Decided I'd better post something otherwise I'll have let another New Year's resolution slip! Plus, I'm in the middle of updating the Society of Equestrian Artists customer database and bored. Can see the half-started painting sat on my easel beckoning me but suspect it will remain untouched today.

It's cake week for my daughter Gemma in schoool so we spent an hour last night trying to make some chocolate rice crispie cakes (baking is not my strong point). Managed to bundle the kids off to school this morning with (hopefully) all their bags plus cakes and was looking forward to a few hours painting. Until the postman arrived.

Anyway, time to stop moaning and get on with it!

Hannah x

Life Class

Made it back to Life class this morning after the Christmas break. It's so nice to be back at it and the two hours pass so quickly. For me at the moment I just want to work at my drawing and try and get it as accurate as possible. I work in an A4 sketchbook so it's nice to look back at previous drawings.

I can't recommend the Nottingham Society of Artists highly enough. You can join for £65 per annum and they run lots of classes: Life, Portrait, Still Life, clothed model etc. It really is a bargain.

Anyway, will soon be time for the school run so better go and get sorted.

Hannah x

What makes a striking painting?

I've been set a task this month of writing some rules to define a 'good' painting. A task I'm not sure I'm really qualified to undertake but here goes!

Over the last couple of months I've been a regular visitor down to London and have taken the opportunity to visit a number of Galleries and exhibitions. I've noticed as a viewer of paintings that artists don't have long to grab my attention (maybe a couple of seconds) before I've moved on to the next painting. Something has to 'grab' me and make me go in for a closer look. Once I have moved in for a closer look there has to be something within that painting that keeps me there. Otherwise again, I've moved on within a couple of seconds.

One of the exhibitions I attended was the ROI at the Mall Galleries. Out of an exhibition of roughly 260 paintings there were probably about 5 paintings that really caught my attention and I found myself glued to them. Even coming back to them a couple of times for another look. Two months later I can still remember these paintings - and can picture them as if they were in front of me now. Not surprisingly these were paintings done by the people I would describe as the 'Modern Masters'. So what do these paintings have that the others don't?

The Following are some notes I made yesterday and is work in progress:

Design and composition:

1. What will make a viewer come over to look at this painting?

• Abstract Design - to grab a viewers attention in a roomful of paintings


• Value plan – keep simple, space division, dominant value, contours, variety.

2. What will keep a viewer looking at this painting?

• Near design to be seen close up:


• Focal point, contours, contrasts (values, saturation, Edges, shapes, temperature etc). Directing lines to focal point, eye movement. Variety.


• Beauty in the brushwork – Variety. (Thick – thin, heavy – light, glazing, scumbling, feathering, palette knife, Descriptive – focal point, perspective).


• Edges – Variety, perspective, three dimensional, direct viewer, contrast, shadow edges, forms,

Underpinning all of this has to be the technique:

1. Drawing, Drawing, Drawing!
2. Values
3. Colour

I know it is not as simple as this and there are many more things that make a great painting - but I'm still searching!

On a completely different topic I've been continuing with my Bargue studies. This is another hand. I messed up the arm and didn't make it thick enough - Guess I still have some work to do on my drawing skills!

Anyway, time to get on with some painting.

Best wishes

Hannah x

Christmas

Well it's New Years Eve and one of my resolutions will be to ensure I keep this Blog updated! Things have been quiet painting wise because the children have been off school and it's impossible to get down to any serious painting when they're around. Having said that I've managed to do a few hours a night of drawing when they're in bed. I'm working my way through the 'Charles Bargue' drawing course, which is a lovely thick book full of brilliant drawings. It takes you through increasingly complicated drawings until in theory you are ready to move onto life drawing.

One of my bogey's has always been drawing hands and feet, they never looked right. But this books shows you how to break things down into simple angles. If you can get the big shapes correct, the smaller ones just slot in.

One of the habits I got into last year was keeping a small sketchbook and pen with me all the time to try and sketch at any opportunity. It's really interesting to look back over the year and see how my drawing has improved. I love working in pen because it gives you the freedom of not worrying about any mistakes - They can't be rubbed out! It's a way of keeping a visual diary and is something I wouldn't be without now - It's become a habit.

Lovell House Nativity

Anyway, just would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Best wishes

Hannah x

Just a quick one to let you all know that I now have Limited Edition prints available of my painting 'Morning Light, Porlock Weir'. There are so many beautiful paintings of the cottages at Porlock Weir, but this morning it was the boats that interested me and in particular the light shining off the water. It was so peaceful and idyllic.

The prints are A3 Giclee limited to 250 and individually numbered and signed. They are £55. For more details give me a shout or see my website: http://www.hannahmerson.com/

Best wishesHannah x

Royal Stud Sandringham

Was incredibly lucky to get the opportunity to paint at the Royal Stud Sandringham yesterday. Thankfully the weather wasn't too bad and we only had to run for cover a couple of times!

Royal Applause

The stud is absolutely beautiful and immaculate and we were so lucky to see 'Motivator', 'Royal Applause' and so many foals.

Sketch - 1



Sketch - 2 Royal Applause

10 min colour block of the stud before it chucked it down!

Hope everyone is having a lovely summer (although it's currently chucking it down here in Nottingham!).

It was the Society of Equestrian Artists annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London last week and I'm over the moon to have won the prize for the best sporting painting for my painting 'Huntsman & Hounds'. The painting was subsequently sold which is even better!

Now I'm working on paintings which will hopefully go to an exhibition at the Sally Mitchell Gallery in Tuxford (keep my fingers crossed they get in!). Hot off the easel is 'The Conversation'. A painting on one of the Masters of the Quorn hunt at their boxing day meet. It was a lovely bright day and I love the colours in the shadow of the chestnut horse.

It's the school summer hols so don't have a lot of free time, but will hopefully manage to get a couple more hunting paintings done in the next couple of weeks!

Best wishes

Hannah x