Hi to all from Paul

[Richard Monro]

Welcome Paul,
We learn as much as we teach on the forum. It is a great place for artists to meet and help each other. Looking forward to your contributions.

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Hi Paul,
I vistited your website and I liked your work too. I specially liked the way you treat your edges in your latest painting.

Welcome to the Forum.

[Paul Foxton]

Alexandra:

Thank you.

I do think the exercises are helping. I got the idea for the upside down drawings from 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' by Betty Edwards, which has some great exercises aimed at switching off the internal jabber and seeing shapes and tones, not things. Its a hard thing to quantify, but I'm pretty sure its helping me to see more accurately.

Richard:

Thanks for the welcome, I'm looking forward to participating in the discussion.

[Paul Foxton]

Thanks Claudemir, you've just reminded me that I should get my brushes out again soon!

[Mary Sparrow]

Thank you for joining us Paul! I look forward to seeing more of your work. Welcome.

[Joy Thomas]

Welcome Paul,

I have been a member of this site just under two weeks...I think it is amazing! I visited your website and I can't tell you how much I enjoy your journal format. (I may steal that concept for my own site!) Going to the cafe to sketch from life is "the real deal" and a sure way to live a true artist's life.

I see that you are in the United Kingdom...
Where are you in relationship to Newark on Trent, Lincoln or Long Bennington? I spent the first half of December working in Long Bennington and Newark for "Teaching Art, Inc" are you familiar with them? They distribute books, publish "Paint" magazine, produce DVDs and sponsor the SAA (Society for All Artists). ..perhaps you are a member?

You see, I

[Paul Foxton]

Thanks for the welcome, Mary.

Joy, I can't take credit for the journal format of my site, the web is rife with 'paintingblogs' so feel free to steal it. It's a nice way of looking back and seeing not only the work you've done, but also how you felt about it at the time. Its interesting how perspectives can change.

I believe we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes, so a straight portfolio site wouldn't be right for me at the moment. Also I hope that by trying to be as honest as I can about my progress and what I'm getting wrong, I can connect with other artists in some way. Painting can be a lonely pursuit sometimes.

I had a poke around your site too, lovely work. The only disappointment for me was that there wasn't more of it.

I know the area you speak of quite well, (although I'm well south of there now,) I lived in Nottingham for about ten years. I used to do street art around there, I've covered most of the midlands towns. The countryside is beautiful around there, especially once you get into the peak district - around Matlock and Belper. It's a limestone area with very distinctive bleached outcroppings of rock. Did you get to see that area?

Unfortunately I haven't heard of Teaching Art Inc or the Society for all Artists - but I will be sure to look them up. Most certainly I'll grab a copy of your book when it comes out here, it sounds like its right up my street.

27 years! Congratulations!

I'm spoiled in that I'm only a half hour train ride from London, and am often to be found skulking around the National Portrait Gallery, usually in the room with the Sargent portraits. They have some fantastic work there, it makes so much difference to see great paintings in the flesh I think. There's a brilliant portrait of Henry James by Sargent there, up close you can really see his 'swordsman' brush strokes. Step back and they meld into a beautiful realisation of the sitter. Very inspiring.

With all these lovely welcoming posts I'm already feeling right at home. What a nice place you have here. I think I see a spot at the back there where I can make myself comfortable

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Paul Foxton

I'm spoiled in that I'm only a half hour train ride from London, and am often to be found skulking around the National Portrait Gallery, usually in the room with the Sargent portraits. They have some fantastic work there, it makes so much difference to see great paintings in the flesh I think. There's a brilliant portrait of Henry James by Sargent there, up close you can really see his 'swordsman' brush strokes. Step back and they meld into a beautiful realization of the sitter. Very inspiring.

Hi Paul and welcome to the forum.
The portrait of Henry James is one I remember from my one visit to The National Portrait Gallery in London. I think that he took this portrait farther along the road to modernism than most of his portraits.
I especially remember wondering about the shadow color of the head, it contained almost no information of shape or details and was a perfect contrast to the light that played the leading part.
The other one I remembers is Watt

[Paul Foxton]

[QUOTE=Allan Rahbek]
I especially remember wondering about the shadow color of the head, it contained almost no information of shape or details and was a perfect contrast to the light that played the leading part.
The other one I remembers is Watt

[Joy Thomas]

Originally Posted by Paul Foxton

The countryside is beautiful around there, especially once you get into the peak district - around Matlock and Belper. It's a limestone area with very distinctive bleached outcroppings of rock. Did you get to see that area?

No, I did not know about it until just now! It sounds like a great place to paint en plein air. I tell you what, if we go back we'll have to look you up, pack a lunch and go painting there.