water colour – The Consulting Artist

Passing Strangers : Revisited

A few months ago I painted a small sketch titled Passing Strangers. The picture was intended to represent the fleeting, impermanent nature of the many relationships we experience as we pass by each other. Maybe there is eye contact, maybe a smile and a greeting, maybe just the tiny, shared disturbance of atmosphere.

Since first painting Passing Strangers, I’ve thought more and more about transition and impermanence and as I’ve continued to think, I have made more versions of this work.

Passing Strangers II : I made this and left it in my local town. It has since disappeared. Maybe it has a new home, maybe it ended up in the bin? I don’t know, and it has transitioned.

Passing Strangers III, IV, V, and VI : I made these using pages from an old book, a marker pen and some chalk paints. The book pages have some fragility about them and the chalk paints are easily smudged. There is impermanence in these works. Number 3 is sold and now resides somewhere in the UK, numbers 4, 5, and 6 have also been sold and are together in the USA.

Passing Strangers VII, VIII, IX, and X : These four pieces are made using acrylic paint, pencil, ink, and gold leaf. Numbers 7 and 8 were left in my local town, numbers 9 and 10 are currently available to buy in my Etsy shop.

More to follow?

New approaches to work. Signals : Part Three

I’ve just started experimenting with some new liquid watercolours, made by Winsor and Newton. My intention with these paints, is to use these primary colours to mix and blend other colours, shades and tones.

I’m also experimenting with a more themed sense to my art. I’m increasingly noticing how other artists explore and play within what at first glance, might mistakenly (on my part) appear to be a single idea. My thoughts around the kind of art I want to create have drifted around a lot, seeing themed work is helping me to realise I can explore ideas I come cross in much greater depth and breadth than I previously thought. Less hopping from idea to idea, more exploration of each idea. This will become evident as my work progresses.

Here is one of the first two pieces of work created with the new paints. I’m fascinated by the range of colour brought forth from just three tubes of paint.

Although I made two pieces, together they are titled Signals : Part Three. They are painted onto A4 sized sheets of watercolour paper. One piece has been bought by a friend, and I gifted them the second one. They belong together.

As you can see, I made a slight modification to my signature to fit the style of these works.

A Sense of Calm

I was out with a group of lovely people yesterday, February 29th 2016. Towards the end of our Leap Day 2016 adventures, we found ourselves in the foyer of The National Theatre. Those who felt like it, made some art. The intention is to give the art away, leaving behind a trace of Leap Day for others to discover. I’ve given some away and so have others, and I have a few more pieces to distribute around London very soon.

In addition to the art we made, I painted an extra piece, reflecting a sense of calm in the way we worked together. My recent river pictures have been very calming to make too, and I expect there is something of that in this painting too.

This work is now sold.