My Painting Holiday in Cornwall

My husband gave me a Cornish Landscape painting course as a special gift for my birthday. My dream has come true. 

I really love Cornwall. I have been there twice before, but this time it was different. I worked for 4 days, 6 hours a day, painting and drawing, mostly in extreme conditions, in the wind. It was brilliant! 

Our tutor was Maggie O'Brien, a teacher at the Newlyn School of Art and a great painter of wild landscapes. There were 9 of us on the course and the atmosphere was very supportive, with much freedom left to us. Maggie is a brilliant teacher and fun to be with. And, what is important, she was a good match for me and for what I wanted to achieve.

I just wanted to have fun while painting, to loosen up. Going on locations to paint can be tough. But I found out that this way of working suits me. There is no time to be precious, you have to work quickly, without judgement. You just get on with it. 

Here are some examples of my oil on board work. Some of them are finished and some need more detail.

On the last day we worked in the studio in the Newlyn School of Art.

These two little paintings made me very happy:

I have a feeling that my relationship with Cornwall is just beginning. I cannot wait to go back there and paint again.

My Painting Holiday in Cornwall

My art studio at home

I work from my studio at home. It is not an ideal situation I must admit, as I get distracted all too easily by the things that need to be done at home and in the garden. Even more important, the internet is calling me and instead of working solidly on the painting I am on Facebook or checking my Etsy shop.  I work better under pressure, when the deadline of the forthcoming exhibition is approaching.

Here are some photos from my studio. I have been preparing for the solo exhibition titled "Boats and Transmitters" in Googies Art Cafe in Folkestone, on the South East coast of England.

The exhibition is now closed and I am off to new projects.

Next thing on the agenda is The Islington Art Fair. I will have a stand there on the 5th and 6th of October this year. I hope to see you there. Please come over and say hello.

Back to work then..
Do you also work in your studio at home? I wonder what is your experience of it?

My art studio at home

How to make a Driftwood Frame

Some time ago, I collected some driftwood at the beach in Folkestone (the best time to do it is after the storm, when the beach is full of treasures thrown out by the sea). Today I will describe how to make this simple Driftwood Frame:

Apart from the driftwood, I used a small framed mirror which I bought at a charity shop. You can use any frame which is flat and wide enough to provide a space for the driftwood to be glued to it. I also used a glue gun, a piece of fine sand paper and small pair of pliers.

First I sanded the frame, taking care to sand the edges nicely without scratching the mirror in the process. I wiped the frame clean with a cloth.

Then I started to arrange the flat pieces of driftwood on the frame. Whenever a piece of driftwood was too long, I broke off the end with the pliers and sanded it down. I did not glue the pieces to the frame yet.

When I had the frame covered with the flat pieces of driftwood, I carefully glued the driftwood to the frame with the glue gun. Be careful not to burn your fingers with the hot glue (like I did).

With all the flat pieces of driftwood glued to the frame, I arranged several more on top to cover the gaps and to make the driftwood frame look more interesting. I then glued the last pieces to the first layer of driftwood. Now the driftwood frame is ready:

Happy frame making :)

Yolanta

How to make a Driftwood Frame

Beachcombing - another kind of collecting

My house is by the sea, on the South-East coast of England. I have been living here for over two years. One of the reasons I moved into this area is to be able to go for long walks by the sea and be inspired by it. I had a feeling that living by the sea will somehow change me and my work as a painter. And I wasn't disappointed.

I go for long walks whenever I can. And I do beachcombing, which is one of my favorite activities ever. I pick up various objects offered by the sea and waiting for me to be collected.

I come back from these expeditions tired, with wet trousers and shoes, with pockets full of treasures and very happy.

The amazing natural creations of the sea life inspire me in my work.

The sea's forms filter through into my paintings and designs.
There is never any shortage of them. And they are free - always there, for anybody who notices them.

I use the shells to display other objects.

After storms I collect the driftwood thrown at the shore. I am going to use this lot to make a mirror frame. I am looking for a suitable mirror in the second hand shops now. When I find it, this will become my next creative project.

But mostly I just look at my finds, touch them, enjoy their subtle color harmonies and textures. There is nothing better then a feeling of being connected to nature. It helps me to be energized and to stay balanced.

Beachcombing - another kind of collecting