Carol  Staines

My first inspiration is colour! My initial love is watercolour followed very swiftly by oils.

I have always been creative in one way or another but the essence of my creativity is centred on colour. Shape comes next in both watercolour and oils. I often start off with a flower from seed catalogues or a photograph of flowers that are in my garden or home. Then the image is twisted and turned, added to by using other sources, duplicated and fretted over until I’m happy with the shape of the composition.

I generally have a tightly focussed feature in my watercolours, flowers usually, surrounded by loosely allied colours. But that all changes when I approach a large canvas and a set of oil paints!

Here I can have real fun and although colour is still paramount, I like to create paintings that can be interpreted differently by each viewer. Each painting may say something personal to me, but can say a whole plethora of things to others…I like that.

The two contrasting styles are possibly because my sign of the zodiac is Gemini……or as those closest to me would say; “split personality!”

Locking myself away with paints and my imagination is tremendous fun so I hope anyone looking at my painting gets some pleasure from the experience.

Carol Staines, Westbourne Farm.

Jill Hammond

I have never been happy with completely representational work, if it looks like a photograph why not take a photograph? I can however, appreciate the level of skill which goes into such work.

Often I am influenced or inspired by the work of other artists – it may be something very small but a starting point for a new development in my own work. The new influence could be colour, media, scale, subject matter style, almost anything whether an artist from the past orcontemporary work.

I never seem to have any trouble wondering what to paint. If I see something – a poster, postcard, or a view – I will keep the image for later use as a painting or part of a painting.

I usually work from my own observations, photographs or en plein air.

Subject matter varies…..still life, townscapes, seascapes whatever has recently inspired me though I tend to have ‘phases’.

My work can often begin with no outline at all or sometimes a few rough

outlines of the composition. I may add collage as I am going along, I may start with inks and rollers to keep it loose. Then add a few lines and blocks of structure, working from the background out to the final details. At the end I am only putting in a line, a reflection, a shadow or a little detail. I work in ink, gouache, acrylic, oils, tempera or anything which I feel is appropriate for the work. Very rarely do I use brushes, experimenting is very exciting.

My best work comes when I am not worrying about it, working in a free way, it keeps its freshness better. One must avoid working over and over on the same area as the colours become muddy and one can ‘work the painting to death’. Happy accidents are a particular delight!

Lastly, I must be pleased with the work myself or it is not good enough!

hammj.chelten@gmail.com

• I exhibit at Art in the Park, Cheltenham Art Club Exhibitions, personal exhibitions and other events
• My work is on Facebook.
• Painting accepted into the Gardens Gallery ’10’ Lit Fest Exhibition.
• A painting recently published in the Leisure Painter as ‘Best in Show’.
• Club Competition, best artwork in the Landscape category.
• A prizewinner in the Broadway Paint-off 2018, Broadway Arts Festival
• Work at ‘Mercia Fine Art’ Winchcombe