When I see a finished painting I’m often mystified as to how the artist got there so I was delighted when painter Joan Lawson sent me these stage by stage shots of her “Walk to the Chateau” painting.
Joan is teaching two painting classes at Chateau Dumas this September and I can’t wait! Maybe you’d like to win a place in our Chateau Giveaway? Thanks again to Chrissie for inviting Joan to reveal her painting methods here.
This sketch gives me the basic composition as well as the tonal structure. Interesting to work out the perspective of the building in the background. I like the slow lazy approach in this image, you don't want to enter the painting too quickly! I love working in red pastel pencil on this rough paper.
I washed raw sienna over the entire canvas and began to block in loosely. Not sure about the blue/pink sky though. Keeping the colour strong in the foreground and soft in the distance, but I'll need to think about placing the warm/cold blues to enhance the distance.
Blocking in a little more solidly now, I'll keep the colder greeney blues to the distance, and put the warmer ultramarines and purples to the foreground. I definitely prefer the yellow sky! I must keep the distant trees soft...
I just need to strengthen and darken the foreground with some lovely reds, and put foliage on the tree to the left. It helps me to think of the muddle of foliage on the right as overlapping flat shapes, like flats on a stage set.
Thanks, Joan, you make it sound so easy!
Lizzie
Like to win a place on Joan’s Painting workshop?
See http://www.chateaudumas.net/ for details of the courses ( sorry 18-25 September is full). Please leave your prefered cousre in the comment box of the blog to enter the giveaway – the winner’s name will be announced on 1 April on the original blog post here http://bit.ly/hDCR2S .
“I never knew you could have so much fun with an old tea towel” commented one participant on our last Reinventing Vintage Textiles workshop at Chateau Dumas! Upcycling is a key element of the week and you need a good nose for unearthing market bargains. The French word is “chiner” – which we might translate as to dig, trawl or rummage for antiques.
Amazingly, 19th century hand-loomed cotton and linen sheets as well as the classic red-stripe tea towel are still available in French markets and can be bought for just a few euros. Okay, they might be threadbare in parts and have a few cobweb-fine darns but that just adds to their beauty, and the hems and seams are a masterpiece of tiny Liliputian handstitches. It’s easy to discard the sections that are too far gone and upcycle the good bits into bags or cushions – and this is where Ros Badger , the tutor, really shows her skills.
It’s always satisfying to incorporate a hand-embroidered initial into your work – the French traditionally used red thread to embroider their initials. (I probably shouldn’t admit to this here because it makes me sound a bit obsessive, but I have a collection of 35 nineteenth century linen convent nightdresses each handsewn and with different initials).
There’s always a lot of excitement on woad-dyeing day as virtually everything ends up in the vat – even teddy got the blue treatment last time!
Chrissie’s asked me to tell you about our painting workshops next, but if your desire to join a Reinventing Textile workshop is really needling you then register your interest in the comment box at the bottom of this blog (just say which creative workshop you would like to attend from any of those on the Chateau Dumas website http://www.chateaudumas.net/
You can Like us on facebook for more information too http://www.facebook/ChateauDumas. Prize draw for one free workshop place on 1 April – stay tuned for more info and the final result!
Thanks Lizzie and don't forget to leave a comment here or on the original post http://bit.ly/hDCR2S for your chance to win a workshop place.
