Exotic Flamingo Pink and Purple Feather Ear Rings

 One for the birds! I made these ear rings from soft coloured feathers with a little silver plated feather.
They are available from either my Folksy shop or my Etsy shop. details on the side panel on the right.

Silk Painting Demonstration

 I was invited to do a silk painting demonstration and talk at the Feltham Art group. It was a friendly and lively group which made it a pleasure.
 I demonstrated painting irises, one of my favourite flowers.
I did the drawing at home and outlined the flowers and leaves with gold gutta to act as a resist and keep the colours within boundaries. Colours spread fast on dry silk. The gutta had gone a bit thick and was rather difficult to pipe from the nozzle but it looked OK. I painted mostly wet on wet and had rather more leaks through the gutta than usual, so I had to work at speed and use the hair dryer often. I quite like a bit of colour flowing into the background and and vice versa into the flowers. I soften the leaked colour with water and dry immediately. The thing to try to avoid is when a bit of colour leaks through unnoticed and dries with a hard edge looking like a bubblegum bubble. Although even those can be turned into something else such as an extra leaf or petal.
I have a bit more work to do on this painting. Back in my studio I used a different tube of gutta and have gone back over some of the lines to make a more waterproof barrier.  Then I will make the background colours much stronger especially behind the leaves. I will show the finished painting in another post.

One of the group asked whether metallic gutta could be used on watercolour paper. An interesting thought which I shall experiment with and report back in another post.

Pink and Lavender Poppy Scarf

This morning's work

Silk paint colours were dripped onto damp silk.

 The pink and lavender were applied using the dropper, then the aquamarine blue was applied with a watercolour brush. while still damp some salt was added to the middle of the poppies to make a bit of texture. It is important to make sure that the whole area is roughly at the same degree of dampness while working on it. When the desired effect was achieved I dried the silk scarf with a hair dryer then ironed it on the cotton setting to make the colours permanent.

It will be on it's way to the Corner Gallery later today with some other scarves and paintings mostly on the theme of lavender and poppies.

It will also go into my etsy shop.

Painting Tree Bark

            Sweet Chestnut Bark  by Tessa Spanton
            Watercolour with on paper with Polyfilla (c) 2012

The Leisure Painter magazine for November came out today. In it there is the second of my 'Watercolour Plus' articles. In this one textures are made using Polyfilla, gel medium, cling film with some spattering of paint and grating of watercolour pencils.
The image above shows the amazing bark of a huge sweet chestnut tree in Carshalton Park. There are several of these trees which were planted about 400 years ago when the land was a deer park. This tree is in the park but some of them are stranded outside the boundary in  the pavements of a tree lined road.
This magazine is available from large newsagents or art shops or can be bought on line here
 It is also available as a digital version.
I am looking forward to mine plopping through the letterbox as I haven't seen it yet.

Painting Carshalton

 In my last post I wrote about the Wapping Group of Artists exhibition at the Mine Gallery and their day of plein air painting. click here
Later in the afternoon I chose this scene to sketch. and painted it later at home. The traffic over the bridge was incessant  queuing  up to turn either right past the Greyhound or left past the church and I didn't want the cars in this painting.

The Greyhound Hotel, Carshalton Ponds. (c) Tessa Spanton watercolour

The Wapping Group in Carshalton

Members of the Wapping Group of Artists are showing work at The mine gallery in Carshalton until Oct 6th. This is one not to be missed, click here for more details and some images of their work.

Last week they were painting en plein air in this beautiful historic area. When I arrived they were painting, umbrella in one hand and paintbrush in the other. And talking of hands there are a few left handers among them. Only the next day I spotted this on Squidoo asking whether left handed people are more likely to be artists. The results of the poll are interesting.

Anyway back to  the Wappers as they are affectionately known. Most were painting in oils and a few in watercolour.

Above  John Stillman is painting All Saints church in oils

Below shows one of the  Carshalton Ponds and the Greyhound Hotel. Beyond the pond is the Heritage Centre at Honeywood  Lodge, the tallest tree in London and out of the picture, the Ecology Centre and Grove Park.

I lived in this picturesque area just the other side of The Greyhound for about ten years so know it well and have painted here before. 

  Bert Wright is capturing the scene in watercolour. I returned to this spot later to do my version.

Below Outside the church, Carshalton High Street is being tackled in oils by Roger Dellar and Derek Daniells.

 and below David Penney with Carshalton church in watercolours.

I had a wonderful afternoon watching everyone paint and they were most generous in answering questions so thanks Wappers!
 I shall make my third visit to the exhibition before it closes.

New Courses

above     Necklace made from painted silk.

Above  Needle Felted Flower This could be used as a brooch or corsage or to embellish a bag.

I am tutoring some courses coming up soon. No special skills or previous expierience are required.

If you are interested to apply for a place on any of these courses please contact East Surrey College  www.esc.ac.uk/

Silk Painting for Embroiderers  
- Sat 6^th Oct 2012  - 10am -1pm  - East Surrey College   AADP1XB5XA

Needle Felted Brooches Taster

 Oct   - Sat 13^th Oct  - 10am – 1pm -  Old Pixham School  AADP1X14PA

Needle Felted Brooches Taster 
Nov  - Sat 24^th Nov  - 10am – 1pm - East Surrey College  AADP1XB4XA

Silk Painting Projects for Christmas
  - Mondays  from 26^th Nov to the 10^th Dec (3 weeks) - 10am- 12pm  - Old Pixham School AADP1X15PA