HELPING OUT YOUNG ARTISTS

I don't teach or do demonstrations and I don't give talks to groups about my work.

I'll talk to people who come to my shows and studio, I'm happy with that.

I regularly receive requests from young artists still at school or college who are using me as an artist for their project work, which is quite flattering really.

I'm pleased to help them out with their questions, plus it helps me evaluate my progress, think about my 'raison d'etre' and look at what I've been up to in a fresh light. 

Here are the answers I gave to a student who wrote to me last week:



 Hi, here are my answers to your questions. Hope they are some use.

1) what has influenced or motivated you to produce the work you have done?

 

The work I am doing now is the result of being influenced by the landscape around me.
I moved to Sheffield 12 years ago to a high place on the edge of the Peak District which overlooked the distant city centre. I saw amazing sunrises, sunsets and storm skies which dwarfed the city.
So I would say the ever changing sky and light have the most influence on my work; morning and evening light.


2) Are you influenced by other artists, if so how and who?

 I have always been influenced by other artists and still am.
When I was younger, I loved Pop Art but was probably more influenced by Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne (Post-Impressionism).
I never tire of looking at the paintings of Turner and Constable, especially their sketchbook paintings which are small and quickly made and have such a freshness and spontaneity. I prefer a lot of these to their bigger paintings.
I also like the work of John Piper, Howard Hodgkin and Edward Hopper.
If I had to choose just one favourite painter it would be Turner.

3) Do you belong to any art movements for example cubism?

 I don't consider myself as part of any art movement. I'm influenced the work of other artists from all fields, abstract, landscape, expressionist and take on board what I see to incorporate into my own 'style' (horrible word). As Picasso said: 'Good artists copy, great artists steal'.
If I had to pigeonhole myself, I would say I belong to a long line of English landscape painters.


4) Is there any other relevant information you could give me that is to do
with your development of your work?

All the paintings on my website are acrylics. It’s the medium that I use the most. I like it because it’s so versatile. It can be used diluted in a watercolour type of way or built up thickly with lots of texture. It also dries quickly which suits me as I like to paint quickly to try and capture a freshness in the work. I tend to find that my best paintings are done quickly and not overworked.  
                                                 
I’ve been painting a long time now since I was about twelve. I won a competition painting RAF planes when I was thirteen or fourteen. Art was my best subject and all I wanted to do really so I went to Art College during the punk rock era, which was a great time, and I’m still painting, hopefully getting better. That’s what keeps me going, always wanting to get better.

My mottoes are: 
1. Keep painting and the magic will come.
2. If you don't change your direction, you may end up where you were heading


 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, here is a new painting which has got the most views on my website this week: 

Black Nab 2 by Mark H Wilson
Acrylic on Board
Image Size: 48cm x 20cm 


This is my first post in while, I'll be back soon.
 

THE GREAT SHEFFIELD ART SHOW

This week sees the 24^th Great Sheffield Art Show, the largest art show in the North. For the third year, I have a Professional Artist’s Stand.

As can be imagined, I am working feverishly to get my latest work finished and ready to display, so this Blog will be short because I need to get on. Time flies, it really does.

On show will be my latest skyscapes, snow storms, some new city views, paintings inspired by walks in the Peak District, plus contemporary woodland compositions.

 

The ever-popular browser will be there too with unframed ORIGINAL paintings at great prices. Something for everyone! 


The 24^th Great Sheffield Art Show dates are: 8, 9 & 10 July 2011 at The Octagon Centre, Sheffield.

Friday 10am – 9pm, Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 10am - 6pm

Adults £4.50, Concessions £4.00, Under 16 Free.

Hope to see you there. Meantime, back to the last minute preparations.

“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” ~ (Vincent van Gogh)

RED CROSS ART AUCTION, A SNOW PAINTING AND WALKLEY FESTIVAL

So, what has been happening since my last post?  Well, my painting for the Artists for the Red Cross auction sold for above the guide price, which was good. So thank you to the person(s) who bought it.
 

The auction, which featured donated artworks by ten Sheffield artists raised over £3000.

The paintings were beautifully displayed at the Winter Gardens in Sheffield and I was there on the last day meeting the public and the lovely Red Cross workers and signing postcards.

Here is a photo of me and my painting with the landlord and landlady from the Ranmoor Inn. The photo was used for an article in the Sheffield Telegraph.

 

The following painting I finished this week and it will be on show at the Walkley Festival here in Sheffield. It’s the first work that I’ve completed depicting a street in Walkley where I am now living and working. It’s very high up with lots of amazing views over the city. This particular painting features Blake Street during last winter's snow spell. It’s reputed to be the steepest street in Sheffield and at the top is ‘The Blake’ pub, which has recently re-opened. I think it was featured in ‘The Full Monty’. Anyway, it’s mine and Wifey’s favourite local pub by a long chalk, great beer and staff who know their stuff.

Blake Street Under Snow, 60cm x 60cm, Acrylic on Canvas

If you wish to see the painting, it will be on show at the Walkley Festival art exhibition at St. Mary’s Community Hall, Howard Road, Walkley, Sheffield.

26 June to 2 July, between 2pm and 7pm.

I’ll be there on Monday between 6pm and 7pm.

I’m busy getting a new batch of paintings together for the Great Sheffield Art Show, which begins on the 8^th of July. There will be new skyscapes, cityscapes and woodland paintings. I am adding the paintings to my website as soon as a new one is completed. Follow this link for a sneak preview:

http://www.markhwilson.co.uk/private-view

An artist's career always begins tomorrow. ~ James Whistler

Busy Wilson Studios, new skyscapes and why I don’t teach

Well, it’s all go at Wilson Studios at the moment. Coming up in July is The Great Sheffield Art Show where once again I have a premier artists’ stand.

I am working on a series of new skyscapes for the show, developing the techniques I’ve been using over the past so many years. People often ask me how I achieve my effects and I never can really. I can say what equipment and materials I use and how I use studies, drawings and photos etc but that’s about all.

Sometimes I don’t know how I’ve done something. I’m not a teacher so can only say that experience is the best teacher. The more you paint the more you learn.

All in all, it’s what you end up with that counts, not how it’s done.

Here are three new works I did last week.

 

Higger Storm Sky

 Ringinglow

Higger Storm

"Intentions don't matter. It's the end result we are all judged by. Evil in the name of good is still evil. And when you dance with the devil you seldom get to pick the tune."
— Sherrilyn Kenyon

SHEFFIELD ARTISTS OPEN STUDIOS AND EASTER FLOWERS

Gosh, I can’t believe it’s the Sheffield Artists Open Studios event starting at the weekend. It’s all very chaotic and last minute as usual, but I’m sure it will sort itself out.

Not much time to write at the moment so I’ll post these sunny flower paintings I did over the Easter period. I was inspired by walking through Weston Park in Sheffield and seeing all the colourful new flowers. I’ll be showing them at the weekend along with around 20 new paintings, some big, some small. Something for everyone!

 
The weather has been glorious lately, apart from a crazy hour the other afternoon when it was more like Christmas. I’ve never seen such big hailstones and the roads became mini rivers. This was the view from my eyrie, dreaming of a white Easter!

Anyway, back to the preparations for the weekend. I’m staging my event at Sheffield Cathedral this year so hopefully there’ll be a good turnout of visitors, especially if the weather stays nice.

Check out the details at the following address:

http://www.openupsheffield.co.uk/artists/mark-h-wilson.htm

SPRING CLEANING, NEW PAINTINGS & MY FIRST EVENT OF THE YEAR

Well, the house is ready for a spring clean. Wifey has started today and I will start on the top floor studio rooms as soon as I’ve got my latest paintings mounted and framed ready for my first event of the year. Honest, I will, whenever I get a spare minute! 

My first event of the year is the Curbar Art Show in Derbyshire. It’s being held at the local school and helps to raise funds for the school.

I first started taking part in these village shows in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire in the mid 90’s when I began to concentrate on landscape painting. They are held in churches, church halls, schools, community centres etc and I used to do as many as possible. I did really well at some selling all, or nearly all, my work. Some were a dead loss so I ruled them out and concentrated on the better ones. It was a big help to get me known in the region and also helped out the organisations and charities involved. 

I will be showing six pieces including these two new paintings of mine at Curbar in the Peak District on the weekend 9/10 April 2011, so get yourself along, have a cup of tea and a piece of cake and maybe pick up a bargain work of art.

Anyhow, back to the spring cleaning!!

 

 

City Storm Sky

First Light City Sunrise

SPRING, BLOSSOM, FLORAL PAINTINGS & THE SPACE-INBETWEEN

Well, the weather has been great recently with the advent of Spring, my favourite time of the year. I love the blossom, the emerging buds and the longer, brighter days. I feel like I’ve emerged, too, from a winter hibernation. Wifey loves the winter and the dark nights but for me it’s a bit glum, especially after the Christmas and the New Year festivities.

Anyway, seeing all this new colour has got me inspired to get going on some new floral work.

 SPRING 40cmx30cm

I’ve always loved using flowers as a starting point for a painting. There are so many colours to choose from, so many shapes. I don’t set out to depict a flower in a botanically correct way, after all I’m an artist, not a scientist. I choose my flowers, setting them up in an untraditional arrangement and start with loose, quickly done studies using diluted acrylic and a selection of brushes, palette knives, sponges, bits of card, kitchen roll, anything that’s lying around really. I sometimes put spotlights on the arrangement to cast shadows on the white background, what I call the space in-between. Working like this allows me to try different compositions, colour combinations and techniques and because I use paper I can throw them away if they don’t work. I usually work on about 10 of these at a time moving from one to another in rotation. At the end I might get 5 or 6 that I think are worth saving and mounting.

I don’t really class these paintings as studies. Quite often they contain a freshness and spontaneity that larger, more ‘worked’ paintings can lose.

Here are three examples to finish with.

ON GOLD 40cmx30cm

  

BUNCH 40cmx30cm

ARRANGEMENT 40cmx30cm