by paula mitchell
Oil
h: 60 w: 44 d: 1 (cms).
Let’s Dance - I have always enjoyed listening to and experiencing live music. To form a small part of a large crowd of people all enjoying unique moments is an experience I love and what inspired me to create this work. Several elements of the painting are influenced by the lasting memory of the evening; the blue glow, light from mobile phones recording and the glorious orange sunset sky. Every year I go to my local music festival that takes place on the beachside common in Portsmouth. The seaside location of this festival offers something particularly special to the atmosphere on what is usually a warm August bank holiday weekend. The Castle stage featured in this painting is flanked by the raised grass bank that runs up to meet the edge of Southsea Castle. On the other side and just visible is the Solent which is a busy tidal waterway. We are a stone’s throw from the seaside and there is usually an onshore breeze blowing across the crowd. This work depicts my experience with thousands of other festival goers when Nile Rogers and his ‘Chic’ backing singers played along to the vocal of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’.
£1250 (As exhibited.)
Please Note: If you are overseas and interested in a purchase, please note that there will be additional costs for postage and packaging added to this price. Feel free to enquire about this using the button below.
by paula mitchell
Oil
h: 30 w: 30 d: 1 (cms).
'The Early Bird' - Chichester Harbour is a short distance from my home and a place I like to paint. I am an early riser so I like to be in a position ready to paint as close to 7am as I can. This location at this time of day is a peaceful place with only a few walkers, harbour workers and me. The plein air reference for this work began early doors when the tide was out. I walked down the side of the jetty and stood on the mud. I decided to have a go at two boats positioned with the backdrop of the harbour entrance in the distance. The light was still low, coming in from the left, so there were nice highlights on the boat in the foreground with almost full light on the one farther away. These boats would anchor each side of the painting as they were leaning in towards each other. They were stuck in the mud, so my working title at that moment was ‘At Ease’. As I was close to finishing my painting, a man dressed in full waders with a bucket walked past me, down to the edge of the water. I was sure he was collecting bait for fishing and so shortly after, he walked back up the beach in front of me. As he returned, I grabbed my sketch book to create some marks and also points of reference to where he stood in relation to the horizon line and the two boats in my work. I was also able to take a reference shot for details I could use later. When this painting began it was about two boats waiting for the water to return so they may float again. The moment I saw the man walking with his bucket back up the beach, the story of this work changed. I was a female plein air painter, out early to capture the scene with my paint. He was out early while the shoreline was exposed, getting bait for fishing. This work was finally entitled ‘The Early Bird’ as in the end, it turned out to be a story about both him and I being out early doors going about our days, me painting and him collecting bait.
£720 (As exhibited.)
Please Note: If you are overseas and interested in a purchase, please note that there will be additional costs for postage and packaging added to this price. Feel free to enquire about this using the button below.