JayArKay

Demonstration Painting

2010-08-26T10:15:00.003+01:00

Well I managed it at last, here it is:

Mea Culpa

2010-08-25T16:33:00.002+01:00

So much happens to me, I cannot understand why I can't keep this blog going. However now that I have given my last demonstration this year maybe I'll have more time.
I have been able to upgrade my copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 10. This has been quite a revelation for me, I'm at present dictating this blog using it. With only minimum of training it is extremely accurate and seldom lets me down.My last demonstration was at Virginia Water, I was showing them how to tackle watercolour paintings using a photograph as a reference they were very welcoming and as soon as I can manage I hope to include it in the blog.

An even fewer seconds

2010-02-05T15:03:00.001Z

Sorry about this it has been taken off already.
If you are really keen to see this video I can send it to you.
All you have to do is ask.

A Few Seconds of Fame

2010-01-27T10:26:00.002Z

Well I've never thought of being on TV myself, but a friend of mine Curtis Dowling, who is very much a Television Antiques Guru enlisted my help in this small section from the London version of "Inside Out" a topical news magazine.
It was dealing with the current Exhibition at the V & A Museum of Antique Fakes and talked about the Antiques world and their general problems.

For the next seven weeks it will be on iPlayer HERE

Can you believe this?

2010-01-18T15:45:00.001Z

A most unusual sight, can this be possible?
Playing with Lions

Drawing from Observation

2010-01-07T10:31:00.002Z

Back again, I've neglected this blog for too long.
With more than a little disquiet I have been thinking for some time about the way that some painters go about producing their work .
In these days of easy do-it-yourself photography many painters rely entirely on working from photographs. What is far worse is that the desired result is as near to photographic perfection as the artist can manage. Whole books are written on how to achieve this detailed verisimilitude.
There is a big market for tracing paper, projectors and lately digital methods of reducing photographs to line drawings so that nowadays many feel that there is no longer a need to acquire any facility in drawing at all.
The worst of it is, that this is accompanied by the feeling and the statement that, "the end justifies the means."
Swayed by sales of their work, many painters soon restrict themselves to a narrow band of achievement largely governed by what they can readily sell.
I feel sad that the true joy of learning to draw and paint is completely lost to them. It is the process of drawing from 3D sources directly onto the paper and in the process, learning to "see" as only an artist sees.
It is common knowledge among art teachers that people only use their eyes for two purposes, to avoid knocking into things and to identify things, they then forget about looking at all.
David Hockney recently remarked that you could only know something properly once you have drawn it and that everything you hadn't drawn, you hadn't properly seen.
Using a photograph slavishly denies you this pleasure and thereby an artist's eye (way of seeing). Using someone else's photo is to a large degree much worse because you even lack the experience of being there when it was taken.
Having an eye on the finished result is even worse because nobody can paint the picture they can imagine.
Forget the market, it's the doing of it that counts, you will make progress only by making mistakes and using acres of paper, there is no substitute for experience and hard work and you will only get that by doing it for its own sake.

New Technology

2009-12-11T17:04:00.001Z

I've just found a nice youtube clip about the difficulties presented by new technology in publishing, hope you like it.

HERE

What happened to August and September

2009-10-14T12:47:00.001+01:00

You might well ask this, mainly Quaker business getting delightfully in the way.
No regrets.

Minutes of Meetings

2009-07-13T09:46:00.001+01:00

To all those who have to write minutes I devote this lovely video from "Yes Minister".
HERE

Self Portrait

2009-05-29T14:43:00.001+01:00

I came across this video which explores the possibility of tracing a true self-protrait of Leonardo da Vinci.
HERE

Tractor Music

2009-05-03T09:02:00.000+01:00

Just saw an amusing tune with tractor baseline.
HERE
Good stuff

John

My Main Site

2009-04-20T10:23:00.003+01:00

At last, it's taken so long to do but I eventually have not only changed my Internet service provider but also I have completed my new website, you can see it in all its glory
HERE
This is one of the few times I have shown the prices of the paintings I have for sale on the internet, they are quite cheap because they are not sold in a fancy format (ie. mounted and framed), I don't have to subsidise galleries, framers or agents as most artists do.
Please go along to it and give me some feedback, as most artists do, I really appreciate your opinions and, of course, bask in any praise that's going.

Wet Canvas

2009-04-07T10:30:00.003+01:00

I belong to a watercolour art forum called "WET CANVAS" and they are the most supportive, helpful and talented group imaginable. They never fail to lift my spirits when I post some of my work on the forum.

You'll find out how good they are, and how generally helpful the site is to painters struggling against the influence of Saatchi and Goldsmiths Art School today.

This is the link to my latest contribution

HERE

which will also introduce you to helpful and generous painters from all parts of the world.

Alison and Robert

2009-03-30T11:30:00.003+01:00

I have long been a fan of Country and Western Music and Alison Krauss in particular and her collaboration with the Union Station group.

I must confess my complete surprise when I heard that she had made a CD with Robert Plant (formerly of Led Zeppelin).

I was completely bowled over when I heard them sing together, take the opportunity to hear them both singing "Please Read The Letter", HERE.

Just good singing at it's best, on the strength of theses videos I couldn't resist sending for the CD "Raising Sand."

Emerging

2009-03-27T10:11:00.002Z

I suppose everyone goes through a period of stasis where nothing much seems to be happening of note. That's been true of me for the last few days. I've been catching up with YouTube and how they've been made to deal with the Performing Rights Society. A great shame really considering that many of us use the site to sample music before eventually buying the commercial CD. Yet another example of the many suffering from the misdemeanours of the few.

Another Book by Ian Roberts

2009-03-15T17:48:00.003Z

I sent for, and have just finished the other book Ian Roberts has written.

Creative Authenticity: 16 Principles to Clarify and Deepen Your Artistic Vision

It details a number of lectures that he gave to an audience of Practising Artists.

It always comes as a surprise to me to read a book which sums up my own thoughts so succinctly and also covers teaching points I have often made to my pupils. It echoes convictions I have had for so long about current art fashions and expresses them in a way that I would find difficult to put into words myself.

There is a complete assessment of the artist's creative process and sensibilities which I am sure will reflect, clarify and quantify similar experiences in other painters.

Famous in Norway

2009-03-10T09:52:00.004Z

In order to test my general popularity on the web and in a pitiful quest for fame, I entered the following into Google,

"John Kay Millrind"

"The Millrind Press" is the name of my publishing business, I was amazes to find that the terms I chose had narrowed the choices to such an extent that I just failed to be top of the list and the remaining references were mostly to efforts of mine.

I was particularly intrigued by a Norwegian website (Google doesn't translate Norwegian) which not only listed all my publications that I had put on the web but also included thumbnail illustrations of their covers; something even Amazon couldn't manage to do.

This is the one

Also I found to my surprise that a certain french Seigneur Hankinet Kaye had a millrind (french name: anille) in his coat of arms. Kaye Coat of Arms

Ian Roberts' Book

2009-03-09T16:46:00.003Z

If you want a good instructional book on Pictorial Composition with good explanation and good examples, you won't do better that Ian Roberts' Book.

You'll find it here.

You get an instructional DVD together with the book as well.

Free Bookplates

2009-03-05T18:15:00.002Z

I don't know if you are into bookplates, you know "This Book Belongs to" but I have just started a site with a few free ones for download.

If you are at all interested please go to :

Free Bookplates

Saatchi's Best of British

2009-03-05T16:34:00.003Z

"The BBC and The Saatchi Gallery are launching a search for people who possess the drive and passion to make great art."

I'm quoting an email sent to me by the Saatchi Gallery who have asked me to submit five paintings for consideration.

Apparently the BBC are getting together with the Gallery to produce a new TV programme or series of programmes under this title, so I have submitted five of the paintings from

my new website.

There are thousands of artists registered with Saatchi so I'm not losing much sleep over it.

New Site

2009-03-03T14:23:00.005Z

I've at last managed to open a new site, it still needs a little work on it but it is working at last, click on the link if you would like to see it:

New Site

Shaun the Sheep

2009-02-28T15:21:00.001Z

Here's one of the Aardman Productions (Nick Park) that we have all come to know:

Still Life

An account of that lovable character as artist.

Elephant Painting

2009-02-27T16:02:00.002Z

I've just been to Technorati and there I saw a wonderful video of an elephant painting a picture.

Hardly believable!

Elephant Painting

Composition for Painting

2009-02-27T09:18:00.010Z

Here's something for all the painters who would welcome some guidance in Composition. You can download these two free ebooks from a website, just click on the link and it will take you there:

Sketches for Composition

Into Composition

This is a small eBook that you can download or read on line, if you would like a file that you can print out from just send me an email and I will send you a printable PDF file.

How to Make a Designer Go Crazy

2009-02-26T10:49:00.008Z

If you have anything to do with design, especially desk top publishing, you may find this article amusing. It deals in great detail with everything that stresses out a graphic designer.

How to Make a Designer Go Crazy

Perfect Punctuation

2009-02-25T17:44:00.002Z

I bought this book last week, it seems to be part of a series of books prefaced by the word "Perfect", the author is Stephen Curtis. It explains English punctuation better than anything else I have read. Not only does it explain each item of punctuation, it gives examples to illustrate its usage and later in the chapter it even gives you some test questions so that you know you have understood the explanation. It answers all those vexed questions like: went to use a colon; and when a semicolon. Something I wasn't too sure about myself and needed a lot of guidance. It also deals with other punctuation including the apostrophe, which I know upsets many people. A very useful reference for the subeditor and invaluable to desktop publishing.

Art is not about Talent

2009-02-25T08:45:00.000Z

It is not a good thing to re-invent the wheel to quote a tired old saying. Many who talk to me about painting say that it must be lovely to have "Talent".

This always grates and a leading US painter has written very well about it:

Jerry Fresia

Go and see what he has to say.

Mariza

2009-02-24T15:26:00.000Z

A few years ago I came across this superb Fado singer and bought her CD which still gives me hours of pleasure.
Just 12 months afterwards, my wife and I were visiting Toronto and we decided to go to the theatre. We found that, two days later Mariza was appearing just for one night . We bought tickets and had a wonderful evening in a theatre packed with Portuguese residents.
If you want to hear what I consider to be my favourite and her best song, go here to You Tube:
Mariza: Transparente.

Bookplates

2009-02-24T14:47:00.001Z

Some of my design projects are bookplates. I am not often asked for them but I enjoy doing them immensely, they perhaps seem a rather old-fashioned idea nowadays but there are some beautiful ones out there.

If you want to see some very good ones go to the Gallery for

The Bookplate Society.

First thoughts

2009-02-24T11:41:00.000Z

This is the first time that I have used a blog, although I have had a website for many years now.

http://www.bookplate.demon.co.uk

This is devoted to showing my watercolours which is its main purpose. I also lecture and demonstrate to art clubs and societies.

My interests are many and inevitably take up much of my time, which is always very limited.

Please feel free to comment on my work, any feedback is always welcome.