Cath Sheard Art

Tag: painting

  • Getting back out there

    I haven’t entered much lately, or applied for many exhibitions either really, compared with what I have done in the last year or three. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was tired, listening to too much recession talk and being a bit lazy. Today I decided it was time I got over myself and got back out there. So I have …

    I have booked exhibition spaces, applied for art awards, put my name forward here and there. To keep track of all the due dates etc I have printed out a new timetable that’s now on my whiteboard directly above my work desk. No more excuses!timetable

  • Da Vinci brushes

    Yesterday I was in Hamilton, about 5 hours drive from here, and had the chance to visit Gordon Harris Art Supplies. I fell totally in love with the Da Vinci brush range. The ones I was looking at are only their hobby brushes but they are *so* soft and beautiful to touch. The bigger ones in that range are $30-40 each, so not exactly cheap in NZ$, but not extravagant either. 

    I bought a 1 1/2″ Mottler, a 2″ Mottler and a lovely fine round. I can’t wait to use them. Has anyone else tried the Da Vinci brushes?

    fit_for_hobby

  • Working on a project

    I’ve been working on a boxed book project that involves photos, collage, paint etc. I made a start at the weekend, sitting at my home-office desk instead of in my art room – due to the almost sub-zero temperatures we’ve been experiencing my outside art room is off limits. Here’s a peek at the underlayers on the box the book will be housed in. evidence 009

  • After George Morandi

    As a member of the NZ Art Guild, I try to take their challenges as often as I can. Sometimes it is about using a particular style or technique, sometimes it is about being inspired by a certain artist. The most recent Master’s Month artist was George Morandi. I had not heard of him, so some research was needed. You can see some of his work here.

    I had two attempts at this; the first was a watercolour which focused on the way he let shapes run into each other by using wet in wet colours. Morandi’s watercolours also had a lot of white space, and quite distinct shapes.

    For my second attempt I reworked one of his oil paintings as a collage using hand painted paper, scrapbook papers, glue, ink and pen. The collage won the ‘most creative use of the theme’ award.

    after-george-morandi-1

    george-morandi-2

  • Pastels for a change

    I have been working mainly in acrylic and ink for quite a while now. I love the speed of working with acrylic, and the ease of cleaning up. But I also miss getting my hands in the medium. So I’ve started using pastels again, playing round on full sheets of Colorfix paper.

    Sure, it dries my skin out. Sure, the dust gets all over me. But you know what? That doesn’t matter, cos I’m loving it. The immediacy of the medium is wonderful – the colour on the paper is the colour of the stick (is the colour on my face as I wipe my hand across my temple!) I can’t believe I stopped using pastels for so long. Silly me…

    Materials: reference photos, full sheet Colorfix paper, Unison and Art Spectrum pastels, and my fingertips. Magic! Not finished yet, but thought I’d share the WIP.

    art-sunday-016