Happy New Year!

"The Tackle"

Original Watercolour 32cm x 32cm (sold)

Copyright Kaye Parmenter 2012

Welcome to the people who have joined my blog and I would like to extend warm wishes to everyone for a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

 As a mum of two boys and also a busy watercolour artist this inevitably means that life is never dull.  I love Christmas and the associated chaos but equally, I find the festive holiday a wonderful time to reflect and plan for the future year.  

The forth-coming few months hold so many exciting things for me work-wise.....I have two online watercolour painting courses almost fully booked, a further one to develop, two exhibitions and gallery commitments to fulfil.  When searching for a suitable caption to go alongside the rugby painting, I came across a quotation to share:

"Action is the foundational key to all success"

Pablo Picasso

As I am a firm believer in constant practice and experimentation in art, perhaps this is a good quote to keep in mind and remember to keep those brushes handy - even if you just pick them up for a quick sketch a day.

Happy 2013!

Kaye

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

Online Watercolour Tuition Course

Following a recent trial of my online watercolour course, I am really pleased to say that it was a great success and as a result the course is now available to be booked. 

It starts on Monday 14th January 2013 and runs for 10 days (effectively two weeks as I hold an online gallery on the weekends).  The cost will be £25 and is available on a first come basis. The number of participants is limited on the courses so that I can give individual attention to all.

Full details on how to book can be found on:

http://www.kayeparmenter.co.uk/pages/site.php?pgid=288

Pushing Boundaries

Peek-a-boo
Original Watercolour
Copyright 2012 Kaye Parmenter
15" x 15"

With a focal point nearly off the page, this painting is far from conventional but, for me, somehow it works.  There's a hint of green to compliment the red and angles which direct your eye around the painting - there is room to move in this piece.

Artistic licence is such a wonderful and powerful thing.   It's tempting to jump in paint what you see, sometimes without carefully considering composition and the impact that it can have on the viewer.  Don't be restricted by rules and always push the boundaries!

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

Movement, life and colour

I have treated myself to a new watercolour paint tube - Daniel Smith Duochrome Mauve which has luminescent properties.  So far I have used it to paint wisteria, the little kitten and this owl.  Whilst this is not probably a colour you would normally think of using to paint an owl, I was intrigued to see the luminescent effect and it definitely warms up what could be quite a cool painting.  By using colour, lost edges for indicating movement and a combination of white paper versus deep blue for my darkest tone,  I looked to achieve the effect of him stopping to focus on something......

Have a great weekend all.

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

No pressure!

Frequently I say on my workshops and courses, how important it is sometimes to take the pressure off when you are painting.  Quite often, we are working towards deadlines, be it for galleries, exhibitions or simply the desire to produce a painting good enough to frame for our own walls.  Sometimes, along with this aim to try and produce a masterpiece, can come a feeling of frustration and disillusionment.

Taking a small piece of paper and simply painting for the fun of it, can sometimes result in the freshest and most spontaneous of paintings and it's a great exercise to do in between painting larger pieces.  Often you can have ideas that can then translate into larger works and the process can refresh your palette in so many ways!

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

Black or White

It's been a week full of painting for me, and having worked on some landscapes, I decided to have a complete change of subject matter with these Zebras.  Faced with whites and blacks, the painting could seem pretty straightforward but as ever with my paintings, it's never really quite that straightforward!  I've got lost edges, found edges, merging colours, angles and shadows to contend with.  There's also a few colours in there you may not expect......Artistic Licence is just the most wonderful thing!  Have a great weekend everyone :-)

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk

Red or black

Red or Black

This is a subject that I have covered on a couple of occasions.  I am inspired by the sharp, shiny shoes whilst challenged by the soft, diffused reflections.  Against these two opposites, I'm also considering contrasting colours, light and composition.  It's quite a complex piece! 

Visual stimulation is all around us and for much of the time, I wonder whether I simply take it all for granted.  I guess this is one of the things that I love about painting,  thinking about a subject makes you take the time to look in finer detail.

I wish everyone a happy week to follow 

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk