NEVERTOOLATE
I amwritingthisemailandenclosingmymost recent pieces
ofartworktoencouragepeoplethatit doesn’t matter how
latein lifeyoustarttodraw,thatanything is possible.
I am 49 yearsyoungandfirstpickedup a pencil to draw
fouryearsagohavingnotdrawnbefore.I practise when
I canandentermypicturesontovariousFacebook sites to
gainrecognitionbutbesidesthat,amunsure of where to go
first.I woulddearlylovetobecomea recognised artist, but I
knowthattherearesomanytrulytalented artists out there.
Anyhelpandadvicewouldbeextremely appreciated and
thankyouforlookingatmypictures.
TraceyAshcroft,SurreyLETTER OF THE MONTHI HERD A GREAT IDEA
Like so many others every day,
I have suffered a severe loss in my
life. As I was no longer able to look
after my wife who has severe
dementia, I had to move her to a
home, where I visit her each day.
At the same time, I wanted to return
to painting regularly, but have been
unable to pull myself together to do
so. For over a month now, I have
been in and out of my painting room,
trying unsuccessfully to get started
on something. Then yesterday, while
out cycling in the nearby countryside,
I found a way to get restarted, a way
that other people in a similar
situation may fi nd helpful: cow
croquis [quick sketching].
I found that there are very good
things about drawing cows: one is
being outside in a quiet place,
together with adorable cows, who
have an aura of peace and calm
about them. I was totally exhausted
after only an hour, but really felt that
I had, at last, achieved something.
As expected, there were no
masterpieces, but actually I was
well satisfi ed with what I had drawn.
Most important, I felt in a way
renewed, and I had most defi nitely
enjoyed being in the presence of
those lovely bovine creatures.
Bob Nicholson, Randers, Denmark
PORTRAIT ARTIST GRIPE #
My wife and I have been following
the Portrait Artist of the Year series
religiously on Channel 4 since the
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andillustrators.co.ukThe writer of our ‘letter
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http://www.greatart.co.ukbeginning. Having just watched
the episode showing the last of
the fi nalists, you can imagine our
disappointment today to pick up
September’s Artists & Illustrators
only to fi nd announced on page
40 the winner of the competition
with his portrait.
I realise this competition had
been shown earlier in the year on
Sky Arts but surely the editing team
could have waited a little longer at
least until after the fi nal shown on
Channel 4?
Steve & Carol, via emailThis was one of several letters
fl agging up that our interview with
Duncan [below] came ahead of his
win being shown on Channel 4, so
apologies to everyone for the
unfortunate spoiler.
The series had initially run on
Sky Arts earlier in the year and so
the result was in the public domain
and Duncan had been interviewed
across a number of websites
online. At time of printing, weweren’t aware that the show was
being repeated on Channel 4.PORTRAIT ARTIST GRIPE #
Not having Sky Arts, I was very
pleased that Channel 4 was
repeating Portrait Artist of the Year
2019. The quality of the artists’
work, professional and amateur
alike, really was high. But one thing
that irritated me was the use of a
phone or iPad by some artists. In a
few cases, they appeared to not
even look at the model. They might
as well have stayed at home and
worked from a photo! One even
reversed the image on their screen,
thereby giving a false impression of
the sitter as this would not be a true
profi le – left and right are different.
Poor old Van Gogh complained of
being unable to get models, then
there’s these fortunates presented
with interesting and distinctive
characters and they look at a
screen. Do any other readers fi nd
this annoying?
Edward Masters,EastMalling,KentShare your thoughts and
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