Wild Card Artist!!

So surprised and thrilled to get an opportunity to be a Wild Card artist for Sky Arts in the first heat in June . What luck! Had to be fully equipped for painting in the rain, and create a finished work in 4 hours across a 6 hr time frame. In the run up to it, the thoughts of friends and gallery assistants on what makes a good painting/composition, and a plan of attack ought to have helped on the day! I deliberately arrived the evening before for a quick skirt around, and clocked a sun dial, archway, interlacing twig hedges, and a wiggly line drawn by a moorhen crossing a shallow lake- elements I hoped to incorporate.

In fact, on the morning itself, it was all replaced by a sense of visual - or possibly total-overwhelmedness! Such beautiful surroundings, and fabulous views. So much beauty to take in, too much noise, and so little time!

Too much in fact, to be able to process it fast enough, and spent all morning sketching and measuring , as decided part way it could be sight size. Other artists were on their second picture before I even started painting. Eek! My lovely wooden easel, given to be me by Rona Lucas after her husband Keith's demise, attracted the attention of one of the judges, Tai Shan Shierenberg, and he was kindly encouraging about my sketch.(7B pencil) Sadly, later efforts were a disappointment as I was still struggling to make sense of what I was seeing.

By the finish at 3.30, some appalling starts on trees were partially repaired by covering too mmany markes with softer wash and tonal contrasts, and after a couple of adjustments later the next day, it might pass as a painting, though too much information/detail for my liking, and rather "chocolate boxy". Extremely useful learning process, and have some key elements cemented in my memory, eg. white flowers growing on a dark roof; fern stalks reflected in the dark lake . After a helpful discussion on the difference between illustration and painting with Clare Rawlins, long time friend and accomplished artist, I plan to work on these and perhaps unite again in a whole, or perhaps keep separate.

Sworn to secrecy though, so will add details after programmes shown in Sept/October. Really hoping friend who was in the select group wins. His work is so colourful, spontaneous, and fast!