The Painting Thread... (as opposed to art debate)

[TANGODANCER]

Of the things I've done lately, this is one of my favourites. The frame is just superimposed for effect.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

^ I like that, very atmospheric (literally, representatively). Is it a specific place?
The SEAGULL* coming in to land is a nice touch as it's apparent motion draws you in to the picture. Good painting.

* generic in lack of knowledge of seagull species. I'm guessing Lesser Black Backed Gull... ?
(oops I see a seakayak hoving into view)

[TANGODANCER]

^ I like that, very atmospheric (literally, representatively). Is it a specific place?
The SEAGULL* coming in to land is a nice touch as it's apparent motion draws you in to the picture. Good painting.

* generic in lack of knowledge of seagull species. I'm guessing Lesser Black Backed Gull... ?
(oops I see a seakayak hoving into view)

Cheers Spots. Specific place? I got the idea from a painting or photo I saw of an estuary on a misty morning somewhere, and the gulls were my own idea. No idea of the species, although I saw quite a lot in Blackpool a fortnight ago. Some of them are xxxxxx big sods, particularly the brown coloured females.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Ay Up Tango... as discussed previously: this is my latest attempt, a bit of an experiment in colour. I tried to put a bit of botanical realism into it as well but not as much as the Victorian watercolourists who did the really detailed paintings of specimens for book plates. I'd like to be able to paint that intricately but I'll need to experiment a bit more to get some better techniques for that sort of work.
anyway here it is...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

oops, I can never get the fxckin size right when uploading these image thingymajigs

[TANGODANCER]

Like it very much Spots. It's vibrant and imaginitive, uses light, shade and shadow well and the leaves are accurate in shape and form. I like the contrasting effect too. Good stuff, keep it coming.

[TANGODANCER]

Done a few things based on local areas. This is one. The frame is superimposed again, but I liked the colours. I've never framed one of my own works. This frame would be good on your Autumn Leaves.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

^ It definitely looks rainy, that's a fact. Did you use a knife on the rain slashes or a paint blocker?
I've not thought of framing anything yet... (by me that is. In fact I've got tens of things that do need framing including a couple of watercolours I bought up in Scotland years ago, an OS map centered on our house with all the walks I've done with the dog marked on it, and many many photos which my missus keeps on asking to be framed). Have you got anything you've done up on your wall then Tango?

[TANGODANCER]

^ It definitely looks rainy, that's a fact. Did you use a knife on the rain slashes or a paint blocker?
Have you got anything you've done up on your wall then Tango?

A: Used a sharp corner of sandpaper for the light parts of the slashes and flicked in some dark spots. A knife or a needle will do the same thing if you're careful not to tear the paper.

B: Nothing at all. I have three framed Russel Flint prints (not proofs) and a print of the old Alhambra Palace in the living room and a couple of modern things the wife likes in the lounge. There's a small framed print of a John Singer Sargent Spanish painting, another Flint and a photograph of Argentinian tango dancers hung upstairs. I have another three or four Flint prints wrapped up. An ex neighbour has three flower paintings of mine on her walls though.

[TANGODANCER]

This is my other Rivington attempt .

[Lost Leopard Spot]

You're quite good with snow Tango. That one ^ in particular shows up a massive difference between your technique and mine which probably highlights your greater experience with the medium. I've noticed it in a few of yours that you don't paint the actual colours you see but utilise colour for the overall effect. Your snowbank on the left is not the colour snow is and yet by using that colour you not only give it definition by the suggestion of deep shade but it actually makes it look like snow too. Whereas in mine (the leaves for example) I tried to mirror the exact colours I had in front of me. I need to try and be freer with my colours too, and use them more 'architecturally' to suggest areas, zones and lines rather than just colours.

[TANGODANCER]

^ Wherever I can, I try to use negative space, ie using the white of the paper. Works well with snow because you only need to drift in some very pale shades except where there's a mass of shadow (as in my pic). Snow is white, so any colour in it is a reflection or shadow. I got the crested effect by brushing some neat Titanium white straight from the tube over the heavy shadow. ( I've never used blocker, ie masking fluid, although I may try that somewhere along the way) . I also do this for highlighting. Ref colours, you make your own rules; it's your painting and you can do what you like with it. In waterecolour work there are quite a lot of what Joanne Boon Thomas calls "happy accidents" that occur without pre-planning. Gives you far more options if you adopt that view.

[Bruce Rioja]

Dear Tango,

This is a genuine question.

How come you've started imposing a charity shop frame around your efforts?

I'm curious - that's all.

[TANGODANCER]

Dear Tango,
This is a genuine question.
How come you've started imposing a charity shop frame around your efforts?
I'm curious - that's all.

Dear Bruce.
Charity shop? Hardly, this is where I "borrowed it from". http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/frames3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As I explained, I liked the colour and it's only for effect.. Genuine answer.

[Bruce Rioja]

Dear Tango,
This is a genuine question.
How come you've started imposing a charity shop frame around your efforts?
I'm curious - that's all.

Dear Bruce.
Charity shop? Hardly, this is where I "borrowed it from". http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/frames3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As I explained, I liked the colour and it's only for effect.. Genuine answer.

Cheers. Cause for genuine discussion here, I think.

When I'm framing something I give equal thought to the frame and the glass as I do to that that I'm framing. I also consider where it's going in the house, how much light will hit it and from what angle. But I also consider how much a frame might 'steal' from the framed item.

I'm yet to find a framer that's actually helpful in this regard. Someone on here (The General?) recommended a guy at the top of Vallets Lane. He frames things expertly but does exactly as you ask rather than help out.

I'd love to find a framer that actually asks where it's going and so on.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Dear Tango,
This is a genuine question.
How come you've started imposing a charity shop frame around your efforts?
I'm curious - that's all.

Dear Bruce.
Charity shop? Hardly, this is where I "borrowed it from". http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/frames3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As I explained, I liked the colour and it's only for effect.. Genuine answer.

Cheers. Cause for genuine discussion here, I think.

When I'm framing something I give equal thought to the frame and the glass as I do to that that I'm framing. I also consider where it's going in the house, how much light will hit it and from what angle. But I also consider how much a frame might 'steal' from the framed item.

I'm yet to find a framer that's actually helpful in this regard. Someone on here (The General?) recommended a guy at the top of Vallets Lane. He frames things expertly but does exactly as you ask rather than help out.

I'd love to find a framer that actually asks where it's going and so on.

I used to have a framer that did exactly that, and then he went out of business just about the turn of the millenium. I haven't been able to find another one as good since.
The one before last, to whom I'd taken a very expensive poster to be framed started to weld the poster to the inner mount framing board with industrial strength parcel tape, until my piercing scream of "Whatthafackareyadoinnnnnn?" intercepted her.

[TANGODANCER]

^ For things I have framed, though none of my own works, I usually bought frames independantly, sometimes with non-reflexive glass for the light reasons you mention. This local firm look quite comprehensive. Have you tried them?

http://www.tcframing.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit. Sorry, didn't realise this is the guy you mentioned. There used to be several in Bolton centre but they all seem to have gone. For what it's worth, this seems current and mentions quite a few locally:

https://www.yell.com/s/picture+framers+ ... shire.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TANGODANCER]

On topic: A couple of weeks back I went into Bolton Art Gallery to see a collection of prints by English artists. They were mainly (though not uniquely) black and white and some of them quite small. What did impress me was that the smaller stuff was framed mainly in simple frames with quite a large amount of white or ivory card mounts around them. The effect was really impressive. Similar to the link..

https://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/s ... mailarksee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bruce Rioja]

Cheers Tango. I have a couple of things that need doing so I'll have a look.

[TANGODANCER]

Spots. Here's a winter scene where I just let the white paper be the snow. It's in Haworth village, a place I've been to half-a-dozen times although mainly in summer. This is A4 in actual size.