Tonalist landscape 4

Loved this weeks look at tonalist landscapes....enjoyed the paint....loved the warm tones of the mixed autumn colours, reds, burgandies, Sienna's, mixes that often include a burnt umber....my fav this week. The colours of the trees this week have been spectacular...don't know what makes the leaves on the trees more colourful some years than others...need to research why.......it's funny hat I have been in a state of angst about my painting until this week....you know those periods where every other artist seems to have a perfect art life.....go to studio...paint masterpiece....sell masterpiece....etc etc.....And Facebook helps generate those feelings.

I have painted long enough to know that if you are in that period of angst then that usually precedes going on a roll....well it does for me...if you didn't have those negative feelings then you wouldn't push through and go out of your safe land in paint, would you ? You would just repeat what you were doing before...no progression ........

I use a lot of paint in my process....I put it down and then wipe it off.mmmm.....very little is , ' placed,'

What do tonalist landscapes mean to me ?
Often....subtle use of tone ( Whistler )
Lots of mid tone work.....but then
Lots of big dramatic tonal changes ( David Sharpe)
Simple composition
Not much detail
Stillness....not much movement

52 cm sq ( 20 and half inches ) square.I can still feel the wind in it but loved it

52 cm sq....still feel the wind....love the warmth too

Some areas of this one remind me of Douglas Fryer ...research his work....or Russel Frampton....research his too 52 cm sq.

52 cm sq. Well I have done it ...Are all tonalist painters male ? Discuss ...Are there any female ones ? Often if I am looking at art I don't know it's quite good to look at the work and ask yourself  is this artist male or female ?

Mmmm

52 cm sq. The paintings are dark...but not cold...I like that.... Try a grungy wash all over the piece...

Try 9 small ( 15 cm sq.) pieces to consolidate/ explore further....

15 cm sq

15 cm sq

15 cm sq

15 cm sq.

15 cm sq

15 cm sq

15 cm sq.

15 cm sq.

15 cm sq

I've done them now, loved them....want to do 100 more today but then I know I am at the mercy of the muse and the feeling might go off me tomorrow.....he ho

Aspects of a tonalist landscape 3

Just put up the two paintings at Emmaus Mossley to replace the sold ones. I put up the paintings at Emmaus without frames, just with two tacks in the back ...the same hanging system I use at home. It means I can literally finish the painting and hang it as soon as it's dry, like I did with the one I made on Thursday night. I seem to have to do that or else I go off them and then they get abandoned. He ho.

I didn't think that the two replacement ones fitted into the display but the paintings are where i want to be so I have the choices to make.

I made a bag to fir the 33 inch square paintings in to take down to Emmaus....all very simple....how I like it.....

Won't be returning to the paintings until this evening....had a disaster so far ! He ho

Display at Emmaus Mossley, paintings 33 inch square....think I need to replace 1, 3 and 5 ....only like 2 and 4 THISWEEK !

Bag made from old blanket to carry paintings ...with a shoulder strap ! Much easier than bubble wrap ....for me

Intending later to return to researching tonalist landscapes and what it is I want to do.....still like the idea of , ' Aspects of a tonalist landscape . '

Had a lovely paint....totally influenced by the walk today and the colours of the autumn leaves. Georgeous ! Made this one by painting over another one....' Paint overs, ' ....there is a painting on the back which I have fallen out with....might as well paint on both sides of the Mdf.....

I can see the influence of the leaves....I love some areas in this piece....the colour mixes of dark purple and golden browns. Lovely

Carried on with another 33 inch one today. Love the new Autumn palette . Don't mind the painting either, today.....will I ever do any small ones....

Also had a tidy of the paints. At the moment I buy my paints from Yorkshire purchasing company and then buy empty containers off ebay, mix the colours randomly. Love mixing new colours !

Ta da ....did the 9 small ones....loved it.....researched a little about tonalist painters .....mmmm.....loving this

The garden this morning....love this time of the year...love the colours....

The ones below are 15 cm sq. It's easier when they are small , I can get what I want in the paint....

Aspects of a Tonalist landscape 2

I hate the , ' Up and down life ,' of an artist ! I hate the feelings that I have when I can't do my art, or can't chi eve anything near what I wanted ! Still looking at tonalist landscapes but yet didn't want I would call a true tonalist landscape , I wanted some abstractions within the piece. This was today's I like it .....TODAY.... Will hang it in Emmaus tomorrow to replace the sold one.

Daily walk, ' the paint was laid by the wind,' 33 inches square, acrylic and ink on board.

This was the one from last week....looks better tonight, ' the wind took the image away,' acrylic on board , 33 inches sq.

Try again !

Aspects of a Tonalist landscape

Was trying this week to look at tonalist landscapes ( over the wind studies ) ...love a tonalist landscape and what I mean by that is almost a traditional , readable landscape that has dark tones in it....romantic, warm, lovely....for me.

Hmmm.....how to bring aspects of a tonal it's landscape to my more abstracted landscape ?

Tried this week, over painting old Daily paintings, trying to go to ultra light and very dark !

Like the work of Xanthippe Tsalimi, well her more obscure, could be something else landscapes. Think always that I will have to put the lightest tones down and the darkest tones down when each of the other tonal areas are dry.....really don't like the dark mixing with the white.Mmmmm.

Here they are then. And I am showing these with the thoughts that I only like a couple of them and in no way was I successful to myself with the, ' aspects of a tonal landscape. ' Need to try small.

These are all 52 cm sq . Welland I also need to fight the size and the display.....because I have painted at th his size for so long and have the walls set out for this size, the display almost becomes repeat active, predictable. I always have th the darkest tone at the final , end painting on the bottom right hand display. Mmmm

Try.....the darkest tone to start the display, 

The darkest tone in the middle

Different sizes of paintings

More of the , ' aspects of a tonality landscape,'

Mmmmmmmmm, food for thought....

Trying to paint the wind 4 and revisiting My North project

First off...the wind. Very windy this week..loved it....painted this one needs to left , ' to cook.' Not sure ..I only wanted to paint the wind not a recognisable landscape.Mmmm, fail then.

Left to dry...May return.....title for the moment....sing song winds....or listen to the paint....

To try and get a flavour of the other landscapes, I surrounded the painting with the others. It worked, I thought, but I had to be prepared to loose the other paintings in splashes of paint....

MY NORTH review
I had abandoned the North project because I had got overwhelmed by it....loads of paintings which I loved...loads of displays which I loved but which didn't fit altogether....

Just by chance I read a blog by Tara Leaver, another Artist, about maintaining your interest when the newness had worn off....one of the major things that I got from it was to visit the project each day even if the muse had gone and just review or consider some aspect of it....having done that I got together lots of the My North paintings and displayed them in grids....liked them....

Black mills displayed in the Art lounge...like them in a grid

64 My North paintings displayed in a grid on the studio doors...like it....throws up a question of , ' grids, ' does showing work in a grid devalue each individual piece ? I am firmly on the fence on this one ! I can see both sides but my thoughts are that I would like to include a big grid in my installation , but wouldn't frame it as one piece ( even though I have really liked Jenny Graham's , ' composite, ' paintings ) if I leave them without a frame then they can be viewed either way. I need to write the titles ( memories ) in ....And I like them on the doors ! Maybe display them on doors....

Just put these up on a studio cupboard door ...like them on the doors.....reminds me of the cupboards that were at the sides of the fireplaces in our old terraced homes. Cupboards of treasure that you had to climb up to see what was on the shelves...very dangerous ha ha

In this one, I am gradually replacing the photos with paintings that look like photos. I have painted on top of the photos, which I loved. I love it still. I love the way the photos/ paintings are displayed on a landscape painting...it brings together Mills and Hills which were the two most interesting aspects of My North ( to me )

This was the My North cupboard. Love it . For an installation, am I going to include personal pieces ? Not for sale.mmmm

This was definitely influenced by Jenny Graham's composite pictures....but I almost want to edge my bets and offer them individually too....

These were the black mills in a crisp presentation.

Liked them in these frames too

Don't like them on the big boards ...the mounts are too big

Don't like them in the clear frames either

Love this frame with the work in...

So ...lots to consider but at least I have unabandoned ( if there is such a word ) the My North project.....I am aware that I am using the blog as an online record of my work and my projects. I like that and has time has gone on that has become the primary function.....