Hi, I am now using my instagram and Facebook page as a blog, posting about what I am painting, so I won’t be posting new pages this website. However, I will continue to upload new work for sale here in the two galleries you can find in the menu. Sign up for my quarterly newsletter if you don’t do instagram or Facebook but still want to see what I am up to!
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Little Originals
The mixed media artwork pictured below: Spotted Ermine Moth, has been accepted into the Little Originals Exhibition at Dock Street Studios, Dundee – opposite the V&A. All work in the exhibition, including mine, will be available to view at Dock Street Studios, Dundee from 7th until 28th December. The online gallery officially launches on Saturday, but we are inviting friends, family and collectors to view from today. I hope you have time to take a look at our work, which was selected from an open call of over 500 entries using this link: Little Originals Website Here
Autumn / Winter 2019
I exhibited at three different places this autumn/winter, pieces that I am calling ReImagined. They are all handmade by me in Crail, Fife, in an eco-friendly way with renewable, waste or long-hoarded materials. I have re-used denim garments, waste plastics, off-cuts of fabric, waste leather and linen woven in Fife [at Scotland’s last linen weaving mill in Kirkcaldy], old buttons, handmade and recycled paper, eco-leaf prints and dried flowers. Using painting, silk screen printing and stitching to make unusual pictures, denim on canvas creations, handmade books, and other denim items. My themes are from this year’s sketchbooks of my residency at nearby Cambo Gardens and one of my other interests at the moment; Scottish moths. I’m pleased to say that 6 pictures sold and a number of denim books, and all my linen tea towels. I will have some more of these ReImagined craft items around at my open studios in June/July 2020.
I have returned, refreshed, to painting in the studio now, although I have ideas of recycled denim and couldn’t resist another eco-printing session to see if autumn leaves give different colours – they do!
Watercolours at Cambo – last weekend of my exhibition
These are the remaining watercolours/mixed media paintings in my solo show at Cambo Gardens Visitor Stables, which I will be taking down on 30th September, unless marked as sold. Most of them I created plain air, and finished some of them off in the studio. All remaining artwork, both oils and watercolours, will be available via this website or instagram/facebook if you are interested but can’t get to the exhibition. Thank you for looking!
Oils at Cambo
These are the oils currently on display at Cambo, in the Stables Visitor Centre, until the end of this month – September 2019.
Pittenweem Arts Festival
Coming up fast is my next exhibition, this time along with many others at the great Pittenweem Arts Festival, in Fife. You can find me just outside of the town at Ovenstone Brewery, along with a dozen or so other artists, a cafe. Perfect for calling in on your way in to the festival or on your way home as we are open a little later than the rest. For details, click on the link below. Here are a few of my new works that will be exhibited:
Cambo Residency – second month
I continue working on the residency into May and the garden changes every day. The last remaining snowdrops gave way to the wood anemones, daffodils and grape hyacinths, then tulips and wild garlic, primroses… It comes in waves like the sea. The sound track is the garden birds, including the tree sparrows, loads of goldfinches, the buzzards, jackdaws and blue tits, and today an unidentified warbler. The trees are nearly all in leaf now although there are a few still at the bud stage. I have a lot of material in terms of sketches, plein air pieces and one or two finished oils. I have many paintings forming in my head and some preparatory sketches in my sketchbook. I’m a little distracted by the Dundee Art Fair looming on my horizon in two weeks time, although I have 3 weeks left of painting at Cambo, however my resulting exhibition doesn’t start until mid August, so I have -some- time!
Week 1 @ Cambo Gardens
Here are some sketches from my first week or so at Cambo – see previous post about my residency or in my newsletter number 6 – a link is attached on my About Me page of this website. The weather is everything when working outside because I sit still and look, and look, for many minutes or maybe even hours because that is what it is all about for me. So I have been wrapped up in layers of clothes and even fingerless gloves. The bare winter trees, springing into life after the winter, and the bright spring bulbs are just looking fabulous at the moment. These mixed media sketches below may be developed further into new pieces or oil paintings in time for my exhibition at Cambo in the early autumn. I like the contrast between the greys of the dead wood and the fresh colours of new growth. I have seen quite a bit of birdlife too including tree sparrows, blue tits, jackdaws, buzzards, bumble bees and also a butterfly – flying too fast to identify.
Cambo Artist in Residence
My first day at Cambo was full of sunshine and bright flowers emerging below fruit trees that are waiting to burst into leave and flower. There should be a succession of blossoms emerging over the next two months. I can tell that I am going to be inspired! Here are a few pictures of the walled garden at this time of year. If you’d like to follow my progress please look on instagram or facebook page or my account. Their website has details for visitors and as I have been visiting for a couple of years I know it is beautiful and colourful all year round. There is a tree-lined gully leading down to a sandy beach below, as well as the formal garden. At this point I’m not sure where the residency will lead me in my artwork because there is a huge choice of reference. As well as on insta/facebook I will leave a few images and examples of work, from day to day, in the stables next to the cafe at Cambo so if you can’t find me in the grounds or a I have retreated to my studio, there will be something to see.
philippa mitchell artist 