Virtual Exhibition of New Work

Blue and Yellow

This is my latest acrylic intuitive abstract and it’s on show in my virtual exhibition on Artsteps . It was put together for me by my great friend Matt Butt of Rotherham Roar artists , a wonderful artists collective that I belong to . And this acrylic painting on paper is my first example of working in a larger format for a long while . To tell you the truth , I don’t think I shall ever go smaller now !

Flower Paintings in my Virtual Exhibition

A close up acrylic painting on canvas.  Cone flowers  - red against green foliage . In my virtual exhibition
Cone Flowers

I painted this canvas as the last of a set of four – you’ll get the full set in the virtual exhibition, together with Sunflower, Oriental Poppy and SeaThistle . Look for the link at the bottom of this page to see my show. This fantastic app ‘Artsteps’ allows you to create your own exhibition in a virtual gallery . And then you can ‘ walk ‘ around using the arrow keys .

An intuitive abstract suggesting flight and release - blue shapes floating across a pale yellow sky. Part of my virtual exhibition
Free Spirit

The Progress of Mankind

You’ll also see the last part of my triptych ‘ The Progress of Mankind ‘ – the painting above which I called ‘ Free Spirit ‘ . The other two parts (One and Two) are on show in the virtual exhibition and they really look good hanging together in the gallery . To tell you the truth , that’s the first time I’ve seen them together and it’s amazing what a sense of satisfaction I got from ‘ seeing ‘ them hanging on the wall online . Just imagine , I would never taken up this opportunity of displaying artwork online if not for the pandemic ! And you can also read my post all about this triptych here .

Lockdown Art in my Virtual Exhibition

Pigeon

To finish off this little review , I will include a watercolour and pencil mixed media piece . Well , this came about as a result of watching birds in my garden during early Lockdown. The pigeon continued strutting around as if nothing was amiss . Strangely , this made me feel a lot more optimistic at the time.

Although you can’t visit my show in person , at least you can see my work laid out virtually this way . If you follow this link here , you can see my exhibition. Use the arrow keys or WSAD keys to navigate around . Click on any picture to get a close up and better lighting . Anyway , there are twenty paintings to see and it’s great fun virtually walking around the gallery. This works best on a PC rather than a phone or tablet , unfortunately . All my paintings are available to buy at reasonable prices . So just send me an email using the form on the Contact Me page , if you want to know more.

A Triptych of Acrylic Paintings

The Progress of Mankind

All now be revealed ! You may remember , a few posts ago , I showed you two large , abstract canvases which formed part of a series of three . A triptych of acrylic paintings Here, as promised , is the final painting .

A turquoise blue kite , soaring free into a glorious,  golden sky .This is the third canvas in the triptych of acrylic paintings
Free Spirit

I entered these three large canvases as a proposal for a commission at a local stately home, to be displayed in the private chapel , inside the big house. Unfortunately, I was not successful on this occasion , but I was really inspired by the idea and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of entering.

Part One of the Triptych of Acrylic Paintings

I was reflecting on the state of our modern world , right at the beginning of the lockdown . So I thought about the idyllic world mankind lived in , before industrialisation . And I painted this intuitive abstract to show an unspoiled planet , visualized as a sort of tropical paradise. For more details and close-ups of this painting , see here

Swirling shapes in pink green and yellow - a lush jungle paradise. Part one of the triptych of acrylic paintings.
Paradise

The next chapter in the story also came easily to me .I must have been feeling quite pessimistic and I portrayed a burnt-out , desolate world with a huge , red sun Perhaps there are hints of global warming here ?

Hell on Earth

I suppose I must have been thinking about the excessive consumption and the way modern civilisation exhausts the Earth’s resources. I showed this painting in a virtual exhibition on Instagram – see @rotherhamroar . It’s our Washing Line exhibition !

For the final part of this triptych of acrylic paintings, I thought about how the paintings were to be displayed in a church .This is a place where people could sit in quiet contemplation , perhaps hoping for a peaceful resolution of their troubles . So I tried to portray this as a spirit soaring free , away from all difficulties . I think that I also used the motif of the kite to symbolise that feeling of wanting to escape from the ‘ virus ‘ problem. Obviously, this is a feeling that a lot of us have experienced lately . But I painted it instinctively and it must have come from my subconscious.

A turquoise blue kite soaring free into the  glorious golden sky
Free Spirit

I hope that you enjoyed looking at my Isolation Art. There are actually two more large canvases that do take the story forward , when I think about it . But that can be saved for another day .

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 !

Hell on Earth

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

Three Flower Paintings – a Triptych in Acrylic

Three Flower Paintings on Small Canvas – a Triptych

Three small canvases showing three flower paintings  - sunflower,  poppy and echinacea.
Three Flowers – a Triptych

What’s a triptych ? Basically , it’s a group of three paintings shown together and sharing aspects of subject matter , colour or style – or all three ! In fact , just like these three flower paintings. Originally, I think it described three paintings usually above or on the altar in churches. Actually , it’s a really popular way of presenting artwork at the moment in galleries . And some artists are very creative in the way the pieces are linked together .

Anyway , this is my version of a triptych disguised as floral art. In fact , I had to come up with something for an art group I belong to and I was a bit stuck. Then I remembered that I had decided to paint a series of flower paintings in acrylic on small canvases a while ago . However, life got in the way and I had only completed two, Sunflower and Oriental Poppy.

Sunflower
Oriental Poppy

So , I decided to paint one more – for the art group theme , a triptych of flowers. That is , three flower paintings. This is Cone Flowers.

A close up of ' Cone flowers ' , one of my three flower paintings . Red petals and green leaves.

Easy ! One triptych delivered .

Flowers from My Gallery

I must just mention that I have entered ‘Bluebells’ ( and two other paintings) for an open call for an exhibition. Luckily , Bluebells was accepted ( hurray ! ) .And to my delight, chosen for the publicity image – two reasons to be cheerful, I think !

A sea of  bluebells in a wood with the sunlight streaming through , a traditional landscape painting
Bluebells in Silkstone Woods

I must admit , I do love painting flowers. And , if you would like to see more , there’s loads more in my Gallery – ‘Still Life and Flowers’ here

Flowers and foliage in a vase - impressionist flower painting.
A Bunch from the Allotment

So, to finish up with, here’s my favourite – going to a new home when my solo exhibition finishes today ( the image at the bottom of the page )

Well, there are all kinds of floral art – on canvas, on paper , in vases , in a landscape , as a triptych or stand alone .And , I wonder which kind you like best ? Or , do you like them all , like me .

A tree in full creamy white blossom in the  Welsh hills , a springtime landscape painting.
Spring Blossom in Wales