Sandra Rowney

Art Gallery Clock

2012-01-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

Time Passes

Rain today, the first rainy day I've encountered since leaving the UK. The perfect day to stroll from the hostel on Queens Street and meet up with a Norwich friend in the fabulous new Auckland Art Gallery.

An exciting find for me was a painting entitled 'Golden Cloud' by Gretchen Albrecht. After sketching the Tara Tara sunset earlier this month this 'abstract' painting made perfect sense and I look forward to working up the Tara sketch into a large painting in this way.

Later in the afternoon I painted the newly restored clock tower and stepped outside in the rain for authentic watercolour drips of colour. I'll work back into this later in the week in order to reflect the colours of the paua shell (abalone) jewellery made here.

Gretchen Albrecht (born 1943)
Golden Cloud 1973
acrylic on canvas 137cm by 177cm

Auckland Glasshouse

2012-01-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sitting in a greenhouse in an Auckland summer for a couple of hours might seem potty, but I was happy to be painting in a glasshouse again! The focal point was a raised pond with enormous lily pads. Soft to touch but the underside had fierce barbs. This was the 'Winter Gardens', part of the Auckland Museum complex high up in a parkland setting.

The Winter Garden cafe satisfied my cake craving before an afternoon in the museum admiring the Maori collections and the natural history floor. The highlight (other than the cake) was a film on how the mangrove trees live, especially good having sat and carefully sketched one the other day.

Kauri bark and sea bed patterns

2012-01-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

A hike down the hillside through the small kauri grove on the island was the starting point for this painting sketch; the bark on the kauri tree has a distinctive shapes and walking through the bush in the midday sun sharpens the perception of pattern as the sun filters through the different exotic leaf shapes.

I'd arrived back at the beach apartment with a pocket full of leaves and bark to help with colour matching but after an afternoon on the kayak and swimming out in the clear waters of the bay I added the colours and patterning of the sea and the sea bed.

Red Kayak

2012-01-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've been staying with a friend from Norwich who has an apartment on Onetangi beach, Waiheke Island which is a ferry ride away across Auckland Harbour. We went out in the double kayak, sitting at the front I was pretty nervous the first time as we set off with the surf breaking over us but as soon as we were beyond the surf line it was magical. The sun was glinting on the sea, we rounded the forested headland and swam on a deserted beach called Pie Melon Beach.

Monarch Butterfly

2012-01-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

A butterfly died but gave me the chance to paint it carefully.

Green Lipped Mussel

2012-01-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

The green lipped mussel was one of the more unusual shells I found on the beach. I love the way the inside of the shell held rainbow reflections and set myself this challenge to paint. A visit to the local community art gallery was inspirational, and resulted in a number of visits to see local artist studios.

Onetangi Bay,

2012-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the sun on the beach at Onetangi Bay I watched a conventional launch, but they have James Bond type boats here too, called Sea Legs.They come up out of the water, drop down the wheels like an aircraft and drive up the beach and away up the road. I've missed the famous pohutakawa trees in bloom on the island, but the blue and white agapanthus covering the cliffs more than make up for it. Swimming across the bay in the early morning I noticed that the blue ones disappear from sight until you are nearer and in reach of the cliff.

Above the Clouds

2012-01-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

This sketch had to be made FAST! There was only 40 mins in the air from the small airfield at Keri Keri in Northland, NZ to Auckland. While settling in seats and the propellers were turning I was quickly working on the window frame and the body of the 50 seater aircraft. The woman sitting in the next seat was fascinated and wanted to see the rest of the sketches but there was no time to spare.
The perspective up there was weird, a really interesting painting exercise, looking down like a map yet your brain is insisting that there are hills and valleys. The water threatened to spill on the bumps too!

Kauri Trees

2012-01-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

Kauri Trees

Sitting all afternoon in the Puketi Forest working on this painting was delightful, very few visitors disturbed the tranquility and birdsong. I met the (retired) regional manager of the Department for Conservation who had initiated the walkway through the forest 20 years ago so was able to thank him personally for his efforts! Driving back down gravel roads from the Puketi Forest was interesting in the little hire car that I have dubbed 'the shopping trolley', built for the supermarket run!
My last day in Northland today, so I had a fish supper on Matauri Beach watching the surf rolling in, then joined my friends from the boat trip for a beer as the sun went down. I'll be flying down to Auckland tomorrow to join a pal on Waiheke Island for a week.

Tane Mahuta: God of the Forest

2012-01-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

Kauri Tree 'Tane Mahuta'

Sketching is, I believe, all about looking, really looking, and being there. I don't mean being somewhere exotic, it could be sketching the cup and saucer on the breakfast table. The joy is losing yourself in the moment, focusing, concentrating and letting the outside world just slip away for a while.
Two hours sketching and staring up at this wonderful kauri tree (Agathis australis) had me spellbound. It is around 2000 years old, 17.68 mtrs tall and the girth is 13.77mtres. The Maori name is Tane Mahuta 'God of the Forest',
The tree was in the Waipoua Forest a couple of hours of switchback driving from Keri Keri in an under powered hire car with three of us wondering whether we'd have to get out and push.
I could mention the swimming on the way back at Opinoni (photos) and the divine fish and chip supper with passion fruit, pineapple and mango icecream but it wouldn't be relevant to an art blog would it?

Mangrove Tree

2012-01-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Mangrove on the beach at Piperoa Bay

The tide was in at Piperoa Bay and I was fascinated by the little waves rippling around the mangroves at the end of the beach. I'd taken the little ferry across aiming for Russell but a short walk brought me to this pretty almost deserted beach. Swam out while the tide was in then settled on the beach to paint. I want to mention the delicious passion fruit icecream but it isn't relevant.

In the Forest

2012-01-17T15:18:00.000-08:00

In the Forest

One of my biggest regrets (with hindsight) from visiting Australia several years ago was that I didn't take up an invitation to 'go sketching for the day' with an artist in Wagga Wagga. She was genuine but I was overwhelmed, thinking her painting was so good that I felt I wasn't good enough to go with her. Now I'm in the same boat. I've found an artist whose work I really admire living in Keri Keri, "Just phone him", said the gallery owner, "I'm sure he'd welcome you to visit, after all, all artists like a pat on the back".

I have to summon up courage, but meanwhile I've struggled to try out the ideas I saw in his painting, "Part of the Walk". I'm about to drive over to a forest this afternoon where the shadows will be deep as it is 30 degrees outside so will have another try at this style.

Valencia Orange Trees

2012-01-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

Orange Orchard

Oranges, mandarins, tangelos, they are all growing in the orchard that surrounds this small and friendly hostel (Keri Keri Farm Hostel) I'd only booked two nights from the internet and now will be so sad to leave, I could cheerfully return here another year and stay a month. Wandering out into the cool orchard at 7am with my tea and toast and the labrador puppy Nika is bliss. These Valencia orange trees are over 70 years old and heavily pruned into interesting shapes. I tried playing with shapes and layering and return to them in the next day or two.

Roadside Agapanthus

2012-01-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Roadside Agapanthus

The first early morning when I ventured forth from the farm hostel I looked carefully at the entrance to the grey tarmac roadway and 'memorised' the showy display of blue and white agapanthus - so that I'd be able to find my way back. I have to smile at that now because they are everywhere around Kiri Kiri, 'grow like weeds' say the locals. I wish mine would at home, I lost the lot last year in the heavy winter frost.

Tara Tara Sunset

2012-01-17T14:43:00.000-08:00


Tara Tara Sunset

This is the real colour of the sunset behind the mountain and reflected in Tauranga Bay. I could hardly believe it when I opened the sketch book the next day, but the next evening there was another similar one and I was able to check....perfect colours. The sun was going down when we brought the boat back in from a day of fishing, sailing and swimming. Quite by chance I'd met up with some locals who felt sorry for me graunching up impossible hills on a bicycle and invited me out on their boat instead. I couldn't throw the bike in the back of the trailor quick enough.

Fishing off Stephenson's Island

2012-01-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Fishing in the zone

Anchored by Stevenson's Island I could see one of our party, in the yellow tender, fishing for the elusive marlin. "Oh he's OK, he's fishing 'in the zone'' they said. A nautical expression that had something to do with his happy smile and bottle of beer. The Monarch butterflies all fly through here from South America, landing on Stevenson's Island and Butterfly Beach (pictured behind the yellow boat). I fed the shoal of large pink and blue Mau Mau fish from one side of the boat to keep them off the baited lines on the other side of the boat; squealing with pleasure when the cobalt blue fish came up to the surface to feed from my line.

Going Fishing

2012-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00


Setting sail in Tauranga Bay for a spot of fishing

The water in Tauranga Bay was precisely this colour, with the little silver bubbles on the surface where the boat cut through the ripples. I was adding layers of deeper and deeper colours as we went out to sea and stopped as the ripples turned to the little jagged peaks where the water was about to turn inky blue.

Eucalyptus Forest

2012-01-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Lost in a Eucalyptus Forest, Kiri Kiri

I took a 'short cut' on my first afternoon in New Zealand. It was waymarked across a valley and through a forest to where I wanted to go, but then the path kept dividing and dividing and I was lost. The eucalyptus trees towered above 100ft (30 metres) or more. Shapely treeferns growing below like bracken would at home. Songbirds flittered through the branches, and everywhere was a background percussive rasping of insects beating their wings. The pathways were littered with eucalyptus leaves of stunning colours.

An hour or two later I came out onto a road...precisely where I'd entered the' short cut'.

Butterflies and Gardens

2012-01-15T13:48:00.000-08:00


Monarch Butterflies in Wharepuke Subtropical Garden, Keri Keri

My first morning in New Zealand I sat for three hours in a subtropical garden cafe, mesmerised by the Monarch Butterflies, the sunshine, deepshadows, fabulous plants, songbirds, and delicious food.

Bangkok Airport

2012-01-14T01:17:00.000-08:00

Gate Nine at Bangkok airport was like sitting in a giant (air conditioned) glasshouse, a perfect opportunity to work on a view from inside looking out. The plane wasn't really purple (although the Thai Air livery is) I was just playing with getting the balance between the windows and the view outside. If you can't see the front wheels it's because I'd got this far when the loading finished and the plane backed out and flew off!

Sensory Overload

2012-01-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

Nakarach: Thai Mythology

Too much! I came out here for a visual 'shot in the arm' but just one hour on the streets of Bangkok has left me dizzy with light, colour and texture. Slowly walking through the markets with a broad grin on my face must be a good sign. All morning I've been painting Nakarach, a creature from Thai mythology who sits on the verandah overlooking the busy River Chao Pra Ya.

Leaving Norwich for a while

2012-01-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

The Forum, Norwich

My last evening in Norwich, Norfolk UK for a few months as I fly out to New Zealand tomorrow to paint and sketch in the sunshine. This evening the Norwich 20 Group of artists held a preview party in the Forum, Norwich for their exhibition this week and I was able to exhibit the first of the new works inspired by my year at Holkham called 'Walled Garden'. We had a meal on the mezzanine floor that you can see through the window, whilst the jazz band played for the preview party inside and the 10 beautiful bells of St Peter Mancroft Church played opposite. A perfect way to remember Norwich in the weeks to come.

Portrait Photographs

2012-01-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

The gardeners (staff and volunteers) at Holkham have slowly got used to being photographed all day and from every angle this year. Week by week I've been able to get to know them and to build up a collection of portrait photographs as they work in the garden. This week I've been putting them together as a collection, getting them printed and framing them. Thursday I took them up to the garden and to see how they will look when they are hung in the staff room as the 'Hall of Fame'. There are a couple of dozen people in the group and I'm over half way through the collection which will be finished in the spring. They were well received, one chap conceded that "I don't usually like my photo taken but I don't mind if you do it", which was praise indeed.

Four of the portraits from the Holkham gardeners collection

I've taken 1-200 photographs every fortnight this year, all around the walled garden at Holkham, carefully setting up the shots, using a tripod, and working on the settings. Back in the studio I've uploaded, filed, catalogued and worked on them where necessary in Photoshop. I won't be taking my camera though when I fly south on Tuesday, just a sketchbook.

Illustrated Talk on Artist Residency

2012-01-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

Compiling illustrated talk on artist residency

March 21st I'll be giving an illustrated talk on the artist residency at the walled garden at Holkham to the 'Friends of the Castle Museum' in the castle in Norwich. The Friends have kindly given me financial assistance with the residency which has been a great help, especially with the travel costs of visiting every fortnight.
Today was spent going through hundreds of photographs, writing the script, selecting and designing the accompanying slides, packaging the event and having a run through.
I am happy to travel to give this talk to other interested groups. I have the necessary laptop, projector and screen. Please contact me via the comments on this blog, the contact page on my website or telephone Norwich 01603 661196 if you are interested.

Getting ready for exhibitions

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Preparing for April exhibition

Before Christmas the Guardian carried a letter in an agony column asking if it was OK to slob around in pyjamas between Christmas and New Year*

I'm flying south in nine days so the pressure is on to get work completed. All eleven paintings from the new collection are now finished, framed, packaged and taken up out of the way to the attic ready for April's solo exhibition at the Holkham garden. They can all be seen in the 'Latest Work' page of my website (www.sandrarowney.com) which I doggedly spent most of Christmas reworking...sometimes in pyjamas.

The Norwich 20 Group are having a week long exhibition in the Forum, in the centre of Norwich, from the 9th January. I'll be showing the new work "Walled Garden", so that meant a form to fill in, cheque to write, hanging system to prepare, packaging and a CV to write and print. I'll be testing the water for the April show at Holkham.

The most rewarding job has been making the slate signs for the Potting Shed Gallery ready for April. I'd seen garden labelling on slate put to good effect when I was in Normandy last year. Tim Marshall the Head Gardener at Holkham found me some old slate to work and this is the result. The slate has to be cut to shape and drilled, the lettering carefully designed and made with permanent white marker (available from stationery, art and craft stores or internet) and wooden painted post attached with stainless screws and nuts. The post needs to be unscrewed before hammering into the ground or the slate will shatter.

Slate Signs

*The answer was yes, good idea, the elasticated waist band will help with coping with all the food and drink.

Display frame for blog posts

2012-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Blog Ladder

Many visitors to the Holkham garden don't have a computer or are not used to reading journals on the internet so have missed out on the weekly blog. I've been experimenting with cane frameworks for the Potting Shed Gallery in order to display some of the articles from the internet. There are two big structural beams in the gallery over which can be suspended cane 'ladders'. The blog items are reworked in Microsoft publisher, printed in the studio, laminated and secured to the garden canes with green garden wire. The ladder is lashed securely with garden twine. Light, simple, easy to read and it will allow light to come into the gallery to the paintings on the walls. The longest most difficult job was editing down to seasons.

Constructing the ladders

When a painting goes wrong

2012-01-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling with a particular painting over this last month or two. It worked beautifully in a photograph, translated in an exciting way into a digital painting and then kept falling over when I decided to paint it in acrylics.Why should I want to bare all and blog about it? Oddly, by writing a cohesive blog item and putting together the chain of events I can see clearly that it really doesn't matter! Not only that, but it has taught me heaps about composition, form, light, colour, tonal variation and so on.

It is wrapped now ready for inclusion in an exhibition in April. Ok, not the best piece but it has been the most illuminating process of all the collection and therefore deserves a part. Without the experiments with collage, drips, intense colour, dry brush work and general struggle, none of the other paintings that followed would have happened the way they did.
KBO

"....the seed for your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you're feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides- valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides-to matters you need to reconsider or develop further."
Art & Fear p31 by David Bayles & Ted Orland. Available from Amazon

Bananarama

2011-12-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

"Bananarama"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
16" by 20"

'Bananarama' passed the finishing post today, to make up the set of eleven paintings that are influenced by my residency at the walled garden at Holkham. It's the greenhouses that I'm drawn to, and specifically the large one we call the orangery on the back of Wyatt's Vinery, the building opposite the gates to the garden. I'll add a photo or two.
I've painted in acrylic on a textured ground over canvas and and collaged some of the leaves and structures, pots and plants with papers that I've made and painted previously using acrylic inks

Bananarama? The foliage has died back now exposing the stately shapes of the banana leaves, I like titles with a musical connection and this singing group popped into my head when I was working on the big orange leaves.

Updating Website

2011-12-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

www.sandrarowney.com

There's not much point in having a website if it looks old, tired and out of date, but it can be a mammoth task to update. I've been working on mine these past few evenings which turned out to be more illuminating than watching Morecome and Wise reruns! I use Dreamweaver 8 to construct the site and can recommend the courses held at the Norwich Arts Centre to learn how to use it. I've been on the courses several times with Steve, he's a great teacher and doesn't mind me turning up again. It can be too hard to take in first time round so worth swallowing your pride and investing in a second go.
I've added a couple of new pages to the site. A design page that pulls together all the art and design work that isn't painting on canvas; theatre design, digital work, sculpture, and so on. A second page contains examples of paintings I've made over the past few years. I could weep when I see some of the work I've destroyed in the past but at least I have the photographs.
www.sandrarowney.com

Ragga Jungle

2011-12-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

Ragga Jungle
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media

Another painting crossed the finish line today. A productive day after the stimulus of a visit to London yesterday. This painting was tricky, I'd ramped up the colours to such a degree that I'd pushed myself out of my comfort zone and was unable to figure out how to finish it.
I needn't have worried, one look at the Grayson Perry's motorbike that he drove around Germany set me wondering why I'd been so faint hearted! I'd set out to create a kaleidoscope of colour in the greenhouse so the answer was to carry on with the overgrown tendrils in inks and black threads, taking my cue from the previous painting Purple Haze.
Ragga Jungle is a form of music.

Purple Haze

2011-12-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's visit to the Grayson Perry exhibition in London provided the catalyst for finishing this painting today. I went back to the original drawings and photographs of the orangery (glasshouse) at Holkham and could see that the interest was in the overgrown scruffy vegetation. As soon as the glasshouse had been pruned and cleared of all the hanging tendrils it no longer held the charm for me. Grayson Perry cheerfully mixes his media to obtain his results and prompted me to go back to look at earlier work of mine where I mixed paint and textile.
Purple Haze was a song recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Grayson Perry at the British Museum

2011-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

British Museum, London

Grayson Perry's exhibition "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman" has to be one of the best I've ever seen. Quirky, interesting, moving, fascinating and never ever boring, I cannot recommend it enough. It closes 19th February so be quick! Tickets are not easy to come by and I'm so glad I invested in a year's pass as I can't wait to get back up to the museum with sketchbook to hand. There is a video on the museum website to introduce the show. Perry's work and selection of objects was an inspiration to me, so much so that I've already unscrewed one of my latest paintings from its frame to rework it.

Creating a Photo Collage Banner for Blogspot

2011-12-20T05:09:00.000-08:00

Banner Heading in progress: montage of recent paintings
Sandra Rowney

This project has to be the ultimate in prevarication! I was putting off writing Xmas cards, I'll admit it. Finally though, the new blogspot banner was completed, the Xmas cards written, and I wrapped up warmly and walked to the postbox at 2am in the morning enjoying the sharp frost and the calls of the urban fox.
How's it done? I used photoshop and good instructions from the internet. I opened a file in photoshop, made it banner size, inserted layers containing bits of paintings from my new collection, overlapped and played with the edges, finally overlayed the text. Have a look at Helen Bradley's instructions which are clear. The link to Helen's site is here.
To upload to blogspot have a look at Melanie Nelson's instructions. Here is the link to Melanie's site. Here. Don't take no for an answer! Adjust size, and file size until Blogspot can't refuse any more.

Painting in Progress

2011-12-17T03:09:00.000-08:00

Oriental Glasshouse
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
62cm by 52cm outside frame

This painting was signed and framed ready for the exhibition in the spring in the Holkham walled garden. It is now unscrewed from the frame as I've had more ideas to add after a visit to London to the British Museum. This work that has layers of collage underlays that were inspired by the medieval rood screen in Carhampton Church in Somerset.

Painting process

2011-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

Last week in Somerset I was sketching the layers of coloured carvings on the wonderful rood screen in St John the Baptist church in Carhampton. (To read the blog post about it click here.) Since then I've been experimenting with the vertical layering of colour and intricate design in my paintings of glasshouses. I'm creating a collection of paintings based on the source material gathered over the past year at the Holkham walled garden where I have an artist residency. The inside of the glasshouses are where I've been consistently drawn to, so much so that I bought a greenhouse for my own walled garden this year. They are such peaceful and snug places, full of quiet excitement as the seasons change.

Using source material for painting

I've been using layers that are built up in collage which then have glaze layers on top.The paintings shown here will have Japanese papers but from now on I'll be using my own printed papers.

Glasshouse work in progress

Reflective Practice

2011-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

The submission form for the BBC 'Show me the Monet' art competition was clear and straightforward but it included some questions that are worth mulling over. I thought I'd include them in this blog as food for thought.

What are your artistic ambitions?
This is a tough one if you haven't produced any work lately, but it's also a tough one if you've had your head down in the studio working all hours.....where are you planning on heading?

Describe your style?
The temptation here is to witter on about materials used, but that isn't the question, the question asks you to describe your style. This question could produce a one word answer, a one liner, or something close to a dissertation. What a useful exercise to have thought it through. Easier perhaps to consider the next question.....

How do you think others would describe your style?

An interesting question! If you've ever had a book lying open for comments at an exhibition where no one is on duty you'll have a few honest answers to mull over. Children can be brutally honest too. I could include lecturers at art college but the thought is too painful.

After uploading an image and submitting details came a little hidden gem of a question inside the brackets 'why did you create it'. An interesting question to mull over in retrospect and after the initial enthusiasm has died down.

Briefly describe the Work (e.g. what is the title, what is the idea behind it? What does it mean to you? Why did you create it?)

And finally, my favourite question of all, guaranteed to have you squirming on your seat.

What price would you value it at and why?

Perhaps you would like to share your comments out there?

Making Paper for Collage

2011-12-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

There has been a flurry of email activity recently asking for submissions to a BBC art competition, 'Show me the Monet'
One of the rules set me thinking ......
8.1 All Works must be completely original to the Artist and cannot include any material that belongs to, or is copyrighted by, or contains intellectual property rights (e.g trade marks) owned by anyone else.
I began thinking about the selection of printed papers that I have been using for collage work recently. Someone else designed them! I've one last painting on the easel that has the Japanese papers collaged into it, but from now on I'll be making my own papers.

Handmade papers drying

I've spent a few days now making papers, and having fun with them as I widen the range of tones, colours and designs. It has been a big step forward in my art practice and I can also control the quality - ensuring I'm using conservation grade acid free tissue as a base, good quality gesso and top quality light resistant liquid inks that won't fade.

Gesso base on acid free conservation grade tissue

A friend asked me today how I could spend 12 hours at a time in the studio :) ....oh the JOY of making these papers, rolling, splodging, dripping, flicking...endless fun. The intensity of acrylic inks are wonderful and it is all unrelated to the endless problem solving of creating a painting, that comes later.

rolling, squiggling, brushing, dripping.........

Mellow Autumn

2011-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

Mellow Autumn
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media

Last week saw the completion of 'Mellow Autumn', a painting of one of the Holkham gardeners (Stevie) strolling past the espalier trained pears in the walled garden. Back in the spring of this year I had produced a set of digitally painted and commercially printed images of the Holkham gardeners at work and this was one of my favourites. It was a challenge to paint this in acrylics on a larger scale and I had fun with the collage in the wheelbarrow and brick edges. I've used blending and dry brush techniques to build up the density of colour.

This painting is now framed and ready for the April 1st opening of the walled garden at Holkham next year where it will hang in the 'Potting Shed Gallery' in the first section or 'room' of the garden. I wonder what Stevie, the young gardener will make of it?

Rood Screen, Carhampton Church, Somerset

2011-12-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Part of the Painted Rood Screen from Carhampton Church, Somerset

Whilst down in Somerset these past few days for my mother's 87th birthday, I managed to slip out to the village church for an hour and have a crack at sketching the beautiful painted rood screen. I later worked on it back at home whilst the family watched TV. The rood screen is dated around 1500 and extends the width of the church.

My husband and I were married in this church back in 1979 so we set the camera on auto and took a fun shot of us in our wedding pose in front of the screen.

Down memory lane....

Carhampton Church, Nr Minehead, Somerset

Painted Rood Screen, Carhampton Church, Somerset

Because the church and the rood screen are part of my personal history, I would like to incorporate part of the design into my current painting collection this week. This is going to pose a tricky problem because the current collection is all about gardens and greenhouses.

I was so surprised to see that this hugely colourful effect was achieved with only a few colours: gold, sage green, red and cobolt blue, plus an earthy brown and black and white.

Children's Colouring-in

2011-12-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

Father Christmas in Orange and Purple

An arty 'window of opportunity' presented itself yesterday while having lunch with my family at a garden centre down in Somerset. Coloured felt tips and Santa colouring-in papers were on offer!
Ignoring the Ho Ho Ho comments from family and nearby tables I set myself a challenge to see if I could swiftly work up the Santa using only two colours with a range of mark making.

Gateway to a Garden

2011-11-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Gateway to a Garden
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
Outside Frame size: 72cm by 62cm

End of November and I've just finished this mixed media painting. The inspiration came from the view through the wrought iron gates at the entrance to the Holkham Walled Garden in North Norfolk. The outer edges contain the design of the gate which is antique and Venetian. The work will be exhibited in the 'Potting Shed Gallery' in the garden in April 2012.
The photos below show the garden gates at Holkham and the Head Gardener, Tim Marshall, who so cheerfully supports my artist residency in the walled garden. I produce the blog for the garden at www.holkhamwalledgarden.blogspot.com and visit every fortnight to record how the restoration of the six and a half acre garden is progressing.

Winter Woodpile

2011-11-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

Winter Woodpile
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media

'Winter Woodpile' is finally completed and framed ready for the exhibition at the Holkham Walled Garden in April 2012.This painting is of Daniel, who is one of the staff gardeners at Holkham Hall in North Norfolk. He always amuses me the way he is like a dog with two tails when he is able to whizz around on a tractor/mower/buggy. The 'logs' are collaged with hand made Japanese papers.

Printing from Wood Blocks

2011-11-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

Burnishing: Printing from the wood block

I've been asked to make some prints from two beautifully made wood blocks. These were made by the grandfather of the Head Gardener at Holkham Hall, and were most likely made around the 1920's.

Some years ago I spent the good part of a year working in the print room at Norwich Art School under the careful and feisty guidance of the printer Ernst Nichol. Whilst making my trial prints I fancied I could hear Ernst muttering in the background and I am very grateful to him for teaching me to be so careful at every stage. The paper is a attractively edged ready folded card with matching envelope but I'm concerned about the quality of the paper itself and will have to run through plenty of trials before I sort out how damp the paper should be and how that will interact with the burnishing. The new oil based printing ink and roller are a joy to use, they work up the ink to a velvet consistency.

Wood block inked up and ready to print

Early proof to test the paper

Ladies Painting Lilies

2011-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Ladies Painting Lilies
Sandra Rowney
Acrylic on Canvas
Outside edge of frame: 62cm by 52.5cm

This painting was inspired by a workshop where ladies were painting the giant stargazer lilies and appeared (from my vantage point) to be engulfed by them. This is a mixed media work using acrylics and acrylic inks.The original sketch and the painting in process can be seen in an earlier post (click here).

Lavender Grey Day in Mixed Media

2011-11-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Lavender Grey Day
Sandra Rowney
Acrylic on Canvas
Outside edge of frame: 52.5cm by 62cm

Lavender Grey Day is based on a sketch I made of the gates to the Holkham Hall walled garden when sat by an enormous lavender bush near the Venetian gates on a blue grey autumnal day. The original sketch can be seen in a previous item ...click here... the photo on the right of this screen shows work in progress at the easel. The painting is now completed and framed ready for exhibition at Holkham Walled Garden in April 2012.

Gates to Walled Garden, Holkham Hall, Norfolk

Sketching Musicians

2011-11-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

Musicians are great subjects to sketch and paint, they stay reasonably static, although Lucy jumped up and sat and played her fiddle sitting on the arm of a sofa in the middle of this sketch. I've therefore worked over the original sketch with very fine brushes and gouache to adjust all the proportions. It is fascinating to see how in a tiny sketch just one or two hairs width in a brush loaded with a dark or light tone can throw the whole face shape out. I always thought a very large portrait would be more difficult, now I'm not so sure.
Musicians also lose sight of being watched as they become wrapped up in the music, so I was able to spend a couple of hours sketching and listening to some great music too. I took a couple of photos at the end of the evening for additional reference .

Shared studio days

2011-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Back to Back in the studio

Making art can be a solitary business, so it can be invigorating once in a while to share the studio with a fellow artist. Today I had a chance to share tips, discuss process, make plans for next year and find out that I wasn't the only one who talks to herself aloud when grappling with a tricky canvas. Thanks to Joan Sandford Cook for sharing her supportive enthusiasm.

Working a sketch into a Painting

2011-11-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ladies painting Lilies

A year ago, almost to the week, I visited Joan Sandford Cook's Thursday group in Coltishall, Norfolk and sketched the ladies painting the lilies. This sketch (below) has always amused me with its walloping great stargazer lilies dwarfing three very intense painters. I'm working it up into a painting and thought I'd show the work in progress.

The challenge is to convert the hard edge pen line into tonal differences, which makes me wonder whether I'd be better off filling a sketch book with tonal sketches in Indian ink. Not as much fun as whipping out a pen and box of colours though.

Sketch of Ladies painting Lilies

Swimming Pool Sketch

2011-11-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

UEA Sportspark Swimming Pool

Following on from the challenge of sketching the waterfall I had a go at sketching part of my local swimming pool from the spectator seats. I started at 1.30pm in the top left when the instructor was supervising the parents and baby group, by 2.30pm I was over in the top right where the same instructor was supervising an aqua fit group.

Back garden, autumn

2011-10-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

Back Garden last day of October

Sketched the back garden this morning. Last day of October and it is drenched in colour as the leaves turn and the flowers keep on going.

Waterfall below Jacob's Ladder, Edale

2011-10-31T04:27:00.000-07:00

Waterfall below Jacob's Ladder, Edale

Sitting comfortably is a good tip for successful sketching.....NOT on a big flat stone in the middle of a stream below a waterfall. I was determined to 'try a waterfall' so went over to Edale and walked up to the start of Jacob's Ladder to find one. Oh so tempting to climb up to the top as the sun was out, but I just had time to try this challenge before heading back to Norfolk.

Since returning I've been sent this photo by fellow walkers who were near this waterfall (on the bridge) the following day.

Below Jacob's Ladder from the bridge
Photo: Craig Livermore

From Kinder Scout, Peak District

2011-10-31T04:09:00.000-07:00

Kinder reservoir from Kinder Downfall

It was tricky to sketch in a biting gale but I'd hiked all the way up from Hayfield below the Kinder reservoir and then around the edge of Kinder Scout to the downfall, so it had to be made. The wind was so strong that Kinder downfall became Kinder upfall.....no water fell below, it was all blown back up like smoke. The sky was overcast and colours were muted but it was glorious up there, 600 mtrs above the rolling hills of the Peak District.

Since then I've been sent this photo (below) by a fellow walker, taken from roughly the same spot on the following day.

Kinder reservoir from Kinder Scout
Photo: Craig Livermore

Derelict Barn, Peak District

2011-10-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

Derelict Barn, Peak District

October weekend spent sketching and walking in the Peak District. Found this derelict barn near Chatsworth as the sun was dipping down and lighting up the autumn colours in the young oak and beech trees.
Useful to carry a tightly rolled up plastic bag to sit on for sketching at this time of year.

Gates to the Walled Garden

2011-10-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

Gates to The Walled GArden

A lavender-grey day yesterday at the Holkham Hall walled garden. The gates are Venetian.

Bluegrass and Country night

2011-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

LtoR: John Finley, Kenny Mayes, John Baldry,
Dennis Patience, Ann Finley, Malcolm Rowney

An ideal opportunity for portrait work this week at a bluegrass and country music get-together in Mildenhall. I took my time over this one; a double sketchbook spread like this usually takes around 40 minutes but this one took far longer, working with a pencil and rubber until I had a reasonable likeness then putting in the layers of pen and wash.

Past the Finishing Post

2011-10-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Fakenham races

I tried a lightning sketch standing by finishing post looking back at the grandstand. The horses whizzed past and all that was possible was a flick of the pen.

At the Races

2011-10-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sketching a horse at the Fakenham Race meeting proved challenging, but not as challenging as finding a winner.Joan, in her splendidly bizarre hat, managed a 7/1 winner but there was no point in sketching her then as she was too excited.

Holkham Dunes

2011-10-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Holkham Dunes

Holkham Dunes, a great place to sketch, relax and picnic in the autumn sunshine after a visit to the walled garden on the Holkham estate.

Sketching the Family

2011-10-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Mum and Dad watching Strictly Come Dancing

Whilst in Somerset at the weekend I had a go at sketching the family. Capturing likenesses are elusive, I appear to have caught the likeness of my Dad but not Mum.

Abysmal attempt at sketching my brother

Martin Howe

I tried sketching my brother when he called round the next day but It was a hopeless attempt. I'll have to have another try on my next visit. The photo from Pull magazine with the McDougall Cup does him justice though.

Exmoor

2011-10-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

Exmoor above Bossington

Just back from a trip over to Somerset for a few days. Good autumn sunshine while out and about over Exmoor. This sketch is of the view looking across the moor, down to the beach at Bossington to the left and on up the Bristol Channel to Weston Super Mare on the right. Wales is in the far distance. Better still, the Styles van was parked just just below us. They sell wonderful ice cream with lumps of stem ginger in a biscuit cone that has been dipped in chocolate.

Ceiba speciosa in Cuitadella, Menorca

2011-10-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ceiba speciosa

During last week in Menorca I visited a favourite tree. It is growing at the front of a garden centre on the ring road of Cuitadella. I sketched it last year at this time and was able to paint another layer this year adding deeper colours and shadows.
This is a Silk Floss Tree Ceiba speciosa (formerly Chorisia speciosa) from Central America. It has a wonderful bottle shaped trunk with heavy armoured spines which contrast with the gorgeous pink flowers. I like the odd mix of fabulous tree set behind barbed wire fencing.
There are two more of these trees, smaller, just inside the Menorca airport near the terminal building.
Click here to see just how popular this tree is around the warmer parts of the world.

Binimel La, Menorca

2011-10-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

Wild Seas at Binimel La, North Menorca

Fisherman's Hut, Binimel La, Menorca

Gale Force Nine hit Menorca in the middle of last week whipping up the sea into a frenzy. We hired a car and drove up to Binimel La where waves were sending spray 50ft up the cliffs and the noise of the crashing surf was terrific. The little fisherman's hut was built into the side of the cliff.

Cathedral Window, Ciutadella

2011-10-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

Stained Glass, Ciutadella

Down came the rain when I was in Ciutadella; the perfect time to sit for a couple of hours and work on the stained glass window that I'd tried to paint last year but I had to leave as the Cathedral closed. Then as now I'd been interested in the abstract slabs of colour design that ranged across the window divisions.
This sketch completely absorbed me, I was intent on copying the design correctly and it felt as though I was constructing a large jigsaw puzzle. Surprisingly there were only the three primary colours, red, blue and yellow, two shades of green and a white. Texture had been added by flecking the blue, grey streaks on the white glass and changes in size from slabs to tiny chips of colour. I could detect no 'pattern ' or 'form' it was a true abstract.

I was told that it was made in Northern Spain in Burgos in 2007 but despite my best efforts in Google I cannot find the designer. Can anyone help here?

Cala Santandria

2011-10-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Boats in Cala Santandria, Menorca

Potential disaster on the first night of our holiday in Menorca last week. Wanting a quiet room we turned off the fridge which defrosted vast quantities of ice overnight. The water oozed across the floor into our hastily dumped bags and completely soaked all the pages of my sketchbook - over a year's worth of paintings including last year in Menorca.
The next morning I dredged up memories of how the librarians dealt with the water damage from the fire hoses in the Norwich library fire and carefully worked on each page with sheets of toilet paper and plenty of patience. The paper has changed character, moving to a loose woolly texture with interesting effects and the skies look so much better with a bleed of colours from other paintings. Odd how you learn new tricks.
This was the view from our hotel balcony, a gorgeous swimming cove.

Cala Santandria, Menorca

Hellington Church

2011-10-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Back in September I visited Hellington Church, south of Norwich, to see Katy Armes work inside the old redundant church titled NoThing. (Click here to see her work)
Katy's work brought a stream of heartfelt responses in the little black books she had left out; prompted perhaps by her own written thoughts whilst working on the piece. I sketched the church before leaving and then painted it at 33,000ft on the way to Menorca last week.

Glass House Light

2011-09-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Glass House Light
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
24" by 20"

The Glass House Light was inspired by the lights that hang down among the vines in the Orangery at the Holkham Walled Garden.

Second Lifeclass

2011-09-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Life drawing on Thursday evening, after a preview of Martin Laurence's work showing at the Norwich Theatre Royal. Two good curvy models, not a straight line in sight, not even the cushions. Hardly room to put a chair as there were so many artists in the room standing at easels, sitting at tables, balancing sketchbooks on their knees. Next week I'll sketch the scene.

Greenhouse Blues

2011-09-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

"Greenhouse Blues"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
24"by 20"

Greenhouse Blues is a colour study of the old vine in the high Vineries along the north wall of the Holkham Walled Garden from the original sketch below. A glorious morning walk in the autumn sunshine along the sands of Horsey Gap enabled me to settle down in the studio this afternoon and finish the painting.

Hothouse

2011-09-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

"Hothouse"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
24" by 20"

Cranking up the colour now, the size is up to 24" by 20" and the mixed media allows plenty of room for experimental loose work with layers upon layers of texture, colours and drawing.

Adding to the Exhibition

2011-09-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Adding the new work on Wednesday to the 'potting shed gallery' in the walled garden at Holkham Hall. Concerned to find green is dominating throughout, not surprising really with a garden residency, so today I'm working in the colours found in the old brickwork of the garden walls: brick reds, warm oranges, pale lime green of the lichen, shades of yellow.

Life Class

2011-09-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Back to Life Drawing Group on Thursdays. Nice cosy place to be on a cool autumn evening as the models need the heating turned up.

'Visiting the Glass House'

2011-09-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

"Visiting the Glass House"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
24" by 18"

I've been busy today extending the range of materials used in these paintings. It is interesting to combine a loose 'slosh' of thin pigments with drawing inks and fine nibbed mapping pens.

"In the Vinery"

2011-09-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

"In the Vinery"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
24" by 18"

"In the Vinery" is based on the inside of the glasshouses at the Holkham I've been gradually increasing the size of the paintings and now feel more comfortable with the 24" by 18" size. I'm working in many layers, getting looser and gaining confidence with new materials. It's a good idea to have several paintings on the go at once with all the layers drying....rather than attacking it wet into wet, wet into very wet, wet into soaking wet and then reaching for heaters and hairdryer.

The painting stems from this original sketch made in the glass house back in the summer. The text reads:
Slam! Bang! Slam! The fierce gusting wind is catching a loose pane of glass high up in the greenhouse. Someone has just come in who regularly reads the blog- that's a nice surprise.
www.holkhamwalledgarden.blogspot.com"

Wyatt's Vinery

2011-09-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greenhouse III
Sandra Rowney
Inks on Canvas
16" by !2"

A walk on the beach at Horsey Gap (near Martham, Norfolk) did wonders this morning, blew away the cobwebs before another afternoon and evening session in the studio tackling the greenhouse series. I've notched up the scale to 16" by 12" and although this brings its own set of problems, I'm already working at more than twice the size of the original exhibition sketches.

This painting is of inside the Orangery at Holkham Hall Walled Garden where I have an artist residency. The Orangery is more correctly known as 'Wyatt's Vinery' after the architect and built around 1780. The painting shows the glass house that runs along the back of the building where there were dormitories upstairs for the single undergardeners (about thirty or so). Downstairs was a kitchen and dining room where a 'matron' would have looked after them.
Nowadays downstairs is used by the Holkham gardeners as a rest room, office and stores.

Second greenhouse painting

2011-09-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Greenhouse II
Sandra Rowney
Inks on Canvas
14" by 11"

The new series is coming along fine. At long last I have made a satisfactory link between my sketchbook and a final painting......it has only taken about ten years (groan!). If you look at the previous blog about the bonfire you'll see that Malcolm and Chris have magic'd their way from an Aylsham garden to a Holkham greenhouse by way of my sketchbook.
I'm anxious now to improve sketching people and will be joining a life class next Thursday to really work at it. I've been to this life class for years, on and off, and because of all the free-form conceptual bias at art schools I ended up either pushing paints around the paper instead of trying to get it correct, or, becoming the life model. What a waste of valuable time...as the saying goes, you need to know what the rules are before you can break them.

Bonfire Sketches

2011-09-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

The end of the summer treat....a HUGE bonfire at our friend's house in the country. I sat and painted the scene in my sketchbook all afternoon. A new phrase was coined; 4 o'clock became "4 o'cake" which will have to be the title of the painting that emerges from these sketches.
The embers were carted back down to the house in a wheelbarrow and loaded onto the BBQ to cook the supper. When the ash has cooled down I've been promised a bucketful for my strawberries, as they love potash.

The New Greenhouse Series

2011-09-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Greenhouse I
Sandra Rowney
Inks on Canvas
14" by 11"

I have a month between visiting family in Somerset and having a holiday in Menorca. As it is a nice round figure of 30 days I set myself a target to use each day in the studio to build on the series of sketches that I'm exhibiting in the Holkham Walled Garden. The aim is to keep the style that I use every day in a sketchbook but to extend the range and size of the work so that they become large paintings.
This is the first of the batch and I'm learning with each painting. I'm stepping up in size incrementally. The exhibition sketches were about 10" by 6" this one is increased to 14" by 11". My husband can hardly believe it when he pops into the studio with a cuppa to find I have obliterated days of work with white gesso...but it is worth it to get it right!

Somerset: Car Boot Sale

2011-09-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I took my sketching gear to the local car boot sale in Blue Anchor Bay. Left the water behind (again) so used the remains of a can of coke from the bin. Found a beautiful book on Clarence Cliff pottery with A3 size colour plates for 50p and a walloping great illustrated book on art history by Sister Wendy for £1.

Somerset: Porlock Carnival

2011-09-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Somerset sketches: from a few days spent with my family near Minehead in September. The Scottish Pipe Band at the Porlock Carnival took ages to tour the town, we could hear them in the distance whilst lining the road and patiently waiting. This gave me a brief time to capture the higgledy- piggledy rooftops over the road, then, to my delight the pipe band stopped in the road, formed a circle and played to the crowd, a perfect chance to quickly sketch what I could, using a nearby puddle for the colour wash.

Sketches Series

2011-09-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Walled Garden at Holkham Hall is open to the public until the end of October. I have an artist residency there and the third and last exhibition of the year is now hanging in the 'potting shed gallery' just inside the gates of the garden. The new exhibition is "Sketches of the Walled Garden" , sketches that depict the work of restoring the garden through the year. The sketches are small which allowed room to rehang and include the previous exhibition of my photographs "Floral Spring".
The exhibition went up on a Thursday when the volunteer gardening team were there, so together with the staff gardeners we were able to have a friendly 'preview party' at lunchtime.

Walled Garden Sketches

2011-08-30T02:24:00.000-07:00

"Walled Garden Sketches" my new exhibition for the Holkham Hall Walled Garden will be up and running on Thursday. There are sketches from all the months of my artist residency in the garden including the winter months when it was closed to the public. To see the exhibition, park at the Hall and either stroll past the lake over to the garden, or, take the free buggy ride from the cafe. The gallery is in one of the potting sheds in the first section of the walled garden.

Dawn Winter Shadows Nov16th 2010

New Collection for Holkham Walled Garden

2011-08-27T03:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday Volunteer Gardeners July 7th 2011

Tuesday is 'penciled in' as the deadline for hanging my next exhibition in the gallery inside the Holkham Walled Garden. I have an artist residency in the garden and have been following the restoration of the garden for three seasons now. This will be the third exhibition this year.
I've been working long hours trying to get to grips with the correct materials in order to show a collection of paintings that are in the style of my sketch book. The different combinations of supports, pigments, brushes, pens, varnishes and framing options are seemingly endless and expensive but I'm finding my way through the maze.

Fish Market Trials

2011-08-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fish Market, Cuitadella, Minorca

My challenge is to produce a body of paintings as close as possible to my original sketches, trying to keep them illustrative and lively. This is my fourth painting of the Fish Market in Cuitadella and I'm getting to grips with it slowly.

Fish Market, Cuitadella, Minorca

2011-08-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

Spent a pleasant day in the studio working up a sketch of the Fish Market in Cuitadella, Minorca into a small painting. This painting appears to have 'died' compared to the original sketch so I'll be making trial paintings to see how to get back to my original more lively view of the market.

Breakfast in Honfleur

2011-08-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Breakfast in a Honfleur garden

Whilst staying in Honfleur recently, breakfast was served in the garden under the shade of the cherry trees. Today I painted the scene that I'd captured that morning in my sketch book. I'm painting in my garage studio which is a real treat, it always did work well there, too far from the house to hear visitors or telephone, perfect light and cosy seclusion.

Eastern Daily Press Review

2011-07-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

David Newham and Susan Seddon star in Under Milk Wood

Review: An impressive recreation of Thomas’ lyrical masterpiece

Friday, July 22, 2011
12:25 AM

The ever brave Maddermarket players have taken on a typically quixotic choice for their latest production: Dylan Thomas’ radio play Under Milk Wood.

The heavily lyrical two hours of interwoven speech that makes up Thomas’ classic piece is not only densely worded and incredibly tricky to portray on stage. It also requires Welsh accents.

But director Stephen Picton has concocted a visual and oral feast here, with Sandra Rowney’s ramshackle asylum set giving true birth to the conceit that transforms the plays words to actions; the stark lightbulbs are as harsh as Thomas’ biting satirical portraits of the inhabitants of Llareggub, transformed here into madmen.

David Newham is terrific in the narrator role made famous by Richard Burton, delivering with sonorous authority the trickling startling poetry that is at the heart of the text, and is quickly joined on stage by the equally impressive Susan Seddon.

The other six cast members flit between portraying the various inhabitants (animals included) of the fictional Welsh town at the centre of the action, blending together but distinct enough not to confuse the action. The Celtic twangs do slip a little on occasion, but not so much as to distract from the wordplay or inventive physical interpretation.

Picton has chosen to emphasis the frenzied, manic side of the text and so loses a little of the sexual rawness that pervades the text. Its thinly-euphemistic humour and dark celebration is still clearly though evident as Thomas’ rips apart and exposes his characters’ lives.

You can hear them dream, says the narrator at one point. You really can - and you can see it too.

Technical Rehearsal

2011-07-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Set Design for Under Milk Wood

Almost there! Technical rehearsal was this evening. This is where the actors don their costumes, the lighting is activated, the set is almost ready and the production team are in to spot the snags.
Two more clear days to go and then it'll be the day of the performance. It has been known to open with the paint still drying but hopefully we'll be ready.
Opening night is Thursday. Under Milk Wood will be running for a week, tickets on sale now!

Theatre Set Design

2011-07-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' opens on the 21st of this month (Thursday evening) at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich for a run of seven days. Steven Picton is directing the show and has devised a fascinating and challenging 'take' on what is now a well loved classic for both theatre and radio. Our 'play for voices' is set in an old decaying asylum and my experience of watching the first part run through last night was of two plays intertwined in an exciting way.

As Set Designer I was given the brief of 'old, derelict asylum' and let loose, albeit with a limited budget. The initial design discussions took place over tea and lemon drizzle cake in The Old Bike Shop cafe in St Benedict Street in Norwich which had the perfect colour scheme for our set. Ideal for repeat visits to top up on cake and inspiring colours.

I'd already lavished attention in this blog over 'that wall' in the film, the King's Speech, so that was in my thoughts, but I've also spent years working textures into my acrylic paintings so it was a natural step to concentrate on texture. The internet was a rich source of imagery as photographers love to follow Henk van Rensberge and find their way into abandoned places to capture their mystique.

I'm working in tandem with a great stage carpenter and two talented lighting managers and together we are creating the stage set for a memorable production. Tickets on sale now!

RMS Mulheim

2011-06-18T02:35:00.000-07:00

The wreck of the RMS Mulheim at Castle Zawn, Sennen, Lands End, Cornwall. UK
"On investigation, it was discovered that the chief officer—who had been on watch at the time—had caught his trousers in the lever of his chair when trying to get up, causing him to fall and rendering him unconscious. By the time he regained consciousness, RMS Mülheim was already bearing down on the shoreline." Wiki