Felicity's week of painting

Post by **Betty Boop** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:30 am

I have a theory...

this isn't Felicity painting at all...

it's Spot, no child could get that seagull soooo right!!

Post by **spot** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:25 am

Betty Boop;1394172 wrote: I have a theory...

this isn't Felicity painting at all...

it's Spot, no child could get that seagull soooo right!!

What we did was this. We had a bit of cardboard - the one she'd cut the circle out of to form the sun boundary because nobody can paint circles. I showed her the best seagull I could make on the cardboard with the finest brush, she had a go, both of us were rubbish. I took a half-inch wide offcut of card, bent it into a wing shape, dabbed it into the seagull colour she'd made and went bim bam, one perfect seagull. She took some more offcut card, bent it and bim bammed and lo, another ten perfect seagulls. Then she did two next to the sun. Either she learned a technique and executed it or the seagull's mine, but I bet a thousand other painters have done it that way before her.

Post by **spot** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:40 am

I'm half tempted to post Laura's two paintings, Laura being Felicity's younger sister who's been insistently demanding a go for the last fortnight. I sat her down and showed her how to hold a brush. If her vocabulary included "bugger that for a game of soldiers" she'd have used it, the only grip she would adopt was a vice-like wrap-around fist. I prised her three lower fingers off and wrapped them neatly below the brush several times and they sprang back immediately to the grip. Okay I said, it's grip the brush tight time, what's your notion of applying paint with it.

Thump thump thump bayonet style, always into the same place with a manic grin at getting so close to painting. You seriously think I'm going to put the palette within your reach and hand you a canvas, I asked? Thump thump thump.

At that stage I cheated. When I held out the palette I made sure a reasonable colour was under the brush when she scooped paint out. When she went thump, in the way of a blacksmith I slightly turned the canvas before the next blow. And so on. Back for paint, thump thump thump, post office staff have built careers franking letters with the same movement. It was educational. Let me rephrase that - I felt I'd been educated.

She might hang them on her wall. I expect she will.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Tue May 22, 2012 1:24 pm

You only need provide Laura with some chunky crayons, you know the ones that are designed for really young children because they are not born with the skill of delicately holding a pen or paintbrush, neither can you force them to learn that way until they are ready. Just shows me you expect far too much at an early age :wah:

Post by **spot** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:03 pm

Betty Boop;1394179 wrote: You only need provide Laura with some chunky crayons, you know the ones that are designed for really young children because they are not born with the skill of delicately holding a pen or paintbrush, neither can you force them to learn that way until they are ready. Just shows me you expect far too much at an early age :wah:

You should have seen how fiercely she wanted to have a place at the table and how much effort she put into getting to the end once she saw what she was producing. I did repeat earlier Marshall McLuhan's dictum that the medium is the message, I've never seen it more true than in these proto-paintings.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:55 am

I may be fooling myself but I think there's progression as she becomes more accustomed to the practice. This is a series about gates.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:01 am

This is more a representational story-telling: Birnham Wood.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:03 am

Laura continues to express an interest:

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:09 am

An outdoor perspective.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:04 am

A series focused on rock:

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:08 am

The artist in conversation, yesterday.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:42 pm

What a wonderful sweet girl. Spot, you are a lucky guy! Hugs & kisses, big ones, to your munchkin!

Is that a cat I see on the right? Perfect.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:15 pm

I'm not aware anyone invited a cat in though it's happened in the past. Billy next door gets enticed on occasion.

The more I check that photo the more I suspect her face needed washing.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:15 pm

Grand kids are great.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:23 am

Yesterday was Felicity painting in the open air out on the Downs. If I can put them in the right order they go "Peaceful Downs", "Stormy Downs" and "Windswept Downs". Had the weather done what she made up we'd have run for cover long before she'd finished.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:27 am

She actually went out to find a daisy and put it in an egg cup with an inch of water before she did this one.

It's a daisy.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:30 am

And this is the view from the Triangle toward the Victoria Rooms. I've not enquired as to the state of the weather but I think I'd wear something waterproof.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:41 am

If it wasn't for the daisy painting I would have said she was in a "stormy" mood. All in all though, very good.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:47 pm

She's a well-disposed child who even leans toward helpfulness. The stormy bits may indicate a future on the stage.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:15 pm

Is Felicity your child or grandchild?

Post by **spot** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:35 pm

My elder daughter has been married to a weekend cricketer called Tom for the last seven years - I recall being at the wedding - and Felicity is the first consequence. Whether I'll be asked to educate the second after Felicity starts school in September I'm not sure.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:39 am

Educate? It seems I have a lot to learn about spot. Felicity is a lovely consequence. Mazel tov.

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:37 am

This, when asked for a title, is "Drip". It has a disconcerting aspect.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:01 pm

Looks to me like someone got their head plum dripped off.

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:24 pm

YZGI;1398209 wrote: Looks to me like someone got their head plum dripped off.

I was startlingly restrained or I'd have asked if she'd not rather call it Dog. On reflection her title makes a lot more sense.

Post by **spot** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:37 am

Today is perhaps Be Unkind To Children day, since I have Felicity sat listening to Liege And Leaf on the CD player while her sister has a morning nap. Whether "pay attention, this is the good stuff" will get her through an entire hour of Folk's Finest I'm not sure.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:43 am

spot;1398231 wrote: Today is perhaps Be Unkind To Children day, since I have Felicity sat listening to Liege And Leaf on the CD player while her sister has a morning nap. Whether "pay attention, this is the good stuff" will get her through an entire hour of Folk's Finest I'm not sure.

If she had any sense she'll have joined her sister for a nap.

Post by **LarsMac** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:41 pm

spot;1398231 wrote: Today is perhaps Be Unkind To Children day, since I have Felicity sat listening to Liege And Leaf on the CD player while her sister has a morning nap. Whether "pay attention, this is the good stuff" will get her through an entire hour of Folk's Finest I'm not sure.

A couple more sessions like that, and you will be certain that she will hold such music with disdain for life.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:29 am

LarsMac;1398353 wrote: A couple more sessions like that, and you will be certain that she will hold such music with disdain for life.

I stopped when she asked me to describe the plot of Mattie Groves in plainer terms than the lyricist seemed prepared to do. Why, for instance, did the servant who was standing by, hearing what was said, swear Lord Darnell he would know before the sun was set. Not easy, that one.

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:19 am

To return to our purpose, this is Yellow...

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:19 am

This is Gray,

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:22 am

This is an attempt at an Alpine scene of hilly snow with a rescue hut and a footpath

Post by **spot** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:23 am

And a worrying first try at a waterfall.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:09 am

It's been all fun and games chez Felicity this week. Completely out of the blue I got "leave the room" once she was sat comfortably in her smock, with a blank canvas and her pots of paint and her brushes. The next couple of hours consisted of her occasionally calling me back to wash her brushes out, clean and dry her palette and get her another canvas but no, staying and watching wasn't on my list of allowable tasks. Her mother laughed her socks off when told all this later.

Once, for five minutes, Felicity sat at a computer screen displaying Van Gogh's "Starry Night", and that was back in April. She's not seen it before or since, but we did discuss it while it was displayed on the screen. I mention this because, to my eye at least, there's a measure of influence carried over into this painting.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:12 am

Her theme developed in the next, with yet more dilution of her paints to approach a watercolour mixing effect:

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:14 am

Having satisfied the need to express flowers she went in for heavy-handed texturing:

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:15 am

And ended for lunch on this note which appears to be an ambitious sky-only scene and may - I apologize in advance if it's so - be upside down.

Post by **spot** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:33 am

A moment of concentration.

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:07 pm

It's a year since Felicity started, I thought I'd post this week's painting to the thread.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:14 pm

Who are you? Felicity's Granddad's name is spot. I would be pleased to frame any of her work & hang it where I could see it most of the day. (((Hugs))) to her.

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:19 pm

AnneBoleyn;1426451 wrote: Who are you? Felicity's Granddad's name is spot. I would be pleased to frame any of her work & hang it where I could see it most of the day. (((Hugs))) to her.

spot's account is retired for the time being, I'm reduced to using the site's admin account to put these posts up. To be fair I ought to post one of her sister's as well, for balance.

This, meanwhile, is the current appearance of The Artist As A Cheshire Cat...

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:23 pm

She is so charming, you lucky lucky man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:24 pm

PS---would love to see her sister too! Double lucky man!!

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:35 pm

AnneBoleyn;1426456 wrote: PS---would love to see her sister too! Double lucky man!!

Taking a photo of her sister would break the camera lens.

This is Laura's painting today when she got back from the zoo though, entitled "Waterfall".

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:54 pm

These kids have wonderful ability. I wouldn't have to paint my walls if they were my grandkids, I'd just hang their work everywhere. They paint with abandon, I love their creations!

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Wed May 08, 2013 2:03 pm

This one's Laura, so the balance is maintained. I took it last week. To be fair she needed her face wiped first.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed May 08, 2013 2:25 pm

Yes, she had to be wiped off because of the kisses I slobbered on her sweet, cute face! If I were there, that is.

Lady J · Post by **Lady J** » Thu May 09, 2013 8:34 pm

spot;1398595 wrote: This is an attempt at an Alpine scene of hilly snow with a rescue hut and a footpath

acutally not bad....a hut lost in the snow...you should be very proud. I would be. You have a talented artist/painter on your hands with Felicity. It is no wonder she shooos you out of the room!

Enjoy your blessings and support them as you are doing.

And thanks for sharing!

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Fri May 10, 2013 10:36 am

FG;1426458 wrote: Taking a photo of her sister would break the camera lens.

This is Laura's painting today when she got back from the zoo though, entitled "Waterfall".

I think this is a striking painting. Would never have imagined it was painted by someone so young. Its an incredibly mature use of paint and texture.

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri May 10, 2013 3:12 pm

Snowfire;1426633 wrote: I think this is a striking painting. Would never have imagined it was painted by someone so young. Its an incredibly mature use of paint and texture.I'm sufficiently pleased with those to get full-size canvas GiclÃ©e prints of them made for my own wall just to see whether they'll transfer adequately.

I'm not entirely sure where the imagery originates but the two sisters' work is recognisably distinct from each other's. I guide their technical as opposed to creative approach by talking with them while we set up the canvas, and we talk while they're painting with the intention that they keep their minds focused, but they're the only ones touching the brushes and deciding where and how to apply them. Neither of them pauses particularly, they have a confident flow from start to finish. Laura, I'm quite sure, learnt that behaviour from watching Felicity for months before she started.

She's at the limit of her physical reach with this one, it's 30"x24" - any bigger and she'd need scaffolding.