Well here we are in 2021! It’s been a hard start to the New Year for so many of us in many ways. Especially here in the UK with a third lock down and in the US. To be honest it’s sometimes best just to switch off listening to the news to try and have a clear head.

Meanwhile back in the studio it’s feeling very cold even with thermal socks and fluffy boots! However, I’m slowly getting back into painting and creating a new collection. If you take a look at the photograph below you can see I’m in the middle stages where it’s easy to get stuck and not sure how to move them forward. This is when I tend to just leave them and make a start on some more blank panels…and I have to say it’s not a good habit at all. At the beginning of a New Year I like to pull out all of my unfinished paintings and take a fresh look at them. I like to write notes on pieces of masking tape and stick them onto the paintings as a reminder of things to try.

Another tips for accessing if a painting may be finished or not is to lay it on top of a spare frame. This may transform what you may have thought as an unfinished  looking piece into a definite ‘yes’ it is finished. Then you have the joy of putting it aside and ready to take to the framers, but only if they’re open!

More monthly inspirations to follow…

Above is a recent painting which is now on show and available to purchase at Sea Pictures Gallery in Clare in Suffolk.  ‘Restful Spirit I’ Beautifully framed by Heather at Great Walsingham Gallery in Norfolk.

As mentioned in last month’s inspirations I thought I’d share with you some of the colours I used for my latest commission and recent collection of paintings. Colour mixing is an interesting and fascinating way to learn about how different hues work together. At the moment I’m really enjoying mixing Liquitex Acrylic Green Gold with Liquitex Dioxazine Purple to create a rich mix of autumnal greens. The tonal values are lightened by adding either Titanium White or Buff Titanium as seen below. For the marshes I used a mix of Dioxazine Purple and Daler Rowney Quinacridone Burnt Orange which created an interesting mix of muddy looking purples. By adding some Buff Titaninum the colours became more opaque. Another way to darken the mix would be to add a touch of Burnt Umber. If you’re interested in creating something similar then why not give it a try!

Thank you for your support and interest in my artwork through a difficult and challenging year. It’s been very much appreciated.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a creative New Year!

Exciting news to be sharing with you! My ‘Paintings for Presents’ collection is being released in November. If you’d like to hear about any future events feel free to sign up to my mailing list. Click here to join.

Delighted this latest commission has worked up really well – I’ll post the finished piece next month and share the colours I used to create it.

There’s just so much to share this month I’ve hardly begun to do it justice on this month’s inspiration page…

Sea Pictures Gallery – ‘Artists in the Frame’ continues until the 31st October.
https://www.seapicturesgallery.com/artist/tracey-ross/

Don’t forget to visit the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, which ends on the 1st November. I really enjoyed visiting and seeing several of my paintings on display with Contemporary and County who are exhibiting an eclectic mix of work in the stables by artists and makers from across the eastern region. https://contemporaryandcountry.com/

In the studio I’ve been enjoying working on a large commission. The brief was to create a painting inspired by a bright blue day on Brancaster Beach. It was a joy to paint and the owner was absolutely delighted with it.

Exciting new artworks inspired by the North Norfolk coastline is being released in November…’Painting for Presents’ coming soon!

If you love the vast Norfolk skies and stunning coastline you can view the paintings on the ‘Buy Art’ section of the website. Or you’re very welcome to make an appointment for a socially distance visit to my studio: info@tracey-rossart.co.uk

Oh… September is here and nearly over! Thank you to everyone who came to visit my solo show at Salthouse Church. It was an incredible experience with lots of sales and visitors.

Since Salthouse I’ve been busy having several artworks framed for an up and coming show at Sea Pictures Gallery in Clare, Suffolk. which opens on the 1st October until the 31st.
After delivering them I had the pleasure of visiting the home of one of my collectors. It’s such a pleasure to see where my paintings find their forever home and they looked stunning. If anyone would like to email me any images of their homes with my artwork in I’d be truly thankful.

Now I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio to begin my new collection of paintings inspired by walks and sketching out on the Norfolk coast.

More inspirations about my new collection and ideas for an online art course coming soon..

NOW EXTENDED TO THE 6th September.
Now open! –  It’s been a busy few days hanging this exhibition at Salthouse Church and I’m thrilled with the results. With over forty artworks on display this is my largest show to date. A lot of the artworks can be viewed and bought online under the ‘Buy Art’ section on my website. So if you can’t visit in person and there’s a painting you’d like to enquire about please contact me via email: info@tracey-rossart.co.uk or call me on 07786 401396. The exhibition continues until the 6th September.

St Nicholas Church, Church Lane (off Cross St), Salthouse, Norfolk, NR25 7XH.

Just before setting up Salthouse I drove to the Peak District to enjoy a three day art course with abstract painter Lewis Nobel. It was a really hot weekend and it was wonderful to experience the Peaks and rivers with a group of like minded painters.

This month is all about dreams and desires and one of them is to show my artwork in spiritual places, nothing makes my heart sing more. Things are falling into place for my solo exhibition at Salthouse Church and I’m thrilled with how this collection is coming together.

I’d like to say a special thank you to Tony Rothe at Network Norwich promoting the show on their online Christian network and to graphic designer Jonathan Stoulger at J.S Creative for designing my new logo, business cards and flyers.

Lots more to do before the opening on the 14th August such as organising the framing in plenty of time. The two framers I use in North Norfolk have furloughed their staff so they’re working even harder during this time.

In the studio things are busy with getting the artwork finished and photographed. I like to make a spreadsheet and list each painting as it helps to keep track of how many paintings I’ve made each year.

After days of hot weather, this month has been mixed, but I’ve enjoyed several sunny days sketching sea at Cley and the sea lavender at Stiffkey in North Norfolk. As with many places I’m finding the roads and beaches are getting busy again!

I’m in the process of creating an online course all about bringing ‘art and faith’ together. If this is something you’d like to know more about, please get in touch.
Yes I’d like to know more.

More news to follow….