surreal landscape Archives - Margaret Hall Fine Art

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021

A Country Walk in Watercolour

Good morning, everyone. I’d like to show you this watercolour painting, ‘A Country Walk’. Because it’s the third exercise I have done from Paul Talbot-Greaves excellent book, 30 Minute Landscapes. And I’m really pleased with the result. But I’m well aware that I’m not yet at the stage where I could make such a beautiful, striking composition as this from a simple scene. So, I’ll keep on practising!

However, this painting was an excellent way to practise the new techniques I’m learning and have fun at the same time! For example, I practised stippling, as I explained in my last post here. Also there’s spattering of paint, created by flicking a paintbrush, loaded with paint. Please wear protective clothing! Seriously though, see if you can spot these two techniques in this closeup of a holly bush.

Trees in Closeup

And I also had the chance to practise painting nice fine branches and twigs by gradually changing brush size. Yes, I know I should have thought of that myself, but I didn’t! Finally, you might also see the shadows on the road are carefully painted by following Paul’s method. To be honest, I was very nervous about this part of the painting. Mainly, I think because I am so used to manipulating acrylic paint which very generously allows you to paint over your mistakes. In fact, I might now have a bit more confidence when painting shadows in a landscape. Instead of just fudging it and hoping for the best. Here’s a closeup of branches and shadows.

Anyway, I do think this study will help me to progress my painting. And , to finish off with, have a look at this acrylic painting from a couple of years ago, with a similar composition. Of course, this is an imaginary scene and seems to me not quite finished. Perhaps I will feel more inspired to finish it now, who knows?

Another Country Walk

September 24, 2020September 28, 2020

Drylands – Art for Sale

Picture of the Month

I just finished this acrylic painting today , and I wanted to show it to you straight away ! This painting – Drylands – Art for Sale – needs to be featured all by itself, I think . To be honest, I am quite pleased with it . You see, it’s another experiment with a restricted palette of colour. And this time, I used soft browns, vibrant orange and a touch of gold. In fact, I mixed the shades of brown from blue and a ready made orange. Surprisingly, this combination includes the three primary colours red , yellow and blue. Because, of course, the orange is a mixture of red and yellow. ( In actual fact, it took me a while to figure this out ) . And I had never tried to mix browns before, always using the brown umber straight from the tube. But, I must say, I really prefer the DIY mixtures. And, that’s what I like about these experiments – I always learn something!

Drylands – Art for Sale -The Dead Trees

Clearly, when I painted this parched landscape with its swathes of dusty foliage, I must have been thinking of the climatic changes taking place in the world. For example, it seems that dry, hot regions seem to be getting hotter and drier. If you would like to see another surreal landscape painting, look at this post here .

I’m including this shot in order to try to show the intense and rich colour of the sky . There are also passages of interesting textures, as there are on most of my paintings. Unfortunately, these details don’t show up so well on a screen.

Well, I hope you like my painting ‘Drylands’ . As I said earlier , it is a work in acrylic on paper, 16 by 20 inches, unframed and without a mount. And , it’s priced at £60 plus shipping ( I’m based in the UK ). So you can pay by PayPal and I’ll package it up and send it off to you without delay ! Just go to the Contact Me page here and send me an email for further details. Then you can frame it to suit your taste and enjoy soaking up the evocative atmosphere it seems to create.

September 8, 2020September 24, 2020

Flash – an Acrylic Painting

Three red zigzag lines flash on a soft blue sky over a strange ochre coloured wave — **Flash**

This is just a quick post today, to keep you up to date with what I have been painting- Flash. So have a look at my latest 16 by 20 inch acrylic composition. To be honest, I am getting really comfortable with this size of paper. To explain ,it’s not so small as to cramp my gestural style of painting. And also, it’s not so large that it seems a bit of a chore to cover all the canvas with paint. Hopefully, you can see what I mean . In addition, the paintings are done more quickly. And I do enjoy finishing off a piece in roughly three sessions. But sometimes I like to take my time and develop a piece gradually. Perhaps, it’s a sign of the times that I am too restless to commit to anything that will take more time and concentration. I wonder if anyone else has felt that the Covid situation has altered their art practice?

Artist’s Inspiration for Flash

The idea for this piece literally came to me ‘ in a flash ‘ ! Suddenly , I saw some red, zigzag flashes on a beautiful, blue sky. Apparently, there was also some kind of ocean wave or strange sort of rolling landscape underneath it all . So , I just picked up my paintbrushes and started ! I must make it clear that I don’t create all my abstracts in this way. Actually, I might write a post all about it soon – so stay tuned ! Click here to see more abstracts, intuitive or otherwise !

Please don’t forget, all of my art is for sale at reasonable prices. This painting is acrylic on paper, 16 by 20 inches . It’s unframed and without a mount. I’m selling it at £60 plus shipping. And I’m based in the UK. If you feel like treating yourself . So, go to the Contact Me page and send me an email for more details.

July 14, 2020September 16, 2020

The Light at the End of the Tunnel – acrylic painting

Hope -The Progress of Mankind , Part 4

We see the back of a naked figure standing in a lush forest , looking out towards a beautiful green light in the distance - in acrylic . Is this the light at the end of the tunnel ? — **Light at the End of the Tunnel** **– acrylic painting**

I painted this picture back in April – I was just longing for some relief from the worry and grief I felt at the height of the pandemic. I’ve waited quite a long while before showing it but perhaps now is the time? The Light at the End of the Tunnel -is there some now ?

Artist’s Inspiration for ‘The Light at the End of the Tunnel ‘

The idea for the painting came to me quite instinctively . I was walking through a small park , enjoying looking at the tree blossom and the new growth on all the plants . And I suddenly thought about how vulnerable we are to illness or viruses . So I decided that the figure should be naked to symbolise the defenceless feelings a lot of us have had , during this pandemic . I also pictured him in luxuriant foliage . I was , no doubt , influenced by the scene in the garden I was walking through !

**Light at the End of the Tunnel – acrylic painting**

I think I was gradually working towards this idea . Just have a look at this mixed media journal page I created in March this year , to cheer myself up. I called it ‘ A Brighter Day ‘ It was very intuitive , but afterwards I realised it was a picture of hope , breaking through like a glorious sunrise .

A semi-abstract view of light seen through the trees - mixed media blue and orange . Is this the light at the end of the tunnel ? — **A Brighter Day** – **in acrylic**

My ‘ Progress of Mankind ‘ Series

And the other stage in the process was , of course , my ‘Paradise ‘ painting . Here I portrayed the Earth as a wonderful , unspoilt world in the trilogy that I created for a commission proposal earlier this year.

A semi abstract acrylic painting of a lush jungle with insects and birds - pink , green and golden yellow . — **Paradise**

You could say that ‘ Paradise ‘ was Part 1 , then ‘ Hell on Earth ‘ Part 2 came next , followed by ‘ Free Spirit ‘Part 3 . You can see the whole story in this post here . But now I can see that ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel ‘ Part 4 comes next in the story . I’ll show you Part 5 in a little while . None of this was planned . But I realise , with hindsight , that my intuitive inspiration was steadily moving through these past events and helping me to cope . I wonder if anyone else has noticed any effects on their art practice ?

**Light at the End of the Tunnel – acrylic on canvas .**

June 5, 2020September 16, 2020

Paradise – Acrylic Abstract Painting

An Intuitive Abstract Composition in Pink and Green

A colourful acrylic abstract, mainly pinks and greens , suggesting a jungle or a paradise garden. — **Paradise** **– an abstract composition by Margaret Hall**

This is the first painting in a set of three that I mentioned a couple of posts ago .And I called this one ‘Paradise ‘ . I think I must have imagined a tropical scene or a scene in a jungle . The colours I was drawn to – luscious pinks and vibrant greens – definitely fitted into this theme . I tried really hard not to paint anything too figurative and realistic . But when I stood back from my easel, I saw suggestions of a bird , an insect , perhaps an animal, flowers and leaves . So I realized that I was going to make this this acrylic abstract composition semi-abstracted not purely abstract . But that’s ok. To be honest , I often find that my paintings decide what they want to be . And , sometimes without a lot of input from me ! I even turned this one upside down several times to paint it and the motifs still appeared ! I wonder if you can see any signs of life in this jungle ( as well as the luxuriant foliage , that is ) ?

Paradise – Birds , Flowers and an Insect ? – details from my acrylic abstract

a close up of shapes like birds and flowers . — **A Bird ?**

A shape in stripes of yellow and black suggesting an insect in the paradise garden . — **An Insect ?**

I believe that the term ‘ paradise ‘ has its origins in a word which meant ‘garden’ , a place with lush growth and plenty of water , a place where you could rest and gaze upon a beautiful scene . When I painted this , I was thinking about the story I was telling in a series of three canvases for a commission proposal : this is the first one ‘Paradise ‘. And the second one ‘ Hell on Earth ‘ was shown in a previous post in May here and it carries the story forward .. All will become clearer soon when I reveal the third part !

May 22, 2020September 10, 2020

Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas

Abstract Acrylic Painting in Red and Purple

An abstract composition in acrylic on canvas , in swirling shapes in red , purple and white . It looks like a huge red sun over a sci-fi burned out landscape. — **Red and Purple – acrylic painting on canvas**

This is an intuitive abstract acrylic painting on canvas from a few weeks ago on a 2 foot square canvas . Actually , this is the largest size I have ever painted. It took me a while to learn how to adapt the size and shape of the design to the square format . But , that came after the initial free expressive part of the painting . Of course , some semi-abstracted shapes crept in , but that was ok . Mainly because it fitted in well with the story I was developing over three canvases . These form a triptych which I entered in a commission to produce artwork for a chapel gallery in a local stately home . Unfortunately , I wasn’t successful but I felt it was a very useful exercise and I learned a lot about describing and presenting my work whilst doing the submission .

A large , colourful abstract painting on canvas in red and purple , pegged out on a washing line . — **On a Washing Line**

However , now this work can now go public and here it is in a virtual exhibition called ‘ On a Washing Line ‘ . This is presented by a group of local artists that I belong to. We were due to exhibit our recent work in the real world but this is the next best thing . And a lot of fun too !

To let you into a bit of a secret , I called the piece ‘Hell on Earth ‘ the second of three paintings on canvas . It’s a story about the difficulties the world seems to be going through just now. A dramatic piece to catch the eye and make a bold statement in a large space. But , don’t worry , the ending is hopeful and I will tell the tale in a while over a couple more posts .

You’ll see more of my abstract acrylic painting on canvas in the gallery section Abstracts here

March 27, 2020September 22, 2020

Sci-fi landscape – Acrylic Painting

Acrylic Painting of a Sci-fi Landscape with Colour Abstraction

A view from the bright orange beach over the peaceful , purple sea - a sci-fi landscape — **A Sci-fi landscape with Colour Abstraction**

I’ve finished my little acrylic painting at last, my sci-fi landscape. Despite all this extra isolation free time , I still haven’t done much art . Well, I have actually been finishing off another large canvas – so that’s my excuse. And I’ve also started an art journal ( more for art therapy than anything else) .

This was an exercise we did a couple of weeks ago at Art Group. We all looked at the same copyright free photo and produce your own version . And then we tried to make as many changes as we wanted to or to add anything to it . So I changed some details such as omitting the bench and moving the cliff .Then I tried changing all the colours , which was surprisingly difficult , if you wanted to make it look harmonious . ( Apparently this is called colour abstraction ) . I also found patterns in the leaves, rocks and waves and exaggerated them . Of course , I am quite used to doing this when I paint my semi-abstracts. And I have been told that it now resembles a sci- fi landscape ! In fact , it was quite enjoyable to do , if you like a little challenge.

What changes would you make? You could see more abstracts in this post here .

January 4, 2020September 22, 2020

My First Solo Exhibition of Acrylic Paintings

A Walk Round My First Solo Exhibition of Acrylic Paintings

A semi-abstract acrylic painting in red and green showing apples falling from the tree at harvest time. — **Apples Falling**

A photo of plates of biscuits and delicious homemade cakes — **The Refreshments**

Well – we had a blast at the opening of my first solo exhibition this morning at Skelmanthorpe Library Gallery.

Hanging the Exhibition

The curator hanging up my exhibition in gallery style — **Gallery style hanging**

It didn’t take us too long to put the exhibition up yesterday . Really, we were quite well organised and Mike Roberts [organiser and curator] was pretty nifty up and down the ladders.

Update – Spring Blossom in Wales – SOLD !

The Abstract Paintings at my Solo Exhibition

A big bright pink Spiral on a vibrant deep blue background - an abstract in my first solo exhibition . — **The Spiral**

A semi abstracted acrylic of a vase of sweet peas in pink , purple and green .This was the image for the poster of my solo exhibition . — **Sweetpeas**

I was thrilled when Mike invited me to exhibit at this fabulous gallery for the month of January. At last – an exhibition all to myself ! I was also really pleased because Mike had seen my paintings on this new website – so , quick result ! In fact , this gallery is a new idea for the Community Library and it is really well worth supporting. Just remember , the library closes on Tuesday, Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

A semi abstracted composition portraying Jamaica and Reggae music . The best painting in my solo exhibition. — **Reggae Reggae**

I would really like to say a big thank you to all my family and friends for their support this morning. You know , it really means a lot. And it was great showing off my work to you all.

2 acrylic paintings from the Landscape section - Still Standing and Ladybower Reservoir — **Boat People and Hadrian’s Wall**

All for Sale at my Solo Exhibition

The exhibition is open till February 1st.

These are all original artworks , painted in acrylic on paper or canvas, with the occasional watercolour and mixed media piece. And they are all for sale, with prices ranging from £30 – £150 . Please contact me if you are interested. I’m based in the UK.

Do have a look in my gallery to see more of my acrylic paintings. There’s also a more in-depth report on my exhibition in the Exhibition section on the main menu .

I hope you have enjoyed my exhibition review .