AROOM OFONE’SOWN
I havebeenpaintingin watercoloursfor many years now. Recently
thoughI havedecidedtotaketheplunge and also learn to paint using
oils.Nowhereis thething:paintingin watercolours at the dining room
tableis fine,butwithoilsthatis a different matter. I rent where I live
andwouldbefearfulofmakinga mess, so this got me thinking.
HowcouldI findsomewhereaffordable that I could use as a
studiowhereI couldmakea messandit would never be catastrophic?
Whatdootherartistsdo?I wouldloveto see a series of articles about
howdifferentartistshavesetupandorganised the spaces where they
work.ThroughOpenStudioseventsin the summer, I have been lucky
enoughtoseeotherartists’ownworkspaces, but I would love to learn
moreaboutwhatartistsdo.
Howdoesonegoaboutrentinga space to work in? Are they
costeffectiveforanamateurartist,letalone a professional one?
Doyouthinkasa magazineyoumightfollow up on this? I am sure
yourreaderswouldbefascinatedtohear more.
Atthemoment,paintingenpleinairseems to be the only solution,
whichis fine,onlyrollonsummerwhenhopefully we will have better
weathertobeoutside.
PeterMcLeod,viaemailFindinga workspaceis a trickybusiness. Would other readers want
toseemoreonthistopic?Letusknow your queries and we’ll do our
besttoanswerthemsoon.LETTER OF THE MONTHHOW FAR DO WE GO, PART 2
Happy New Year! I am writing this
on a blissfully beautiful day and
looking out my window I can see
the north shore of Bermuda, which
is Cobalt Blue with a horizon of
Ultramarine.
For renewed inspiration I turn to
my Artists & Illustrators magazines.
The pile is somewhat slimmer than
usual as my students “borrow” the
publication to read the excellent
articles as they look for renewed
inspiration, too. Here we are, this
tiny island of Bermuda in the middle
of the Atlantic bathed in sunlight
and colour; truly an artist’s
paradise.
I wonder if your editorial staff has
ever considered featuring Bermuda
and our distant neighbours, the
islands of the Caribbean? Bermuda
is not truly in the Caribbean but
rather the Atlantic. However, there’s
much to work with here: a fresh new
palette, the many coloured clouds
skittering about, rolling surf and
Letters
Sendyourletteroremail
totheaddressesbelow:POST:
YourLetters,
Artists& Illustrators,
TheChelseaMagazine
CompanyLtd.,
JubileeHouse,
2 JubileePlace,
LondonSW33TQEMAIL:info@artists
andillustrators.co.ukThewriterofour‘letter
ofthemonth’willreceive
a £50giftvoucherfrom
GreatArt,whichoffers
theUK’slargestrangeof
artmaterialswithmore
than50,000artsupplies
andregulardiscounts
andpromotions.
http://www.greatart.co.ukIllustrators outside the UK, please
drop us a line and say hello!
Invitations to visit tropical islands
are particularly welcome...THE ART OF GIVING
Charity shops provide vital links for
many deserving groups of people
and artists can be of great service
to these organisations.
As amateur artists, we often
produce paintings which can sit
in our homes just gathering dust.
It requires very little effort to take
a fi nished artwork – with no specifi c
idea in mind what to do with it –
into a town centre and give it to
the person in charge of any
charity shop.
If the shop is asked to keep it
in the window for, say, one week
before selling it, this has the added
benefi t that members of the public
get the chance to see your work on
display, which in itself is rewarding.
A painting of mine, completed last
weekend, is already in the window
of a local hospice shop [below].
Derek Stark, via emailShareyourthoughtsandgeta dailydose
ofArtists& Illustratorstips,adviceand
inspirationbyfollowingusonoursocial
mediachannels...@AandImagazine ArtistsAndIllustrators
AandImagazine AandImagazinebeaches of pink sands, plus our
unique architecture. The history
of artists who have spent time
here is important, and so are our
contemporary painters, together
with the current art scene.
Emma Ingham, via emailHOW FAR DO WE GO, PART 3
I received my February 2020 issue
this week (fi rst week of January,
how good is that!) and I’m spending
a leisurely warm summer’s day
reading your fabulous magazine.
I savour every page of every issue
and I want to thank you for the fast
and effi cient service you provide to
your overseas subscribers, even all
the way to New Zealand!
It’s such a pleasure to get
great service these days,
thank you again.
Carolina Gartner, via emailWe’re enjoying hearing from all
of our readers around the world.
If you’re reading Artists &Write us!
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR PUBLICATION