Come and See me in Reading

I am busy painting and getting ready for the Reading Contemporary Art Fair. I want to have some new work to show plus the stand this time is larger than the one I had at Sandown Park.

As last time, we will be driving up and taking two days, stopping at a hotel with a nice restaurant. It's amazing how tired and hungry sitting in a car all day can make you.

If you are in the area between the 20th and 22nd of April, pop in and say hi. I am on stand 6. I have some private view tickets for the Friday evening and complimentary tickets for the Saturday and Sunday. E-mail meartbymarion@orange.fr

Follow me on Instagram to see my works in progress and latest paintings.

Phases of a painting, are you in the middle middle or the beginning of the end?

Work in Progress Diptych.

Where am I in the process?

Recently I listened to a trailer for an interview by Nicholas Wilton talking to Mark Eanes.

Mark Eanes suggested that a good way of looking at the painting process is as a three step process, the beginning, the middle and the end. Each of these have three parts - a beginning a middle and an end, so nine phases in all.

I love this way of thinking about the process and it really gels with me and helps me assess where I am at. I has helped me to visualise what I have done in a meaningful way and how much more there is to do. For example, recently I felt that I wasn't getting past the beginning, but when I stood back and assessed the work I had done and what else I wanted to do, I felt I was further along the process and maybe more to the middle of the middle. Not foolproof of course, but a help.

For example in the work in progress above. I am at the beginning of the end. Realising that, cheered me up no end. 😊


Tell me how you assess where you are in the process.

Keep up with my finished works and works in progress on Instagram 

Most Asked Questions at the Art Fair

THE PATH IS NEVER CLEAR

40X40cm on cradled panel.

Framed in a white floating frame

AVAILABLE

Over 4000 visitors visited the Surrey Contemporary Art Fair. It was very busy most of the time from the time the doors opened until about an hour before closing. I'm pleased to say that many of them visited my stand and several stopped and chatted about the paintings.

Similar questions came up time and time again:

How long did it take you paint that?
I became quite adept at explaining that it was difficult to say, as I worked on several paintings at a time for weeks and I won't have any new paintings ready for a while and then several become finished within a short time frame.

Is it collage?
Perhaps it is because I labeled them 'Mixed Media' but possibly also because the layering can make it look as though there might be paper underneath. The 'Mixed Media' tag was used because various media was used in the mark making, e.g. oil pastel, ink, pencil, coloured pencil etc. Perhaps next time I will just say 'acrylic'. I'd be interested in your take on this.

How do you get that gloss finish?
The paintings are finished with a layer of self-leveling get which is brilliant gloss. This is knocked back by a layer of buffed wax to reduce the shine, although it is still quite shiny. This is a finish promoted by Nicolas Wilton and I am still making up my mind on whether I like it or not - my preference is a satin finish.

There were more questions, which I will save for another post.

Connect with me on Instagram to keep up to date with all my latest paintings and works in progress.

Show and Tell at the Surrey Art Fair

Attending the Surrey Art Fair at the end of February was a new experience for me. It was daunting but also exciting. We took 2 days to travel from Nice to Surrey and two days back.
On the return journey we were lucky enough to be in front of 'The Beast from the East' storm all the way, although it was bitterly cold -9 degC at our overnight stop in Troyes. When we arrived home our garden was covered in about 2 inches of snow, with a part of the storm passing over the Alps and depositing snow in the PACA region. This is about a once in 10 - 15 year event but only lasts for a couple of days. Those of you who are used to very cold winters, will laugh at us wimps over here.

We spent a lot of time preparing for the hanging. I cleared a wall and used brown paper to get the general fell of the hand, and then the framed paintings, all the while on tenterhooks hoping the frames wouldn't get damaged. The preparation paid dividends when we got there as we knew exactly which painting went where with plenty of space where necessary.

The show went well with lots of interest and some purchases. I am doing it again towards the end of April.

Here are more images of the stand:

Most works are up on the website, but I have not been able to photograph them all get (computer problems once again!) They will gradually be added over the next couple of weeks.

I hope you are seeing signs of spring wherever you are in the Northern hemisphere. and your weather is warming up. Our daffodils are out and the tulips are going great guns.