As the residency at Studio Umami continues, I've not had much time to think about a blog post. I've been spending much of my time at the studio talking to people about the Isle of Man Nature Journal display and the idea behind the interactive map. It's wonderful to see the positive response and genuine interest from people in how they can contribute their artwork to the map. This week, I'll share some of the works in progress from the residency so far and details of some extra ink sketching workshops.
One of the first things I did this week was to collect 'Verdant Sunlight' from the Hodgson-Loom Gallery in Laxey, so I could add it to the display in Studio Umami. The Isle of Man Nature Journal display has definitely benefited from it's addition and as the display is right in front of the door, it really helps to draw people into the space.
You may remember this kingfisher artwork from an earlier blog post on the birds. I finally got around to adding some reeds to the background and this piece is now gracing one of the windows of the studio.
The main piece I've been working on since I started the residency is the scarlet ibis that I did the underpainting for when I wrote the 'scarlet red' colours of nature blog post. I didn't actually feature the painting in that post as I decided to paint a poppy instead, but I always intended to work on the ibis when I had time.
I used the Winsor and Newton 'scarlet lake' watercolour, along with their 'cobalt green' watercolour paint as the base layer for the bird and background. I'm now covering most of this with Luminance pencils and have found the 'permanent red' pencil is a better match for the 'scarlet lake' paint than the 'scarlet' Luminance pencil.
I've also completed the underpainting for another pebble mixed media piece. This one features pebbles from Castletown beach and, although you can't see them yet, some of the stones show lots of holes which is evidence of their volcanic origin. I love how the geology of the Island varies so much and gives each area of the Isle of Man its own special character. This piece doesn't look like much at the moment, but I take heart from the fact that 'Sunbird' and 'Scarlet Ibis' have also started in a similar way and turned out alright. So much of the artistic process is about keeping faith that it will look ok in the end!
We've had an amazing response to our 'Sketching Wildflowers in Ink' workshops and have added new dates. The adult only workshops are now fully booked but we do have some places left on the workshops for children aged 9+. If you're interested in this I would suggest booking quickly. All children must be accompanied with a participating adult. I've had some queries already about future adult only workshops, so it's worth letting me or Studio Umami know if you'd like this and we can see if we can meet the demand!
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