4 May 2014 - Who's made a mark?

Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition Invitation

I'm back "on the book" this month - we're now at the editing / design / layout stage and refinement re images.  For those involved I may be getting back to you!

As before this post is a recap of:

• recent posts on this blog
• things I've seen and highlighted on my Facebook Page. Many thanks to all those who have 'liked' my Facebook Page in the last two weeks. It took me nearly 6 years to get to 2,000 likes and under two weeks to collect another 200! :)
• other items I've seen and bookmarked to include in this post - and there's a heavy emphasis on art exhibitions this week.

Art blogs

Artists

Say 'Hello' to Andy Wood - the brand NEW President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour. Andy was previously the Secretary of the RI. He's one of a very few painters in watercolour to have broken into and become acclaimed within the Chinese watercolour painting community.  Last year Andy was one of the judges of the Shenzhen International Watercolor Biennial in 2013 (Facebook Page)

For those wondering whether a change in President means any change to the scope and style of paintings favoured by the RI, my guess is Andy would say that's up to the selection panel.  However, below I've included my photo of some of his paintings - as exhibited in the recent annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour.

Watercolour Paintings by Andy Wood PRI

Joanna Trollope, Author (left)
presenting Suzanne du Toit (right)
with the BP Portrait Prize 2013

Suzanne du Toit, winner of the BP Portrait Award 2013, has written an article for the BBC on her Top 10 tips for being an artist.

It proved very popular when I posted it on Facebook so if you missed it there why not take a look?

Botanical Art

• Following the RHS Botanical Art Show in the Lindley Hall, this my very popular annual post - Interviews with six RHS Botanical Art Gold Medal Winners (2014)
• I want to celebrate those who have overcome a lack of confidence enough to put their work forward for scrutiny and judgement.  Particularly those who then get a distinction in their Diploma - but let Jarnie Godwin (Sketchbook Squirrel) tell you about 'Enjoy What you Do
• If you ever fancy a change, these are the workshops in botanical art at the New York Botanical Gardens. 

Collage Art

• Anticipating that artists who have visited the Matisse exhibition will be stimulated to wield their scissors, tThe May Share Your Art project on The Guardian focuses on Collage Art. You can see the work being shared on A cut above: share your collages now - and I have to say they are absolutely fascinating.  Check out An Election Entertainment after Hogarth by Emma Richardson

Drawing and sketching 

• Shevaun Doherty (Botanical Sketches) wrote about sketching natural history subjects in Museums Sketching 
• I once went to a lecture by Gerald Scarfe at the end of which he drew in pen and ink - it's quite scary! This week he gave an interview to The Guardian 

In general, Gerald draws on thick cartridge paper which is approximately 83cm x 60cm (34 x 24 inches), although some drawings are smaller. He mainly works in pen and black ink, adding water colour later. - See more at: http://www.geraldscarfe.com/originals/#sthash.0jA8VzIr.dpuf

Landscapes

• I recently came across the landscape paintings of Mary Bentz Gilkerson who is a Professor of Art at Columbia University. This is her website and this is her blog - and you can find her workshops here
• Wanderarti takes urban sketching to the next level - I think. It's a website which focuses on the art that people are making about places but has not limited it to just sketching.  It includes an interview with Laura Frankstone. (Laurelines)

Miniatures

• Congratulations to David Lawton (Facebook) has been told he's qualified for membership of the Hilliard Society based on the quality of his work alone. David now needs to get himself a website (hint!)

Portraiture

• A selfie state of mind: How the British perfected the art of the self-portrait - is an article in the Independent which traces the involvement of British artists in the development of the self-portrait. Linked of course to the publication of a book! (‘The Self-Portrait: a Cultural History’ by James Hall, is published by Thames & Hudson)

Street Art 

• Jonathan Jones got sniffy with Street Art and Banksy recently. New Banksy? Whatever. Graffiti is just a tame in-joke for Guardian readers

All good fun. Sadly it has nothing to do with art. Banksy is a cultural phenomenon but not an artistic one.

Art Business & Marketing 

21st April 2014 - Who's made a mark?

This is the first of my "Who's made a mark" posts in a while.  It's a round-up of my posts on this blog and on Facebook PLUS it's interspersed with other news I've noticed as I get back to more normal life.

During my time writing the book I've had a couple of major milestones

The Making A Mark Facebook Page yesterday - with 2,001 likes

• Making A Mark achieves 2.5 million visits came in March
• and yesterday Making A Mark achieved more than 2,000 likes for the Making A Mark Facebook Page

Many thanks to all those regular readers, visitors and followers of Making A Mark. 
I love hearing from you if the blog has made a difference to your lives......

After the hiatus I'll start by just briefly mentioning what's coming up on my blog in the next week:

• a call for entries for an important new art competition
• interviews with the six botanical artists who became RHS Gold Medallists last week
• a return for "Who Painted This?"
• and a big thank you to all the artists who contributed images to my new book

 PLUS a video of the biggest exhibition to open in London recently!

Art Genre

Botanical Art

• We're into my favourite phase of the year with the RHS Botanical Art Show closely preceded or followed (as happens this year) by the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists. So far I've written three posts about the RHS Show:
• RHS Botanical Art Show 2014 - Medal winners - highlights what each artist selected for the exhibition was awarded. Basically the standard is now so high that everybody gets a medal
• More Top Tips for winning an RHS Gold Medal for Botanical Art - another in my series of posts identifying what's required to do well at the RHS show - based on tips from the Gold Medallists
• 15 Top Tips for presenting work at an RHS Botanical Art Exhibition - this year I've included observations about what makes for a better presentation of artwork in this show.
• Meanwhile Gaynor Dickeson wrote a fascinating account over several posts on her blog
  gaynorsflora about what it was like to prepare for the show and then be there. There are several posts starting on 6th April - as she gives an insiders' perspective on what's involved with exhibiting at this show. I recommend you start around about the beginning of April as she starts her count down to the exhibition and all the last minute things you need to think about and do. It's recommended reading for all those who aspire to do the same!

Drawing and Sketching

• I've been asked to speak at "Draw In" - a symposium about drawing in late August. Other speakers will include Paul Foxton, PJ Lynch, and Colleen Barry.
• I've been asking artists their top tip for drawing - and this is John Smolko's Top Tip for Drawing
• In mid March I asked whether 2014 - the year of very many books about Urban Sketching? We have the third Urban Sketchers London exhibition at Timberyard Old Street – 61-67 Old Street, London EC1V 9HW

Portraiture

• Simon Weston portrait unveiled at National Portrait Gallery - It was great meeting both Simon Weston and Nikki Pihiliips who painted his portrait at the NPG.  It was also a privilege to see somebody see their own portrait for the first time. His mum said "It's him to a t." His family are all very pleased with it. Simon was voted for by the British public as being the person they most wanted to see in the NPG.

The framer, Simon Weston, Nikki Phillips (the artist) and Fiona Bruce

Watercolour Painting

• This is a Video: Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours - Annual Exhibition. 

Art Books

• One of the best people I know in terms of drawing and drawing books is Sarah Simblet. This is Sarah Simblet and The New Sylva - a video about a new book she's been working on - it includes 200 drawings of trees in the UK

Art Business and Marketing

2nd March - Who's made a mark in 2014?

The book has taken over - and I'm not going to be doing a lot of blogging in March other than the odd review and some quickies.

Here then is a round up of the year so far on my blog and my Facebook Page (for those who don't subscribe) - and then I'm going to go very quiet........

Making A Mark - in January and February 2014

• Making A Mark - in January and February 2014 - a listing of posts from the first 6 weeks of the year.
• I posted Art recording 'The Deluge of 1607' and 'Winter Storms of 2014 and then lo and behold days later the Bristol Channel experienced another earthquake!
• Ban kids from art museums vs. encourage learning opportunities The ongoing debate which started with the child who climbed on the very expensive sculpture at Tate Modern rumbles on. Such a pity more parents don't make the most of the learning opportunities for families and children offered by London's wonderful art galleries and museums! (Post contains a list and links)
• Packaging and posting artwork #2 I've revised and updated the front end of this 2008 post Packaging and posting artwork so mail and parcel links are now fresh (and Parcelforce will now get an email to this effect!) However it you review this VERY LONG post and find any of the packaging links are doolally could you let me know and I'll find the right one and update again.
• Tips for entering art competitions - a very popular post for those who have not read it before
• Tips for repelling plagiarist bloggers - an even more popular post for those who want to do something about those who steal images off blogs and websites
• Don't date your signature on your artwork! - check out the poll - and the comments as to what people do with their signature and date
• "The Great War in Portraits" - a review - the new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Plus Making A Mark (the blog) also earned itself a "Major Timesink Warning" from Charley Parker over at Lines and Colors.

Making A Mark on Facebook - in January and February 2014

These are all the posts on Facebook which were not highlighting my blog posts. I've ordered them according to type of topic

Art as therapy

An interesting Guardian article - Alain de Botton's guide to art as therapy Can visual art offer solace, hope and reassurance as music can? Alain de Botton chooses the works that make him feel less alone

Artists

• Damien Hirst: I copy my children's art was an article in the Telegraph in February. So that's how he does it....

World’s richest artist admits he uses his children’s ideas for his own art, saying young can produce “much better” work than adults due to lack of fear

• In Is David Hockney the greatest living British painter just by default? Johnathan Jones asks and answers in the Guardian

We shouldn't tar Hockney with the brush of 'greatness'. His work is more clever and passionate than these deadening labels allow

• This is a trailer video Oil Sketches DVD by Peter Brown by  of Pete "the street" Brown - whose work can be seen in rather a lot of the Annual Exhibitions of national art societies at the Mall Galleries in London. You can also read about him in the Feb.2014 edition ofArtists And Illustrators Magazine. 
• I really rate the work of Liz Charsley-Jory. I highlighted her work twice in my reviews of the 2010 and the 2012 Annual Exhibitions by the Pastel Society. You can see more of her work on http://www.lizcharsley-jory.com/ and at an exhibition in London - Wandering off the trail. The latter is an assembly of drawings done while she was the Canadian Artist in residence at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Art Books

• Guess what's in my selection of the 20 top new books about drawing in 2013? The selection was revised as the year went on and you can see what made it in 20 NEW Books about Drawing in 2013
• Thomas Thorspecken - author and illustrator of Analog Artist Digital World is also the author of a new book Urban Sketching - a complete guide - was published last month and a copy has been sent to me for review.  The focus of the book is one the nuts and bolts of drawing and sketching as applied to sketching urban scenes. It's an intensely colourful book which is chock-full of useful information. It also showcases sketches by a variety of international urban sketchers.  It's particularly fascinating for me given I'm writing a similar type of book but with a wider remit as to subject matter.   Once I've finished my book (by the end of this month) I'm going to review it back to back with James Hobbs' Sketch Your World as they are both books about the same topic although they look very different.

Art for Children

• Some Elementary Art Lessons For those who teach art in elementary school - or parents - here's a very kind offer of lesson plans on the blog Nicole Caulfield Fine Art of my good friend Nicole Caulfield


• How to illustrate Children's Books is a new website created recently. The aim was to pull together information about illustrating children's books in one place. This is just the start - it's a site which needs development.

Art Business and Marketing 

• The a-n bursary programme: giving artists what they ask for - News about art bursaries for artists
• Is your Open Studio on this website?http://www.openhouseart.co.uk/ You can find the Open Studio Art Trails herehttp://www.openhouseart.co.uk/art-trails

Art Collectors and Art Economy

• Is collecting art as profitable as it is painted? This is an interesting perspective on collecting art from the Financial Times

The international art market is having its time in the sun: auction records keep tumbling, living artists have become superstars, and their punchy paintings and shiny sculptures have become the billionaire’s playthings of choice.

Art Competitions

• Have you entered The GreatArt Postcard Challenge 2014 ? Have you noticed who are the judges? Send your entry on any 10.5 x 14.8mm sized support to enter
• Note: The exhibition for the Lynn Painter Stainer competition is at the Mall Galleries between 17-22nd March (see £15,000 Lynn Painter-Stainer Prize 2014 - deadline approaches)

Art Exhibitions

• "The Weather Series" of six lithographs by David Hockney - part of the Hockney, printmaker exhibition now on at Dulwich Picture Gallery until 11 May 2014. It's a wonderful exhibition which comes highly recommended by me — at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Art Galleries and Museums

• this is an invite to tour the collection of artwork by Claude Monet held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• I came across the the subject hub for Watercolours on the Victoria and Albert Museum website yesterday for the first time. 

Watercolour Hub on the V&A website

• The Ruskin Collection - an e-museum, housed by the Museum of Sheffield, about John Ruskin’s many interests. Early renaissance art, gothic architecture, Albrecht Dürer and JMW Turner’s engravings, mosaic decoration, Japanese cloisonné enameling, illustrations of birds, flowers, insects and landscapes etc. 

Art History

• There are some splendid pics in this album of Historical images (21 photos) on the Winsor & Newton page

Botanical Art

• Botanical Artist Alert - Look what's coming to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens. Exhibition - Magnolias: Paintings by Barbara Oozeerally - This extraordinary series of Magnolia paintings by Barbara Oozeerally will be on show at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art from 15 January 2014.  This is the Price List for the paintings on display - the larger ones are around £5,500.
• Jarnie Godwin (Sketchbook Squirrel) has been composing herself - A Sense of Proportion

Drawing and Sketching

• James Hobbs (blog)and Simone Rudyard (blog)who organise urban sketcher groups in London and Manchester talked about the pleasure and companionship of sketching in large groups on BBC Radio 4's "Saturday Live" plus James was also talking about his new book 'Sketch Your World - Essential Techniques for Drawing on Location' by James Hobbs (published by Apple)." As a result, I've got a sketch on a BBC website!
• But Who's in Sketch Your World? James provided a complete list of the 60 international artists in this blog post - plus links to their blogs and websites
• 28 Drawings Later - Entrances in London by Thomas Corrie is a great guest post on the Urban Sketchers London blog by Thomas Corrie - who despite tube strikes and lots of wind and rain - drew entrances in London, every day in February for "28 Days Later" 

• A new place to sketch at the RA on my travelsketchbook blog. The black sofas in the Friends Room at the Royal Academy are no more - however there is a new place to drink a cup of tea and sketch which doesn't involve the very hard seating in the room where the beloved black sofas used to be.

After Bellini (monotype)
© Ilaria Rosselli dely Turco

Printmaking

• After Bellini, Monotype is a really lovely monotype by Ilaria Rosselli del Turco (Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco - News).  Ilaria has a store on her new website called Printed Once to denote the fact she produces monotypes.

Women and Art

I have a feeling Jonathan Jones got a "Be more challenging and controversial" comment in his annual performance review.  Here's three recent articles on his Jonathan Jones On Art blog in the Guardian which I featured on Facebook.

• I do like women artists who don't want to be the same as everybody else! That said Jonathan Jones does repeat some male-oriented perspectives in this piece The 10 most subversive women artists in history - which doesn't make them true! 

From the 17th-century painter who repeatedly depicted a woman beheading a man to the last great surrealist, Louise Bourgeois, here are 10 artists who took on the patriarchy and won

• Jonathan Jones isn't pulling any punches as he takes Tracy Emin apart in Tracey Emin: confessions of a conservative artist with nothing to say article in The Guardian. Ouch!

"The dust has settled on Young British Art. Some became rich. Some were forgotten. One or two proved to be real artists. And some became end-of-the-pier entertainers."

• However when he writes things like Art criticism has become too fawning – time for a best hatchet job award? I can't help feeling Jonathan's Editor keeps asking him to be less cosy and more controversial....... Or maybe he really doesn't like Tracy Emin?

Jonathan Jones: Jenny Saville? A heroic mediocrity. Tracey Emin? Outshone by your average newspaper cartoonist. And art critics, like their literary counterparts, should be encouraged to say so

Art Materials and Resources for Artists

• Arches Huile Oil Paper, Paper Rolls and Paper Pads - reviews and prices on Making a Mark Reviews is for those interested in trying Arches Oil/Huile Paper - as paper, paper pads or paper roll. Take a look at my summary of reviews and current prices offered by art supplies 
• My paint tube wall unit is a brilliant bit of kit for ALL painters who use tube paints. Thanks to my friend Liz Steel and her Dad for the wonderfully simply and inspired design and the stories behind it. 
• I've just given the pen suppliers section in Pen and Ink - Resources for Artistsa major update. Lots of recommendations re Uk suppliers - but I could do with a few more recommendations for ace suppliers in the USA. Any suggestions?
• How to choose art papers: part three – additives  - an article on the Artists & Illustrators website - provides fascinating comments about the how you can contaminate the sizing in fine art papers and the differences between different types of brightening additives.

The third section of our four part series looks at what gives your paper its delightful colour, be that brilliant white or a slightly more muted shade.

• Are you as fussy about fine art paper as I am? One of the things I enjoy about visiting independent art shops which specialise in fine art paper or travelling abroad is coming into contact with a lot of paper which isn't stocked by the larger suppliers. Enquire within....... Fine Art Paper & Vellum for Artists

Fine art paper and sketchbook resources for visual artists who draw, paint and/or print and calligraphers.

• Underpaintings: Transferring Drawings is a very comprehensive post by Matthew D. Innis (Underpainting) on how to make transfer drawings
• Insurance for Art and Artists is for those wanting to find out more about the insurance of art and for artists
  Do you need insurance for your art or artist's studio? Are you planning an art class and need insurance for public liability?

Techie Stuff

• How to Opt Out of Anyone on Google+ Landing in Your Gmail Inbox - Digits - WSJ The Wall Street Journal wants to share important information for people who don't want everyone knowing their gmail address 

Google is rolling out changes to Gmail and Google+ that gives anyone using Gmail the ability to send you an email without knowing your email address. 

• How Does Google Work? Learn How Google Works: Search Engine + AdWords - Learn how Google finds your blog - this infographic provides all the detail. It's the best I've ever seen.

and finally....

I love this - and want to see more! Paintings of London by past Masters - including some of my favourite Canalettos - superimposed onto Google Street View

Famous London paintings meet Google Street View – in pictures

www.theguardian.com

Famous 18th and 19th-century paintings of London are superimposed on to Google Street View screenshots for a fascinating collision

25th November 2013 - Who's made a mark this week?

Turner and the Sea is a major exhibition of marine paintings by Joseph William Mallord Turner which opened last week at the National Maritime Museum.  The exhibition continues until 21 April 2014.

I've not yet seen it as yet but have received a wonderful packet of images from the nice people at the Museum - and it looks stunning!  The one below I see on a regular basis in its normal home at the National Gallery - however it often succeeds in making me feel slightly sea-sick in empathy for those waiting on Calais Pier to get into the boats!

Calais Pier, with French Poissards Preparing for Sea: An English Packet arriving

by J.M.W. Turner, oil on canvas, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1803

© The National Gallery, London

Here are the reviews to date:

• Turner and the Sea, The National Maritime Museum, review - The Telegraph rates it 4****
• Jackie Wullschlager reviews Turner’s sea paintings at the National Maritime Museum for the Financial Times
• The Guardian has two articles:
• Turner & the Sea exhibition showcases painter's marine art in Greenwich
• JMW Turner: master of the ocean

Artists and Art Blogs

Artists

• Lisa Jardine last week commented on Grayson Perry and the 'national treasure' problem in The Guardian

The 'national treasure' label may suit our more cuddly public figures, but Perry is a powerful, discomfiting artist

• The Telegraph gave us Frank Auerbach: An interview with one of our greatest living painters last week.  This is a slideshow of the paintings in the current exhibition Raw Truth: Auerbach-Rembrandt, runs October 4 to December 1 at Ordovas, London W1 (ordovasart.com) then December 12 to March 16 at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (rijksmuseum.nl)

Botanical Art

• Shevaun Docherty (Botanical Sketches and Other Stories) demonstrates how she gets to know a plant before she begins to paint a plant properly - in Getting to know you
• Botanical Artist Anna Mason has been interviewed by Jacksons Art for their blog - see Getting to know…Anna Mason, Botanical Watercolourist with added ‘Wow’ Factor

Drawing and sketching

17th November 2013 - Who's made a mark this week?

Today I'm starting with a couple of artist who recently won prizes.

Angus McEwan has received the bronze award in the Shenzhen Watercolour Biennial 2013-2014. He is the only British finalist and prizewinner from an exhibition shortlist of 237 paintings and 2825 entries.  The Biennial has an international panel of jurors which included Andy Wood, the Honorary Secretary of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and Thomas Plunkett, President of the Royal Watercolour Society.

Slipping into the Shadows by Angus McEwan.
Copyright: Angus McEwan

What I find interesting is that a number of UK watercolour painters have been beating a path to the art competitions in China for a while now. However I don't see other art societies for other types of media or subject matter doing this and wonder why this is.

Fraser Scarfe won the 2013 David Gluck Memorial Drawing Bursary - which is offered as a prize by the ING Discerning Eye Competition.  His winning entry was “Tree Study: Kensington Gardens”.

′Tree Study: Kensington Gardens′ (£1,495) by Fraser Scarfe
pen on paper - 18 sketchbook sheets 

This work and the drawings of the five other artists also short-listed for this year's bursary award - Richard Cross, Jill Evans, Tom Flint, Steven MacIver, Fraser Scarfe, and David Watkins are on display at the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. You can also see them in the bursary section of the website.

Artists and Art Blogs

Botanical

• The Financial Times has an article about a Mystery over series of botanical paintings from the 17th century
• Dianne Sutherland has a new website for online botanical courses - http://botanicalonline.wix.com/botanicalonline
• Shevaun Docherty (Botanical Sketches) has been writing about how Practice makes perfect when it comes to botanical art 

Drawing and sketching 

• Lynne Chapman has some sketching on location hot tips 
• Liz Steel recently highlighted two fantastic recent blog posts by two of her long time sketching friends in Sydney about their approach to travel sketching and reflections from recent trips.
• Wendy Shortland (Quirky Artist) Keeping a travel sketchbook when travelling with a non-sketcher
• Alissa Duke (Alissa Duke) - sketchbook travel journal : the practicalities 
• This is an interview on the Derwent blog with Yvonne Crossley one of the judges of the Derwent Prize for pencil art.  Until 2004 she was the Professor and Vice Principal at Wimbledon School of Art before setting up The Drawing Gallery in central London; the first gallery in the UK to focus entirely on contemporary drawing.

Pastels and pencils

• It's worth taking time out to think about the size of format you use. Karen Margulis (Painting my World) has been posting about the size of paintings:
• The Best Reason for Painting Small
• Painting Large vs. Painting Small ...Which is Better?
• Loriann Signori's use of colour has taken off since she got back from her workshop with Wolf Kahn! See Landscape Paintings - Loriann Signori

Who painted this?

• John O'Grady (John O'Grady paintings) got the answer correct to Who painted this #51?
• Who Painted This #52 is one for the wildlife art fans

Art books

• Thames and Hudson have a new book out called The Books that Shaped Art History

Art Business & Marketing

3 November 2013 - Who's made a mark this week?

I've got a big announcement on my blog tomorrow - and then I'm not going to be blogging for at least a week - plus posting will be less frequent for the next few months.

Can you guess what the news might be? (Some of you already know what it's about but please don't spoil the surprise!) ;)

I was particularly impressed this week with the sculpture in the SWLA Exhibition - and hence this post features images which I haven't posted already.

East Ridge Ptarmigans by Oliver Meller
Portland Limestone

Botanical Art

• Shevaun Docherty has finally got round to starting a blog about her botanical art! See Botanical Sketches and Other Stories - and here's what she's been working on recently A quiet beauty, Hedera hibernica - in which she shows up how she develops a work

Drawing and Sketching

• There are interviews with the artist who won Derwent Art Prizes for Pencil Art on the Love Pencils blog run by Derwent
• Chrys Allen wins inaugural Derwent Art Prize
• Yi Lin Juliana Ong and the Derwent Art Prize - (3rd prize winner)
• Paul Hiles and The Derwent Art Prize (2nd prize winner)
• Congrats to Urban Sketchers who celebrated their 5th birthday this week - here's Pete Scully's post about it  Happy 5th birthday Urban Sketchers!  I'm a bit late to the party but have just spotted that Urban Sketchers have announced that Paraty in Brasil will host the 5th International Urban Sketching Symposium. USk Board member Jim Richards summed up our attraction to Paraty:

"I visited and sketched in Paraty while touring Brazil and Peru last summer. It is all the proposal makes it out to be: drop dead gorgeous, a small time capsule of a city largely unchanged since the 1700s, with very good restaurants, sidewalk cafes, art galleries and a beautiful harbor that allows for boat excursions to nearby beaches and islands. I know artists who return there every few years to sketch and paint."

• On Illustration Friday - Master of the Month is Maira Kalman. Maira Kalman is an American author, illustrator, designer, and book artist.

Octopus on stone block by Bill Prickett
Chestnut burr on limestone
(Apparently David Attenborough spent a long time studying this one)

Painting

22nd October 2013 - Who's made a mark?

October is exhibition overload month! I had three exhibitions last week plus a bug - and three more which opened last week and which I haven't visited yet ! So I gave myself permission to write about the Whistler this week and took it easy over the weekend!  The images in this post this week are mainly from the exhibitions I've viewed - as indicated - by way of even more of a taster for those who'd like to see more.

Dr Patricia Montfort and Professor Margaret F McDonald
Curators of An American in London: Whistler and the Thames at Dulwich Picture Gallery
Standing in front of Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge

Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. Mall Galleries - West Gallery
always a very popular exhibition - with good sales

I'm thinking of moving this post to a regular slot on Mondays.  The reason being I keep getting the notion that the weekend ought to be more of a "me" time.  It's been sliding from Sundays to Monday for a while so we'll see how it goes.

This one slid into Tuesday because all day yesterday I was following a major story about copyright infringement which I stumbled upon and which had gone viral - as in 245k shares of the original story on Facebook!  So it started as a couple of lines in this post and by the end of the day was a recommended read for all those who need to know about fair use and/or aren't confident about copyright matters.

Art & Artists

I kicked off last week with this post You are known by the company you keep. This was triggered by using this phrase when discussing some recent "goings on" with fellow artists.

Drawing & Sketching

• Some of my sketches of gardens and parks will be seen in a new book called Sketch Your World which will be published in January 2014.  I'll be writing more about this nearer the date of publication.  The author of the book is James Hobbs (James Hobbs) who is a former editor of Artists & Illustrators magazine, the current editor of Discover Art bookzine, a board member of Urban Sketchers and a founding member of the London Urban Sketchers.

The different covers for Sketch Your World

• Last weekend was the 41st Worldwide Sketchcrawl - 
• Urban Sketchers records The 41st Worldwide Sketchcrawl meets The Big Draw LA!
• Plus there was a healthy turn-out in Sydney Australia - 41st Sketchcrawl in Hyde Park, Sydney
• Liz Steel (Sketching Architecture) has an article about Sketching Architecture in the October edition of Artists & Illustrators Magazine - see My Architecture Sketchbook article
• David Shrigley, one of this year's Turner Prize nominees draws for a living.  In this Guardian article he tells Will Self how he got started - David Shrigley: 'I gave my book out at the pub – that's how it all started'   You can take a look at: some of his drawings - in this one Artists talk about their work. 
• People's sketchbooks on Pearltrees - an unusual way of finding out about sketchbooks
• I finally got round to posting my Lunch for one at the National Dining Rooms on my sketchbook blog

Painting

13th October 2013 - Who's made a mark this week?

Back in August I wrote about The £5,000 Bristol Art Prize and how the Bath Art Prize had changed cities - and moved to Bristol - but stayed in the south west of England.

We now have a winner.

Beating heart of Bristol by Adrian Sykes
acrylic painting, 120cm x 160cm
copyright the artist

This year the winner is Bristol-based painter Adrian Sykes for capturing ‘the spirit of Bristol in 2013’. His painting "Beating Heart of Bristol" was judged the best of over 200 works which were created in Bristol and entered in the competition during the summer.

The painting takes in a panoramic view of the city stretching from the Victorian houses of Jamaica Street and Stokes Croft past the spire of St Pauls and city centre tower blocks to the hills in the South and South East. The style is fanciful yet it includes the people and the architectural detail that makes this part of the city come alive.

As with the Bath Prize, artists who entered were each allocated one of 34 locations in the City and required to produce at least one work inspired by what they saw there. For additional entries they could choose any location in the City.

More than half of the 114 painters contributing work to the show were based in the Bristol area with others attracted to Bristol from as far afield as Northumberland, Cornwall, London and County Clare.

You can see the paintings produced on the competition website.  For the rest of this month you can also see The Bristol Art Prize Exhibition at The Guildhall Arts Centre, Small Street, Bristol BS1 1DW. Opening times : Tuesdays and Wednesdays 2pm to 5pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 5pm

I think the prize is a great idea. It's a pity more cities don't do likewise.

Artists and Art Blogs

15th September - Who's made a mark this week?

Virtual exhibition of "Still Alive - contemporary still life painting " - at the Mall Galleries all week.
Crops of artwork by members of the Federation of British Artists

I’m really looking forward to seeing three exhibitions tomorrow at the Mall Galleries. Two art competitions have their exhibitions on display there this week

• the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition (see more details below) 
• the Derwent Art Prize

Plus the “Still Alive - Contemporary Still Life Painting” by members of the national art societies which form the Federation of British Artists is also on.  You can see some of the artwork in the virtual exhibition on the Mall Galleries Shows website.

So that’s three different exhibitions at the Mall Galleries for one week only!

I shall be back there on Wednesday to find out the winner of the Derwent Art Prize.

Before I go on - who knew I would go on for so long when I started?  I wrote my 2,500th blog post yesterday so I chose a subject which might be a bit geeky but is one I'm fascinated by.  Did you see it?  (It's listed below).  I reckon the 3,000th post might be around the end of next year.

Artists and Art Blogs

August 2013 - Who's made a mark this summer?

Summer is always a bit slow - so I awarded myself some time off for days out and weekends off! Plus I've started to start making "proper artwork" again with my pencils - although I've still got problems with respect to vision and have yet to work out the distances which work best.

Syon Vista Summer - a study
coloured pencils on Arches HP, 9" x 12" (23 x 31cm)
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

So here's a bumper version of "Who's made a mark......?"

15th July 2013 - Who's made a mark this week?

I'm still trying to find a way of making this post regular and interesting and at the same time avoiding it wiping out me and my Sunday every single week.

I think the model I'm now going to try is one which involves a greater integration with my public facing Making A Mark Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/makingamark2) - for those on Facebook.

Making A Mark - Official Facebook Page

That way I have a tool to help me construct a post plus it allows me to see which type of posts interest the people who follow me - which is good feedback to have.  So:

• I already list  every blog post on my Facebook Page - so it's a bit like having a feedreader(!) - and will continue to do this.  As with the feed for my blog to read the post you need to click the link.
• I also frequently share posts by organisations or artists I follow on Facebook
• Plus I also share links to things I've spotted which interest me

By basing "who's made a mark this week" in part on the public Facebook posts it also enables me to give access to extra info to all those not on Facebook.

Plus I'll carry on with posts which attract my attention from wherever!

One more thing - as the good summer weather has arrived my man and I will be getting about and about more - which means lightweight posting so long as the good weather lasts. (I probably shouldn't have said that - there will be an inevitable crack of thunder any minute.....)

Artists & Art Blogs

Artists Psychology 

• Last year I had a poll to try and identify whether artists were introverts or extroverts.  This resulted in this poll about the results - Artists are Introverts! Discuss....  Last week I came across an infographic which struck me as being particularly relevant to those people who are energised by and happy with working on their own in a studio.  Or rather it's relevant to the families of those who want to be alone - in their studio.  See my post How to live with Introverts and the original Infographic Guide to about How to live with Introverts
• Art Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder discovered by Julie Podstolski (Julie Podstolski). It highlights the good sense of training our partners in what to say!

Botanical Art and Artists

• The Hunt Institute contacted me to tell me that the "14th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration" will run from 27 September to 19 December 2013. 
• The exhibition will include 41 artworks by 41 artists from 10 countries.  
• Following on from earlier post - 14th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration - Intent to submit I'm going to do a more detailed post about this next week - with links to the websites of the selected artists where I can find them.  If you're one of them do please let me have an image of the work which has been selected.
• I love it when people paint wild flowers like this - and I love Rosie Sanders work too! See Last week in Cornwall on her blog

Coloured Pencils and Pastels

• This is the website displaying all the entries for the CPSA Silent Auction 2013. I often wonder why more art societies don't do this as a money spinner for their society.  In this instance bids can only be made at the convention rather than online.
• These are the Selected Artists - UKCPS 12th Open International Exhibition 2013

Drawing and Sketching

This last week it's been the 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium in Barcelona.  Here's a sample of some of the blog posts and images it has created

• Making New Sketcher-Friends by Lynne the Pencil at An Illustrator's Life For Me!
• 4th International Urban Sketchers Conference, Day 3: Final Day at Urban Sketchers
• bcn2013usk - day 2 (lapin) and July 12th, 2013: Day 2, Usk Barcelona (Suhita) at Urban Sketchers

Plus the 1st Annual West Coast Urban Sketchers' Sketchcrawl - San Francisco Bay Area ran the weekend of July 12 - 14, in the San Francisco Bay Area for those unable to get to the Barcelona Symposium.  It has a blog (click above link) and its very own map of places to go to sketch

Painting and Painters

• Richard Schmid Artist and Author is the link to Richard Schmid's new Facebook Page published in advance of the new revised edition of ALLA PRIMA II--Everything I Know About Painting. It publishes in September 2013 and will be 100 pages longer than last time.  Hopefully this time somebody will suggest a good BIG print run!
• Another Richard - Richard Salter, an army artist features in the current edition of Artists & Illustrators - see Richard Salter the army artist. Now which of you paint with an easel like this and a very big bit of kit hanging over your shoulder?  You can view his Kabul paintings at the Mall Galleries this week - see below
• Haidee-Jo Summers (Haidee-Jo Summers artist - ma vie en couleurs ) has been painting non-stop while on a plein air trip to Cornwall - see her step by steps in

• Going to the beach
• Portscatho harbour in evening light
• Mini Mousehole exhibition! plus other blogs posts.

Three days work by Haidee-Jo Summers - a mini exhibition in Mousehole

• I was very impressed with a diagram I came across this annotated sketch on Rick Delanty's website - and he's agreed I can use it on my blog - The Art of the Landscape where it is now the first in what I hope will be a series of pics of people's plein air kits.  See Rick Delanty's plein air kit for the invite to show us all your kit!

Rick Delanty - Plein air kit: annotated drawing

Vision

• I learned something when I got my prescriptions for my new glasses post cataract surgery and wrote about it here Better vision - occupational lenses for artists.  One of those "It's obvious really when you think about it" ideas!

Who painted this? 

• This week's challenge Who painted this? #35 and the answer to...
• Who painted this? #34 Congrats to Alyson Champ who spotted Winslow Homer very fast.

Art Business & Marketing

Art Galleries

• Alyson Stanfield (Art Biz Coach) ran two posts last week - making arguments for and against the use of galleries
• Why galleries on her blog Artbizblog
• and Why Artists Should Avoid Gallery Representation posted on The Abundant Artist art blog
• Submitting to National Nonprofit Galleries by E. Brady Robinson is intended for emerging artists who wish to build a national exhibition trajectory.

Art Fairs

• Having moved from New Hampshire to Washington State, Nicole Caulfield (Nicole Caulfield Fine Art) is starting out again with weekend art fairs in Portland and trying new ways of displaying her art.  Worth following as Nicole always seems to me to be spotting new ways of doing things.  Here's her first Saturday market!
• Do any of you do art fairs on a regular basis - and would you like to share your stand?  Let me know - leave a comment.

Copyright

• Photographer Mark Meyer has contributed an interesting blog post discussing transformative use within the context of the Richard Prince legal case and the fact that transformative use is actually specifically identified in law as a right retained by the copyright holder.  See Copyright: How did transformative use become fair use?

Marketing

• Professional Artist has an article about the Five Essential Cs for a Successful Art Career

Art Economy & Collectors

• The Art Newspaper tells us Why some pictures go for more than others

Art Exhibitions

Art Exhibitions in London

• My visit to the Dulwich Picture Gallery came in the middle of a rash of exhibition openings which my eyes were not ecstatic about. Hence the delayed review - Review: Nash, Nevinson, Spencer, Gertler, Carrington, Bomberg: A Crisis of Brilliance. I think you'll get more out of this exhibition if you read the book first
• This is my Review: Laura Knight Portraits, the NEW exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London - opens 11 July until 13 October 2013. I really enjoyed my visit to the new exhibition of portraits by Dame Laura Knight (1877 - 1970). She was the first woman artist to become a Dame and the first to be granted a retrospective exhibition by the RA. Well worth visiting if only for the extremely impressive room of portraits relating to the Second World War.  
• Jonathan Jones 

• reviews Tate Britain's Painting Now exhibition and asks how can painting ever belong to 'now'?
• reviews the Mexico: A Revolution in Art 1910-1940 at the Royal Academy of Arts and suggests that Royal Academy's Mexican revolution misses the bigger picture
• also asks What makes art a target for attack?  This previews a Tate Britain exhibition Art Under Attack: Histories of British Iconoclasm which is to tell the story of physical attacks on British art.  Starts 2 October until 5 January 2014

Art Society Exhibitions

• 'Out of Line' The 79th Annual Exhibition of The Armed Forces Art Society is on display at the Mall Galleries between 15th - 20th July 2013
• They're followed by the Aviation Paintings of the Year - the 43rd Annual Exhibition of the Guild of Aviation Artists who are also exhibiting at the Mall Galleries between 23rd and 28th July.  This seems to be another specialist interest area with a very devoted following.  Note their approach to the Buyer's preview.

Art Exhibitions in the UK

• You can find The Lyons Teashops Lithographs: Art in a Time of Austerity runs from 13 July to 22 October at the Towner gallery, Eastbourne, West Sussex.  Get a taster with:
• this slideshow on the Guardian The Lyons teashops lithographs: do you take fine art with your tea? - in pictures
• this review Bawden and battenberg: the Lyons teashop lithographs

Between 1946 and 1955 the company commissioned three series of prints, some 40 in all, from most of the leading British artists of the day.

• August 2013 marks the hundredth anniversary of Duchamp’s stay in Herne Bay. This website celebrates the centenary. It sounds so incongruous you have to take a look. 

Art Exhibitions in the USA

• Charley Parker at lines and colors has a couple of posts about exhibitions worth viewing:
• More on Sargent watercolors at the Brooklyn Museum includes closeups of the watercolour paintings by Sargent and views of paints he used.

As I had hoped, I was able to get to the show in Brooklyn, and… wow. Just wow. I’ve insisted for years that Sargent should receive greater credit as a painter — credit he is finally receiving, along with increased recognition and popularity — but my already high assessment of his skills was raised even further by this show.

• This is a preview of Hopper Drawing by  The exhibition is at the at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. You can also explore his studies for paintings on the exhibition website

Art Education

Artists & Art Tutors

• International Artist has a couple of articles by prominent art bloggers in the June/July edition
• Sadie Valeri (Sadie J. Valeri) has a six-page spread, Self-Portrait in Progress Part two which incoudes a step-by-step painting demo of her Indirect Method. See International Artist Magazine Feature and DVD Update
• the James Gurney Masterclass PART 3 tackles Atmospheric Effects - Reverse Atmospheric Perspective.  James' blog is Gurney Journey and he commented in brief on this topic back in 2007 - see Reverse Atmospheric Perspective

Art Books

• So depressing! I've just had a list of new titles for review from a major art publisher and 80% are about drawing manga and zentangle! Pish!! Whatever happened to Fine Art? If you like proper art books why not try my website Making A Mark Book Lists which provides one bookmark to recommended art books lists for both artists and art lovers. 
• For all those thinking of writing a book and going down the Creative Commons route this is a very helpful "how to" - HOWTO Negotiate a Creative Commons License: Ten Steps

Workshops and Events

• There's lots of interesting talks, courses and workshops on the Royal Watercolour Society's Events Page - I'm just wondering what the Clore Room one involves which isn't available for free. The Royal Watercolour Society is based at Bankside Gallery (48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH), located on the south bank of the River Thames next to Tate Modern. 

Art Videos

• Congrats to James Gurney who now has 4,000+ subscribers to his video channel.

Art History

• Henri Matisse shares his thoughts on everything from drawing to depression in an extensive interview which is to be published for the first time since he angrily blocked its publication more than 70 years ago.  See Revealed: interview that Henri Matisse banned by Dalya Alberge at Art and design: Art | guardian.co.uk

Art Materials & supplies

• I understand that Utrecht Art Supplies have become part of Dick Blick Art Supplies.  Nobody is using the takeover or merger words but it's more apparent from the Utrecht website than the press release on the Dick Blick website that  Dick Blick is the senior partner in this new arrangement. The idea seems to be that 
• Utrecht paints, gessoes and canvases will start to appear in Dick Blick Stores
• the items which Dick Blick stocks on a regular basis will start appearing in Utrecht stores
• there will be some store closures and gradually all the stores will become Dick Blick Stores as the product offerings change
• plus the online websites will be merged gradually
• Roz Stendahl Roz Wound Up has 
• taken a look at the Bienfang Watercolor Brush (which she's been using sketching for the past several months). See Lightfastness Test: Bienfang Watercolor Brush Pens
• commented on the Moleskine with black pages

Art Videos

• All my videos are on the Making A Mark Videos Channel on YouTube but I've not done a video for them
• unlike James Gurney who has got a very neat - model even - video of what his channel is all about I think he may have practised that speech a few times though! ;)

Opinion Poll

• Here's the link to this month's Making A Mark Opinion POLL: Which is the best platform for art videos?  
• Last month's poll resulted in this post about How to list art exhibitions on a CV or website

Techies

• For all those who still haven't done anything about their Google Reader data

All Google Reader subscription data (eg. lists of people that you follow, items you have starred, notes you have created, etc.) will be systematically deleted from Google servers. You can download a copy of your Google Reader data via Google Takeout until 12PM PST July 15, 2013.

• Google has also terminated the RSS feed for Google Alerts - they now want everybody to subscribe through email.  As if no other feedreaders exist! 

and finally......

I'm becoming a huge fan of Grayson Perry - however even I was surprised by this article in The Guardian as he reveals yet another aspect to his artistic influence - see The great Grayson Perry frock competition
(Note: For those not "in the know" Grayson Perry - or rather his alter ego, Claire - likes wearing frocks)