J U M

Bideford Black

Hand Sourced     |      Hand Processed      |      Hand Printed

 Alan Cotton is a much loved British Landscape painter. He uses pallet knives to create impasto marks which look rather uninformed and unplanned up close but from a distance make incredibly realistic, almost photographic, landscapes. The work in the exhibition is breathtakingly executed. The pieces have traditional and homely feels to them due to the safe, shared subject of "landscapes" but I also found some pieces challenge my mind with the almost Impressionist style of paint application. This was particularly true in the case of the Venice series, where Cotton painted the reflections of the Venetian buildings in the water.

It was wonderful to see such a distinguished artist exhibiting locally. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter never fails to provide a fantastic show. The exhibition was beautifully curated, I personally interpreted the layout as starting in distant lands (Venice, mountain ranges etc) and ending with more familiar scenes (the dull skies of England).

Dear readers, I sincerely apologise for my delay in posting. In fact, you may not have realised this but I have not updated this site in two months. Needless to say a lot of very interesting content has left un posted about. I dislike posts that go along the lines of "throw back thursdays" so this post is a way of recapping a few of my favourite art related adventures that have happened since my last blog post.

Trepanning Through History

Pigment collecting at sunset!

The Burnt Umber, I only found a few pieces of this pigment

Poor Man's Grey next to a ball of Bideford Black (straight from the cliff)

The clay (larger jar), dries a lot whiter than how it looks when wet. The yellow ochre looks a lot more yellow too.

My little sister's pigment box; I wish mine was as neat and clean looking as hers!

I went out collecting more pigments on Friday! I got Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber, Poor Man's Grey and Ball Clay. I'm testing mixing the pigments with a different man-made medium at the moment; it is called "Mod Podge" it is like PVA but is stronger and acts as a sealant. Mod Podge does add a shine to the dried paint (which may or may not be desirable). I am hoping to buy some oils, a large pestle and mortar and a muller and glass worktop soon. I've also decided on something I want to paint (yes, I had an artistic chain of thought which has left me unable to want to paint anything else); anyone want to buy me some 8ft canvases?