Newsletter: October 2021

October 31, 2021 JO YORK

Ardwell beach, Dumfries and Galloway

As those of you who’ve been following me for a while will know, I need to get outside into the countryside, to wild places and by the sea…to recharge and also crucially as it really is the basis of most of my work. This year it has sometimes been hard to find the tranquility and peace of these places, in the UK at least-most of us have felt the need to get outside, and with less travel overseas, there’s just been more of us about! Last month, we managed to slip away for a quick camper trip up to Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland. To be honest I didn’t really know the area but was bowled over by its beauty and also by how lovely and quiet it was! The beach above was just such a place; deserted and tranquil, and the quality of light was really lovely. With a bit of luck, ideas from this trip will feed into new work over the winter, when I tend to spend time looking back over sketchbooks, swatches and notes.

All the Road Running Water to Think: Water to Drink Channels of Light

Just a little reminder that I have a small number of paintings available from the very lovely Northern Lights Gallery, including the three shown above. The first two are 1m square and the third is 61cm square-if you would like any further information, please contact the Gallery or pop in if you happen to be in Keswick, in the Northern Lake District! Link: https://northernlightsgallery.co.uk/jo-york-bio

While we were away, we came across a bit of a hidden gem in Logan Botanic Gardens, on the Mull of Galloway…wandering around, it came to me that it would be interesting to work on some pieces inspired by the gardens there, and maybe by some other gardens I know well. It’s an interesting and atmospheric place, with tropical palms and trees, and almost a jungle feel-I guess the proximity of the North Atlantic Drift means the gardens are protected from severe frosts, snow and ice. They are also pretty much surrounded by old walls, and by very old and established trees which also provide a protective screen….as well as all the wonderful colour and shapes, there were some amazing textures especially of different tree barks.

The shapes and colours of Logan really got me going and I’ve spent the last month or so working on a new collection based around an abstracted idea and feel of the place….I started as I usually do with some sketchbook studies, including the couple shown below…

These are just my way of feeling my way into new work'; they are starting points, and I’ll have them propped up in front of me when I’m painting, to remind me of the atmosphere and direction I’m looking for…

Here I was just using a few key colours in acrylic with tons of mixes:- Olive Green, Sap Green, Turquoise, a Manganese blue, Mars black, a translucent mixing white and some unbleached Titanium (Titanium Buff). I try to record colours I’ve used as I go, and sometimes specific colour mixes, so I can remix if needed, especially as they can become the core colours for a collection, and I really don’t want to forget how I made the colours! I always swatch too, and can’t recommend keeping swatches highly enough! I deliberately worked straight into acrylic paint, with no base drawing to keep the freshness. The shots below show studio set up and work in progress on three 30cm canvases in this collection 🔽

For me, it’s really helpful working on a group of paintings at any one time…it just makes sense; you can swap between them when something needs to dry or you need more time to figure out the next steps, and very often there is at least a linked colour palette, which means you can mix up specific versions of colours in a reasonable quantity if you’re going to need over and again. This little series is built up as always with me, in many layers, but the approach this time is slightly different, with more opaque paint and a deliberate focus on expressive mark making, and hopefully a sense of movement.

Its’ also a big help to prop work up together to see how things are going, what needs adjusting etc…

*The short video above is taking a look at progress on the new collection so far, and it consists of two large square canvases and a range of smaller pieces, especially 30 cm canvases and a few works on paper….although I will probably add in a couple of extra pieces later on.

I will be realeasing the new work for sale on this website on November 5th, and as a one off will also be offering a 10 % discount code from then for the whole of November, so do please watch this space. The two large ones would make a marvellous impact in any space and the smaller pieces would be a wonderful way to start a collection!!

The work below is a taster of the Botanic gardens Collection…

The two images ⬆️ are the first large ones to be finished…still working on titles for them!

They have loads of layers, and I’m really pleased as I hope I’ve managed to keep a sense of movement and freshness…I really wanted drama and looseness in the brushstrokes, and a spontaneous feel. The group of paintings below ⬇️ are 30cm square canvases, with a similar feel, and the bottom two are still abstracted, but close ups of seed heads found in the gardens.

I’ve been so enjoying making this new collection, and really hope you like it!

**Don’t forget the launch date for the Botanic Gardens Collection is 5th November, and there will be a 10% discount code available to use for the remainder of the month.

**I also have a small collection of work currently available from Bils and Rye Gallery in Harrogate, see their website for more details: .https://contemporarysculpture.gallery/artist/jo-york

Well I think that’s about all from me this month,

Meanwhile, I hope you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, and do let me know if you have any feedback or queries, I love hearing from you and will always do my best to answer any questions.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram…just click the Instagram icon on my website.

Until next month, keep dry (from a soggy North Yorkshire in the UK), take care and keep in touch,

Jo xx