PERSONAL PREFERENCES

Over the years I have narrowed down my preferences in terms of:

Brushes

Surface and its size

Medium (Oils / Acrylics / Watercolour/ Pastels / Pencils/ Collage)

Composition

Approach

But within those parameters it is important to carry on exploring and trying different things.

I’m outside here at Blenheim Palace Flower Show with Micklems Farm Creative Workshops painting the bouquet of flowers on the steps to my right.

I like working on a 1:1 scale, on compositions that have lots of components that need piecing together like a jigsaw.  I’m working on a smooth mdf panel board, using oils paints– that I like to pre-mix using a palette knife.  I’m using flat brushes and hog haired filbert brushes.  I’ve started with a sap green tonal ground to plot out my darks, lights and midtones prior to painting.  This is my standard approach to painting no matter what the subject matter.

Try out lots of different art classes and hear what different teachers have to say. Join one day workshops as a short introduction to new materials and processes. Make a concious note of your preferences and slowly it will boil down to form your process and dictate your style. The most important thing is to enjoy the journey as there is no destination.