COTD Jive Fun!

Another dose of 1950's 1960's nostalgia with the latest entry in the swing dancing series. I like the way the weight of each character is distributed in this one, feels like they are both on the move mid-dance. (The guy's left foot could do with tweaking a little though, it's okay as it is but if I was doing the drawing again I would change the angle somewhat to make it clearer what's going on.) Anyway the design is available on invitations, see below...

Jive Fun! swing dancing rock and roll by mike_jory
Browse other custom printed invites on zazzle

COTD Let's Twist Again

Here's the lastest mixed media drawing in the Swing Dancing series. For this one I decided to lose the teddy boy jacket that has featured in previous designs and go with a waistcoat for the male dancer, better to have free arms for those wild dance moves after all!
The image is available as invitations that can be customized easily (see below) at my shop

Let's twist again swing dancing rock and roll by mike_jory
See more Swing Invitations

New range of agricultural show invitations now available

Here's the latest in invitations available at my store. These all have an agricultural show / farming theme but can be easily personalized, just click on an image to find out more.

Agricultural Show Invitations lamb sheep sketch by mike_jory
Get a custom printed announcement from zazzle

Agricultural Show Invitations lamb sheep sketch by mike_jory
View other Agricultural Invitations

Agricultural Show Invitations cow painting by mike_jory
Browse Agricultural Invitations

Agricultural Show Invitations cute calf by mike_jory
Make a custom invitation on zazzle

Agricultural Show Invitations Sheep by mike_jory
Buy invites at zazzle

Agricultural Show Invitations 4 cows by mike_jory
Make announcements on zazzle

Elegant Party Invitations

Elegant pencil drawing of woman in dress by mike_jory
Make a custom invitation on zazzle

Here's the latest design available in my online shop, an elegant invitation featuring a pencil sketch of a young woman in a flowing dress. The design can be easily customized to suit your event by adding your own text etc (on either the front or back of the invitation). To find out more simply click on the picture. Until March 31st 2011 you can also save 35% by clicking here.

Exhibition of Benedict Rubbra Paintings

'Ordered Garden in Summer'


'Swallows'

I first saw the work of Benedict Rubbra at The Art Room in Topsham near Exeter a couple of years ago. At first glance the work on display appeared to be nothing more than random patches of color painted on canvas. Having looked at half a dozen paintings I turned away from the wall and walked to the other side of the gallery, about 40 feet away, then I happened to glance back at the pictures I had just left and the work immediately came to vibrant life as each painting appeared to almost glow with color and attain a 3 dimensional quality. Each painting was created by arranging a selection of objects e.g. ribbon, pieces of paper and then illuminating the arrangement with colored beams of light. The artist then painted what he saw and produced a range of work that is surprisingly powerful and striking given the simple subject matter.
From 12th March to 24th April 2011 the Rubbra's paintings are again on show (Weekends 11am to 5pm, weekdays by appointment) at the Art Room Topsham and are well worth a look if you're in the area. More details here.

COTD In a twirl!

Here's another addition to the Modern Jive / Swing Dancing cartoon series. Eyes-locked, dance-entranced, this couple are caught mid twirl and are available on invitations and various other products here.

swing dancers by mike_jory
See more bumper stickers at zazzle.com

Paintings on show at The Tavistock Art Gallery

Delivered a new selection of paintings to The Tavistock Art Gallery the other day. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday and can be found at the centre of town, address details are: The Tavistock Art Gallery, 17, Duke St, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0BA. Tel: 01822 611091

Here's a pic of the gallery:



And here's a photo of one of the gallery rooms, the top 2 paintings on the right are mine, 'A Moorland Meal' and 'Isiah' from the previous show. The big cow and hares are by Katharine Lightfoot whose website you can see here.



Here are a few of the paintings I currently have on show at the gallery which are also available as prints (just click on a picture for more info):

Who Are You? by mike_jory
Poster printing by zazzle.com

POTD Summer Haze

This is 'Summer Haze' inspired by a herd of cows encountered on a sunny day in Topsham, Devon. Check out the step by step progress of the painting below:




This is the very first stage that I posted the other day. A few lines of blue to lay out the composition.




Stage 2: Blocking in, just getting the white covered here using (normal) acrylic paint.



Stage 3: Starting to add some tone to build up form in the cows and establish them as 3 dimensional beings.



Stage 4: Switch to using Atelier Interactive Acrylic paints here. The conventional acrylic under-painting provides a nice smooth surface to paint over and here I'm adding more color, shadows and form to the cows. Cast shadows are also included.



Stage 5: Focusing on tightening up the main cow now, this is where the interactive acrylics come into their own as they allow the paint to be blended far more easily than conventional acrylic. Also added some white to the grass to lighten up the ground ready to be over-painted.



Here's the finished piece again, I've painted the grass with some orange to reflect the the color of the main cow and also shortened the length of the right leg of the right-hand cow. The sky was also re-painted to make for more dramatic lighting / contrast.

This painting is available as a custom-sized print on paper or canvas through my online gallery click the image below.

COTD Teddy Boy

Here's another cartoon from the series of nostalgic, fun and cheery swing dancing / rock and roll series. This one's a Teddy Boy making some tentative solo moves on the dance floor! It's currently available at my store on an iPhone case.

Teddy Boy! swing dancer with blue jacket by mike_jory
More iphone cases

Also, designed my first pair of shoes the other day. Here are a pair of custom Keds, colored to look similar to saddle shoes and featuring some rock 'n' roll dancers.

swing dancer poodle skirt & saddle shoes by mike_jory
Make customize your own shoe at zazzle

New beginnings

Just starting on a new collection of animal paintings, above are the first few brush strokes of a cow composition. I usually start paintings in this way, blue paint and trying to keep the lines economical but expressive.
Sometimes I feel these simple lines have a certain quality that one cannot help but lose in more complicated or 'finished' images. The lack of information in a simple study leaves space for the viewer to read into the image and explore their own interpretation.
Some years ago I did several figure studies using this technique, the blue lines forming the finished picture and here are a few examples:







The challenge and fun of this type of painting is to describe the subject and ideally convey some emotion in just a few lines. Using paint in this way, there is little to no room for mistakes so you have to be bold and decisive with each stroke.
Some work out better than others! but as each study is relatively quick to do there's no harm in discarding a failed attempt or two! :-)