Venue: Buscot Park, Lechlade Road, Faringdon SN7 8BU
Please park in the main car park - follow the Open Studios signs to the right of the main house. Opening times: 2.00pm-6.00 pm, 4th-12th May 2024.
I like to tell stories in my imagery, and one engaging way is to include people at their work, perhaps fishing in different ways. I enjoyed painting the mudhorse fisherman of coastal Somerset, workers cutting thatching reeds in Norfolk and people paddling at the seaside, or chasing gulls.
I love the moody Jurassic coast of Dorset’s Golden Cap, the glistening ebb tide reflections of Welsh harbours with fishermen digging for bait.
I was inspired to paint a ruined fishing smack found in Abersoch harbour, its fishing days finally over, as well as long boats passing through Buscot Lock. Many other aspects of salt seas, seascapes and fresh waters like the Thames, that flows through my local Cotswold landscape appeal to me and are captured in my work. Some of these were selected by the ROI and RSMA in recent shows at the Mall Galleries, London.
The paintings on show are the result of the SEVEN approaches I apply as I work in order of priority:
I emphasise the impact of atmosphere and mood; find novel viewpoints; strengthen composition; appreciate tonal structure; develop my own personal sense of colours; and crucially, use very few brushes when I combine colours, rather than over-mixing them. Lastly, I emphasise the value of single brush strokes and the many kinds of marks you can make with them (brush strokes and the marks you make are the ‘words’ in your painting vocabulary). Pursuing the analogy, the more different marks you make the more ‘fluent’ you become, and your style emerges.
‘One brush stroke and move on’ is my useful mantra.
The results you’ll see here, and at our Arts venue, Buscot Park, Lechlade, where I’ll be painting ‘live’ and able to chat further about my work presented and the nuances of painting. You may wish to visit and browse my Instagram account rogerrjonesartist. https://www.instagram.com/rogerrjonesartist
Painting sizes range from (in inches) 12 X 8 to 20 x 16 and prices are from £240 to £550.
I paint in watercolours and oils, and it’s the latter that take centre stage in this exhibition. I’ve been ‘painting pictures’ all my life, first as a teenager, later as a wildlife film producer for the BBC Natural History Unit, and my work represents a wide range of subjects of home and also abroad where I used to frequently tutor guests on walking and painting holidays in Spain, Italy, Morocco, Greece etc. I am an active member of Lechlade Art Society.
I have exhibited at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) and the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) over many years.
Rarely do you find a subject which ‘says’- “paint me as I am, I’m perfect, without blemish”, but an experienced painter will know how to improve that, possibly by toning down obvious showy ‘perfection’ with more subtlety. It depends on interpretation and personal choices, a dilemma. Personally, I prefer subjects that don’t appear perfect, but portray the imperfections in the real world. Elements can be improved, or deleted, with a tweak here and there, and I have enjoyed developing the ability to recognise them and their potential. In this way, you can avoid slavish copying, by reinterpreting the subject, seeking alternate and often more dramatic viewpoints. By applying atmospheric effects, you can transform the obvious into the more beguiling and even mysterious. Such changes and reinterpretations are a vindication of all the skills, ‘tricks’, ‘good habits’ and other problem-solving methods you may have accumulated over years. I use these as a springboard for creativity. In this way you achieve deep satisfaction with your work. And if others offer genuine, informed and positive remarks – great.
Remember, each painting can have story to tell; ask yourself what, where, when and how, maybe even why. Make a plan, address its problems, value happy accidents, apply personal style you’ve shaped over the years.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogerrjonesartist