‘A Contrasting Life’.

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Miche

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…

Bath Society of Arts Exhibition/Michael Craig-Martin Exhibition

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Miche

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…

New Exhibition Riverside Studios Hammersmith London !

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Miche

I really love painting my Line Art acrylic pieces. I first developed this style when I lived in Cape Town and had a big studio and a market for large works in that beautiful city. These artworks are all 90 x 60 cm. Since I moved back to the UK, I did not have the space to paint in such a large style and so turned back to my first love of oil painting. I started painting my small 8” square pieces of anything that caught my eye and people buy 2/3 to hang in their kitchens or bedrooms. I’m always available for commissioned work. However recently I’ve had a hankering to get back to my Line Art and recently completed 3 pieces featuring swimming pools (I am a great fan of David Hockney). These paintings evolved around the theme of being alone, but never lonely. My beloved partner died 6 years ago and I have had to navigate life alone. I have children and grandchildren to keep me busy, I paint every day, and I also go happily on holiday alone, as I crave the sunshine having lived in beautiful Cape Town. I enjoy sitting by…

New Work at North Street Gallery

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Miche

It’s been a while but here we are. I have been busy providing new work for North Street Gallery which is in Bedminster, Bristol, UK. I manage the Gallery with 3 other artists and we promote local emerging artists alongside established ones. We are a community inspired Gallery and I absolutely love giving new artists a chance to promote their work in an established Gallery. North Street is buzzing these days, home to Upfest, the Urban Paint Festival which draws artists from all over the world. Bristol is a hub of creative talent and I am proud to be part of that magic. My latest paintings are all here on the website. The top 5 paintings have bespoke frames so are slightly more expensive than the four underneath. I decided to have 2 price structures as we are living in difficult times financially and art is a luxury. I also sell prints, the link is on my About Me page.

Chess Boards, Gallery reopening, hope. 20 March 21

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Miche

Well it’s been a while since my last Blog. Covid has come along and I don’t need to go into that as we’ve all been there. What it did was to change the way I paint, as witnessed by the smaller fruit and veg paintings you can see in the Catalogue at the top of the Home Page. I really enjoy painting these and they sell well. I paint anything that catches my eye, flowers, fruit, donuts, interesting veggies etc. They are framed in white and cost £70. I am also available for commissions. I also sell prints and you can find them at https://www.iamfy.co/shop/miche. Recently, with the success of the film ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, there has been an upsurge in playing chess, particularly online, and I have received a flurry of commission requests for specific chess piece compositions, as well as poker card and poker chip compositions. I am always happy to undertake commissions; the requests keep my own ideas fresh. Please DM or email me for more info and any of your own requests. I paint anything within reason 😜. With lockdown beginning to end, North Street Gallery is looking to reopen on April 12. 4 artists, including…

Gallery Reopening ! 27.06.2020

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Miche

This is exciting news indeed. North Gallery on North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1HT, UK has been refurbished, repainted and social distancing measures put in place, and it reopens on 4 July. The website is www.northgalleryworkspace.co.uk and any enquiries can be emailed to enquiries.northstreetgallery@gmail.com. We are always looking for new artists to show their work. 4 artists, including myself, have taken on the management of the gallery and are keen to promote local artists. Bristol is a real Centre for art including Upfest, the Urban Paint Festival, the centre of which takes place on our very own North Street, and is known worldwide, and of course we are home to Banksy….. I shall be showing my small paintings, all of which are catalogued here, along with some new work, and I will have cards available as well. I am also now undertaking commissions, so if you would like to let me know colour preferences to suit your home, I am very happy to do this. Likewise which fruit, vegetables, flowers, donuts (and now lipsticks) you would like in the compositions. The size is always 8 x 8” framed in white, oil on paper, £65. I keep being told to…

Technical Glitches! And new paintings

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Miche

First and foremost, my apologies over a technical glitch. I was fortunate in that a prospective buyer emailed me having had no response to the enquiry sent through the Contact Form on my site here. I would have had no idea there was a problem, so I am very grateful for that email and the Contact Form has now been removed. If you HAVE tried to contact me that way, may I suggest you contact me via my email michetoots@yahoo.co.uk and I will respond immediately. Thanks. North Gallery Workspace will be reopening on the 4 July, with appropriate social distancing measures put in place. I am very excited about this as it is a Gallery run by artists and up until lockdown had been doing very well. We have been busy repainting and refurbishing the space and are going to be increasing our online presence big time. I will be updating information here, so keep looking ! I have been inundated with commissions recently for the small fruit/veg/donut paintings so please bear with me time wise. I really enjoy painting these and welcome commissions so please get in touch to discuss colours, subjects etc. I am thinking of painting lipsticks…

New Catalogue Available. 30/04/2020

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Miche

Many of you will know that I have recently been diversifying and painting these small fruit and vegetable paintings. These have been proving popular, so I am experimenting with different subjects, the most recent being donuts, particularly the Krispy Kreme variety as they are bright and colourful. Someone said to me once that they don’t even like donuts, but for some strange reason are drawn to my donut paintings and again these are selling well. I am today having fun painting my first flower in the same style, bright, cheerful colours with pronounced shadows. Today it’s a Californian Poppy, that wonderful bright yellow and orange contrasting against a turquoise blue background. It will be up on the website next week. As a result of increased sales, I am often being asked on my Instagram page whether I have a catalogue of available paintings. Normally customers trawl through my Instagram page and then contact me direct to ask if a certain painting is available to buy. Now at last I have set up a Catalogue where you can just click through to buy the painting of your choice, and I have even sorted out shipping and postal prices (tracking included). …

Painting in the Pandemic. April 2020

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Miche

These are difficult and and upsetting times. Like everyone in the world at the moment, I am worried for the future for myself, my loved ones, the NHS, the list is endless. What I have found very strange though at the moment, is that my art is suddenly selling very well. I was not expecting this. I can only put it down to this: people are not able to go to pubs, clubs and restaurants etc., so they are at home looking at their social media. They are looking at and buying art. And they seem to like my fruit and veg paintings. I think this may be because they are small, affordable and fun. They are also painted in cheerful bright colours. Who knows? But I am very grateful. People are buying 2 or 3 to go in their kitchens. They are asking me to paint specific subjects in specific colours; I am happy to oblige. The most recent request was for donuts ! The Krispy Kreme variety. Why not? They are colourful, cheerful and a bit of sugar in these uncertain times is perhaps no bad thing. At the moment,…

A new departure October 2019

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Miche

So a new departure for me. I have recently discovered painting ‘alla prima’ or direct painting in oils and have become obsessed with this style of painting. I set up a composition, always small, of fruit or vegetables and set myself a time limit of painting it in one session, hence direct painting. The size is 6 x 6”, 9 x 9” framed (23 x 23 cm). I set the compositions up in direct sunlight (not easy in this country) which is usually at around lunchtime, so as to get the deepest and more interesting shadows beneath the fruit/veg. Then I paint. I have always liked bright, vibrant Mediterranean colours and this works to great advantage with these paintings. I tend to buy fruit/veg in season from my wonderful local organic greengrocer Hugo’s Greengrocer (@hugosgreengrocer on Instagram) on North Street in Bristol where I live, so every painting is always fresh and new. If you would like me to match a composition to suit your wall decor, send me an image of your kitchen, etc., and I will be happy to do this for you. The paintings are framed in a simple white frame for £65, or…

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