SURTEX

Wow what a week! 

I've just returned from #New York where I exhibited a selection of my paintings as images together with an art collective at #SURTEX from 17-19 May.

The show is intended for designers and agents showing new surface decoration images for licensing. Applications for designs range from textiles to billboards, greeting cards, publications wall art, wall paper, rugs and interior design.

I exhibited in a booth with Cultivate Art Collective, a selection of nine designers from the UK, Canada and USA. 

As this was my debut licensing event it was an interesting experience and not knowing what to expect I was quite amazed at some of the visitors who approached me enquiring about licensing options. Certainly some pleasant surprises and more will be revealed in due course.

The brighter work seemed to attract a lot of attention from visitors and hopefully some of these bold designs will become textiles in the future. Watch this space!

Three of my paintings, two landscapes and one still life will also shortly be available exclusively to Adairs in stores across Australia as part of their Wall art collection. 

Black hills

Stephanotis plant with spoon

Blue skies

Colourful birds

Find the bird.

I'm now back home in the UK and very happy to get stuck into completing paintings for several exhibitions happening over summer.

'Yellow flower' 

This painting has raised over £200 so far through the online Just giving raffle and a winner will shortly be drawn from the many donators who pledged £2 or more towards a very worthy cause benefitting Starfish greathearts AIDS charity

Under a £100 to be raised to get to the target, to be in with a chance please donate on: Just giving

ETSY: New prints and a few originals will be available in my store this weekend.. 

Manic, Magic May

I love the month of May, it's often the busiest time in my calendar as well.


OPEN STUDIO:
The first long weekend of May is the time I have my studio doors open during the Henley Arts Trail, 2-4 May, it was a busy and brilliant weekend with over 220 visitors, many repeat customers and several new faces. Fourteen paintings sold as well as sculptural glass and ceramics.

EXHIBITION:
I'm taking part in an annual Still life exhibition at Will's Art in London. It started on 8 May and continues until the end of June.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!
A bit of travelling for me will happen as well this month as I am going to New York next Friday to show new designs and images at the SURTEX trade fair,  happening from 17-19 May at the Javits centre.

I am starting to get excited about the eminent New York adventure, meeting some of my fellow artists and designers, buyer, attending seminars and visiting a few museums and galleries as well.

FURTHER AFIELD:
A selection of my paintings can be seen at the Hong Kong Affordable Art fair from 22 - 24 May I am represented by Will's Art.

ETSY: 
My store is one year old, to celebrate over 100 sales in the first year I am having an offer of free shipping on all orders over £15. 
Offer expires on Monday 11 May. 

ONLINE COURSE:
I am continue to work on the EXPLORE COLOUR online course to happen this September. If interested please have a look at the link at the top, and get in touch if you would like to be added to the list.

Open Studios 2015

It's that time of year again.
From 2 to 4 May I am taking part in the Henley Arts Trail.
Everyone is welcome to visit my studio over these days from 11am-6pm.
New work, still lives, landscapes and colourful floral and bird paintings will be available.
Many of these paintings had been created whilst I was visiting South Africa.

More paintings will be added in this post shortly.
If you'd like to visit see more details on HAT15
All items in my ETSY shop will be available at a 15% discount, use coupon MERRYMAY15

Blue Sky is one of these paintings, and is about to be licensed for wall art prints. The original is available.

Busy birds acrylic on canvas 60x60cm. Available

Birds and Butterflies acrylic on canvas 40x40cm Available.

The Changing Season

I love springtime. At the moment with winter turning into spring it's lovely to see things growing as the days are getting longer. 

Seasons, nature, travel and the environment inspire me to create.

I also love colour, it is probably the most important and continuous inspiration for my paintings. 

Here is a documentation of a 40x40cm acrylic on textured canvas. 

The creation of Blue skies:

I started on a black gesso background. Applying thin layers of colours to create a texture and rythm to build upon.

A meadow with a small bit of sky started to appear. GOLDEN high flow and fluid paint is used for thin but opaque layers and marks.

White details are over painted with transparent washes of acrylic matte medium and GOLDEN* fluid paint.

More detail is added on an blocks of colour defining the fields, sky and trees.

The final outcome.

Fresh bright greens and little pink flashes to catch the eye and lift the heart.

This painting was sold before the paint have dried

Prints are now available on https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EsteMacLeodDesigns

An A3 print will be given away to someone on the mailing list. 

To join the list either go to http://www.estemacleod.com or sign up on the top right hand side of the page.

Winner of the print will be emailed.

I'm currently working on the content of an online painting course. In September a two weekend long workshop exploring colour will be offered. Students will get to experiment with new acrylic painting techniques as developed by myself in my practise. Using paints such as FLUID, HIGH FLOW, HEAVY BODY and OPEN along with painting medium, it's bound to be engaging, fun and informative.

Spaces are limited to sixty students.

If interested please email este@estemacleod.com

The Creative process

I am regularly asked about the way in which I work and my creative process. How I plan the painting beforehand, and the application and use of colour. As a painter I do not work in mixed media generally, I paint exclusively in acrylics, Golden artist materials in particular.. This is s wonderful material with a high pigment content in the paint and a wide selection of mediums and pastes to create texture and variety.  I used to paint in oil paint, but find this a better alternative with paints ranging from Heavy Body to High flow. Paintings mostly start off with a black gesso surface occasionally mixed with a texture paste such as pumice gel or moulding paste. At the moment I enjoy working quite freely by applying colours to the surface in a selection of flowing patterns, organic geometric shapes, drips and marks. There is some planning involved and colour sections are kept relatively clean and defined. These marks and shapes inform the next process of finding the correct composition for the artwork as it comes to the fore from a the busy background. There is some structure to this, I add some painterly brush marks and an interesting surface as this helps to create interesting areas to work with.

Once I have figured out the direction I want the painting to go, I use the colour and marks to guide the process. I find this way of working create a different kind or energy and use of shapes other than the marks I would normally create when making a painting and planning a composition before I start, I use this way of working for still life, landscape and more design led paintings.

The painting develop further as layers of paint is applied mixed with a matte painting medium.

More layers  and colours of paint are applied.

In this case I finalised the painting 'Sunday morning' with a dry brush technique using Golden' titanium white fluid paint.  If you would like to see a time lapse video of a painting being created sign up to the mailing list. If you are interested in doing a two weekend long e-course focusing on colour, creativity and mark making, sign up as well. More detail to follow next week. The course will take place in the second half of 2015. 

Blueberries.

Here's another painting's progress:

Starting with coloured texture areas that allow me to 'see' objects and let the painting flow from there.

I continue to fill in the negative space.

More detail added

And the final outcome

Blueberries 30x30cm acrylic on deep stretched canvas. 

Both paintings are deep stretched on canvas and available.

See other available paintings and prints: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EsteMacLeodDesigns

Spring is in the air..

..and so is love.

For this week ending with Valentine's day, I have been creating some paintings featuring hearts.

A bit of love and colour in these paintings to brighten up your day.

I'll also be picking a winner of a print of a brand new image. 

To go into the draw just leave the number you guessed in the comments box. The question is:

'How many hearts shapes can you seen in the painting 'Spring is in the air'

Winner picked from all entries next Saturday 14 February, regardless of the answer.

'Spring is in the air' 40x40cm acrylic on linen. Original available, limited edition of 50 40x40cm prints available on https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EsteMacLeodDesigns

Two 22x30cm deep stretched paintings are available as well from my studio.

Pink bird 22x30cm Acrylic on deep stretched canvas. Available 

'Canary' 22x30cm acrylic on deep stretched canvas. Available.

New work on ETSY

One of my aims for 2015 is to create more art as paintings as well as designs.
I love creating these ones featuring birds and flowers. These will become textile designs as well.
New prints and a few paintings have been added to my page, available with a 10% discount offer this week on all items.

Have a look in ETSY

Bird and Butterflies. 40x40cm Acrylic on deep stretched canvas. Original and prints available

'A blanket of snow' A new print available on Etsy.

New year, new ideas.

Flying fish acrylic on linen, AVAILABLE

New beginnings!

2014 was a great year for me and I have got some exciting plans for a busy and eventful 2015.
More of my paintings will be turned into textile designs and surface decoration.
Next week 50 of my current designs will be on show at Printsource in New York 13-14 January, I am represented by Cultivate Art Collective.
In January a few more small paintings will also be made available directly from my studio via ETSY
In July I will be doing an interactive painting project over four days at Art in Action more on this later.

Sign up..
More details about Art workshops, demos and events coming up soon, as well as possible short e-courses towards the end of 2015.
I am an GOLDEN paint artist educator, and workshops and demos will focus on some techniques and methods I use for creating my paintings.
Sign up to the mailing list via Este MacLeod or this page and receive a newsletter with fresh information, special offers and links to demos every six weeks.

Felix - sold painting, prints available via ETSY

Buttons and Birds SOLD prints available via ETSY

Wintery landscapes

Its all wintery and grey where I live in Berkshire, England, so I have made a few paintings to celebrate the season.

Blanket of snow is a 1mx1m painting in GOLDEN acrylic on canvas. Their fibre paste was used to create a texture reminiscent of watercolour paper.

A limited edition of 50 prints are sold through ETSY

A few more landscapes are also available as prints.
Melting snow available as print.

Early winter is now sold but available as print.

Young fox a 12x12" painting in acrylic available.

Some smaller 8"x8" paintings SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

New work and products

New Paintings also available in print and textile.

During 2014 I've rediscovered my love of pattern and surface design and the options of digital printing to create textiles.

Four designs have been turned into cushions and one will be given away tonight 14 December at 9 pm to someone who's voted for their favourite 

The winner is Shelley Grant!

https://m.facebook.com/EsteMacLeodPainterAndAppliedArtist

New designs will be added in 2015.

Bright and colourful paintings are turned into textiles and prints

http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/este_macleod

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EsteMacLeodDesigns

www.estemacleod.com