Dr Wah is a superb teacher, someone who can bring literary works alive for her students and who has the knack of passing onto them much of her own enthusiasm and close engagement with a wide variety of texts. Her love for literature is matched by her ability to ease you into understanding and appreciating the language, the structure, the meaning – everything, that is, that adds up to the beauty of the finest writing. She has a patience and a preciseness that keeps opening up new possibilities for her students.
Professor Gordon McMullan | Director, London Shakespeare Centre
Author: Roo Waterhouse
New 'Shelf-Portraits' for Parallax Art Fair…
‘How to Build a Girl’ rsw2017 oil on canvas 12×24″
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‘Simple Cookery’ rsw2017 oil on canvas
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Colour
About ten years ago Mary Loney shut me in a small room with a still life set up and some acrylic paint. I had avoided painting entirely up to that point in my life, mostly due to the fact that I was terrified of colour, or more specifically, trying to replicate colours.
When I started painting with oils I limited myself to four tubes of paint: alizarin crimson; prussian blue; naples yellow and white, mixing all colours from these, starting with single object compositions – suiting my restricted palette.
I have spent ten years in my comfort zone of artefacts and possessions – they have a general tendency to remain the same colour between sittings, unlike nature – whilst expanding my palatte to two reds; two blues; three yellows; two browns and white.
Maybe one day soon I will feel brave enough to attempt to use nature and the great outdoors as my subject matter and imagine that I might be able to do it some justice.
Until that day…..there is photography….
Shelf-portraits at Living Room Literature
Lovely to see my shelf-portraits hanging on Sarah Wah’s wall at ‘Living Room Literature’
I hope they inspire some creative literary conversations among her students!
Sarah runs bespoke literature courses in the cosy setting of her living room.
What a fabulous idea! http://www.livingroomliterature.com/
Reverence at home…
It was lovely to be able to hang ‘Reverence in its brand new bespsoke home in Sandra’s new kitchen last weekend. It looks perfect – just like the real thing!
Brand new Shelf-Portraits 'Green Brontes' and 'Winter Pollen'should be back from the framers in time for Northlight Winter Art Fair this weekend :-)
‘Green Brontes’ rsw2016:
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‘Winter Pollen’ rsw2016
significant artefacts…
What a joy to paint this ‘portrait’ of this old Batterwhip which has lived in Nancyann’s kitchen draw for longer than she can remember! It is a beautiful object, and at some point in the past has had an old builders scraper welded to it to make a new handle. Made a refreshing change from painting book ‘Shelf-Portraits’!
Northlight Winter Art Fair this weekend!
Preparations under way for the Northlight Winter Art Fair this weekend. I’ll have art-prints and cards for sale, and some mugs! Also on display will be my latest Shelf-Portrait paintings….
stepping out of my comfort zone
I have been avoiding getting on with a promised sketch of the house of an old family friend, but last week knuckled down to it and really enjoyed doing something different.
Note to self: remember to leave comfort zone more often!
Latest sales at Frivoli, Chiswick
New homes for ‘Figaro’ and ‘Penguin among the Pelicans’ – I do find it such a privileged to be able to do what I love and have other people appreciate it!!