nature

Brilliant: nature.

| jennyhillartworkandwords

These artworks of ink paintings and linocut prints have been developed from oil pastel and felt tip pen sketches.  Fungi and the charcoal Snow Gardens, (too cold, too fleeting or too low), were recorded with a camera, then sketched.

Ink paintings: – In a process similar to a watercolour technique, where masking fluid is used to block out/protect areas, I masked large areas with a thick water based paint before brushing black ink over the acrylic colour ink. 

When dry, the entire painting is washed. A bit of jeopardy as occasionally the black ink does not stay where you want it to remain, but when it does it can have an appearance of a printed line. As a painter/printer the overlap of appearances between different art forms expands my creative thinking.

Spring apple blossom – ink – Jenny Hill

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Spring apple blossom - ink - Jenny Hill

Spring is here and the promise of a warm weekend this early in March makes it easy to forget how cold it will still be over the next couple of months. In past years there has been freezing blasts of weather just when the apple tree blossoms.
Ink painting Apple blossom no.2 is in my exhibition ‘Anticipation and Recognition’ at Colchester Library’s Les Livres Gallery, 2nd March – 31st March.
Online catalogue visit
http://jennyhillartwork.tumblr.com

Anticipation & Recognition exhibition 2/3/14-31/3/14 – Jenny Hill

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Anticipation & Recognition exhibition 2/3/14-31/3/14 - Jenny Hill

My exhibition ‘Anticipation and Recognition’ was hung last weekend in Colchester Library’s gallery space Les Livres, and continues until 31st March. The paintings selected for display are part of a seven year focus of work recording seasonal changes. Most library visitors would probably not know my earlier work but as you would expect there are connections – clearly the subject matter as a narrative, use of colour, but also of equal importance, line, painted, drawn or printed.
A cabinet at the top of the library stairs gave me an opportunity to communicate a back story with a few words allocated to each postcard size image. Alongside these I included one sketchbook and an oil pastel sketch to demonstrate my visual research and potential for development.
Visit http://jennyhillartwork.tumblr.com for the exhibition catalogue.
PS Behind the railing on the stairway wall is a relief sculpture, Connor Barrett’s Crucifixion of Mankind. I will post a full image in another blog post.

Sprouting poppies – Jenny Hill – Ink

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Sprouting poppies - Jenny Hill - Ink

It has been so wet this winter, the wind twisted poppy seed heads stayed whole. In previous years the freezing weather skeletonised the seed heads, leaving open basket structures. This month the soggy plants evolved into their own aerial sprouting seed pot.
The painting “Sprouting poppies’ is more subdued than my usual expressive use of colour. It could be a reflection of the weeks of rain, or the raw umber in the mix.

Exhibition poster – Anticipation & Recognition – Jenny Hill

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Exhibition poster - Anticipation & Recognition - Jenny Hill

Almost there with preparations for my solo exhibition at Colchester Library’s Les Livres Gallery. So far press release has been sent, paintings packed and information to email contacts.
To do – What to put in the cabinet. I thought it would be a good idea to use a glass top table cabinet to put in a couple of sketch books, information on sales. But know now that would leave a gap of communication as my press release stated this exhibition was part of a seven year project following the seasons. I realise there has to be some back story, using a few images of previously exhibited artwork with minimal text, to help make some connection with what has gone before and the current artwork. But how to make it look good and interesting is something I will be working on over the next couple of days.
A catalogue for Anticipation & Recognition can be seen at
http://jennyhillartwork.tumblr.com

Agapanthus winter seed head – ink – Jenny Hill

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Agapanthus winter seed head - ink - Jenny Hill

I had passed this Agapanthus a number of times, noting the yellow and lime green stems and seed heads almost glowing on grey days. I resolved to draw it before the black seeds dropped or the stems pushed over, but it was the forecast of more heavy rain that made me get on with sketching. Drawing in a winter garden for the sake of not missing something sounds dedicated? Fortunately the plant is in a large pot, (a cropped copper water cylinder), just outside my studio window.
‘Agapanthus winter seed head’ will be exhibited at Colchester Library Gallery, Les Livres, March 2nd-31st.

Medlar fruit – ink – Jenny Hill

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Medlar fruit - ink - Jenny Hill

Unripe Medlar fruit seen last October at RHS Hyde Hall Garden, Essex. The fruit is usually bletted, softened by rot, before it can be eaten. As I was painting this from a pen sketch I realised the fruit reminded me of something else. I have since discovered Medlar, (Mespilus germanica), was known in medieval times as the ‘dog bottom tree’.
For more gardening information and recipes visit
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Recipes/Nigel-Slater-recipes/Articles/Nigel-Slater-On—/Nigel-Slater-on—-medlars
Painting using acrylic ink and indian ink.

Field Bird’s Nest fungi – ink – Jenny Hill

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Field Bird's Nest fungi - ink - Jenny Hill

Thumbnail size fungi, (depending on the size of your thumb), in wood chip mulch at RHS Hyde Hall Garden, Rettendon, Essex. At first I saw only the silvery empty cups and wondered what they were. Then on closer inspection I could see more but with ‘eggs’ that had not been dispersed. A fungi hunt in autumn led by an expert mycologist opened my eyes to the range of common fungi, but I still wonder how I have not noticed these until this year. Field Bird’s Nest – Cyathus olla.
I used silver acrylic ink for one thin wash before adding more layers of orange and blue. Silver ink can give a grey tinge but it worked well for this subject giving a subtle metallic sheen.