Mixed Media Pieces – Burnham Art Trail 2024

A visit to the community allotment in Burnham-on-Crouch inspired me to make some mixed media paintings of seeds, bark and flowers for this year’s Burnham Art Trail which takes place during the last week in June.sunflower seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I started with sunflower seeds – they are so graphic and the black and white shells really mix well with colour.runner bean seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I wanted to work in a way that was freer than my usual pen and wash approach – with rougher lines and more abstract shapes.

sunflower seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I also wanted to use a wider range of materials.

sunflower seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

After the sunflower seeds I moved onto runner bean seeds.

runner bean seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

Runner bean seeds are such a beautiful colour – that glorious pinky-mauve with the abstract black markings.

runner bean seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I used black permanent marker pens in various thickness for the outlines and backgrounds of these paintings. They are much broader than the water resistant pens I usually use and I really like the way they bleed into the watercolour paper, accentuating its texture.

runner bean seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

The base colour I used on all these pieces was watercolour paint.

As well as flat washes, I also added watercolour paint in splatters and printed circular shapes using the rim of a glass.

runner bean seeds, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

Then I went on to add marks with ink and acrylic paint, using nibs and brushes.

poppy seedheads, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

After the runner bean seeds I moved on to poppy seedheads, I was attracted more by the shape of the seedheads than their colour.

poppy seedheads, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I also used coloured pencils and metallic pens and inks.

poppy seedheads, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I found that charcoal and pastels gave an interesting finish on the rough texture of the watercolour paper.

poppy seedheads, seeds, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

And scraping the pastel with a blade gave a satisfyingly intense dusting of colour which I set with hairspray.

lichen, bark, twigs, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I was particularly pleased with how the splatter and the pastel dust worked on my depiction of the these lichenous twigs. I’d really started appreciating the colours of lichen on tree bark during the winter months when there’s so little other colour around.

acorns, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

As well as being beautiful, the seeds are impressive because of their huge potential, that’s especially true of the acorn.

acorns, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastelacorns, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

Marigolds caught my eye next. They give vibrant splashes of colour in the garden nearly all year round.

marigolds, flowers, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

As well as being self-seeding, the marigolds have insect repellent properties so it’s great to have them growing in the greenhouse.

marigolds, flowers, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

For this year’s Burnham Art Trail I’m showing my paintings in the potting shed of the wonderful Moroccan inspired garden of Frances Franklin – Venue number 4. It seems very apt to be showing these paintings of seeds, bark and flowers in a garden shed.

Here’s a link to the Art Trail map.marigolds, flowers, mixed media, pen and wash, marker pen, felt tip, watercolour, coloured, pencil, ink, metalic pen, pastel

I painted the smaller artworks in threes. I tore the paper to separate them once they were finished, mounted them and glued them onto blank greetings cards which I plan to hang in the shed from twine like bunting.may blossom, may, blossom, hawthorn, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic glitter, pastelThe last set of paintings I made have lighter feel; no black marker pen this time.may blossom, may, blossom, hawthorn, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic glitter, pastelThe May blossom arrived with the spring and the white flowers and buds shone out like stars against the blue sky.

may blossom, may, blossom, hawthorn, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic glitter, pastel

During Art Trail week, I made the mixed media poppy paintings below, while enjoying lovely company and weather at my Art Trail venue in Fernlea Road.

poppy, flower, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic ink, pastel, marker pen, flowers, greetings cards, art for sale

poppy, flower, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic ink, pastel, marker pen, flowers, greetings cards, art for sale poppy, flower, mixed media, felt tip, watercolour, coloured pencil, metalic ink, pastel, marker pen, flowers, greetings cards, art for sale

Do check out my Art Trail post to see photos of my artwork installed at my venue.

Pen and Wash Demonstration for Burnham Art Club

I chose this beautiful white weatherboard house as the subject of my recent pen and wash demonstration for Burnham Art Club.

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My painter’s eye was drawn by the symmetry, bold outlines and interesting shapes…and also by the weatherboard bin store!

kathryn hockey, artist, illustrator, drawing, painter, pen and wash, watercolour, burnham on crouch, burnham art club, building, weatherboard, house, landscape

Many thanks for the invitation to share my tips and techniques, and for such a kind and attentive reception from all the lovely art club members who came along.

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It was my first demo so I was a bit nervous beforehand, but once I got going I really enjoyed it.

kathryn hockey, artist, illustrator, drawing, painter, pen and wash, watercolour, burnham on crouch, burnham art club, building, weatherboard, house, landscape

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Swan Hotel Custom Print

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This Swan Hotel custom print was an 80th birthday gift for an ex-landlord of the iconic Maldon establishment from his family.

I may have mentioned before that Marc Bolan, David Bowie (Jones at the time) and Joe Cocker all played gigs in the back room in the 60s!

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A3 prints of my Maldon High Street series parts 1-8 and any of the individual buildings included in those paintings are now available to order. Please drop me a line.

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Maldon House Commission


maldon, essex, town house, house, illustration, landscape, commission, architectureDelighted to complete this pen and wash commission of an elegant Maldon townhouse for its splendid owner.

Please get in touch if you’d like a portrait of your own beautiful home.

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Little Totham Church Commission

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I was commissioned to make a drawing of Little Totham Church for a wedding anniversary gift. It really is a beautiful building.

Burnham Bungalow Commission

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Very pleased to complete this pen and wash commission of a lovely Burnham bungalow for a lovely person.

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Please get in touch if you’d like a portrait of your beautiful home!

 

Burnham Art Club Exhibition 2023

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Very pleased to take my place amongst the startlingly impressive and varied output of the excellent Burnham Art Club members who always show their collective work at the end of August to coincide with Burnham week. Lovely to meet visitors and fellow artists and to make some sales and purchases!

“Looking Up” – Pen and Wash Portraits of Maldon High Street

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I was delighted to show my pen and wash portraits of beautiful Maldon High Street in the Maeldune Centre, at the top of Market Hill, Maldon, from 17th August to 2nd September 2023.

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Here I am on the launch night, sitting in front of the half size fine art prints I had made of the original paintings. Click here to find out more about the prints and buy them.

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The exhibition had a tremendously generous reception from Maeldune Centre visitors and volunteers alike. By far the star of the show was the black and white print I had made for the table tops in the centre of the gallery. People had great fun colouring it in and writing on it; the comments and shared memories of Maldon High Street were really touching. As the exhibition drew to a close the Maldon Society photographed it for their archive – I was truly honoured.

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looking up, exhibition, maeldune centre, maldon, high street, pen and wash, buildings, architecture, colouring in, community project, kathryn hockey, artist, illustrator, mayor, share memories, art for sale, visit maldon, essex

Maldon’s mayor, Andrew Lay, and young Blake hone their colouring skills at the launch party.

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Maldon historian Stephen Nunn visited a couple of times and I was able to add some fascinating facts about the High Street to the interactive artwork as he dictated. Here he is with my dad, Ron, who was also very enthusiastic and generous with his High Street memories. 

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Click this link to see a video of the interactive artwork and learn some fun and fascinating facts!

The Maldon Society is in the process of adding photos of the interactive piece and digital versions of the original paintings to their archive. I am truly an honour.

Here’s what Stephen said about the exhibition along with some other reviews:

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Pen and Wash Portraits of Maldon High Street

I was born in Maldon (as was my dad), and I lived there until I was 18 so I feel a very strong bond with the place despite having lived away for 30 plus years.

 I decided to paint some of Maldon’s most beautiful buildings. 

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While I was taking reference photos I got the urge to paint all the façades from the old police station in West Square down to the Rose & Crown on the corner of Butt Lane. 

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Part of the loveliness of buildings comes from their relationship to their neighbours; that’s something we could also say about ourselves.

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That stretch of High Street was too long to fit onto one piece of paper so I divided it into eight sections and started making rough sketches. Then I challenged myself to finish all the paintings in a year and exhibit them at the Maeldune Heritage Centre, which is one of the buildings included in the series.


kathryn hockey, artist, illustrator, art, exhibition, maeldune centre, maldon, high street, pen and wash, pen, watercolour, drawing, paintings, illustration, buildings, architecture, essex, art for sale, moot hall, fine art prints, maeldune heritage centre, exhibition, mrs salisburys, coles, timpsons, kate lifestyleThe exhibition is called “Looking Up” because it occured to me, while I was taking the reference photos, how rarely I take the time to stop, stand still for a while, look up and really appreciate my surroundings. Perhaps you’re the same?

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And since I’ve painted these buildings I’ve notice that they’ve become more vibrant to me. I mean that when I walk or drive past them now, they seem brighter and more alive. It’s as if by getting to know all the little details of their faces I’ve made friends with them!

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The exhibition ran from 17th August to the 5th September 2023. Many people dropped in to see the paintings and the low tech interactive element – they did some colouring in and shared their High Street memories on the large black and white print in the centre of the gallery.

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Please contact me if you’d like to purchase or exhibit any of my original Maldon High Street paintings.

Fine Art Prints

I’ve had some beautiful fine art prints made which capture the essence of the original paintings at half their size. Please click here to contact me if you’d like to buy prints.

The ink is lightfast, so it won’t deteriorate over time and the museum quality paper is Hahnemuhle William Turner 310gsm, which has a texture and weight similar to the watercolour paper on which I painted the originals.

Exhibition

Read about my summer exhibition at the Maeldune Heritage Centre here.