 I called in here today just to check it out. It looks great, its big too, plenty of room for arty goings on and tables and seating area for refreshments and chatting. From talking with an organizer I can see this venue making a serious & long overdue contribution to the arts & crafts community for the district and further afield. I shall definitely pop in on Saturday 26th January opening day
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 Tony Cowlishaw presenting my trophy What about this for a smug looking face and I have every right to as I receive my trophy for best in show at Long Eaton All Media Art Club annual open 2012. I have another photo with a smug mug receiving the Sawley Cup trophy for best oils, What a day ! I got a commended with another painting too and sold one to a collector who gave me more than the ticket price. All five paintings entered have now found new homes, two in Leicestershire. one in Derbyshire, one in New York and the last in London and they led to five further sales and commissioned works. The gentleman presenting my trophies in the photo is international artist Tony Cowlishaw who's comments, insight and understanding of my work was incredibly encouraging. check out his site on http://www.english-watercolours.com/ to understand why I am delighted. Tony Cowlishaw is second to none in whatever medium you care to mention, a superb tutor and has publications in book and disc format.
There is still time to enter the 2013 L.E.A.M.A.C open competition, entry forms available for download or contact details for postal entries can be found on the website www.leamac.org.uk/. The exhibition is at Long Eaton Town Hall on 16th & 17th February and well worth a visit with over 250 individual exhibits, refreshments etc. plenty to see with members demonstrating their talents and craft stalls too. I rate this as possibly one of the countries best art events hosted by a single club. Should you wish to meet up with me drop me an email and I will be sure to be there at a time of your choice.  This is the third painting of this theme, I could paint a dozen more and never get bored, all totally different like Freda Kahlo's 48 plus self portraits all unique and presenting a different mood to the viewer. At first glance my first painting of 'Look On The Bright side' may appear a sad or lonely painting but it is far from sorrow, me as a boy in a row boat alone, my town submerged under water my world and all I knew has vanished but I'm in the sun and fishing. Happy days, the shark which may mean danger is veering away and all the fish are homing in on my baited hook, danger is passing and better times are approaching. That painting is in New York and I miss it as much as the passing of a loved one. The second painting 'Look On The Brightside #2' was commissioned for a client on Hollywood Blvd close to Sunset Strip and I painted me in the row boat closer to the foreground and altered the blue hues to represent an early morning atmosphere ( a new day ) a fresh start another chance at living. This third work deviates slightly & maybe even says more with me in the row boat collecting my unanswered messages. The same theme is carried on in 'Fledglings' As a child I had so many questions, so many unsolved puzzles, everything was complicated, it still is but with the passing of time I learned to live with it and accept the usual reply " That's the way it is " images of the the other paintings can be found under the 'sold paintings' tab "
 I picked this little frame up some time back, I like the carved moulding and the mellowness of the wood but the narrow format limited my usual style of art, it seemed more appropriate for a marine painting rather than a portrait. So keeping with the ' water ' theme I painted the bathing house sparrows in water colour. Sparrows feature quite often in my work, I love their communal family attitude and how they all work together. In this scene two sparrows enjoy their daily ablutions while the third watches out for danger. He doesn't lose out as he soaks his feet he flutters his feathers and exploits the water droplets that the other two rain down on him.They do the same thing while feeding at my bird table, two feed and when the other panics that all the seed and mealworm will be scoffed he flies in and one of the diners takes up his sentry duties on the nearby fence post.
 Finally completed some artwork for the forthcoming LEAMAC open competition. Anyone interested in seeing some great art should drop in at The Town Hall Long Eaton on Saturday or Sunday 16th & 17th February in the new year, you wont be disappointed with over 250 entries to view. There is an option to enter one artwork with ' water ' as the theme and Ive gone (over board) on the subject and to date painted one in oils, one in pastels one in acrylics and another in water colours. So I need to decide which to enter in the themed category and I may as well enter the others in their respective medium classes. I will post them all on this blog and hope for some feedback. This one is 'Bathing Belle', time permitting I can add a different painting each day.
 Not For Sale,, well, maybe not Ive been fairly busy lately on commission portraits and preparing my work for eminent exhibitions that I haven't had a chance to visit my own blog ! At long last I have actually completed an on going painting that I did for my wife. she expressed great sorrow on the sale of the painting ' Bella Donna ' (girl with a bowl of cherries) that I had to replicate another fairly similar to it. As compensation I did it in a larger format and actually framed it too. Painted on linen that I mounted on board, a version of ' Bella Donna ' but it looks like I couldn't quite achieve the same impertinent or indignant glance that the girl in the first painting had but I still think its a winner. Another win was £150 worth of Winsor & Newton's finest paints as first prize in a recent competition, it all helps to keep the spirits up. I just finished a fun quirky painting, soon to be included in my for sales gallery. Its nice to do whimsical from time to time, a bit like day dreaming which is prominent in my head. I also did a ' retake 'of another painting, actually this is a 3rd time round version of a scene I cant get out of my system. the first one is in New York and the other is on Hollywood Bld, this will be entered into an exhibition in the new year.
 click on the gallery tab for more details Stephen kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall, But Colin only looked at me And never kissed at all. Stephen’s kiss was lost in jest, Robin’s lost in play, But the kiss in Colin’s eyes Haunts me night and day. 'Sara Teasdale' " I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend ". Freddie Mercury http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/michael-mcevoy.html click the link above to see my paintings offered as canvas print, framed print, art print, acrylic print, metal print and greetings cards, all in a choice of sizes and top quality.  Michael McEvoy sold a 13.88" x 20.00" print of Freddie to a buyer from Toronto, ON - Canada.
Click on the underlined Freddie link to see details http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/michael-mcevoy.html  This is the finished article, I forgot to photograph the oil glazes !
I altered the eyes again and they are fairly close to how I wanted them. The dolls hand leading up to her face then onto the girls face make an interesting diagonal without being too obvious. The girls finger points to something outside of the viewing range just to provide another element to the portrait, another concept or interaction. Portraits can be a very personal experience and at times of no interest to people who do not know the sitter. These little elements provide an opportunity for the viewers imagination to fire up and in this case realize that the little girl is directing the onlooker to a chair so play may begin. (Little Bossyboots knows she gets free rein or free 'reign' with grandad ) Currently at exhibition with Nottingham Society of Artists Heritage exhibition  ' China Dolls ' stage 4 Here is the artwork showing minor alterations to the angle and positioning to the eyes etc, with some blocking in or cartooning with casein paint diluted just enough to allow the white of the canvas to still light up the colour. This will still be evident as the subsequent layers or glazes of oils that are applied The finished painting is now showing at The Nottingham Society of Artists in the Heritage Open days exhibition. While I was stewarding I was fortunate to meet another member Keith Wilkinson who like myself is interested in the methods used by the old masters in making their paints & mediums. Keith has a studio/gallery attached to his frame making business and produces frames second to none. As a highly talented artist Keith can advice a style, colour and size of frame to best suit your needs with a sympathy and flare that is second nature to this talented man. Keith's website is worth bookmarking, take a look at his on line gallery to see some of his master pieces and view the quality framing http://www.keith-wilkinson-frames.co.uk/
| McEvoy's Art Blog Frida Kahlo a visionary artist and inspiration once said ArchivesApril 2013 |
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