As we go into 2025 I am fired up with new ideas, which is a good thing for an artist. I show here two images of my work, both part of my Alone Not Lonely series. I’ve been asking for feedback on both and that’s been interesting and constructive. The first, neutral piece inspired more comments about how it showed the essence of being alone, possibly lonely, which is very much not what I am. But the sparseness of the colour does seem to invoke emptiness. The cheerful sunspex however, bely that image, which is very much what I WAS aiming for. The second colourful piece, the ‘Michael Craig-Martin’ effect (see previous post/blog), also invoked comments along the lines of yes, being alone, but somehow happier because of the colours. I used whatever colour I thought worked, so not necessarily what you would expect, but MCM suggests the eye can work out the colours and I found that a lightbulb moment for me. I would be interested in any feedback. Email michetoots@gmail or Instagram @michewatkins
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I would like explain my two very different types of art and sizing/ prices, because I am conscious it looks a little strange on the viewing page of my website. I have yet to learn how to separate the two into different headings. I began painting the large acrylic pieces, what I describe as Line Art, or popart themed work when I lived in Cape Town and absolutely loved creating these works. I used to paint mainly women without any facial detail, so slightly more abstract and sparse in composition. They worked and sold well through galleries there. On returning to the UK for personal reasons, I had to rethink what I painted. I came up with the concept of small oil paintings of anything that caught my eye, fruit, veg, flowers, fish, bottles of wine, donuts, you get my drift. Again, these have done well. People like to have 2/3 in their kitchen and I use bright Mediterranean colours to cheer one up. I kept the price down deliberately, to encourage people who might be new to the world of buying original art. These pieces are painted alla prima, so again take less hours to paint than the Line…
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Bath Society of Arts Exhibition/Michael Craig-Martin Exhibition
2 reasons for me to celebrate this month. The first: My Line Art painting ‘Absolute Happiness’ part of my series ‘Alone Not Lonely’, was accepted into the Bath Society of Arts annual Exhibition which is on until the end of January 2025. I am delighted to be part of this uplifting Exhibition, do drop by if you are in Bath, the Victoria Gallery is right by Poultney Bridge, so nice and central. My Line Art acrylic work delves into themes of solitude and self-reflection, often using bold expressive brushstrokes and a vibrant palette. The colours are influenced by my years living in Cape Town where I first began developing the Line Art side of my art. My ‘Alone Not Lonely’ series explore the complexities of solitude and hopefully invite the viewer into a conversation about mental health, emotional resilience and the beauty of quiet introspection. The second reason to celebrate is the amazing Exhibition currently on at the Royal Academy in London by Michael Craig-Martin, a wonderful burst of colour and vibrancy which just blew my mind. I have only recently discovered his work (how did I not know him ?🤦♀️) in an article in The Times…
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