Chichester Art Trail

May 5, 2014April 3, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

The Chichester Art Trail happens every May and generally includes Bank holiday Monday in the first weekend. That is what has happened this year too and we are again open to the public.

Essentially the criteria for this art trail is that you open your studio to the public so that everyone can see you at work. Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. And, in fact I am told that very few people are actually working at their art. Therefore , it seems that people are very pleased when they arrive at our ‘venue’ (sounds a pretentious word doesn’t it?). That’s why I call the shed the shed – because it is and was a shed. Actually, it was a loose box, so a shed is an upgrade. But as ever I am off on a tangent.

We have had a steady trickle of people since Friday evening. We, and the other artists in Bosham, had a Pimms preview evening for people who live in Bosham. It was quite tough getting everything ready in time, but it was fun once we got there. The people of Bosham did as requested and either turned up on their bikes or ‘Shank’s pony’. For those who are not English, this means ones own two legs.

The first day – Saturday- went well enough once everyone had got their weekend shopping out of the way. The weather has been absolutely supper. The sun has been shining and it is very pleasant. This means I have been able to sit working in the shed with the door open ready for visitors. Yesterday went very well. In fact the first Sunday is usually the best day of the two weekends. With any luck, in writing this the statement will prove me wrong.

In Bosham there are 15 artists in 11 locations – which tells you that those who share are not able to show their own working environment. As one can’t go any further than the sea when getting to see us (we are about 200 metres from the inlet), we are the last one on the Bosham part of the trail. This means that many drop off the trail before getting to us as there is so much of interest on the way – that is unless they have specifically chosen our place. However, we still get a few who want to see as many artists as they can and that gives me a real opportunity to get people interested in botanical art.

Our set-up is that we have a gallery of my pictures in the conservatory (where I normally have workshops). My husband mans this area as he loves talking to the people that come. I am working in the shed so that people can see what I do and ask as many questions as they want to. Mulling over the questions I have had, perhaps I have chosen the wrong medium that I am using in the shed. I chose to do some purple irises in watercolour as I haven’t used that medium in a whole painting for some time.

The conservatory (Gallery for the day)contains the RHS Silver Gilt medal Crab apple series, which is in coloured pencil and attracts a lot of attention, but also some of the Magnolia x soulangeana series in watercolour that I did as an RHS exhibit in 2011. Visitors are astounded when my husband tells them that the crab apple series is in coloured pencil and therefore they are asking about the coloured pencils all the time. There seems to be less of a thrill about watercolour, although a fair amount of interest as to how I achieved the iridescent purple of the Irises.

Visitors do love to see the artists working environment and ask questions about how they do things. That is why it is a shame to hear that very few make themselves available to do this.

Before I finish this blog, there are two things I must mention. The open studios art trail is open next Saturday and Sunday between 10:30 and 17:30. You can find my address on my website: http://www.gaynorsflora.com . Additionally, I have places on my next workshop ‘A page of flower heads from the garden’ – May 29th – 31st. Now I am going to show one or two pictures of my working environment and on another occasion I will show you what I have been working on this weekend and the ‘gallery’ in the conservatory where

My workspace - in the 'shed' — My workspace – in the ‘shed’

I have the workshops.

11 days until set-up of RHS exhibition

March 29, 2014April 3, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

Time is running away from me! Most of the week that has gone by I was teaching – and enjoying it. But that means that preparation for the RHS exhibit has been left to one side. Today I am back doing the colour matching with Photoshop.

But before I show you a snippet from the next finished picture, I will show you one resulting from last week’s workshop.

I am not sure if it is fortunate or unfortunate, but every time I teach I want to do some of what the students are doing. I always need to demonstrate techniques anyway and I am often left with a half finished small picture – depending upon how many there are in the class. In fact, I often find that I continue to work on what I’ve started into the evening. My poor husband!

If it is a full class, then all my time is spent either demonstrating or going from person to person constantly. If it is a smaller class, I have to make myself look away from what they are doing so that they can actually start getting something wrong (but not too wrong). I find that if I hang over them too much, they don’t get a chance to do this and then they don’t learn. That is why I prefer to have several students at a time rather than a one-to-one. Although, for some people a one-to-one is essential.

These are Jonquil in graphite. It is a very small picture. I have been asked to give a small picture to a charity, so this will be it.

Jonquil flowers - graphite — Jonquil flowers – graphite

But the next RHS picture ready is Malus Red Sentinel. I think that many people have this crab apple in their gardens as it is quite common. When my grandchildren were smaller they called it a ‘tomato tree’. If you have been following this blog, you will know that we now have several ‘tomato trees’.

Make a note of the new leaves on this crab apple. They often have a slight red tinge round the edge when new. The flowers are fairly simple showing up a pale pink. Although on a bright Spring day against a clear blue sky they look really exotic.

Malus Red Sentinel Blossom - Coloured pencil — Malus Red Sentinel Blossom – Coloured pencil

Finishing off Hellebores for 2014

March 4, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

I have talked about Hellebores for such a long time this year as they started off flowering early and I was afraid there wouldn’t be much left by the time the workshop came about. Well as you know, they are still strutting manfully in the garden – even with all this rain.

Before I started painting botanically, I never thought that the winter could produce so much beauty. Now I emphasise these magnificent blooms in the garden.

Before going back to talking about the RHS exhibition and how that is going, and the subject of the next workshop, I thought I would include a few of the Hellebores that I have done. There is only one this year, but as you may now know (for those who follow the blog), some of my pictures can take several weeks to do.

Pen & Ink workshop starting on Thursday

November 27, 2013April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

On Thursday this week I will be having a workshop using Pen & ink.

Following the Sarah Simblet workshop in July, my students asked me to show them her technique. Obviously, although I studied Sarah’s technique, I use it in my way.

Going on a workshop doesn’t mean that you have to incorporate the teacher’s technique 100% when you finish the course, but that you use what you have learnt and incorporate some of it into your own way of working. That is why no botanical art teacher is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. We are all different and emphasise different aspects in our work.

I advise students who come to me, to also learn what they can from other teachers too, so that they can develop their own style, using elements from all they learn.

Anyway, on Thursday and Friday I will be having several students who want to learn a pen & ink technique that is not dots.

During the last few weeks I have done a series of step-by-step pictures and these should give a better idea of what is needed at each stage of the picture. I realise that without further instruction these pictures will not make full sense. But, the last picture is the completed one.

A drying Hydrangea.

Botanical art workshop starting tomorrow

October 31, 2013April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

Tomorrow morning several students will be arriving to do a botanical art workshop entitled ‘Autumn Colours’. Obviously with the storm that was, and the pouring rain today and forecast for tomorrow, I am not exactly sure what people will be wanting to paint.

This year the seasons seem to be running a little late and the trees are not really changing too much yet. We have nothing like the number of Maple trees in the near vicinity that have the colour that we saw in the Adirondacks, but we do have one or two. One of our neighbours has a Liquid Amber tree, but only the leaves at the top have begun to change colour.

The things that are striking in our garden are the different colours of the crab apples. In fact, as we now have all six sorts that I am in the process of painting, they do make a spectacular picture dotted around the garden. I can imagine that someone might be tempted to paint one of them or even an apple scattering from each of them!

One thing is sure, that someone will arrive with something that I want to paint!

GAYNOR'S FLORA

Botanical art, illustration, artist, illustrator, teacher, workshops, classes

botanical art workshop