I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember but had always struggled with watercolour. Until November 2002, I had never tried oils but, after watching Rolf on Art, my wife paid for me to attend a workshop at Fielders art shop in Wimbledon and I haven’t looked back. As a result of the workshop, I searched for a suitable evening class on the internet (I have to work to eat!) and attended evening classes at the Epsom Centre from January 2004 under the guidance of Shuhua Jin, a really excellent painter and tutor. Shu doesn’t impose a style on the student; he takes the time to improve technique and encourages your own style. Since the Epsom Centre closed its oils classes, I've moved on to Cobham Adult Education (closed for redevelopment!) and Guildford Adult Education, where I tried Life classes, so hopefully my figure and portrait work will start to improve!
I find that oils give me the freedom to adjust my painting style dependent on the subject matter and how I feel on the day. Just being able to lay paint on thickly or thinned right down with turpentine is surprisingly liberating. Also, being able to just wipe or scratch off paint is amazing! Still-life is the most satisfying, as it is truly three-dimensional, unlike landscapes that are generally taken from photographs. I have yet to make any great strides in portraiture; getting a model is not the easiest task, despite encouraging my wife to sit for me, so I suppose it'll have to be self-portraits...
I hope you enjoy looking at my art and remember, I'm open to commissions.
|
|
10
artworks.
|
