Table of contents for June 2024 in Leisure Painter

To all those of you who have been loyally reading Leisure Painter and The Artist over the years, I'd like to let you know that Sally Bulgin, the editor of The Artist and previous publisher of LP, left her post at the end of March after nearly four decades at the helm. She will be much missed by everyone here, both for her immense knowledge of the art world, and for all the support, help and friendship she has given the team. Thank you, Sally! Jane Stroud, who also has a long history with both magazines, has taken over as editor of The Artist. Although Jane will still be working with me behind the scenes, she has stepped away from her role as writer on Leisure Painter so please send all…

Sketch for Survival The annual Sketch for Survival competition invites entries or original artwork featuring a threatened species or wild space, by artists from around the world. One hundred artworks from these submissions are selected for exhibition in the autumn alongside the work of professional and celebrity artists at The Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh and the gallery@oxo on the South Bank in London. Awards include the Sketch for Survival 100 Artist of the Year, plus The Artist Award and the Leisure Painter People's Choice Award. Submissions close on 30 June. For full details and to enter visit www.explorersagainstextinction.co.uk…

TIP If you are not familiar with working in an abstract mode, I encourage you to complete a conventional painting of the subject first, almost to give yourself permission to explore further. Once your painting is complete, put aside your original reference and work from the first image you painted, simplifying shapes and tones, and leaving out unnecessary detail using a pencil. From this, complete the second painting, gradually abstracting. B rowsing the internet I came across a painting that stuck in my memory. It was of a couple of trees in a landscape and the forms were broken down into simple geometric shapes with glowing colour. The result was a lyrical abstracted landscape in oils that seemed both satisfying to look at and memorable. The artist was the Argentinean,…

Oil paint is pigment blended with oil (usually cold-pressed linseed oil) and its richness, depth of colour, voluptuous nature, handling properties and smell remain unique. As a medium, oil paint has no substitute; it has a quality all of its own, often worked thickly (impasto) by some artists, yet in thin glazes, hardly more than a stain, by others. There is no right or wrong way to work with oils, and only one general rule applies – working thick paint over thin (known as fat over lean) works, but applying thin over fat leads to cracking at a later stage. Today we are lucky to be faced with an abundance of excellent quality paints in an astonishing range of colours and hues, all available in easy-to-handle tubes. You will notice…

Mixed media Botanical Set Consisting of 24 products + one free online creative class with Jule Thomas. Contents include Supracolor Artist quality, 12 water-soluble assorted colour pencils Fibralo brush with 5 water-soluble assorted colour brush pens Fibralo with 4 water-soluble fibre tipped assorted colour pens 1 Artist watercolour paint palette with rough and smooth sides for all ranges of products 1 No.5 watercolour brush A set of 12 postcards with assorted Botanical designs RRP £109.99 Info@jakar.co.uk www.jakar.co.uk Rosa Gallery Artists Quality Watercolour set with 24 assorted classic colours in 10ml tubes 100% Gum Arabic and with organic pigments Developed in collaboration with Professional Artists – Made in Ukraine RRP £74.99 – Also available in 12 assorted classic colours RRP £39.99 Info@jakar.co.uk www.jakar.co.uk Introducing the Natural Line Sugar Cane Watercolour Block…

Visit www.painters-online.co.uk/store and click on the link to books to buy the latest practical art books available from LP's online bookshop. Abstracts in watercolour Using just watercolour paints and a few pens, Kate Rebecca Leach shows how to release your creativity to create watercolours that are full of originality and dynamism. Watercolour techniques, tips and tricks are clearly explained and step-by-step demonstrations will help you on your way. Projects range from simple shapes and abstract botanicals to expressive landscapes and include information on how to combine colour, texture and contrast using gel pens and metallic paints alongside your watercolours. Creative Abstract Watercolor by Kate Rebecca Leach. David & Charles, (p/b), £16.99. A beginner's guide to abstracts Learn how to draw buildings step-by-step Drawing buildings Drawing and Illustrating Architecture is a step-by-step…

The artist's perspective I was very interested in David Norris's views expressed in the Art Club pages of the February 2024 issue of Leisure Painter. I agree with him on the cost in thought, time, effort and materials (including framing) regarding charging a reasonable price for one of your ‘priceless works of art’. That is the terminology my husband, very kindly (with perhaps a hint of sarcasm) uses for my watercolour paintings. As well as watercolour painting and drawing, I also embroider and make greetings cards. As needlework friends say, you will never get your time back if selling something. Patchwork quilts being a fine example. On the other hand, many of us do our various crafts as a most enjoyable, all-consuming hobby that is grounding and mindful – two…

EXHIBITIONS LONDON ■ Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street SE1. 020 7928 7521 www.banksidegallery.com ‘RWS Spring 2024: Transparency’, until 28 April. ‘RE Original Prints 2024’, work by members of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), 3 May to 2 June. ‘Hilary Paynter: Moving Mountains’, wood engravings, 4 to 9 June. ■ The Courtauld Gallery Somerset House, Strand WC2. 020 3947 7777; www.courtauld.ac.uk ‘Frank Auerbach: The Charcoal Heads’, Auerbach's series of large-scale drawings produced in post-war London, until 27 May. ■ Dulwich Picture Gallery Gallery Road SE21. 020 8693 5254 www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk ‘Soulscapes’: exploring new interpretations of landscape art, until 2 June. ‘Yoshida: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking’, 19 June to 3 November. ■ The Garden Museum Lambeth Palace Road SE1. 020 7401 8865 www.gardenmuseum.org.uk ‘Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors’, 15 May to…

Sargent and Fashion at Tate Britain until 7 July, is dedicated to the portrait painter John Singer Sargent and reveals his role as a stylist. The exhibition is staged in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and will feature 60 paintings from private and public collections, telling the story behind the artist's key patrons as well as the artist's subversion of social codes and conventions through portraiture. Sargent and Fashion is at Tate Britain on London's Millbank, SW1 until 7 July. Tickets are available at www.tate.org.uk or telephone 020 7887 8888.…

Explore the life and work of Angelica Kauffman at a one-day symposium at the Royal Academy of Arts on Friday 7 June, 10am to 6pm. The symposium is held in connection with the major retrospective exhibition of Kauffman's work at the gallery, that runs until 30 June. The day provides an in-depth look at the work of one of the RA's founding members, known for her society portraits and pioneering history paintings. For more information and to book your ticket visit www.royalacademy.org.uk…

I have always been fascinated by owls and grew up surrounded by them, while frequently hearing tawny owls in my garden at night. One of my favourite subjects to paint is the iconic barn owl, being one of the quietest birds of prey; the unfortunate rodent or other small creature is completely unaware of its fate as the owl approaches. The colourful plumage and the shape of that face, those large dark eyes, speckled wings and head with the body so white and so eye-catching – these all make for a wonderful subject to paint. I loved the idea of painting a close-up portrait of a barn owl loosely, concentrating on the detail in the eyes. I chose this image for its pose, that look to the side at something…

T he cherry blossom is the easiest and most versatile flower you can ever draw. With its small petals and undefined centre, it's the perfect project for anyone who is starting their journey into botanical drawing. The key here is learning how to master the basic proportions of the elements, then beginning to apply shading techniques to show the direction of the petals. The cherry blossom is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, making it a perfect subject for spring-themed spreads in your journal, or to brighten your walls with a touch of delicate art. SKETCHING NOTES TURN A SIMPLE FLOWER INTO ART MARKS CHERRY BLOSSOM BRANCH One of the best ways to draw cherry blossoms is in their most natural form: attached to the tree branch.…

WWW.PAINTERS-ONLINE.CO.UK Stephen Mason studied art at A-level but did little painting until he retired and now enjoys exploring painting and drawing styles and subjects. Here he describes one of a series of paintings he made of the North Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes. To see more of Stephen's work, post a comment or upload your own image, visit www.painters-online.co.uk ‘I originally painted with oils, but was unhappy with the setting time between sessions. I now mostly use acrylics, unless I am working on complex areas that benefit from much longer setting times. I recently started life drawing, which I find challenging but highly rewarding. I was brought up in a fishing town in the North East and have always been fascinated by the complex but flowing lines of wooden fishing boats;…

FIFE J & G Innes Ltd 107 South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QW Tel: 01334 472174 Open: Mon to Sat 9am-5.15pm Sun 12.30 - 4.30pm www.jg-innes.co.uk Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Hahnemühle, Staedtler, Parker, Waterman, books, magazines, cards, games and a gallery. Upstairs @ J & G Innes Ltd GLOUCESTERSHIRE Cotswold Art Supplies Church Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1BB Tel: 01451 830522 Open: Mon to Sat 9.15am-5.15pm www.cotswoldartsupplies.com Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Pro Arte, Unison pastels, Sennelier, Conté, Paperblanks, Reeves. Picture framing on site. Pegasus Art Shop Griffin Mill, London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2AZ Open: Mon to Sat 9am-5pm www.pegasusart.co.uk Stockists of: Williamsburg, Rembrandt, Old Holland, Cranfield paints, Cobra, Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Derwent, Daniel Smith, Schmincke, Caligo, Da Vinci, Pro Arte,…

Exhibitions ■ Byfleet Art Group Spring exhibition at the Catholic Church Hall, Madeira Road, West Byfleet KT14 6BH, on Saturday 18 May, 10am to 4pm. Visit www.byfleetartgroup. ■ Cononley Art Group Exhibition at Cononley Village Institute, Main Street, Cononley BD20 8NU, from 25 to 27 May, 10am to 4pm daily. ■ Horsforth Arts Society Exhibition at 15 Back Lane, Horsforth, Leeds, from 20 to 28 April. Visit www.horsforthartsociety.wordpress.com ■ Jersey Society of Artists Exhibition at the Greve le Lecq Barracks, St Mary JE3 3AA, from 3 to 12 May. ■ Kineton Art Group 56th exhibition at Kineton Village Hall, Mill Street, Kineton CV35 0LA, on 11 and 12 May, 10am to 5pm; final entry at 4pm on final day. Visit www.kinetonartgroup.com ■ Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle 206th exhibition at…