours that please me. However, I think it just hits the right spot for me, the right amount of interest, the right amount of movement, things to follow and discover. 

As someone who is not a fan of action painting this has come as a bit of a shock. 

However you like to create, why not try a bit of "letting go" therapy - you might surprise yourself too :-)

Happy Creating

Janice x

Abstract Seascape

This seascape is one of my latest paintings. It measures 36" x 24" and is in oils on canvas. It is painted over a textured layer which picked up the white paint applied with a pallette knife. This was a joy to paint. If you think you can't paint, this type of work is worth a try.

Here are a few tips for early success .

1. Abstract painting isn't "of" anything. You don't need to include recognisable shapes or forms. 

2. Limit the colours you use. Here I have used 2 blues and violet full srength and with very little mixing. There is also quite a lot of white :-)

3. Start with colours you have a feel for and go with how the colours make you feel.

4. Let your brushes do the work, let go with your head and paint with your heart. Sometimes playing music can help.

5. Enjoy the process. If it doesn't work, let it dry and start right over the top.

Happy Creating :-)

Janice

The Colour Purple.

My favourite colour is purple, even my just turned 2 year old granddaughter knows it :-). So just for fun, here is a collection of purple based paintings.

It is a good exercise to try painting with as few colours as possible and in these I have used only 2.
The July issue of the Artist magazine has a great article by Hazel Soan on using a limited pallette. In fact the magazine is a bumper issue with some great contributions. I love the Ann Blockley one on loosening up your watercolours, much more than just a big brush wet-in-wet article.

These are all available in my Artfinder shop - the link is in the sidebar.

Happy creating, Janice

Get the right Colour

Today I have been uploading more work to Artfinder for which, of course, I have to take reasonably accurate photos. Usually I use my own camera and take a set of shots with different exposures choosing the one which made the whites in the picture look white. Today I used a camera that wasn't set up for bracketed shots and thought I could get away with it. The picture below shows I couldn't.   As you can see, the mount looks grey. In actual fact it was ivory. The camera's white balance was fooled as it read it as a mid tone. In fact it was even worse than this as I had added brightness in my photo editor.
A good way to solve this problem is to photograph against a mid toned background and then crop to your image, This also gives a good margin if you are slightly out setting up your camera and need to straighten before cropping. More on that in another post.

Have fun, keep creating :-)

More Art work in my Artfinder shop

Fun with paint.

Sometimes I read about analyses of different paintings and wonder. Is that what the artist was trying to convey? Do most paintings have a deep and serious meaning? Do I want a picture on my wall that makes me think too much?

Or do I want something that makes me feel good?
I painted this garden scene, which I have called The Great Escape, just because it makes me feel good.
Watching petals being blown on the wind like confetti it suddenly seemed like the flowers were trying to escape the bounds of their garden bed and fly off full of life.

This is a fun painting to do, here's how

You will need good thick watercolour paper and good quality artist's paints.

Soak your paper and stick with gummed tape to a board. Allow to dry.

Wet your paper all over. Using a bright yellow, lay a wash all over the paper. Using a hake or wash brush touch in very strong washes of blue and green at the bottom and sides leaving the central area from the top down to the middle just yellow. Now lift your board and tip to one side to let the washes run and merge, then tip to the other side. Finally raise the top of the board to allow the washes to move downwards. Mop up the excess with kitchen towel as you go.
Lay the board flat and sprinkle salt over the darker areas to create texture.

Leave to dry for a couple of days.

Using small brushes work over the bottom half of the painting using the texture created to inspire the forms to paint. I "took my brush for a walk" letting it lead the way to create random flower like impressions.

In the lighter areas paint loose flowers in the colours you have used. make some seem edge on and some facing away or towards you. Make them smaller and paler as you move up the sheet.

Add any finishing touches that you like to make the picture all yours :-)

I'd love to see the results if you have a go.

Happy Creating

Janice x

ARTFINDER: Abstract garden 1 by Janice GILL - Abstract based on colourful garden border.Be...

ARTFINDER: Abstract garden 1 by Janice GILL - Abstract based on colourful garden border.
Be...

This is a recent oil painting based on a view from the house where I used to live. I have now opened a shop on Artfinder where there are a number of my paintings for sale from as little as £25.
It would be great if you could pop over and have a look. There are lots of great paintings and photographs on there.
This is the link to my little bit of the site - it would be awesome if you could follow me on there as it all helps get me noticed :-)

Furthest from the sea

Until a few years ago I lived in Mid Wales. It's a great place to bring up a family, quiet, peaceful, beautiful. As a family we enjoyed regular day trips to the sea as well as longer holidays. I was never a sun-seeking type - I burn rather than tan - but loved a walk on the beach in the evening. I would drink in the atmosphere, the fresh air, the beautiful skies.
Now I live as far as it is possible to get from the sea in England. Too far for a day trip. So this painting was created to feel dreamy - high key, subtle changes of tone, no focal point other than the bright light of the sun. It's a little bit of the atmosphere I love for those moments when of wistfulness.

I'd love to know if any readers have a place they hanker for and can't reach and if they create a comforter like this.

By the way, this is painted on canvas in water mixable oils and measures 16" x 20".

Recent Paintings

Crochet with dream yarns.

Whenever I complete a craft project I like to use the best materials I can. After all if I am going to spend a lot of time on a project why make something inferior. The time is after all the biggest cost.

As an example, I am making a crocheted jacket style cardigan. It would have been cheap to use a basic acrylic yarn that cost maybe £1 per hundred grammes, or about £8 for the whole project. It will take me about 20 hours altogether to make. At minimum wage that would be £130 worth of time. A total cost of £138. It won't wash well or wear well.

On the other hand, I could use a quality yarn with natural fibres that may cost £8 per hundred grammes or around £64 for the whole project. The total cost is now almost £200 but you have a truly unique item that washes and wears beautifully and will last for years.

In this case I am using a hand painted Alpaca and wool mix from Artesano. It is a dream to work with and the colours are stunning. This isn't the best photo as it was done on my camera phone so it's a bit dark. You get the idea of pools of colour though and great stitch definition.

This sample is treble crochet (English naming) and is completed on a 4.5mm hook.

What are your thoughts when choosing yarns? Cheap and cheerful as the time is not important? The best you can find for that little bit of luxury?

Relocating and Getting Married.

Dew on Red Rose in our garden

My blog is being ignored again.

But I am resolved to change that, even though life is going to get a little frantic in the forthcoming weeks.

Firstly, we are relocating - again!
It will be the third time in under 4 years but it should be the last for a while (famous last words) and opens up a host of new opportunities. The reason for my optimism is that we are moving to Sheffield where there seems to be a vibrant art and craft scene. I've already been looking at galleries in the area and have a couple in mind to approach.

Secondly, 20 years since I was divorced, I am getting married again. I always said I never would a second time, but I met the perfect person to share the rest of my life with and it just seems like the right thing.

And all this before the year moves into it's second half. Hopefully the latter part of the year will be less eventful :-)
( I'm crossing fingers and touching wood :-))

Of course, there will be quite a lot of crafting to do - jewellery, invites, buttonholes and even a little something for my granddaughter who will be just over a year old by then. Not to mention growing flowers for the bouquet.
I have lots of plans
but don't want to give too much away just yet :-)

Did you craft anything for your wedding? I'd love to hear about it.
Did you marry later in life or on a budget? Would love to hear your experiences as there is going to be quite a bit of that at our wedding ( you wouldn't believe how much my wedding dress has cost, but more of that later ;) )

People either love or hate abstract painting.

As an artist I find it very liberating. It's like music without words. The colours create harmonies, ebb and flow and can be very evocative.

They can convey an emotion without grounding it to a particular instance. Anger can be demonstrated without showing a particular face, serenity without a place. It allows the viewer to become engaged on a much more personal level without the artists reality getting in the way.

I like to think that there is an abstract painting out there that will speak to anyone who thinks they don't like abstract art and bring about that "eureka" moment.

Home from TT holiday :)

I have never been to the Isle of Man before much less to the TT race week.
It was great fun despite the weather.
Sports photography is hard work though, I am much more accustomed to a subject that, if it isn't stationary, doesn't move very fast. At least not compared with 160 miles an hour!
Guy Martin seemed to be the people's favourite with lots of people hoping for a win for him.
He had a couple of podium finishes but a wheel nut flying off put stop to his Superstock race. Unbelievably we captured the moment. Our group found the offending nut, reported it to the Marshals and Guy was stopped a little further round the course.

You can see the nut against the white line just behind the rise at the back of the bike.

Garden Border

I know, no posts for ages then 2 come along at once :)
Just to let you all know, I have a shop on Artfinder (Janice Ayers). I will be having a 48 hour sale tomorrow and Thursday. The shop will then be closed for a week while we go on holiday :)
This is one of the pictures on there showing the view of my garden border a couple of weeks ago. The forget-me-nots lasted for ages and are just going over now.