I did submit three more paintings to the RWS Open again this year and none of them were selected.
As the Open encourages the use of water based paintings in an new and contemporary way, I thought that these showed just that type of approach. Perhaps they we not technically proficient enough for the judges to agree on the subjects compared with other entries – I will never know! I shall see how I think about it again next year and have another try.
On a more successful note, I have sold two paintings this month which all goes to offset all those expenses that art activity creates. Most of which this month has been about trying to create a new paint medium for me to try out. I do like the idea of painting in oils, but loath the amount of time it takes for the paint to dry to a point where you can over paint and progress your work. Also, I hate all that messy cleaning and thinning with white spirit or the equivalents and getting thoroughly messed up with it all! Call me a wimp, but I do find the new water mixable based oils far more acceptable, although they still take ages to dry!
The solution that I am experimenting with is to mix some acrylic paint with water mixable oils. This is usually frowned upon by most manufacturers, but there is one make that gives it the OK and that is a new range of Duo Aqua oils by Holbein. They are produced in Japan but are distributed by Jackson Art imported from the USA. Their web notes are a little vague as to how one should go about it, but I have done some tests using different additions of acrylic, gloss and fast drying mediums and water, and have found the ideal combination that produces a paint that performs like standard oil paint, but usually dries within 24 hours maximum!!!! I have yet to do a whole painting with them, and there are bound to be some issues when I do, but it will be very interesting using it and I will report further about how the mix performs. I am keeping the exact combination to myself at the moment but I will make it know for others to try later when I have more confidence in the mix.
My latest show at Espacio was a strange compilation of many different themes and although visually it was quite nice to see a wide variety of subject and style it did not have a ‘story to tell’ and lacked a coherence which may have left visitors a little puzzled how it all came together. The title We Love Art did I suppose explain that we are all artists doing ‘our thing’ and therefore wanting to show it off to whoever is interested.
Definitely more painting later this month and hopefully progressing to the next big show, which will be the Reading Art Fair in April – more details to come but book the 22- 24th April in your diaries.
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