How To Prepare Linen Canvases

Here's a few I made earlier.

They are various sizes (the smallest one at the front is 8 inches square) as currently I am canabilizing old canvases to get the stretcher bars. However, I am trying to gradually move over to a few standard sizes - 10x12, 12x18, 16x20, 20x24 inches. A gradual process - and a little scary, those bigger ones are bigger than I've painted so far.

However, one of the advantages of stretching your own canvases is that you can decide the proportions yourself. Another is that you can control what kind of surface you have.

So, what do I use? Previously, unprimed fine linen from Jackson's Art but when I was in London I visited Russell and Chapple and am now about to use their portrait linen - it is really lovely and very much recommend a visit to their shop to see their range.

Once stretched, I use GAC 400 rather than rabbit skin glue, then GAC 100 to prevent the oil sinking in, then finally Roberson's Oil Primer. which is just amazing (if smelly) stuff. Unlike acrylic gesso it provides a slippery surface that really lets you push paint around and as it doesn't self level you can create a variety of surfaces - from rough to very smooth. I go for the fairly smooth, using 2 or 3 layers, each one applied with brush, then unified with a roller and then finally sanded, except the last layer. This gives me a fairly uniform surface with a slight "fuzz" to it that I feel is sympathetic to painting flesh - if I was wanting to paint seascapes, I'd maybe leave the brushmarks.

So what do you do?

Roll on 2014

The last time I was this excited about the year to come was back on New Year's Day, 2005, the day after I got engaged.

So, what has got me so excited?

Well, I have chosen a direction, an area, themes, which my paintings are going to explore in future. How long this future will last, who knows, but I suspect it may well be a lifetime.

At the moment I am working on the first few paintings after clarifying matters to myself so have nothing yet to show - and as I have decided to start slowly, not stray too far from my previous work while I gain experience and confidence, when they are done they may not seem like the beginning of something. But I have faith.

Which makes me sound terribly delusional. This is appropriate, as make-believe, the cross over between reality and fantasy, is the ground I wish to investigate. There are many threads to this, but one impetus was being in Rome. There are few really good paintings of women with character and often instead they are portrayed as the artist's fantasy (all those half naked Magdelenes clutching their hair to their bosums.) This got me thinking about how people (especially women) routinely role play and whether I could paint this.

Since then, I have been doing more delving and exploration (from reading old favourites like Alice In Wonderland, Sandman and Shakespeare and watching Disney movies, to infesting the University library and reading books with no pictures covering subjects including feminist theory, film history, comparative theology and the psychology of fashion.) There are more paths than I can follow but boy, the research is fun!

Ambitious, me? Well, what why not try something bigger? There are have been few times in my life I have been more certain something was a good idea (and yes, getting engaged was one of them) and, like marriage, at the moment I have no real idea how things are going to work out and realise there are likely to be bad bits.. But the plan is exciting and everyone I have got involved so far have been fascinated with plenty to contribute and basically it just feels right - there are so many artworks I love, things I own and people I adore that are related in one way or the other that it feels as if I am pulling all the different strands into one place.

So, this year the aim is to put together a body of work of which I am proud, dealing with how people present themselves.

(Almost) The End OF 2013

Well, last year I reviewed the year just gone and then looked forward at what I might be doing. So, what did I achieve from my list?

I did go to Italy, as well as Paris and up to Connel. In particular, I went to a residency with the Jerusalem Studio School in Civita Castellana. It is advertised as " an incomparable incubator-like environment to the serious artist seeking a setting attuned to intense work, reflection, exploration, artistic growth, conversation, exchange and excursions – an artistic experience that can nourish a lifetime of work." and for once the advertising actually down plays the experience. Being there, talking to other artists, seeing their work in progress and experiencing Rome has clarified my path. Although I wrote last year about doing more landscapes, I now feel that this is something that should wait. It is people and their stories I am passionate about and therefore will be painting. Rome showed me what kind of work I really do not like - all those half naked, posturing, empty-headed women - which has given me a very strong urge to create the opposite - strong, intelligent people.

The other big events of the year was moving into a studio, then having my painting shoulder operated on a couple of weeks later. The two together has enabled whole new ways of working - in series, at an easel, using bigger brushes and bigger canvases, for starters. In many ways I am still processing the changes, but the results should be visible over the next six months - and next week I will write about these aims for the year to come.

Thinking Time

The last few months have been full of thinking and research - activities that so far haven't produced an image I can show.

But taking the time to plan a group of work has been very rewarding. I can see quite clearly now the themes of the paintings I will be doing for a bit and although this means I am restricting myself in many ways this feels natural. Several outside restrictions (bad shoulder meaning being unable to use an easel, not having a studio, not having decent light, not having good reference material etc) have now been resolved so for the first time what I make is up to me.

So I have decided to mainly work with people, particularly how they use their appearance to communicate. Still a very broad area - but one I am finding fascinating, especially as it is allowing me to look into how we transform ourselves. Watching Disney films (looking at how the idea of the princess has taken hold in our culture, among other themes) has suddenly become research. Reading Shakespeare, Alice In Wonderland and The Sandman series is data collection. Talking to people about their day dreams and playing dress up is work.

The first paintings are in progress, so expect more specific musings in future. Also, posts will be more regular and mainly on Sundays. Except for February, when there will be a drawing a day, hopefully as part of 28 drawings later .

Now Showing . . .

This one (and a slightly bigger portrait done on the same day) will be on show at RGI Kelly Gallery from tomorrow - this is normally a really interesting and tempting show, so am pleased to be in it and looking forward to seeing all the other artists work. But before then is the opening of Art Exposure's christmas show, where the Teacakes and the Daisy will be on show, along with another couple of mine.

Also, I have a little self portrait at the RGI and two Rapunzel paintings at Mansfield Park Gallery . It seems I'm on a mission to fill Glasgow with art!.

Tidy Studio

For those who missed the Open Studio event - you won't see it this tidy too often.

The Perfect Palette Table (and a messy studio)

Well, I promised some piccies of my studio in use. Only a day late - sorry folks, getting ready for the open studios really is taking a lot of time!

Anyway, this is my super magic glass palette, made from Ikea products. It is pretty much the right height for me both standing and sitting as well as being pretty easy to clean. It is also at least twice the size of my previous palette - so much space! What can't be seen is the paper lying under the glass, with graduated tones. This makes life just that bit easier, since I can see at a glance where on the tonal scale a colour lies and what it needs to become darker or lighter. Sounds complicated but is really rather easy.

This is the studio in use - a bit of a mess. Quite a difference from when I moved in - now you see why I'm doing so much cleaning . . .