The What Goes Around Blog

When The Wind Blows

Having made some extra free art earlier in the week, I took my foot off the gas, and forgot I needed to prepare something for this coming weekend. Yesterday afternoon, with not much time left to make the work, I took to Facebook and asked for some inspiration. Ideas came in thick and fast – as Storm Doris blew all around us, in our case literally taking the roof off, well a piece of it anyway!!

So it was settled – the theme for this week’s art was to be…wind. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to draw wind – but trust me, it’s not easy. I thought for a while – and here’s what finally emerged from the pencil and the paint brush.

I painted onto rough, handmade recycled cotton rag paper – and I like how the texture of the paper adds to the overall effect. This art will be placed somewhere in my local community over the weekend. Finders keepers.

Two Keys : Sutton United

If you have even the vaguest interest in football, you’ll know that Sutton United meet Arsenal in the 5th round of the FA Cup this evening. Sutton United are based a couple of miles from my home, and over the weekend I responded to a suggestion to make an extra free art drop to commemorate the occasion. Inspiration took a while to strike, and as I sat staring at the club crest, it finally hit me.

I chose to reference the two keys and the gold and silver discs on which they are placed.

Tools at the ready, I began to draw. Ink and paint flowed, gold and silver leaf was pasted. As you can see I made two versions of the art work – and these will be placed somewhere in Sutton later today. Finders keepers.

A New Kind of Commission

Most of my painting is driven by me, by what I want to paint. Usually when I am commissioned to paint for someone, it’s as a result of them having seen my work and wanting something similar.

Recently I was commissioned by a third party, to paint a sketch for someone’s birthday. We exchanged a few messages about a possible design, before I was asked ‘Could you paint a turtle?’ I’d no idea, having never done so before, so I offered to give it a go.

The answer appears to be, ‘yes I can’. My client and the eventual recipient are both really happy with this work, as am I. It’s not a subject I would have chosen, and I am really pleased that on this occasion, I was asked to try something new and different. It was a useful reminder to be open to the possibilities. For those of you who may be interested, this is a sketch in acrylic paint on rough 300 gsm paper, laid on top of a simple watercolour wash.