Painting NPA
Click on any image for a larger view
↓
Maura Barnes
About the artist
“Painting, sketching, playing with mixed media to me is a way of relaxing and emptying my mind of other things that may need to be done. It allows for creative time which pleases the senses, expands the neural pathways of the brain and calms the mind.”
“Photography, which I love, helps me to capture what pleases my visual senses and also keep and view as I wish. My treasure trove!”
“Beginning September 2022, and now already its May 2023, this year's NPA painting course has flown by. Watercolour has generally been my favourite medium but during this year I’ve now encompassed some skills and a liking for Acrylics. Overall, it’s been a good year!”
↓
Stan Barnes
About the artist
“As a subject I have chosen industrial pollution, usually painted from photographs or my imagination. I use a lot of artistic interpretation in my work and I prefer art that captures the mood of a subject rather than a realistic image, q.v. Leonid Afremov & David Cook.”
“On the NPA Painting course I have concentrated on acrylics as it works better with a larger canvas and you can also use a palette knife and other methods to create more striking and dramatic effects.”
↓
Pamela Griffin
About the artist
“I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to explore the mediums of watercolours and acrylics and have loved looking at techniques to apply paint. I have particularly enjoyed working with acrylics and experimenting with layering and scraping off paint, collage applications, mark-making, and creating texture. I have enjoyed researching the work of various artists and have found inspiration from many pieces portraying wild and rugged places. ”
↓
Jan Hamilton
About the artist
“To be up on the hills is to be in a magical world. I would like to capture a hint of this experience in my art. During this course my landscapes have become more graphic and abstract. My use of pattern, rhythm, line and shape is influenced by my textile art.”
↓
Anne Horn
About the artist
“Throughout the course, I have experimented with different mediums and have decided my favourite is watercolour. I have discovered that I enjoy painting outside as I like to try and capture the different ways in which light alters the look of the land.”
“My favourite piece, which is of somewhere I have passed often, inspired me to paint the scene because the autumn colours on that particular day made it look spectacular and it felt like I was somewhere else.”
↓
Laura Howell
About the artist
“Inspiration during the NPA Painting course came from contemporary artists including Jenny Saville (b.1970); I have long admired her unapologetic feminism and depictions of the human body, including her own. In the final module, I left my comfort zone and embraced a more figurative approach, evolving from consideration of facial features to more ‘controversial’ aspects of the female body.”
“I was able to explore themes around censorship and consider how women’s bodies are viewed in society, including the male gaze and objectification of women, as well as restrictions in place on social media, namely the ongoing censorship of female nipples online, which #freethenipple campaigns against. I used different media, including photography, acrylics and watercolours, and later in the process I experimented with zooming in and pixelation of the subject matter.”
↓
Gwyn Moses
About the artist
“A landscape is complex and ever changing, developed over geological time but affected by the season, light changing throughout the day and the activities of mankind such as wildfires scorching the environment.”
“This course has let me analyse the landscape through the breaking down of landscapes into component parts, and experiment with layering through painting on multiple sheets of glass to give a 3D effect as well as breaking out features through blocks of colour to emphasise their individuality.”
↓
Jane Strachan
About the artist
“My inspiration comes from both the natural environment and man-made structures in rural landscapes in my local area. Artists such as David Tress, Pete Monaghan and John Blockley have influenced my work with their techniques in collage layers, scoring and scraping and expressive mark making.”
These pieces represent the decay and succession in nature. Symbolism and storytelling/meaning are embedded into the painted surfaces.”
“During this course I explored mixed media, with multi-layering of paint and collage to create depth and texture.”
↓
Maggie Wilson
About the artist
“I wanted to capture the energy of the water crashing onto the rocks where the land meets the sea at the most Westerly part of Scotland. It leaves a lasting impression on the soul. So, with camera in hand, I headed out across the ferry to Ardnamurchan lighthouse which has inspired many an artist over the years.”
“Remembering the energy and the movement of the waves crashing upon the rocks as I looked out westwards with nothing but the Atlantic Sea before me, back in the studio I developed these seascapes on canvas with this memory in mind.”
↓
About Painting NPA
Painting NPA is a one day per week course which offers practical and theoretical knowledge of a range of painting skills and techniques for art and design applications. It’s one of three National Progression Awards offered at our centres in Fort William, Auchtertyre and Portree.
One creative NPA is offered each year in these centres - Art & Design NPA, Drawing Skills NPA and Painting NPA. These one day per week courses allow people within the community to attend, who perhaps work part-time or who are retired, and provide an opportunity to develop skills while working within a supportive group environment.