I was recently featured in International Artist magazine. The article was titled ‘Travel Opens the Eyes… and the Mind’ and covered my art, influences and working method. In the below posts I illustrate the different stages of a work entitled Rendevouz, Mallorca which was a 20×20″ oil on canvass piece shown in the ten page article. International Artist magazine on Ian Elliot:
“Painting from source materal is one thing, but this artist says nothing gives a painting extra dimension than being on location and taking in the sights, sounds and aromas.”
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December 9th, 2008
Now for the Sea. You will have noticed that I worked with certain colours as mixing agents. These colours now become central to my foreground areas. The basic sea colours have so many variations according to depth, distance, sky clarity etc.
My first stroke, seen in stage four, is a mixture of Cobalt Blue and permanent Mauve, creating a band of strong, rich colour stretching ascorss the canvass and defining the meeting of land and sea. At this stage I use another 25mm brush and mix Cerulean Blue a touch of Winsor Green and Titanuim White, and using a small brush slap on the colour, around the outline of the central shapes.
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November 30th, 2008
The Mediterranean skies are a wonderful fusion of blues reflected on the waters which in turn reflect back onto surfaces. For these areas I use a white base with tiny inclusions of Cerulean Blue, or Cobalt Blue with maybe a hint of Permanent Mauve… or a mixture of these with a spot of Naples Yellow or Scarlet Lake… but only a spot! i always remind myself that reflections and shaded areas are all different, so I don’t bother about consistency of colour, but more about consistency of tone.
Taking some of the previous mixture aside, I added more small amounts of Permanent Mauve/Cobalt Blue for darker tones and in a haphazard sporadic way, dabbed and daubed on marks of varying sizes and tones to suggest the plant-life on the slopes. Everything is kept vague as this is not the centre of attraction.
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November 30th, 2008
Mallorca has stretches of its coastline which comprise sheer cliffs and scary steep slopes careering menacingly into the sea. Hardy pines and exotic leathery plants, such as Aloe Vera cling on grimly to the sides of these slopes in an act of defiance.
To attempt to recreate this, I used a large base of Titanium White and by degrees introduced small quantities of Light Scarlet Lake and Naples Yellow to create the warm, fleshy pink colours of the bare earth, adding some small amounts of Berulean Blue, or Cobalt Blue, or permanent mauve to produce the cooler, darker areas.
I’m fond of filling in large ares with flat bristle 25mm brushes. These are so-called ‘economy student brushes’, but don’t be fooled into buying the most expensive of brushes for the most simple of tasks!
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November 30th, 2008
I like the colours to be clean and ‘unmuddied’ and with htis in mind I usually apply White to the relevant areas, ignoring all detail and the fact that there are two separate boats. I emply a farly well used brush so as not to create hard outlines.
The white stands out well against the oatmeal background.
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November 30th, 2008
As promised, here is the first of a six part explanation of my creative process, featured as ‘Art in the Making’ in International Artist magazine. From a wealth of source material gathered during my frequent visits abroad, I decided on a seascape as my subject matter. Mallorca has a fantastically rugged coastline, dotted with white sanded coves ideal for anchorage and for passing a few lazy hours in the heat of the afternoon sun.
I selected a size of canvas best suited to the view. I always work to a square format and never on white, preferring a bas colour of oatmeal on a treated mediam course canvas.
Using the wrong end of an old thin brush, I dip this into what will be the most common colour, in this case blue, and simply outline my composition. This i keep relitavely simple, and unfinished, as i’m not in the business of colouring in shapes!
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November 30th, 2008
I am exhibiting at the Scottish Contemporary Art Sale 2008. This is a free public exhibition that runs from the 13th November until the 21st November. It’s open 11.00 - 7.00 weekdays and 11.00 - 5.00 at the weekend. The Auction takes place 22nd November at 10.30am.
To find out more and preview the work available visit the the mctears.com website. For more information call 0141 810 2880.
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November 12th, 2008
I have two upcoming solo shows. The first is in association with Scotlandart.com Gallery, Burnfield Road in Giffnock, Glasgow. It runs from the 16 Sept - 16 Nov 2008. The second is at the House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. This runs from 23 Sept - 3 Nov 2008. More information on these will be posted soon. You can also contact me for further details.
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September 13th, 2008
