Painting and Youth!

Painting I just love it! Good job I hear you say as you are an artist! But I realise more than ever that I do love painting its a great way to zone out for a while and I certainly do need to do that occasionally as life lately has been hectic but then when isn't it. I reckon over the years I'd have gone nuts if it wasn't for dabbing away with a paintbrush if I'm ever overwhelmed or sad I shut myself away and paint to take my mind off it if I'm in agony because of my arthritis I paint and soon feel better. But I don't paint just to escape I do it because I love it and that's important.
We should all try and fit something in that we love doing because as I've said many times life is short and one day we will regret spending time doing crap stuff others want us to do. Painting is not the only thing I like doing and this year I've been lucky enough to be able to study and because I'm doing it part time I get to carry on for another year.
Going back to school or rather University has been fun and at times deep! I've been so deep in bloody books I don't know what day it is and as I'm doing history the actual century gets confusing too! But overall its been fun and enlightening meeting new people especially the lovely twenty-somethings who remind me I'm glad not to have to do it all again but also remind me of that fabulous feeling of endless possibilities of where life will take them. They are yet to marry, buy a house, get a job if indeed they want to do any of that because that was what I had to do maybe they don't have to yet because times are different and expectations of what should be done by thirty are different. So I've been listening carefully to their stories and hopes and it has opened my eyes to their struggles and dreams.
I am very aware of my age all of a sudden and realise that no matter how down with the kids I think I am, I'm  just not and can't be because the generation gap is acute what I took for granted when I was young isn't there for our young I had help with my rent due to housing benefit so I could leave home and save for a mortgage houses were cheaper technology didn't exist my phone was down the road in a red box! There's a lot of pressure on the young zero-hours contracts, social media always got to be achieving no financial support from the government its very difficult to get a foothold on adulthood. I wish them all well, to be honest, they are so much more mature than I at that age, the nineties are somewhat of a blur I have to say!
What's this got to do with painting? I don't know really but I suppose I see so many twenty-somethings making a go of social media for their artwork and I think I've probably wasted a lot of my past not doing what I should have been so now I paint when I can, study and generally try and live a full life.
So then what have I been painting well here's two I did this last couple of weeks.

Corner House Chippy Cleethorpes 20 x 20 cm

This painting above marks the beginning of a new obsession The Chip Shop! So let me have any of your favorite chip shops!

Berwick Upon Tweed 16 x 20 inches.

This one above started as a demo at Sutton Colefield Art Group and I've been working on it a while.
Next weekend I will be at Matlock Art Society running a workshop and demoing so contact them if you'd like to come along.
The week after I will be at Stanton in the Peak open gardens 1-5 pm so do come along and spend an afternoon looking at art and gardens.

New Work King Street Belper

King Street Belper 

Just finished in time for the Belper Art Trail see you at Venue 1, Number 28 Market Place 1030-4 Sun Mon

Views From The Derwent Valley Book

I've been working on completing a few intended projects over Easter in between family commitments etc.. and one of those projects was my Views from the Derwent Valley I always intended to publish the images as a book so that all the images are in order of the valley from Matlock Bath to Derby.

Below is the link to it in a variety of formats soft, hard cover and also e-book you can also request a book directly from myself I can order it for you if you prefer not to pay online.

Views From The Derwent Valley

By artist Ruth Gray

Happy Easter Over the Back Fence

Since 2013 I've been taking daily photos from my back room window and sometimes I have posted them on social media. It all started with me noticing how white the house looked against the grey sky so started a documentation of how weather and light affects the colours of a landscape.

My back yard is very ordinary so it was the perfect subject matter to use as it has shown me that even the dullest view can be enhanced by mother nature.

Monet did the same thing recording the same view in paint, at different times of the day, my view has mainly been in the morning as that is when I fling open the windows and see whats going on. In 2015 I was under a crow flight path and if I timed it right I could get the image of them swooping over the house. In the evening we are visited by bats its all happening over the back fence here!

I'm not going to do anymore for social media I'm just going to enjoy looking at others morning views, and work on something new and original.

Its been fun but after four years I think I'm done.

You can find most of  my back fence views on my social media sites listed below:

http://ruthgrayimages.net/ 
http://facebook.com/RuthGrayImages/
https://twitter.com/ruthgrayimages

https://uk.pinterest.com/ruthgrayimages/

https://www.instagram.com/ruthgrayimages/

http://ruthgrayimages.blogspot.co.uk/

https://about.me/ruthgray 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ruthgrayimages

My next event is at Number 28 ,Venue 1 of the Belper Art Trail I'm looking forward to showing my work along side over 140 other artists.

HAPPY EASTER!!

http://www.belperarts.org/Artists/Ruth-Gray/

Cabin by the Canal

Cabin By The Canal acrylic on box canvas 40 x 40 cm

Stroll along the canal at Cromford and peer into the fields you will see relics of the industrial era just about standing this old railway carriage made me imagine perhaps a prior use as a getaway from it all in the woods or just a shelter for the sheep who knows but it was beautiful that spring day when I went by.

Wild Garlic Matlock Bath

Wild Garlic Matlock Bath 80 x 100 cm

Just before the leaves on the trees are fully formed there is a carpet of fragrant wild garlic along the banks of the Derwent in Matlock Bath, to me its a heavenly scent and means that soon we will all be basking in the sun once again.
http://ruthgrayimages.net

Christmas Eve Notes.

Im sat in my Pyjamas drinking cup of tea number one with 1930s cartoons on its 8.25 on Christmas eve morning, the cat is curled up next to my number two son who like me is an early bird. 

Im looking at my over the top Christmas decorations and totally immersed in whatever that thing is they call Christmas spirit.

I am looking forward to 2017 a lot I have most of it planned out and am excited about a new art group that my friend Karina and I have set up see http://purpleandgrey.co.uk for details, we will be meeting at Tansley Village Hall on selected Wednesdays so join us if you feel like a social painting session with a few plein air trips planned too.

Talking of plein air Ive been in talks with a local group about some very exciting workshops with a twist more details when I get them! 

In January I have a joint exhibition at deda in Derby a separate post with details, will be sent out to invite you to that.

January is all about me painting at home in my studio its been hard to balance everything its funny that the image of an artist is of one just creating if only that were true a lot of running about and admin is involved and you have to be almost antisocially strict to pick up a paintbrush!

My ideal January is one where the snow lies thick on the ground and I cant go anywhere!

The Art group will start in February and I have a solo exhibition at St John Street Gallery in March. After that its all about working towards making new work and prints for my stalls I will be at local festivals and showing with Peak District Artisans and Medley.

I have art group demos lined up and really enjoy doing these so if you know of a local art group that would like an acrylic demo get in touch.

Summer I always take off August and spend time with the kids and recharge ready for the Autumn run up to next Christmas.

But for now its a week of mince pies and roast diners and cartoons! I would like to thank all my friends, collectors and followers for support and encouragement. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year.

Ruth Gray Images

Fine Art Landscapes - Anything But Grey.
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http://ruthgrayimages.net/ 
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https://twitter.com/ruthgrayimages

https://uk.pinterest.com/ruthgrayimages/

https://www.instagram.com/ruthgrayimages/

http://ruthgrayimages.blogspot.co.uk/

https://about.me/ruthgray 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ruthgrayimages

Dancing in Rolleston Woods

Dancing in Rolleston Woods

http://ruthgrayimages.net 

Derwent Valley Project Explained.

A couple of weeks ago I gave a speech about my Derwent Valley project I thought you might like to read the transcript. Below is my latest work in the series, along with the talk.

Birdswood at the Wharf

A conversation on radio Derby with Andy Potter ended with him asking ‘What’s your next project?’

Thinking off the cuff I said ‘The A6 has some nice views! I may paint that!’

At the time I had no plans as to what I was going to do next having just finished 40 Ripley rattler paintings for DH Lawrence museum I quite fancied not doing much at all.

But then at the end of my street I noticed a big Protect Belper sign draped across two houses a protest about new builds on land within the World heritage zone.

I went to look at said field and took a photo this led me to wonder what happens next in Belper and indeed the corridor that is the world heritage site along the Derwent Valley.

Which led me to wonder why world heritage what’s that all about?

Completely new to the area in a way although a lifelong visitor Id not given much thought to the tea rooms and pleasant canal sides and views of mills it’s all kind of a pretty back drop to spend a weekend I’d been a tourist. Indeed, my sons school Long Row I chose for its aesthetic appeal!

So I decided to do some research and look into the past and present use of the Derwent Valley. I attended some Discovery day events in Belper nosed around some houses in Long Row and some Chevin View back to backs my sons had a go at mangles in the wash day exhibit.

I went to a talk by Adrian Farmer and bought his book looking at the then and now photos. I went to the library and in the local history section I discovered another artist in the 80s had painted the whole of the Derwent from lady Bower to the Trent junction a fantastic book.

I wanted to approach my paintings from a different perspective rather than pick the prettiest views I wanted a comprehensive collection of work showing the breadth of activity that has taken place in this small valley.

The choice of what to paint and how many was quite logical I had room for about twenty paintings, so using another book Id bought I looked at the valley as a whole and tried to divide it up to include firstly all the mills, then the housing and finally the vistas showing the setting.

All of them are painted on box canvas in acrylic for a unified look and each was created in the studio but the two below were started as a demo in front of an art group.

All are from photographs so getting some of the images has resulted in some twitching of net curtains wondering what the crazy art lady is doing photographing their street.

Before each painting there had to be a day trip planned or lucky for me the school run provided many chances to get the correct light effect needed for Long Row and The East Mill.

My children have unwittingly been walked and educated along canal sides stumbling upon aqueduct cottage which is devastingly beautiful as a ruin but hopefully will be restored.

Ice cream promises got them into the silk mill where they were fascinated by the rolls Royce engine and land line telephones with dials!

A walk along a wet path with a slight naughty deviation to get the view of Peckwash mill resulted in youngest son falling flat on his face in mud and the resulting car journey was smelly and traumatic but I got my image!

There have been good days for my kids Christmas trips to Gulliver’s Kingdom and birthday treats to Heights of Abraham resulting in great vistas.

What I discovered was the rate of building work undertaken throughout the Industrial revolution Arkwright and Strutts changing the way we work and live at a monumental pace. The river powering the changes canals bringing in and out the goods the coming of the railway cutting through Belper in a spectacular fashion, paper mills, silk mills, textile mills and workers dwellings that have been copied around the world.

But time moves on the Industrial Revolution has long since been replaced by the technological and digital advances of our age and it no longer makes sense to be manufacturing alongside a steep sided river far better to use cheap labour from overseas and create mega warehouses alongside the new Motorways.

So what have we left? A landscape scared with what we see today canal architecture, huge factories, pump houses, with their respective workers housing and boss’s mansions.

It may be scared by its past but it’s beautiful my journey from the protect Belper sign to now has led me to conclude that it must be protected for everyone it is an outstanding and unique place a preserved time capsule but one that is ever evolving and its great to see the buildings open and being used for new industries and leisure.

I will have a selection from my Derwent Valley Project with me at Banks Mill Studios next weekend.

Exhibition The Gallery Cromford Mill till Nov 3rd.

I'm really enjoying looking after my exhibition so far after three days there have been 300 folk through so I'm happy. Its still got time to run yet Im there till Nov 3rd if you have kids I'm running a drawing workshop at the weekend 28th 29th as part of the Discovery Days, its just a drop in and colour a hand drawn image from the Derwent Valley there is a £3 charge towards the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage who have kindly given me this space for two whole weeks.

below are some images from the show. Along with paintings that have sold. 

Please pop by if you can, I'm there most days be lovely to see you.