CK Wood’s glorious poppy paintings are well-loved at Art2Arts. Though she’s a professionally trained artist with bags of talent, CK worked various jobs as she made her way to becoming a full-time painter. Here she reveals all about her process, inspirations, and artistic journey.

What were your experiences like at Leeds and Stockport colleges of art?

My time at college was essential for me – giving me time to experiment with different techniques, subjects and mediums. Studying surface pattern rather than fine art was a good choice for me too, as I loved the idea of texture in art and the experimentation involved in creating new techniques.

How did your interest in painting develop?

From a young age I always enjoyed drawing and painting – and excelling in art at school made me realise I did have a talent and I was encouraged by school to take it further.

How did you become interested in florals?

At college really. Previously I had enjoyed mainly drawing landscape and animals – but at college I had more mediums at hand and would experiment with water colours, acrylics and oils. And flowers were always available for us to paint, and I found I had a flair to paint them and loved the vibrancy of their colours and form.

How do you choose your subjects?

Quite often, it is based on how I am feeling that day, from what I have experienced around me – the colours and flowers I have seen and the feelings stirred in me. I do like to spend time within the peacefulness of nature, in a quite garden full of flowers, rolling hillsides or just a peaceful meadow or lake – watching nature and tuning into the beauty of it all.

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?

I have a feeling or mood that I want to put to canvas – If I plan or think too much about what I want to create, then I lose the feeling, so I just go with the flow of the feeling that I have at that time and the painting develops that way. Though I guess I must follow some process, they are subconscious.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?

I mainly use acrylics – but I do have other mediums at hand which I also use to create the effects I want. Acrylics can be quite flat, so mixing them with texture mediums or gloss mediums can add vibrancy and depth. Oils, which I sometimes work with are great at blending colours.

Who and what are your main inspirations?

I love the moods and the romance created by the Pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists. Though my inspiration is the natural environment around me.

What other jobs have you had?

Before making a living as a full time artist, as a single mum I had to keep working whilst trying to establish myself as an artist. I have had many jobs, mainly administrative work, but also call centre, debt collection, warehouse work and cleaning.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?

Occasionally I do yes – I get days when I have no inspiration or desire to paint what so ever. I sit down to paint and I am just at a loss to were to start and my heart isn’t in it. I have found the only way to overcome this, is to have a break from it. Otherwise its futile trying. Thankfully the desire and inspiration always does come back. If it didn’t then I would have to stop.

What advice do you have to young artists just starting out?

I think the best advice would be to keep trying and to keep establishing your style, keep true to yourself and your work and don’t let any knock backs effect you too much. If you work hard enough and keep at it you will eventually succeed.

See more of CK Wood’s popular poppies at her Art2Arts profile page.

“Boring back views” – the scourge of the life drawing class – or are they? For anyone who’s not quite sure what I’m banging on about – in life drawing classes, everyone tends to crowd around the front of the model, so that they can get an obvious, portrait-esque, face view. I recently heard someone at a class complaining about  “boring back views”. But actually, back views can be enigmatic and very beautiful. Here are 5 of my favourites from art history.

1. Naked Man, Back View by Lucien Freud (1991-1992)

2. Seated Woman in Underwear, by Egon Schiele (1917)

3. Grand Odalisque, by Ingres(1814)

4. Rokeby Venus, by Velazquez(1647-51)

5. Not to be Reproduced, by Rene Magritte(1937)

See what I mean about back views? Now have a look at a couple great ones from the Art2Arts catalogue:

Red Hair by Carmen Tyrell

Sensual and hot blooded, there’s nothing boring about Carmen Tyrells’ back view.

Rebecca II, by Kris Hardy

Kris Hardy’s Rebecca has, as they say, “got back”.

Have a look at lots more back views, front views, top views, and even bottom views in the Art2Arts figurative section.

Irina Rumyantseva is one of Art2Arts’ most popular painters. She talks us through her process, from her strict artistic training in St Petersburg, to her advice for young artists just starting out.

 

See more of Irina Rumyantseva’s dynamic paintings at her Art2Arts profile page.

Simon Kenny’s dreamlike semi-abstract skyscapes and landscapes bring Turner’s use of light firmly to mind. I was lucky enough to be able to interview Simon, and he shares with us the details of his inspirations and artistic career, from his invitation to study at Canterbury art college aged just 11, to his formative years in the south of France.

Did you go to art college? If so, where, and what was your experience like?
I was offered a place at Canterbury art college at the age of just 11 years old, which I was told a very rare offer. It would have meant taking my GCSEs early and although I was told I was talented the additional workload scared me off so I didn’t accept. In my early years I saw art as just a hobby and found I only wanted to be creative when the mood took me so 5 days a week or more seemed like a lot of pressure. Silly really but things worked out in the end.

How did your interest in painting develop?
I have a very artistic family and I used to go and stay with my grandparents every summer in the South of France at a lovely little seaside town called St Jean De Luz. It was the ideal break away from life back home which was sometimes a little rocky. My granddad was an artist himself and he was also a good friend and collector of the late famous Spanish painter Uria Monzon.On many of our outings my granddad used to take me around the local towns pencil and pastel sketching these amazing landscapes and old buildings. On a handful of occasions we’d swing by Uria’s Gallery and check out his latest works. Between my family and the amazing artistic holiday locations I don’t think I could have asked for more encouragement.

How do you choose your subjects?
My work is very emotional based so the ideas tend to form with my mind set rather than just choosing a subject. I do sometimes use landscape, seascape and skyscape photos give me a shape or choose colours but that’s about it as I want to keep the paintings as directly linked to my creative vibe as possible.

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?
The process really begins with a simple idea, sometimes just a name, or my music will get me moving forward in a certain direction. Then once I have the creative spark I’ll think shape, not just of the image I want to paint but of how it will fit in to what shape canvas. Then I’ll think textures and areas of interest. I don’t lay down colour until I have my shape right, then I may add a few bold colours and start to build the painting up. I always try to leave an area of light in the canvas, sometimes more than one, this kind of draws the eye in and I very gently pull the light areas around creating cloud like effects. This will all normally culminate in an emotionally charged swipe with various palette knives bringing out the 3 dimensional viewpoints I usually try to finish on. Then I sit and stare at the painting for many minutes, sometimes very long minutes, at times even taking photographs to see how things look on camera just to get another perspective. If I’m not happy I’ll highlight or lowlight until things standout as I want.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?
I like oils because of the softness and light blending ability. I use acrylics simply for the vibrancy and fast drying rates. Both are versatile and I often build an under painting quickly in acrylics then finish it in oils softening it down.

Who and what are your main inspirations?
I’m fascinated by people, our emotional responses, our belief systems and the world we live in. I love all the nature and science stuff, and find myself glued to the Discovery channels or normally have my head in a book full of information about the natural world or outer space, so the inspiration is everywhere.  I love weather, especially the moody British weather and often use images of storms to help me create my painting shapes. All that said music also plays a huge part in my inspiration and some songs can really pull my emotions forward getting me creatively flowing.

What other jobs have you had?
For nearly six years I was a director and designer at a bespoke furniture manufacturing company which I started from scratch. Before that I was in the building trade managing a renovations company. Art was more of spare time thing back then but I would still paint on weekends and in the evenings, selling works as and when I could and was actually commissioned twice before I turned professional.

 

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?
I don’t really get creative blocks before I start I painting, it tends to happen more when I’m in the middle of one, which is really more like losing direction and it can be incredibly frustrating. I used to try to force the work through but this rarely worked out for me and I can always see in the finished piece where things started going wrong. Now a day’s I kind of feel  the anxiety building, and when I know I’ve lost my way a little I’ll take a step back, put the canvas on the wall and walk away from it. I try not to look at it for at least half an hour, then, when I re-enter the room I’ll stand back, as far back as I can and then I can usually I see my way forward or least see where to start up from.

What advice do you have to young artists just starting out?
It’s like I advise my kids, practise, practise, practise. Understanding paint is key to how I work so I invested a lot of time and effort into  learning about glazes, textures, maintain light, building colour and so on. I don’t believe you have to be brilliant with a pencil to make a great artist you just have to be confident in what you do and that comes with a full understanding of your tools and how you apply them. I was very good a sketching from a young age but my early paintings were less than desirable so once I wanted to develop this area of my creative ability I simply invested in myself until I was confident enough to move to the next level and I’m still learning today. My artistic journey has so far been a bit of a personal rollercoaster but I can say every second has been worth it.

 

 

 

Fudge Boxes and Hotel Rooms

You’ll be familiar with impressionist paintings from fudge boxes and hotel rooms walls around the world, yet this most ubiquitous and inoffensive of painting styles was once a radical movement that shocked the French art establishment.

Rather than trying to show reality in a photographic style, the impressionists wanted to give an “impression” of a more authentic experience of reality, by depicting the interplay of movement, light and colour. Impressionist paintings are very painterly – this means that they are loosely painted with visible brush strokes.  There’s often a strong focus on light, colour and shadow, as opposed to line and form.

The 1874 Exhibition
The term “impressionism” comes from Claude Monet’s painting titled “Impression, Sunrise” (pictured), exhibited in 1874, and here’s how it happened.
In 1874, a group of artists in Paris calling themselves the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers etc. put on an exhibition. The society included (now) great names such as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro.

The critical response was mixed, and Cezanne and Monet came in for the harshest critical scrutiny. A scathing review appeared in the newspaper Le Charivari that was critically titled “The Exhibition of the Impressionists”, of which the gist was that the works were merely impressions of real art, and could not be considered any more than sketches.

The artists, who were unified by a spirit of rebellion and independence, accepted the name, and it quickly gained ground with the public. Although the newspaper article title was intended to deride, it gave the movement name which has stuck fast for over a hundred years, and is now associated with some of the greatest and most valuable paintings of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

You can now own an original piece of art with a 0% APR interest free loan. Art2Arts are pleased to offer 10 months’ interest free credit* through Arts Council England’s Own Art scheme. Art collecting is hot news at the moment, with more and more people buying art as a financial investment, and record prices being seen at auction houses around the world. The own art scheme gives just about anyone the chance to get on the ladder and begin investing in fine art. It’s a great way to support contemporary UK artists, while gaining a piece of original art that will truly enrich your living space.

Own Art is only available through galleries, museums and other arts organisations that have been approved by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland or Arts Council of Northern Ireland as registered members of the scheme.

How does Own Art work?
Buy any piece of artwork on the site, or commission an artist to create a piece priced between £100 – £2000, and spread the cost over 10 monthly installments (typical example: artwork costs £300, 10 monthly payments of £30). There’s no deposit required, however, if you would prefer to make an initial payment you can use the scheme as part payment and spread the remaining amount (typical example: artwork costs £300, you would like to pay £100 upfront, spread the remaining £200 over 10 monthly payments of £20).

You can purchase multiple pieces as long as the total cost does not exceed £2000.

 

Applying is easy, and the criteria are quite inclusive:
If you would like to apply for our interest-free loan please email your contact details to sales@art2arts.co.uk or call 023 92699 990.

 Own Art is available to all UK residents over the age of 18, subject to status. This means that you must be able to meet the following criteria in order to be approved for a loan:

• Over the age of 18
• A permanent UK resident
• Working at least 16 hours a week (employed or self-employed)

If you are not working but are married to or living with a partner who does have a full time job, then you may still apply provided that your partner is happy for their employment details to be included on your application form.

Visit the Art2Arts online gallery to see the hundreds of original art pieces that you could buy right away with an interest-free loan from the Own Art Scheme.

Art2Arts is a licensed broker of Own Art loans. Registered address: 30 Lower Derby Road, Stamshaw, Portsmouth, PO2 8EX.

 

 

Today sees the 2^ndpart of a series where I try to explain a well-known art movement while avoiding “artspeak” or jargon. I’ll at least promise to explain any artspeak, or link to a definition, if I do have to use it! What is Surrealism?
Surrealism is perhaps the 20^th Century’s best-known art movement, having  achieved popular status via its most famous proponent, Salvador Dali.The movement, at least in the visual arts, is all about unexpected and unrelated pairings, and visual surprises, that often create a dream-like feeling, to amusing or unsettling result.Along with Dali, a few of early-20^th-century surrealism’s best know practitioners are Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Frida Kahlo.

Source: http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79018

Roots in Dadaism
Surrealism emerged from another art movement, Dada, which sprung up in Europe during WW1. Dada was a hugely radical movement – it was all about challenging established norms in both art and life. Dadaists, like modernist writers, had seen the wholesale mismanagement and mass carnage inflicted in the name of Queen and Country as part of WW1, and realized they could no longer trust the government, the establishment, even God and their parents, and therefore chose to challenge old fashioned visual media (like oil paintings of the countryside) that represented established norms. Dadaism, despite being a lesser-known movement compared to surrealism, possessed an influence that has extended all the way into modern visual culture, influencing the punk look especially. Hana Hoch’s piece, shown below, is a classic example of Dadaist art.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hoch-Cut_With_the_Kitchen_Knife.jpg

Surrealism’s Development.
The writer, and Dadaist, Andre Breton founded the surrealist movement in 1924. He and other surrealists believed that established society had weighed down people’s unconscious minds, meaning that they could not express themselves freely. Creating surrealist art was a way of unlocking the voice of the subconscious. They did this through methods like automatic drawing, where the artist simply draws without thinking or planning, and the hand is allowed to move randomly over the paper. The images that result are supposedly the expression of subconscious or unconscious thoughts.  As a result of the emphasis on the subconscious, surrealist paintings often contain dream-like symbols and images.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Masson_automatic_drawing.jpg

Surrealist Painting Today.
Although surrealism’s heyday was during the early 20^th Century, it’s had a profound influence on visual art, design, film, and photography, extending to the present day.  In the world of painting, pop-surrealism, or lowbrow art, is a movement centered around Los Angeles that arose in the 1970s and is currently highly popular. Hans Rudolf Giger is also considered a contemporary surrealist, and paintings inspired by Giger’s and Dali’s works in particular are popular sellers in traditional and online galleries around the world.

April artist of the month Stewart Wilson’spopular paintings feature a unique style. This is the result of applying the paint directly to the canvas with his fingers and a palette knife, rather than a brush. Here he tells me all about his career trajectory, from traveling businessman in marketing, to successful cityscape artist.

Penny:  Did you go to art college?
Stewart:  I didn’t go to art college although I was in those days, an A level art student who could have gone but my interest was in marketing and my dream was to train within an ad agency. My father was a talented fine artist and I was tutored by him from an early age but he never pressured me into an artistic career. He always advised me to make progress in my 20s and 30s via a commercial career and savour the art in later years – good advice

How did your interest in cityscapes and nightscapes develop?
During my business career I traveled extensively throughout the world inevitably staying in city centre hotels and often unfortunately on my own. For years I carried an old leather-bound sketch book and would stare outside the window and observe the human activity down in the streets. It was a surreal situation being in numerous strange towns watching the nightlife which always seemed more exciting than the hotel. I captured many streets in many cities and my many sketches are all set in evening light.  Even more surreal is that my studio is located in a 17^th Century building in the middle of the Derbyshire countryside and I have little ambition to paint rural scenes like my father.  (The city is so much more exciting )

Could you describe the process you go through in imagining, planning, and creating a painting?
A lot of my work is commissioned and for this I have to be truer to the subject so I work from client’s photos, or I take photos and sketches and discuss with the client. They are often corporate and working to a group brief so I have to gain an understanding of their expectations with great discipline.
As for my gallery work I seldom paint from life but prefer to enclose myself in my wonderful studio. When I have the freedom like this my best work arrives, listening as always to incredibly loud music and often working well into the night (with the company of a little red wine).
I have a process of a kind which normally starts from a very large file that I keep containing anything from old sketch observations, magazine cuttings or anything that inspires. I look through this all the time and usually end up dreaming constantly. It keeps me awake because I churn over the concept, angles and colours etc. At the start of the painting process my palette is decided and mixed ready and canvas placed. The concept is in my head and I play some appropriate music and stand terrified in front of the easel. I start to lay paint with my knives which has been thickened overnight (secret method) in a frenzied action and then after 10 minutes or so I calm down and work more controlled till lunch. (I always have sardines and salad plus 1 piece of bread.)
Following lunch I stare at the easel and convince myself that I have failed and dare myself to scrape it off. I eventually talk myself through the crisis and paint calmly ‘til about 6pm.
By this stage most of the canvas is filled with paint but not finished. I now know that I have about 2 days to do interesting tweaks during various stages of paint setting. (This is when the magic commences.)
At 6pm I climb out of my overalls clean up, pour red wine and sit back and observe the canvas. I still work on the canvas in a clean way sipping wine and winding down.
Although working on other paintings in various stages of completion I spend the next two days twitching and tweaking and aiming for perfection.

What are your favourite types of paints to use?
I paint only with knives and fingers and the important aspect to the paint is forming an impasto quality. I have no favourite brand but I do “doctor” it to my required consistency.

Who and what are your main inspirations?
If you look at Boulevard Montmartre at Night by Camille Pissarro it sums up my deep love for impressionism. But a more contemporary urban take on it.
I am not a pretentious painter and I love the attitude of David Hockney. With his brave northern grit he seems to mock those precious arty types.

What other jobs have you had?
Up until the age of 52 I progressed up the greasy pole of corporate life. Most of my career was spent within high-end fashion brands. I worked as a director of design and brand management for several international companies and was based in several worldwide locations.

Do you every get creative blocks, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Not very often. Painting is about observing life and I have an interesting life.  I have several professional artist friends but of course they are no damned help as they usually have their own “blockages” to contend with.

What advice do you have to young artists just starting out?
It’s a shame that hundreds of young artist go through the college system and most of them end up working in a supermarket.
Making a living out of painting isn’t easy. Maybe we don’t tell them that they will have to be self employed as there are no apprenticeships or youth training schemes that I know of.

As well as being an artist they will have to be a:

Photographer

Graphic Designer

Web designer

Sales Person

Book Keeper

Secretary

Packer and Shipper

Van Driver

And the list goes on

I sincerely do feel for most of these young people who expect to make a living once leaving college but their future in pure arts is doubtful in the short term. So my advice is indeed get a job in ASDA but maybe for only 3 days a week and spend the rest of your time building up your brand and your business. Spend at least a year refining a really unique look and stick to it because this will become your USP and your Brand.

And then the fun part – get a really big folio case and cold call the galleries – character building stuff!

 See more of Stewart’s colourful and energetic work at his Art2Arts page.