Our demonstrator for October was Alan Bull. He presented a demonstration in acrylic.
The meeting was held in the Guild Hall, First Congregational Church (middle side door), Sanborn Street, Reading, Wednesday October 13th, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
We have some photographs of the event in case you could not make it there in person. You can click on any of the images on this page to view a larger version of it. Then, use the Back button on your browser to return to this page.
In the demonstration tonight, Alan demonstrated a technique where he used a very limited pallette. He used only two colors, burnt sienna and Prussian blue. He did not use white, but worked the pigments in a manner that is similar to the technique used in watercolor painting.
Alan paints on wood panels that he buys and then gessoes himself.
In the photo above, you can see the panel, ready to receive the painting.
His subject was a front end loader and some logs.
He sketched the picture using just a brush.
He continuted to fill in the large shapes with his two
pigments, producing a more or less monochromatic image.
As the picture progressed, he added more color to it.
The image emerges as Alan adds details to it.
Here is the final painting.
If you would like to see more of Alan's work, you can visit his web page, http://www.alanbull.com/
Known for his diversified subject matter and use of media, Newburyport Artist Alan Bull has earned special recognition for his paintings and monotypes of the New England agricultural landscape. Originally from Old Town, Maine, Alan received his BFA at the Philadelphia College of Art and worked as a portrait artist, theatrical set painter, poster artist, muralist and studio assistant to Glass Artist Dan Dailey before embarking on a career as a painter and illustrator.
Especially popular are Alan's renderings of old farm trucks, left to weather in the fields of Maine and Long Island's North Fork. The artist's passion for rural motifs and landmarks was inspired by his own family's farms in Mapleton, ME, and Orient, NY, and developed during his assignment as artist-in-residence at the William Steeple Davis House in Orient.
Exhibitions have included shows in New York, London, Boston, Rockland and Portland, ME. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Believer, The Boston Globe and The New York Times. Alan is currently working on a series of Delft-style ceramic tiles, and he regularly offers classes in drawing and painting at his studio in Newburyport.