November 2020 at the art table

November arrived with a second Covid lockdown. I felt the weight of it although the view from my window changed very little. Scaffolders, builders and students still filled the street outside. I finished the “play” canvases, returned to playing in the sketchbooks and began researching handmade journals and airbrushing!

Play canvases

The “play” canvases began last month without intention other than to try techniques with a new palette. This led to busy, saturated layers that were crying out for space and light. The need to add calm to the chaos was maybe a reflection of my thoughts. Creating open space in the paintings meant letting go of so much of parts that I liked!

I layered up tints and white until high, open skies appeared. The resulting calm felt flat and empty so I added scribble marks and splashes to get some energy back into the painting. After reading about the West Pier divers last month, these paintings started to take on their stories. Zoe Brigden and Walter Tong and their high dives took up my thoughts as I painted these abstract landscapes until I realised I was painting it and the titles became clear.

Left: The audience is delighted Right: Zoe goes first

In the sketchbook

In the sketchbooks in November, there’s more loose, experimental mark making with water soluble crayons and layering up with acrylics. There’s no plan, I’m just keeping my hands in the supplies whenever I can.

Powertex

I launched two new Powertex tutorials in the Etsy shop this month. The Quick Guide to Powertex on Glass has the information you need to get hand making gifts with glass bottles, wine glasses and vases. It’s a basic instruction to an altered bottle with a supply list, top tips and project ideas.

It was very exciting to finally get my Bister and Rust Powertex painting tutorial out there this month! This is the first tutorial I’ve hosted on my website so it’s a bit nerve-wracking but so worth it I think. This one has video demonstrations alongside written instruction, supply lists, tips, sample painting ideas and a Q and A section so you can create your own unique Powertex art with Bister and Rusty Powder. I learned a lot putting this one together and the next one will benefit from that. You’ll find on the details in my Etsy shop as usual.

On my list

While I’m still dipping into the books on my art shelf, this month I’ve been captivated by videos of handmade journals and sketchbooks. From sketchbooks fat with mixed media to beautiful hand stitched journals, these are works of art on their own. I’d like to learn how to make a book myself, perhaps during a break in December. A mixed media art book filled with beach adventures, textures and colours sounds so appealing right now. I’ve been away from my favourite seaside view for weeks and miss it.

Until next month from my art table,

Kore

You can read December’s art table notes here.