"Wildflowers" Christmas Gift Ideas

I'm aware 2014 has been very much about my "Wildflowers" series. To round up 2014, I have produced a few gift ideas for Christmas from my “Wildflowers” series:

·       2015 Wildflowers calendar – showing a few of the “Wildflowers” original sketches and acrylic on boards – available from my website here.

·       Limited edition giclée prints – mounted and unframed available from my website here, or mounted and framed here.

·       Canvas prints - available from my website here.

Most of my images are available as limited edition giclée prints - please enquire Dave@davidlyonart.co.uk.

Where to next? Inside my sketchbook

I’ve had a busy time the last few weeks but it's time to get back into the studio.

My garden is often a source of inspiration. Having noticed a decline in the number of small birds visiting recently (which has been widely reported) I set about making some scribbly sketches with a view to reinterpreting them as larger pieces. I found they naturally fell into seasons depending on the coloured background - the blues and purples referencing the colder months, yellows and greens the warmer. I think the deep reds and oranges are Autumn. Simple colour psychology.

I wanted the simple bird shapes to denote the absence of the bird rather than a presence - a ghostly silhouette. There is also a fox that makes an appearance but he too has been absent.


North Leeds Life Review: October issue

North Leeds Life: October issue: Carole Carey-Campbell and Brendan Campbell visited the studio in August. We discussed art, music and what's happening in Leeds. With thanks to the team at North Leeds Life for this editorial piece on my show at The Atrium Gallery, Leeds.

From the Archives: Exit Series - Acrylic on Boards – 2001

Exit - The Fan

Exit - The Shadow 

Exit - Dead Flowers

The “Exit” series was made in an attempt to capture feelings about the horror of 9/11 prompted by a newspaper photograph. The three paintings (which I see as a triptych when hung) use deeply textured, monochromatic acrylic with found objects embedded and attached to the surface. 

The Atrium Gallery Exhibition - Leeds

My art show at The Atrium Gallery has been booked for two years. It's difficult to obtain premium space to exhibit art in the Leeds area so I'm really pleased and grateful that the selection panel at St. James's agreed to show this series.

Due to the nature of the venue there are restrictions on the type of images that can be displayed, so no sex, glamour, religion, violence, death or politics. Fortunately at the time of submission, I'd been working on some very colourful, optimistic flower images.

Upon securing the exhibition site it was decided that I should work towards filling the space with images based around the initial idea. So making larger versions of the initial six that were chosen to publish as greeting cards seemed a logical step.

The larger paintings took six months to complete, each one in succession. Some are truer to the original sketches than others but the fact that I was using a different medium - acrylic - meant that the colours probably wouldn't be as intense as the originals - oil pastel and crayon.

The smaller paintings followed and I was keen to capture the looseness of the scribbles that I'd drawn which reference the original series. I'll have the notebook with me at the Private View on 7th August so that I can demonstrate what I'm talking about. All in all a busy 18 months so I'm hoping the show will look as good as I think it will and be good publicity for Yorkshire Cancer Centre. Let's hope we can raise funds for a much needed cause (25% commission from my sales will go to Yorkshire Cancer Centre).

Are Art Fairs good for galleries or killing them?

"The art world can't live with art fairs. The art world can't live without art fairs"

http://news.artnet.com/market/are-art-fairs-good-for-galleries-or-killing-them-28920 

My Review: Whilst this article relates more to galleries attending art fairs rather than lowly artists representing themselves it raises the topic of the sudden rise in number of art fairs now operating globally. I have received invites from fairs as far flung as Spain and L.A. indicating that they have seen my work via my presence online and how they would love to offer me a space (at cost) to exhibit. Artists hungry for exposure pay hard earned cash to exhibit but whether sales for the artist follow at the fair is almost irrelevant as the fair organisers have already made their money. Artists need to be aware and beware the well worded e-mail. Is the art fair the best way to gain exposure, and consequently the sales, that the artist needs to survive? Not every art fair is right for every artist.

Source via Twitter: ArtnetNews

A Mother’s Day Gift

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday 30th March so we’re offering a special gift - a framed limited edition giclée print of “Wildflowers i” or “Wildflowers ii”, with one identical Wildflowers greeting card, blank inside for your own message.

 £95 with FREE UK delivery.

Order before end of play 24th March for delivery by Thursday 27th March.

Offer ends 31.3.14.

Head Series - Acrylic on Board and Acrylic on Canvas 2012 -2013

I’m aware that, at the moment, my original art appears to be colourful and bright. Here is the “Heads” series to contradict what you’ve seen so far. These are painted on acrylic on board and canvas; a couple of these, which I display at home, created a lot of interest at the recent Roundhay Open Artists' Studio event in April.

"Late 2012/early 2013 I produced the “Heads” series, whereby I painted one head per day without reference to sketches or subject matter. I wanted to paint the same thing everyday but the results are very different over time. A definite identity became apparent as each head emerged. As to who they are, I have no clue".

Heads Series, Acrylic on Board and Acrylic on Canvas 2012 - 2013