It’s been a while since I have posted my news here, but that doesn’t mean nothing has been happening. In fact, since the end of the pandemic, (what dreadful times they were) I have been incredibly busy, almost manically trying to make up for lost time.
I’ve visited literally dozens of exhibitions. The two highlights were the incomparable Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which I visited in mid-April and the surprisingly wonderful Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, which I saw in July, just before it closed.
The Little Street - 1658 - Johannes Vermeer
Both these, and all the other galleries and collections I’ve visited, have caused me to think deeply about my own art practice. In particular, exposure to these wonderful artists’ work has made me question what I’m doing, and start experimenting with other styles.
The Ten Largest - 1907 - Hilma af Klint
Back in 2020, after I’d sufficiently recovered from my infection with Covid-19 to start thinking about work again, the lockdowns were in full effect. So only able to work slowly, and expecting to have a lot of time on my hands, I deliberately chose to paint in a style that seemed appropriate, slow and long. I paint in oils and decided to use a style based on glazes. Each glaze takes quite a while to dry, before applying the next layer. And as my paintings required many layers to get the full richness of the effect, I knew progress would be slow, characterised by many small steps.
Portrait of Omar - 1776 - Sir Joshua Reynolds - The National Portrait Gallery
I started five paintings, and thought they would take between one and two years to complete. In the end, I painted about eight 70cm by 50cm landscapes, in a traditional romantic style, each with many layers of glazes. I finished the last of these early this year, and most are displayed in the shop. I’m very happy with the results, and they look particularly good under led lights, using a daytime frequency. This allows the brights and highlights to shine, and provides the contrast and depth I was aiming for.
Sicilian Olive Grove - 2021-2023 - Keith JS Ginsburg
But now they are finished, and it’s time to move on. My inspiration comes from the exhibitions, sales and collections I’ve visited. I’m experimenting at the moment, but hope to revamp the website and give pride of place to my new style soon. Hopefully a bit quicker than in two years time!