SBA 2011 Annual Exhibition and Graduation....oops I missed it!.

Returned home yesterday after visiting the 2011 SBA exhibition  at Westminster Halls on Saturday 16th April. After sharing the train with the Manchester United  and City supporters I was pretty relieved to finally arrive at Westminster albeit quite late in the day.  There's so much to take in at the exhibition and I should have been there for longer to do the show justice. As always the standard was high with lots of amazing work which included a central display dedicated to illustrations of various plants from all corners of the globe titled 'The World of Plants' - A few of my favourites this year include:  Jacky Jousson - for me he's one of the best botanical painters and the way he handles the light is truly amazing! Fiona Strickland's use of colour is fabulous, Julia Trickey's paintings are technically perfect and very beautiful, Billy Showell's  design based botanicals always bring something that's very refreshing to the genre. I also saw Sigrid Frensen 's work for the first time and it really is lovely - particularly the Pelargonium sidiodes.
I had 4 works on display, three of which were assignments from the SBA course. Next year I hope to paint something specifically for the exhibition....but what?

My Ceritficate for the SBA Diploma

It was also the graduation for course 6 of the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course on the 15th at the Art Workers Guild in Bloomsbury. Unfortunately this didn't go to plan and I missed it! After a hectic week visiting family in Staffordshire I headed to London but for some reason convinced myself that the graduation was later than the time printed on the invite! This wouldn't have mattered too much but I also managed to miss the earlier train, then got lost! Logistics are not a strong point! I finally arrived a bit red faced and almost 90 mins late! just enough time to have a quick chat with Margaret Stevens and collected my diploma before heading back feeling rather stupid.....never mind some things just aren't meant to be!

     

SBA Assignment 3, Leaves and Greens

I always loved painting leaves, so was looking forward to this one. Here's an autumn leaf, beech leaf on vellum. This assignment is is all about mixing greens and painting leaves.  It's a good idea to create a leaf library for reference!

Leaf library

Leaves.
A minimum of eight leaves to paint for this assignment- difficult part is choosing which ones. There is so much to choose from at this time of year in the the garden but I've gone for as much diversity in adaptations and colour e.g. shiny, hairy etc. Leaves are: (top row) Pulsatilla vulgaris, Althea rosa, Euonymous fortuni, (middle row) Trifolium repens, Stachys byzantina, Lilium auratum, (bottom row) Papaver somniferum, Polmonium pulcherium var. hidakanum 'Purple rain', Cotoneaster franchettei, Leycestaria formosa.

probably could have added a bit more on both the lily and pheasant berry leaf . I always think that leaves should never be overworked and should have clean edges. Over painting is a total no no! so thats what I try to keep in check.

Opium poppy lefaf. I love these leaves, the colour ( overall a blue biased green but with that interesting lemon colouation)  and the texture and that venation, it's a great subject to paint.  I build up leaves using transparent or semi transparent colours, and, if its a tonally light leaf I use high light value colours, e.g. cerulean and lemon yellow. 

The Stachys was Margaret's favourite! Agian light leaf = high light vale colours! dry brush over a wash to give the effect of softnes and hair......thinking texture here

A different coloured leaf! this lovely dark Jacob's Ladder from my garden ( all were) I like the two tone green /purple look. Add the purple over the green wash when it's completely dry. Little cotoneaster at the bottom. A blue wash first for shine

Margaret Steven's was the tutor for this assignment, I got a very good mark for this and some really nice comments, she particularly liked the Stachys, with the pale hairs. And also the use of dry brush and fine line work. personally I thought the Hollyhock and Euonymous were poor, too detailed. I would have marked myself down for that one, but thought the others were ok.Margaret criticised the Euonymous saying iot was a little too dark and the lighting could have been better. Again she picked me up on fiunising off the base of the stems! Must pay more attention!

 UPDATE May 2015
Here are a few leaves painted since I finished the course. I like to teach leaf painting now - could spend forever painting them! Decaying leaves are my favorite but I like a smooth shing green leaf too!

Decaying lime leaf on vellum

Work in progress

Cherry on vellum

Red maple

Another maple....falling through space

Another lime

Rhododendron and the process below