July has been a busy month in the studio preparing for Worcestershire Open Studios this month and planning for H-Art in September. I have also nearly completed three paintings of which two are ready to show you. Please excuse the sheen on both paintings – they are not quite dry.
New Paintings
Cherry Ripe
I promised you berries and cherries and this is the first of the pickings. I love painting cherries (and eating them). The painting is one of contrasts – the solid fruits against the sunlit semi-transparent leaves; the jagged leaf edges against the smooth round cherries and of course the juxtaposition between the colour opposites of red and green.
Oil painting on fine linen canvas, 12×9 inches/30x24cm. Framed in a white stepped wood frame. For sale. £350. Click here to see more/buy
A Taste of Herefordshire
I sometimes take my painting research very seriously indeed especially when food is involved. I wanted to create a painting which celebrated the richness of the county we now live in. I started in a cheese shop and ended in cider shop.
Dessert Board
In Herefordshire there are 15,000 acres of cider orchards and 20 makers and I knew I couldn’t sample them all. I went instead to Tom Oliver’s cider farm and met the man himself who introduced me to Fine Cider, which was a revelation. Fine cider, like fine wine, has its own set of glassware. The fine cider here is which in natural light is a beautiful shade of deep orange. The cheese is Smoked Little Hereford made by Monkland Cheesemakers. The berries and cherries are from Pixley’s farm down the road.
Oil painting on extra fine linen canvas, 9.5×12 inches/30x24cm, unframed at present. £350 when framed in a black frame with a gold line.
Open Studios & Exhibitions
Worcestershire Open Studios (August)
- Location: Croome Court Pottery and Gallery, at National Trust Croome Court and overlooking the Walled Garden
- Dates & Times:
- 16–17 & 23–25 August, 11 am–5 pm
- 20–22 August (Wed–Fri), 11 am–4 pm
- I won’t be present in the gallery on either of the Sundays or Wednesday 20 as hosting is shared between the artists
- I will be demonstrating how I do my gold leaf paintings on Saturday 16 at 12 and at 3. Repeated on Thursday 21 at 12 and Saturday 23 at 12.00.
- Gallery Details: The gallery is run by a local couple Sarah Nicol and Peter O’Neil. They are both potters and make beautiful functional ceramics. Araminta Fogden is the other Open Studios guest artist at the gallery. Her oil paintings are inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and include animals and gold leaf decoration. This beautiful large gallery also exhibits the work of other painters, potters, printmakers, jewellers and glass artists and has a large range of cards for sale including 12 of my designs.
- Please click on this link to see details of Croome Court’s entrance charges for non National Trust member and for accessibility details. The gallery is clearly signed within the park. On normal weekday openings the gallery is access via a signed pathway. However the path to the gallery is fairly steep. At weekends and the Bank Holiday Monday the gallery is accessed through the Walled Garden and this is an easier option for mobility scooters. However, there is an additional entrance fee of £7 for these gardens which are run independently. There are refreshments at Croome Court and in the Walled Gardens.
- Dates: 6–14 September
- Details: My daughter Francesca Currie and I will open our home studios—hers at the front, mine at the back. I will be selling my oil paintings, the full range of prints and cards.
- Further details next month.
Wishing you happy holidays if you are going away and a good summer if you are staying at home.
Nicola