It's a GoodThing on a long haul

It's a GoodThing on a long haul
It's a Good Thing on a Long Haul

Monday 21 October 2013

Mini Mural Fun

















Mermaids not seen since the 70's
Chesterfield Art Club turned out in strength for a session of Mini Mural Painting. More used to watercolour paper and canvas, chipboard was a challenge. Allowing a rectangle of chipboard to lead, and expecting an artist to follow it is a bit of a tall order. But everyone managed it, some even enjoyed the element of surprise such a radical medium brought. Some found it liberating playing with paint again in a way they hadn't done for years;
It takes patience to see what  is hidden within the wood grain, and with only 2 hours in which to make those  discoveries, the results were a beginning, rather than an end. Some people, unleashing their inner Grayson Perry, others finding a part of them they had lost about 50 years ago.




Autumn Stage 1

Autumn lace
Stage 2
Stage 3


Actually it never ceases to amaze me just how creative we are as a species, finding  form and meaning in just about everything.




It does help if you have very few pre-conceived ideas, and a bit of imagination. But even that isn't essential. The process of unearthing or revealing what your board holds within is a sculptural one.. 


Imagination is one thing we are not short of, even those who doubt they have any at all seem to come up with something surprising. And yes, in case you're wondering, someone did find Jesus and for some reason, the Burning Bush.  He shall be nameless, let us just say he is the Alpha Bear of the Club, and his concentration was slightly distracted by a poorly eye and a new member playing up. [The eye not the new member] There is hope for him yet, but possibly not on chipboard....
 




Pelicans and Pigs








Underseascape
Bamboo boat
chunky sea on chunky board
 A thin wash on a board can reveal hidden hieroglyphs, pastel brings the out texture. Painting between the wood chips highlights the negative shapes. There are so many ways to approach a surface as complex as this.
Between the lines
Startrite and live happily ever after



Allotments
Hieroglyphs



Not bad for two hours on boards


 




Friday 11 October 2013

MINI MURAL WORKSHOPS Fri OCT 11TH chesterfield Art Club & Sat FEB 1ST 2014 AT RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK

Using a new medium is always interesting, whether an artist or a beginner. The surface of OSB [ to the trade], common or garden hoarding to you and me, is just the stuff to inspire you into realms of imagination. I paint one side of the board in white acrylic, leave the other side raw. You may want to use either, or both sides.

First, there is no right or wrong way to paint chipboard.
Second, there is no right or wrong medium to use on it.
Third, you cannot fail because there is no gold standard.

Armed with these thoughts, you can be bold, crazy, or conservative. You can paint the smallest mural in the world, or take up a whole wall. But we will start with smallish boards just to get the hang of what to look for, what to develop. I usually start with sketching the outlines of what I can see. You might not. You might decide to ignore the textured surface altogether and impose an idea you have in your head onto it.

You can bring your own paints/inks/brushes/ pastels etc, or I will provide some. If you want to look at another example of Mini Murals, check out Jan 14th 2011 below to see what some other total novices produced.