"Among the Trees" at the Hayward Gallery

Among the Trees is at an art exhibition at Hayward Gallery which reopened to the public this month.  It brings together artworks by 37 artists who, over the last 50 years, have explored our relationship with trees and forests. I includes works by artists Tacita Dean, Peter Doig, William Kentridge & more.

You can see the 4 minute virtual tour by the curator above.

a cinematic portrait of a 30-metre-high spruce tree by Eija-Liisa Ahtila

The two reviews of the exhibition below both award it three stars - apparently on the basis that while there are some impressive pieces, it's a case of finding it difficult to see the wood for the trees.

• Among the Trees review – a knotty problem | Adrian Searle, The Guardian
• Among the Trees review | Time Out

Others - by the Evening Standard and the Observer gave it four stars

• Among The Trees review: Sprawling evocation of the elusiveness and majesty of trees | Evening Standard
• Among the Trees | The Observer

But though there is a Peter Doig thicket, painted on canvas, one of Tacita Dean’s photographs of ancient uprooted cedars and a huge anthropomorphic lightbox by Jeff Wall, in which olive groves seem to shelter migrant workers, what is so extraordinary is the way the trees cease to belong to the individual artists. They rise above art, in the end, creating an atmosphere of serene reverie very rarely experienced in a gallery.

We know reviews are personal to the reviewer. I sometimes think this applies particularly to those who lives in cities when the review is about an exhibition involving trees - and maybe depends on how well attuned they are to trees. 

A number mocked the David Hockney RA - A Bigger Picture exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts which contained many many trees back in 2012 - and yet it was one of the most popular exhibitions the RA has ever had - even more popular than the Van Gogh exhibition at the RA.

That's because 

• the public often don't arrive with a perspective of what an exhibition should be - and enjoy viewing trees! (I went four times - and I definitely knew what it was going to look like after my first visit!)
• there's a fair number of people (and some reviewers) who live in towns who also like looking at trees

The exhibition at the Hayward Gallery is open on Wednesday – Saturday, 11am – 7pm and Sunday, 10am – 6pm; and closed on Monday and Tuesday. You must book online before visiting.

Personally I'd like to visit if only to see that curious Peter Doig painting looking at a building through tree branches. Now there's an artist who likes to live with trees.....

Exhibitions about Woods and Trees: art, illustrations and photography

Is this the year of the tree? 
Did a lot of people get together to create a lot of art exhibitions about trees? 
Or is it just a coincidence?

From the series Sonamu (pine tree) by Bae Bien-U

Apparently - according to the Art Fund, there has been a recent event of note worth commemorating

In 1217, Henry III signed the Charter of the Forest, opening up the royal forests for the use of the people. To mark the 800th anniversary of this act, in November 2017 The Woodland Trust launches a new charter to recognise and protect those rights.

This is a link to the National Library and The Charter of the Forest

Below is a listing of the art, photography and illustration exhibitions about trees which I know about.

The Arborealists: The Art of Trees 2017 

The Arborealists: The Art of Trees 2017 has just finished at Bermondsey Project Space, London, until 13 January - but will be moving to the John Davis Gallery in Moreton–in-Marsh, Gloucestershire in June 2018

The appearance of the Arborealists in 2013 is an extraordinary phenomenon within the pervading orthodoxy in an art world that values post modernist objects, film and popular culture. Where events, interventions and installations engage the viewer, what can ‘tree painters’ (the Arborealists are for the most part painters), offer a public that is understandably titillated by Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.

The associated book is still available - and indeed I bought The Arborealists: The Art of the Tree before I realised there was an exhibition!

Trees in Illustration 

Trees in Illustration is at the V&A until next week and finishes on Tuesday 23 January 2018.

This display shows a variety of illustrations celebrating trees, woods and landscapes. Featuring watercolours by Beatrix Potter and Arthur Rackham, alongside drawings by E. H. Shepard for A. A. Milne's Pooh stories and his verses in Now We Are Six. Also included are Eric Ravilious' charming wood engravings for an edition of Gilbert White's classic The Natural History of Selborne. Exhibited here for the first time are Rolf Brandt's witty pictures for Stephen McFarlane's Story of a Tree. 

The second exhibition at the V&A - Into the Woods: Trees in Photography - is currently on display until 22 April 2018.

I saw it last Friday and it has some  simply stunning images - see above for just one example.

Trees have long been a source of inspiration for artists. This display explores the diverse representation of trees in photography – as botanical subjects and poetic symbols, in the context of the natural and human worlds.

This is not part of the exhibition but is a short video on YouTube by Bae Bien-U the Korean photographer who produced the stunning image at the top of this post.  He has apparently been acclaimed for his treescapes - particularly ones of Korean Pines - for the last two decades.

I'll write more about the exhibition and the other marvellous images later in the week.

A Walk in the Woods: A Celebration of Trees in British Art 

Web page for A Walk in the Woods at Higgins Bedford

A Walk in the Woods: A Celebration of Trees in British Art is on at The Higgins Bedford - in Bedford - until 25 February 2018 (just over half an hour on the train from Central London - I've been checking train timetables!).

A trip to Bedford will also be rewarded with another exhibition of Edward Bawden and his Studio if you go before 28th January.

The Higgins Bedford pays homage to the tree with a new exhibition celebrating the role of trees and woodland in British landscape painting. Drawn from the world-famous Cecil Higgins Art Gallery Collection, some forty watercolours, drawings and prints from the past two centuries will be on show and will include works by John Constable, John Sell Cotman, Edward Lear, Samuel Palmer, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland and Lucian Freud. The show will highlight the importance and enduring popularity of trees in art, and explore various themes which have evolved in artists’ depictions of nature: magical and dreaming trees, trees in the countryside, the pleasures of woods and the lure of the exotic.

There's also a A Walk in the Woods Study Day on Saturday 20th January 10.30am – 2.30pm (
£20 Including lunch and tea or coffee on arrival - Booking essential)

This study day brings together speakers to explore further the subject of trees in British art. The day will start at 10.30 with refreshments and registration followed by talks by

• Christiana Payne, Professor of History of Art at Oxford Brookes University, author of ‘Silent Witnesses: Trees in British Art 1760-1870’ and co-curator of A Walk in the Woods; 
• Fiona Stafford, Professor of English Language and Literature University of Oxford, presenter of The Meaning of Trees on BBC Radio 3, and author of the acclaimed ‘The Long Long Life of Trees’, a tribute to the diversity of trees. 
• David Boyd Haycock, freelance writer, lecturer and curator specialising in British cultural history of the twentieth century. Author of ‘Paul Nash’ and ‘A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War’, David is currently writing a book called ‘A Grand Epoch: Young British Artists and the End of the Century’ for Tate Publishing. 

Linda Blondheim paints the Florida landscape and trees

Most of the time Linda Blondheim paints the fields, woods, swamps and trees of rural agricultural lands on farms in north Florida - when she's not offering smart business tips.

Linda Blondheim - Landscape Paintings of Florida

Right now she's evacuated from her field home and is hunkering down in her Paddiwhack town studio in Gainsville with her dog Henry, painting small bird paintings and hoping for the best.

So I thought I'd write this post highlighting her work and her great art tips.

If you feel moved to support a fellow artist and comment on Linda's blog or her Facebook Page can you PLEASE READ THE NOTES AT THE END first about Guidelines when discussing the hurricane with Floridians

More about Linda Blondheim

This is her website Linda Blondheim - Florida Landscape and Tree Paintings. I recommend you take a look at her landscape and trees on her website?

Florida is my home, and I have painted and roamed the fields and woods here all of my life. I grew up around horses, cattle and dogs. Growing up in north rural Florida has given me a deep appreciation for agricultural land and trees. These subjects are the focus of my work. As our rural areas of Florida fall to development, I feel it is urgent to preserve these beautiful lands and scenes on canvas. Future generations will know how lovely natural Florida was during my tenure. I have a trail on my own land where my dog Henry and I walk every day. We enjoy the wild creatures who share the land with us. I’ve been a country painter most of my life and I love the culture and cuisine of this region. Many artists in Florida paint the tourist areas of Florida, offering massive numbers of reproductions. I only paint original paintings in oils and acrylics. My paintings are one of a kind and unique. I paint the natural world where my roots grow deep.

This is her Facebook Page Linda Blondheim Art Studio

Linda Blondheim in her studio

She also delivers Classes, Workshops and Digital Tutorials

This is her Linda Blondheim Art Notes blog - where you can enjoy reading about the reality of an artist's life.

• She talks about creating paintings and selling art. Lots of great stuff in there by a very experienced artist who has been making her living from making and selling art for a long time. 
• Linda tells it like it is. I especially recommend reading her notes for all those who have romantic ideas about being an artist - Linda will provide you with the reality of what an artist's life is really like.

Here's a few recent notes worth reading (plus you often get a free recipe at the end!).
Why not subscribe to her blog if you like what you read....

• See Know Paint - about looking and how to get better at seeing

One of the hardest concepts to understand is how to really see. Objects do not look like we think they do. In my mind, I know what an elephant looks like but in reality, I have no idea.

• Swell Fall - about the routines an artist needs to follow to generate sales - lots of great tips

Think about ways that you can be unique among artists. What makes you just a bit different or makes you stand out from the pack. That is not necessarily about your art. It could be about the extra level of service you provide. Gift wrapping and shipping services for paintings, delivery and installation, framing consultation are all little extras which will impress future collectors. The easier you make life for them, the more likely they will be to choose you instead of your competitor.

• Shop Opening Studio - about why it helps to create your own place to sell your art

It is important to figure out what you will sell and how you will attract buyers. You must find a good location for your shop. Life is not like the film Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will NOT come unless you work very hard and market endlessly to get them there. You will need to either have a large marketing budget or be in a dandy location. If you must choose one, go with the great location if you can.

• Life Artist - about the reality of being a professional artist. It's tough talk and Linda doesn't pull her punchy points. However she has ridden the economic storms in the past and present and continues to be positive

I will continue to study and offer the best work that I can do. I am very willing to face the challenges of life as an artist because I know there are enough people who do value art to keep my career moving forward.

Guidelines when discussing the hurricane with Floridians

Linda posted this post which is circulating amongst those living in Florida on her Facebook Personal page.

The Third New York Botanical Garden Triennial: Call for Entries

The Third New York Botanical Garden Triennial is titled Out of the Woods: Celebrating Trees in Public Gardens.

The Call for Entries has been issued by the American Society of Botanical Artists - and I've summarised it below.

Entries are eligible for New York Botanical Garden Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals.

The reason for posting it now is drawing and painting trees tends to take a bit of time. Also relatively few botanical artists draw trees - and I think I detect in this subject an attempt by ASBA to interest more botanical artists around the world in recording trees for posterity.

To this end I'll provide my photos of artists who been rather successful in painting trees in this post.

Masumi Yamanaka with her painting of the Stone Pine in Kew Gardens - planted in 1846
See Review: Kew's Heritage Trees - paintings by Masumi Yamanaka
Since she painted it, the tree has lost three major branches in a big storm in 2013
- proving the worth of painting the tree.

The Exhibition

This Triennial follows on from the very successful and much travelled Weird, Wild, & Wonderful exhibition) associated with the Second Triennial.

The exhibition will be at The New York Botanical Garden between November 18, 2017 - April 22, 2018 - and presumably will then embark on a long tour as the last one did.

Call for Entries

The American Society of Botanical Artists has published the Call for Entries

• Out of the Woods Call for Entries Download106.18 KB and 
• ASBA - Exhibition Entry Form 252.21 KB)

The theme of the Third New York Botanical Garden Triennial will be trees in gardens, inviting artists to capture images of one of the planet’s most important and beautiful resources. These tree subjects must be found in a botanical garden or arboretum, and each entry will include the location(s) of the entered tree(s) We encourage artists to seek out unique trees in botanical gardens and arboreta, in any season, and depict whatever aspect of them they find most engaging and inspiring.  

It doesn't specifically state that the tree must be one found in the USA so I'm guessing that any recognised botanical garden or arboretum will be fine - especially if the exhibition is going to attract international entries - which I'm sure it will.

Update: The Exhibition Director informs me that

• the arboretum or botanical garden does not have to be in the USA, as long as it is a recognized botanical garden or arboretum.
• the goals relating to the exhibition’s theme include:
• recording notable trees in public collections for the historical record
• developing relationships between artists and these institutions and organizations, and encouraging artists to learn about and depict trees
• educating the public about the contemporary practice of botanical art, the value of trees worldwide, and the important tree resources that botanical gardens and arboreta provide.

RHS Botanical Art Exhibition: Best Exhibit in Show
Lauraceae in Korea by Hye Woo Shin
GOLD MEDAL 2013 awarded to Hye Woo Shin
(see Interviews with RHS Botanical Art Gold Medal Winners)
copyright: images - Hye Woo Shin; photo - Katherine Tyrrell

What you can enter

• Up to three entries
• Two-dimensional original botanical artwork, size limit 40” x 46” either horizontal or vertical. 
• The subject MUST be trees grown in botanical gardens or arboreta - and you are required to state its location on the entry form
• Titles must include genus and species if known (and botanical gardens and arboreta tend to be good at labelling trees!)
• Artwork must be available for exhibition for the full period stipulated i.e. artwork must be available to travel from 2017 through 2019.

Who can enter

The only people who can enter are current members of the American Society of Botanical Artists - irrespective of where they live.

So - if you want to enter and are not already a member then you need to consult the ASBA Membership Page on their website.

How to enter

Deadline for Entries:  After the exhibition dates changed, the original deadline of September 30, 2016 has now been changed to April 28, 2017 

Your entry comprises:

• signed and completed entry form
• payment of the fee (Fee per entry: $35 payable by check or PayPal)
• images on a CD

On Line Submission: Artists may enter and submit payment online and then email image(s).

Image requirements: Images of the artwork should be submitted as digital files. The constraints are as follows:

• High resolution i.e. 300 dpi
• Size: an image which will print at 8” high (it might be worth checking that this is the longest dimension), 
• tif or jpg files are acceptable (in practice tif files will provide better resolution but larger file sizes)
• On a CD labelled only with artist’s name and artwork(s) title(s). 

Alert! Artists should read the small print which states

If the artist withdraws the artwork before exhibition, the artist will not be eligible to show at any ASBA exhibition for the following two years.

Note that all

• artwork must be framed in specific L-profile, maple exhibition framing. Full information will be provided to accepted artists. (I'm assuming that arrangements are made to assist international entries and avoid shipping disasters through framing in the USA)
• Artists are responsible for shipping to the New York Botanical Garden and for its return shipping at the close of the exhibition. Artists are not responsible for shipping between venues.

An RHS Gold Medal in 2015 was awarded to Kimeo Maruyama for her paintings of Pine Trees

How to get started

ASBA suggests the following as appropriate ways of getting to grips with drawing and painting suitable trees

• explore your local botanical garden or arboretum 
• contact horticultural staff of the Botanic Garden or Arboretum to learn what trees they believe are worthy of note. 
• other art societies or art groups of ASBA Chapters - develop a concurrent exhibition on the same subject 
• plan a group sketching trip to a local botanical garden to explore the opportunities and possible approaches

ASBA recommends the use of the following resources

• ArbNet and The Morton Register of Arboreta which is is a comprehensive list and database of arboreta and public gardens that have a substantial focus on woody plants
• The National Gardening Association public gardens locator 

I'm also developing lists of botanical gardens around the world on my website - and will also be developing resources re arboreta.

Painting Canada 2 - Emily Carr at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

From the Forest to the Sea, Emily Carr in British Columbia opens to the public at Dulwich Picture Gallery on Saturday 1st November 2014.

From the Forest to the Sea, Emily Carr in British Columbia - at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

This is my video interview with Ian Desjardin, Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery and Co-Curator (with Sarah Milroy) of a new exhibition about the famous Canadian artist, Emily Carr (1871-1945).

A blog post about my visit to this exhibition and images of paintings you can see in the exhibition follows shortly.

Link: Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven - Review (2012 exhibition)

Sarah Simblet and The New Sylva - a video

Back in 2008 I did a drawing class with Sarah Simblet about Drawing Trees at the National Gallery. She talked about a major project she had embarked upon to draw trees.

Little did I realise at the time this would lead her to illustrating a new and revised version of a very old book about trees. The New Sylva - published this month - is an updated book about trees which takes as its starting point John Evelyn's Sylva (A Discourse of Forest Trees, and the Propagation of Timber in his Majesty's Dominions) published in 1664 - which was the world's first book about Forestry.

That wasn't illustrated - and this one is - with 200 new pen and ink drawings of more than 100 tree species.

Images from the book can be viewed on Facebook

The original book was for landed estates which grew trees. The new book is for everyone.

You can:

• see a Digital sampler of The New Sylva on their blog
• review images from the book released by the publisher in a Facebook photo set
• review a video (below) about how the book was made and how Sarah tackled drawing the different trees

The events associated with the publication of The New Sylva are all located as one might expect at arboreta and botanical gardens

Who painted this? #60

Who painted this? #60

In the interests of exploring the avenues of art history we don't often get to, this week we have an artwork which is a rather different format and a bit more international than usual.

Plus - what's very special about this work?

How to participate in "Who painted this? #58"

PLEASE make sure you read the rules before posting a comment - and ONLY POST ON THIS BLOG what you think is the answer.

Click this link to read THE RULES for participating in this challenge (this saves having to copy them out for each post!).

In short:

• use your brains not software to find the answer - search using words only on a database of images 
• leave your answer as a comment on this blog - do not leave the answer on Facebook! 
• if correct it will not be published until the next post - which provides the answer 
• if wrong it will be published 
• the winner - who gets a mention and a link on/from this blog - is NOT THIS WEEK the first person to give me a completely correct answer for ALL the things I want to know. It's the person who does all this AND provides the BEST answer (see above)

Who Painted This #59 - The Answer

Review: David Nash at Kew - A Natural Gallery

I'm going to have to go back to Kew Gardens to find more of the sculptures by David Nash in his exhibition of sculpture David Nash at Kew - A Natural Gallery. I reckon I found about two thirds of them on Wednesday - but missed some of the really good ones.

The sculptures in wood and bronze are located around the gardens and in the Temperate House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

Cork Dome - (2012) cork oak
©  David Nash
The first ever sculpture Nash has made using Cork Oak.

Cork Dome is the sculpture Nash is most excited about. It is an entirely new work, built onsite at Kew Gardens. It's also the first Nash has made from cork oak. He was inspired to make it while visiting the cork harvest in Portugal.
Cork Dome

This is an index of all the works by Nash which are on display in Kew Gardens

• If you click on the image it takes you to a page for each sculture.
• On that page it tells you how the work was made and what Nash thinks of it

This is my video of the works I saw.  It's a combination of film and stills of sculptures

Working on site: David Nash in the Wood Quarry at Kew

David Nash in the Wood Quarry at Kew
Image courtesy of Kew Gardens

In his latest exhibition David Nash at Kew - A Natural Gallery at The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, David Nash RA has his studio in the gardens. Except in his case the studio is a Wood Quarry and his tool of choice is a chainsaw.

This is the first time Nash has shown his process of making art as part of a major exhibition. It is also his first wood quarry in ten years.

This is a video of David Nash working in his Wood Quarry at Kew Gardens.

In a career spanning 40 years, the artist David Nash has created over 2,000 sculptures out of wood, many of them monumental in scale.
kewgardens - David Nash at Kew - the Wood Quarry

In my last post, about artists working on construction sites, I commented on how the artists told me that the art comes out of what presents itself.

It's very much the same thing when David Nash works with wood. The weight of the wood dictates that most of the work is done where the tree grew. This means that when he works around the world, he works with the trees and the wood which is indigenous to the place.

In other words, he responds to his environment - much as the artists do who work within a building site.

Yesterday I went to view the exhibition. I didn't get round it all (ran out of time plus ran out of space on my SD card!) and one of the parts I didn't get to was the wood quarry. So I was very pleased to discover this morning that Kew Gardens have published a video of David Nash on the Kew Gardens YouTube video channel which shows him working in the Wood Quarry and explaining how he work.

Later this year, works created by David Nash in the Wood Quarry will be appearing in the exhibition at Kew.

I'm just annotating a video I've created (I've just learned how to annotate film so as to indicates titles of work!) and am drafting a review of the exhibition which will be published later today.

In the meantime, enjoy the sight of an artist at work in the landscape.

Earth Day - and how to draw a tree!

Drawing of a fruit tree meadow
Martin Stankewitz

Did you notice that Google has gone green for today - that's because it's Earth Day. Over on Watermarks we're having a posting extravaganza with posts about green and watery aspects relating to our appreciation of the earth we live on, the aspects which cause us concern, things we can all do to make a practical difference and help protect our planet and - of course - the subjects we draw and paint.

Here's a summary of links to our posts - we'd be very pleased if you come visit our small corners of this precious Earth!

• Water on Earth Day - What you can do today
• Water on "earth day" - a clear brook
• Water on Earth Day rubbish in the city
• Water on Earth Day-Chicago Lake and River Front
• Water on "Earth Day" - Coast erosion
• Water on "Earth Day" Morning Mist on the Helford
• Water on Earth Day – Newfoundland’s pristine reputation?

How to draw a tree

Recently I discovered a delightful squidoo lens created by ace artist/draughtsman/printmaker Martin Stankewitz (Edition Handdruck) who lives in Germany (and hence English is Martin's second language). Martin develops fabulous monotype prints from his drawings and sketches done outdoors.

He's produced a really nice site about 'how to draw a tree' - and Martin's tree drawings are wonderful!

How to draw a tree - Find a collection of tree drawings and explanations how they have been done. Get inspired by famous and less famous, but very impressive contemporary and historic examplesof tree drawings and have a look at online drawing tutorials. Get some inspiration here to find your own way how to do a tree drawing.

a pen and ink study drawn from life
part of a landscape sketchbook project
Martin Stankewitz

His site covers:

• Learning by doing - tree drawing from LIFE
• Three critical points in depictions of trees
  
• Rythm and patterns in foliage
  
• Some tricks that help to get a convincing tree drawing
  
• How to draw the trunk of a tree
• plus some examples of how he applies basic principles in his own drawings in different media
• and some examples from well known artists from the past and the present

"How to Draw a tree" is a gold nugget of art education - and in my view is it's well worth investing some time in studying what he has to say. I need to improve my tree drawing and I'm going to be reading it from end to end more than once!

It's now also a featured lens on Drawing and Sketching - Resources for Artists.

10 good habits for good times or bad

Study of Tate Trees #1
210mm x 297mm,
Edding 1800 profipen 0.1 with archival pigment ink on Daler Rowney Bristol Board 115lbs
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Following on from Taking action after the bubble has burst and Managing Business Risks as an Artist this post is about 10 good habits for running your art business. When you can't seem to see wood for trees, these are often the sort of habits which can really help.

(Well I had to get my drawing of trees for the trees series in somehow!)

I think they're actually good habits for any time - good times or bad - but they're particularly relevant when the financial picture looks bleak and you need to know you're making the very best use of your time and resources.

You also need to understand I learned some of the the hard way - and some I still have to work very hard at keeping!

Do you agree with my top 10? If you disagree, what would you choose instead?

1. Clear identity - Be able to explain who you are, what your art is about and how it's developing in a clear and confident manner to anybody who asks - or looks at your websites.
   
2. Focused - Have a clear set of objectives each year which are written down, specific and measurable (eg I want to produce x paintings for y series in time for z exhibition in December)
3. Market-orientated - Know your market, know your buyers and spend at least 50% of your time on marketing your art
4. Efficient - Save time and frustration by keeping good accessible records of all art produced - from photos to spreadsheets to digital files
   
5. Presentation matters - remember that applies whether it's framed artwork, how it's wrapped for shipping or emails
   
6. Managing the money - Keep on top of what generates the cashflow - both receipts and payments
   
7. Work as a team - Make sure you check and don't assume people can help out when you need them
   
8. Time management - Double the time you think you need to get ready for an exhibition
   
9. Business records - Make sure you keep records which give you all the information needed for your tax return
10. Don't be stupid - Archive important records - and ALWAYS remember to do your computer back-ups!
    

Note: Tate Modern has highly structured plantings of silver birches as part of the landscaping inbetween the museum and the river Thames - next to the Millenium Bridge. I usually prowl around them when I visit trying to see if I can find a new angle for the patterns they make. It varies over the year depending on whether or not they're in leaf.

I'm working on Bristol Board for the first time in ages and finding it suits my 0.1 profipen very well!

Links:

• Pen and Ink - Resources for Artists
• Art and the Economy - Resources for Artists
• Pastels and Pencils - Trees and Leaves
  

Travels with a sketchbook in a Kentish Garden

The Garden Tower, Penhurst Place

8" x 11.5", coloured pencils in Daler Rowney Sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

These are the images - if you want to read the text and the explanation for where I went yesterday afternoon you need to visit A hot summer's afternoon in a Kentish garden over on my other blog Travels with a Sketchbook in.....

Plus you get to see some photos too.

The Mistletoe Tree
11.5"x16", coloured pencils, double page spread in Daler Rowney sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Near Chiddingstone
8" x 11.5", coloured pencils in Daler Rowney sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Gardens in Art - a new squidoo lens

The Lemon Tree House
19.5" x 25.5", pastel on rembrandt pastel card
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

I've created two new Squidoo Lens - one for Gardens in Art and one for Flowers in Art. They include (or will do shortly) links to:

• all the Making A Mark blogposts for each project
  
• all the Making A Mark blog posts labelled 'gardens' (or flowers)
• a link to the search results for all MAM blog posts mentioning "garden" (or "flower")
  
• books mentioned during the course of the project
  
• hyperlinks to information on different websites identified as part of the project

The Gardens in Art lens has just been set up and will look more like the Flowers in Art one as it progresses. I still have to include all the hyperlinks identified during the course of the project in the Flowers in Art lens but will be doing that in the near future.

All in all these lens are intended to be the place where I will be keeping all the links I want to know about or use in relation to visiting and drawing and painting gardens (or flowers). There's a facility to rate the lenses for anybody who would like to do so.

I'm minded to include links to the blogs of people who draw or paint blogs of gardens or flowers on a regular basis. I can do a link to the label for "garden" or "gardens" and "flowers" - which will then pick up all relevant posts if they are suitably labelled. Just let me know if you'd like a link and what you use to identify your relevant posts.

The Lemon Tree House (May 1995)

One of the interesting things about drawing and painting plein air in different parts of the world is you get to learn how quite ordinary things can vary in different parts of the world. For example, "The Lemon Tree House" is a pastel painting of a small and rather old Greek house (in Volissos on the Aegean island of Chios) which only had lemon trees in the garden around the house. These then threw amazing shadows onto the white painted walls of the house. And that's not dodgy perspective drawing - the wall was in fact falling down and lurching very badly! At the side of the garden was a field containing amazing wild flowers. It struck me as a very appropriate way to garden in a small rural village in Greece.

It's not the best painting I've ever done but it was the first one when I began to realise what I might be able to accomplish using pastels and a larger support as it generated a "Wow" reaction from everybody I was painting with. I completed it in one sitting of maybe two and half hours in pastels on an abrasive support (Rembrandt pastel card). It measures 19.5" x 25.5".

Links:

• Gardens in Art - Resources for Artists
• Flowers in Art - Resources for Artists
• Pastels and Pencils - Houses and Gardens Gallery
  

Symonds Yat and Art for Youth North 2007

Symonds Yat - blue, green and gold

12" x 18", Coloured Pencil

copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is a new piece of the view of the River Wye and its valley from Symonds Yat Rock in Gloucestershire in the west of England. This view is a particular favourite of mine. I've drawn it once before and the work just flowed! This time I loved drawing it and loved the end result all over again - I guess some views just make my artistic 'juices' flow. My previous piece is very firmly attached to my sitting room wall and is very definitely not for sale whereas this piece is for sale next month (see below)! Click on the picture for a larger image.

This view of the woods alongside the River Wye from Symonds Yat is both extremely popular and internationally famous. However, as anyone who has visited the Rock will know, there's not a lot of space and there are usually throngs of people there - all keen to soak up the view and to see if they can spot the Peregrine Falcons which have a RSPB protected nest site there and enjoy flying on the thermals associated with the place. Bottom line - it's not an ideal venue for either drawing or painting. As a result this work has been developed from a photo - you may also have noticed the slight clue that it's a very hot day in the piece and this is March! We saw falcons while we were there but didn't get any in shot as they're so fast. I'm wondering whether I should add some in even at this late stage but am reluctant to do so without a really good reference.

Now for the explanation behind the second half of the title. I've been invited to submit work for the Art for UK Youth North 2007 Exhibition at Topcliffe in Yorkshire in April and this is one of the pieces I'm submitting. I'm very pleased to support UK Youth and here's a brief introduction to who they are and what they do from their website.

UK Youth is the leading national youth work charity supporting over 750,000 young people, helping them to raise their aspirations, realise their potential and have their achievements recognised via non-formal, accredited education programmes and activities.

Art for Youth is the main fundraising event of the Friends of UK Youth. and there are two events - one in London and one in Yorkshire for artists from the north (I may have lived in London for a long time but my roots are in the north!). The events aim to (1) raise money for UK Youth and (2) enable young unknown artists to show their work alongside more established artists.

The Art for Youth North 2007 Exhibition runs between 17th - 19th April (see the website for more details) and will be opened by Nigel Mansell, the ex world champion racing driver and current President of UK Youth.

The exhibition organiser and I are trying to work out a way in which the work that I'm submitting can also be 'auctioned' on the internet - with the reserve value being the price in the exhibition catalogue and the end of the auction being the end of the exhibition. For example, "Symonds Yat - blue, green and gold" will be available, via Art for UK Youth North, framed for £450 plus shipping. 'Watch this space' - as they say.........

Links:

• UK Youth
• Art for UK Youth 2007
• Forestry Commission: Wye Valley Woods and Symonds Yat Rock - including location map
• RSPB Perigrine Falcons