As we do not have our Show and Tell at present, I thought I would write an article with a difference.
Getting ready for a workshop that I was going to do at Judy Seymour’s Studio this year, I love to play with ideas and subjects and I find the internet a fantastic source of inspiration and information. Like many of us I get the Pinterest on my computer and browsing through it one day, I saw some really interesting pictures of Octopus. I can hear you all saying “YUK” you have got to be kidding. Ha Ha. In fact, I mentioned it to one of the girls I work with about this subject, and she looked horrified at the thought. So began another journey of artistic delight.
I was actually astonished at the different Octopus that exist, their sizes from the Smallest being the Blue Ring Octopus, through to the Giant Octopus. The varieties and colours are amazing, very different and really interesting. I have been playing with ideas and have finished a vase, which I will perhaps use in a future exhibition. Then I started this Plate.
For this article I thought I would share the planning of this plate in a couple of stages, as a lesson. The plate I have chosen to use was one I started many years ago with colour splashed on, fired and then put away, as I had no idea what to do with it next. I found it while looking for something else, and it just said “paint me”.
I was inspired by a water colour painting of just an Octopus Tentacle. Obviously I am not interested in replicating that painting, but getting inspiration from it. So I was off on my journey. I penned the outside of the Tentacle, then commenced penning the inside, trying to use different designs to create the depth and shape, trying to achieve a likeness to an actual Tentacle. At this stage I was really happy with how it was looking. I have included two photos of the first firing, showing how I started and the finished first firing.
I hope that you enjoy this lesson and find some inspiration. And perhaps inspire someone to have a go at something like this.
It really was a lot of fun.
Happy Painting, Denise