It's good to Share

I’ll be sharing my secrets, tips, and techniques on how I paint at this week's Fresh Art fair.

Fresh art fair, viewed from the Balcony at the Centaur building.

Fresh Art fair is at Cheltenham racecourse and runs from 26th-28th April. And on Saturday 27th I will be one of the demonstrating artists in studio 2 at the fair. And I simply can’t wait! There is a real joy about demonstrating. Sometimes people come to an Art fair simply to buy art, it saves them lots of time from trawling from one gallery to another; instead over 60 different galleries, representing 500 artists are all under one roof.
However there is another reason to attend an art fair like Fresh. And that is the presence of the demonstrating artists. At Fresh, up on the balcony of the Centaur building, there are two studio areas where artists will be creating their work for visitors to see. Usually they’ll be three different demonstrations each day, there are also some talks going on as well.
So why does this appeal to the average art buying customer?
It gives them an insight, a behind the scenes look at how artists create.
Sometimes the world of art can be unfathomable and it can intimidate people. But at Fresh you need not worry. This is because if you see something you fancy simply approach the gallery that has the painting that you’ve fallen in love with, and have a chat! The galleries are knowledgeable about their artists and they’ll be happy to answer your questions. My work will be on stand 34 with Park Gallery. This is a beautiful independent gallery and Steve and Clare will be happy to chat to visitors about the work they exhibit and the artists they work with.

The artists like me, being one of the demonstrators,  get a chance to talk to visitors about how we approach our work.
I will be working on two canvases during my four-hour demonstration. This is because I’m in oil painter and I don’t want to risk overworking one canvas. The outlines and very light underpainting have already been created and are currently drying in my studio ready for me to take to the fair on Saturday. 
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This is because these early stages are less interesting to watch as I make slow progress as it has to be  just right. I really have to concentrate and I’m not very chatty during this stage.
However the stage that visitors will see me working on is much more interesting.
I will be showing people how they can create form with a tonal painting using dark diluted paint. Next I move on to adding colour, followers of my blog will know I use colour in creative ways and anyone watching me during the demonstration will see just how I make those decisions about colour and bring the animal to life.  Lastly I’ll be working on some highlights. This won’t necessarily be the very end of the painting but it will give people an insight into what happens when an oil painter adds white to their mix! It’s a very exciting time for the painting. With four hours at my disposal it means you'll have a chance to watch me paint, go for a wander round and have a look at some of the other galleries and then come back and see how I’ve got on! There’s so much to see at Fresh and a warm welcome awaits you. So if you’re free next weekend I heartily recommend you come along and see us.
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