N.B., Click on images to zoom.
Oil Paint on Panel
Private Collection
Private Collection
This is a small oil painting that depicts part of a wonderful valley in south Snowdonia. It is a view that is seen from the walls of Castell-y-Bere, which is a favourite castle of mine, and of many other people judging by the quantity of visitors.
I've been there many times with Mari, and we love both the castle itself and the surrounding country, which is so 'featured' and interesting.
With the painting above, I tried for one of those compositions in which the centre of the composition is fairly featureless, and the interest lies on the periphery of the picture. In this case along the bottom edge and the top area. I liken these compositions to some of the japanese Ukiyoe woodblock images in which the central area is inactive, with the interest arranged around the edges: - unlike the vast majority of western paintings in which the main features of the image are in, or around, the centre.
Of course the other main interest here is the light. And the way it reveals and describes the form of the mountainside.
Mari thought the green I used (on the valley floor) may be a little too sharp. And she could well be right
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Wednesday, October 2nd.
I had a nice surprise today when Mari and I went across to the Williamson Museum, to see the Wirral Society of Arts Members Exhibition (2013) to find that one of my paintings had won the Maureen Hinchliffe Award!
This called for a photo -
N.B., Click on images to zoom.
I'd just had a cup of tea and a piece of apple pie in the café, so it's no wonder I look pleased!
If you should get the chance to see the exhibition, which has some excellent work on show, here are the details:-
Wirral Society of Arts Members Exhibition 2013
The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Slatey Road, CH43 4UEBirkenhead.
Tel: 0151 652 4177
williamsonartgallery@wirral.gov.uk
It's on for the next two weeks (until October 13th), normal opening hours (not Monday).
Here's the info page from the exhibition catalogue -
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I was very sad to see that David Hillhouse has recently died. He was a brilliant artist. I met him only a couple of times at the Williamson, where he was acting as curator for the WSA shows. He was very helpful and considerate. His work was serious, sensitive, skilled and thoughtful. I will miss looking forward to seeing his latest paintings on show at the Williamson and elsewhere. Mari and I extend our condolences to his family and friends.
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quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
Who painted this, and in which picture?
And here's the answer from the last posting -
'Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time'
Bronzino. 1540-45. National Gallery.
quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
"Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise."
Margaret Atwood