The Paint Brush Diaries

I'm still here!

2012-02-11T13:11:00.004Z

It has been a long while since I last posted something, but having had to go full-time at work in order to pay the bills has taken its toll on my output. I am still working though, and will have more to post in the not too distant future!

In the meantime, here is a painting I made for my mother's birthday last year, and my new website, which includes my greatest hits.

http://www.wix.com/sfullagar/stephanfullagar

Hasta pronto!

2010-12-17T14:42:00.002Z

El Enano (The Dwarf) is painted in oils on linen canvas, and measures 24 x 19 inches.

Not for sale

El Golfo

2010-09-07T17:54:00.004Z

El Golfo (The Street Arab) is approximately 5.5 x 7" and is painted in oil colour on an irregular polymer clay tile.

This is a quick painting done at the weekend, based on a stray dog I saw in Santiago, Chile. Its hair was heavily matted, dirty and tangled.

Asking Price: £125

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

2010-08-06T19:23:00.003Z

Check out my article (in Spanish and English) on Vincent van Gogh's, "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" for Londresasi.com

http://www.londresasi.com/visita-guiada-a-los-secretos-detras-del-autoretrato-de-van-gogh/

Chico con su Pelota de Fútbol

2010-08-06T18:44:00.004Z

Chico con su Pelota de Fútbol (Kid with his Football) measures approximately 16 x 17.5 cm and is painted in oils on air-drying polymer clay.

This year hasn't been a great one as far as my painting is concerned, suffering as I have from the painter's equivalent of writer's block. My attempts to paint the first of a series of planned portraits have met with failure, and - setting the large canvas aside - I have been trying to get my mojo back.

This small painting is a result of that on-going effort. It's an experiment using a different support; an irregular tile of air-drying clay instead of canvas. I think it works quite well. I like the unevenness of the surface and the irregular shape, both of which lend it a degree of dynamism. I also like the fact that it's clay - albeit polymer clay - which works well with the idea of ordinary people in daily life that I like to portray. By giving the tile two coats of primer at right angles, the surface resembles the weave of a canvas too.

Like my previous painting, this picture was inspired by my trip to Chiquiquirá in Colombia.

Asking price: £175

Para la Mesa de Navidad

2010-05-26T21:36:00.005Z

Para la Mesa de Navidad (For the Christmas Table) measures 36 x 46 cm, and is painted in oils on linen canvas.

This is a picture that I will put forward for a salon-style exhibition later in the year, which is to be held at a new gallery opened by an old friend of mine. If it is accepted, I am fully aware that it won't be liked by the majority of people who see it, but that doesn't concern me; I have painted something that I believe in. It is not intended to shock or revolt, although it probably will have that effect on those who take only a cursory glance at it.

The painting that moves me, and that I try to emulate, is the painting that shows ordinary people in everyday life, but which, nevertheless, challenges our worn-in views and values, and encourages us to see life through other eyes.

This picture shows the last moments of a pig that was slaughtered over the Christmas period a few years ago, in Chiquinquirá, Colombia. In fact, it is the scene watched so intently by the children in my previous painting, Boys Watching a Slaughter.

Asking Price: £350

Red Sky in the Morning...

2010-02-25T17:12:00.001Z

This is a small painting (14" x 18" on linen canvas) of John Sheppard, the notorious eighteenth century criminal. He sits awaiting his execution - but is still obviously thinking of an escape route. It is based on a 1728 mezzotint engraving by George White, which itself was based on a portrait by Sir James Thornhill (no longer extant). Louise, a good friend of mine at the English school, and an avid "Jack" Sheppard fan, commissioned me to paint it.

Sheppard is one of many colourful characters from London's rich history. He was a thief famous as much for his prison-breaks as for his crimes, and managed to escape from the authorities four times: twice by climbing down from the window of his cell with a rope made of bed-clothes, once by cross-dressing, and finally by picking his handcuffs with a broken ring from his leg chains. After his fifth arrest he was placed in the centre of Newgate Gaol under constant supervision, and bound with three hundred pounds of iron. A final attempt to escape, on his way to the gallows at Tyburn, was foiled at the last minute when he a knife was found in his pocket.

Jack's exploits were reported in pamphlets and celebrated in song, making him a popular celebrity. Such was his fame that Sir James Thornhill - Court Painter to George I (!) - sketched him in his cell, and 200,000 people attended his final procession to Tyburn on 16th November 1724.

This is the drawing attributed to Sir James - now in the National Portrait Gallery, London - but the painting made subsequently has not survived. Below is the mezzotint engraving by George White , made four years later, on which my version is based.

My version is an almost exact replica of the engraving, though I did not faithfully copy the face, which to me barely seems human. Working from a black and white image, and wanting to make it feel as authentic as possible, I referred to works by the great William Hogarth for colour. Hogarth was an obvious point of reference since he was not only a pupil of Sir James Thornhill's - the original artist - but also his son-in-law.

Ninos Mirando Una Matanza

2010-02-24T18:13:00.001Z

Ninos Mirando Una Matanza (Boys Watching a Slaughter) is painted in oils on linen canvas, measures 80cm x 95cm, and shows two Colombian children watching the slaughter of a pig in their back yard.

- Click on image to enlarge -

When I was visiting my best friend's grandparents in the small town of Chiquinquirá, I was unexpectedly asked if I wanted to watch the pig, which they had reared since it was a piglet, being put to the knife. It was an experience that I felt was important to have. It is all too easy to disassociate the meat we buy at the supermarket from the animal it comes from, and so I felt it necessary to witness the process firsthand.

The kill was not easy. The blow to the head with the back of the axe, intended to stun the animal, missed its mark. Three strong men promptly threw it to the ground and held it fast as the knife was plunged deeply into the throat. The squealing didn't stop for at least five minutes afterwards.

The blood pouring from the hole was collected in a green plastic bowl, while chunks of onion were cut in the hand, and thrown into it while it was still warm. When the last signs of life had passed, the carcass was lifted onto a table and shaved with sharp knives and hot water. It was at this point that I began to feel a little queasy, and retreated to the front room.

I was grateful to have had the opportunity, and honoured to have been asked by my friend's family. It was a very interesting night, but what impressed me most was not the killing, but the reactions of the boys, who were in no way discouraged from watching. In contrast to the obvious discomfort of the young woman in the background, with her arms crossed and her body leaning away, the young boy next to her leans forward, though still with some trepidation. Then there is the boy closest to us with an air of nonchalance and bravado. It intrigued me to see the way these friendly, normal kids behaved before death, and this painting brings be back full circle to the first picture I made of Ecuador - El Mercado - with the toddler standing by the cow heads.

This is the last picture I will make of my travels in South America, until I am able to go back. My return is inevitable. Latin America is still my muse, and its grip on my imagination remains firm. Until that happens, I will be working on an exciting new latin-based project with my partner, Nico.

Asking Price: £1,000

Cachupín

2009-09-16T08:21:00.004Z

"Cachupín" - 6"x6" Oils on Linen Canvas Board

"Cachupín" is Chilean Spanish for a stray dog, and this little fellow was sleeping in the La Vega Central market in Santiago.

For some time now I have been working on another large canvas inspired by a scene in Colombia, under the working title of, "Ninos Mirando a un Matanza" (or "Children watching a Slaughter"), but life recently has been quite hectic, and things haven't been going well. This small canvas of the dog is just a small present for my partner, until I can get back to the main project - which isn't as gruesome at it may sound!

The Little Prince

2009-04-13T13:17:00.003Z

This is a small 8 x 6" portrait of the artist (at the age of about 6) painted in oils on linen canvas for my dad's 70th birthday.

My family always celebrated Three Kings Day on 6th January (Epiphany) when I was a child. In Switzerland, if not elsewhere on the continent, it's celebrated by having a special currant bun cake for breakfast. Inside one of the buns a small plastic figure of a queen is hidden, and if you find it, then you are crowned king for the day.

As a boy I found this all very exciting, and I wound myself up with great expectations. If I lost to one of my brothers - as usually happened - I was completely crestfallen.

One year, when I was about 6 years old, I was so upset when I lost that my dad went out of his way to make me my own crown, which I honestly thought was much better than the one that had come with the cake. This painting is of the moment just after my own special coronation.

I painted this canvas not as an exercise in conceit, but because it symbolises everything that my dad has done on behalf of his family over the years, and it was my way of saying thank you.

Asking Price: Not for Sale

El Abuelito

2009-04-04T13:37:00.006Z

El Abuelito is painted in oils on linen canvas, measures 100 x 150 cm, and is dedicated to a very great friend of mine called, Oscar. It's a portrait of his grandfather, who I met in his home in Chiquinquirá, Colombia. [Click on image for larger picture]

The painting is a character study. Despite his age, Oscar's grandfather is still impressive; he gives off an energy which is almost palpable, and which- though he was very kind and generous to me - I found a little intimidating.

To express this interplay between physical weakness and strength of character I wanted to paint him - as best I could - in the style of an old-fashioned portrait, the sort which were painted for nobles and dignitaries in the past. I had him pose for me seated because, in pre-columbian art especially, it signifies authority and power. The size of the canvas obviously adds to the impression too; it's practically life-size. At the same time, however, the seated position also makes him seem tired, betraying his age.

Visiting Colombia was a great honour for me, and I will always be indebted to Oscar for giving me the opportunity. It is a very beautiful and fascinating country, full of warm and generous people, and I definitely want to return to visit my friends there, and to find more inspiration. Before then, however, I have a few more canvases planned from my first trip.

Asking Price: £2,750

Santiago Abstract

2009-03-14T16:50:00.003Z

Santiago Abstract measures 30 x 30cm and is painted on linen canvas board.

Work on the portrait is progressing.

Asking price: Negotiable

El Gordito

2009-03-04T16:27:00.002Z

El Gordito (the little fat man) is a small, 8"x10", sketch of a pre-columbian idol replica that I picked up on my first trip to Santiago, Chile.

Work is continuing on a large portrait that I began last year. It has been giving me quite a lot of trouble, but I am making slow progress. It has the potential to be one of my best paintings, and I hope to post it on this blog before too long.

Asking price: Best offer

Una Calabaza

2008-11-10T17:10:00.004Z

Una Calabaza (A Pumpkin) is painted in oils on linen canvas board, and measures 12" x 12".

My paintbrush as been lying idle these past few weeks while I was enjoying spring in Santiago de Chile, but I am back in the cold and wet of London now, and am eager to continue work.

I am currently working on a large portrait, begun before I left, but hope soon to start a few canvases inspired by my latest trip to South America.

The picture above was completed recently, and was inspired by the still-lifes of Van Gogh, such as this painting of lemons..

I presume it too was completed rapidly. Despite it's simplicity and crudity, I am very attracted to this work of Vincent's, and others like it, perhaps because it strikes me as unpretentious, honest, and direct; a beautiful act of impulse.

I would like to make a few more studies like this one, when I can, to complement my other Latin American paintings. Pumpkins of the kind I have painted were a common site in every market we visited in Chile, and - as I have just found out - probably originated in Mexico.

Asking Price: Sold!

The Taste of New Ideas

2008-09-16T22:04:00.019Z

Bitter is a great new website created by Nicolás Plaza - a young, Chilean journalist - to celebrate and promote all forms of creative expression, and I am very proud to be part of the first edition.

Bitter is a site that showcases independent art, and reveals the stories behind the works, and the motivations that drive the artists. Every month it will introduce five people from every creative field; painting, photography, design, among others.

The first five people presented by Bitter are Thais, the new lead singer of Chilean pop band, Saiko; Sofía Oportot, an unbridled creative talent; Felipe Santander, a graphic designer and visual artist; Muriel Miranda, a young and exciting theatre director, and myself.

The name Bitter is drawn from an analogy with chocolate; the flavour hits you, stimulates you, and then leaves a lasting, sweet aftertaste.

Go to http://www.ideasbitter.com/ to have a look, and please spread the word.

Here is a rough translation of my article, in case your Spanish is not up to par...

Stephan Fullagar is a painter from Swiss and British parentage. He lives in London, but is a lover of Latin American culture, ever since a trip he made to Ecuador. There he witnessed the realities of the indigenous people, poverty, and child exploitation; themes that are reflected in a series of his works, and which are expressed in the colours of “El Mercado de Riobamba” and “En Dios Confiamos”, two of his pictures dedicated to Latin America, his muse.

Although he has never lived in Switzerland, he recognises its influence in his work. “I believe that in the Swiss people you can see a strong appreciation for colour, a respect for tradition, a generosity of spirit, and a profound love for the land”. Stephan is referring to the origins and recurrent motivations in his work. “I hope that some, if not all, of those qualities can be seen in my paintings.”

His tendency towards realism comes from his English side. “If you look at the cinema world, in America they have hits with fantasy films made by directors such as Steven Spielberg, while in England our best films are based on everyday life; I’m talking about Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, for example. Sometimes I alter the colour or composition slightly to better express an idea, but mainly just try to record what I see.”

Another British characteristic that he has inherited is the stiff upper lip, the reserved emotional nature of the English. He feels that it has helped him to control his emotional, Swiss side.

Although he has always liked art, it was only when he began working in oils, at the age of 17, that he began to love painting. “Before, I was using watercolours and acrylics, and the results were never satisfying. I found them difficult to work with, and I thought the colours were flat and boring. When I was introduced to oils, suddenly painting became exciting. I think oil colour is much more expressive; I like the texture of the paint, its plasticity, and the richness of the colours”.

After this decisive experience with oil colour, Stephan enrolled at university to study Film and Literature. He now thinks that was a mistake, as he should have gone straight to art school, but at the time he lacked self-confidence, and he had to make the decision whether to follow an academic career, or an artistic one.

His first paintings he made were at school, and were mainly still-lifes: “Then I became a fan of Van Gogh, above all of his portraits, and so I began to paint friends and family.”

His encounter with Latin America

“I knew very little about Latin America until I met Eduardo, an Ecuadorean, in 2001. He is a very special person, and one of my closest friends. He invited me to his home country in 2003, and he introduced me to his people and culture. Ecuador, and Latin America in general, has inspired me ever since.

His first painting dedicated to Ecuador was “El Mercado, Riobamba”, which shows a small boy standing unconcerned by a heap of cow heads. According to the artist this scene is not intended to shock or disgust people; “I just wanted to present a scene of daily life in Ecuador in as honest a way as I could.”

This connection that Stephan feels with American lands has also been evident in other artists, such as Andre Breton, a French painter, who said that Latin America with, “it’s landscape, its climate, its flora, and spirit, breaks all the laws that we are subjected to in Europe.”

For Stephan the same could be said about India, Africa or China: “I think a better way of thinking about Latin America is to think of it as a kind of parallel universe. To paint about Latin America, for me as a European spectator, makes you re-consider your own opinions and attitudes.”

The indigenous people, the children, and the activity in the markets of Ecuador have been three of the subjects he has based pictures on. There are different motivations for each one. The paintings which he has made which include children, above all that one of the shoe-shine boy called, “En Dios Confiamos”, present a sad reality of Latin America: child labour.

The other great motivation was the celebration of the culture and traditions that he saw in Ecuador: “Perhaps I am attracted to those themes because I think that in England we losing our traditions, and some of our identity. As a Londoner I also feel removed from nature. I don’t have that relation with the land that I believe Andean people still have.”

Idols

When I first began learning to paint in oils I tried to imitate the style of Van Gogh. What I like about his work is his passion and his sincerity. I love his use of arbitrary colour; I love his rough and strong brushwork. I painted in that way for a long time. Now my paintings have changed, but I still try to emulate those qualities that I admire in him.”

So Stephan relates his feelings for the people that have influenced his work, including Charles Chaplin, who has been another great inspiration for this artist. “I have learnt a lot from watching his films. If you look at him, there is so much grace and beauty in his movements, like a ballet dancer, and in my compositions I try to capture a sense of rhythm too. It’s a great way to express energy and feeling.”

After a couple of paintings based on the streets of London, Stephan Fullagar has returned to his theme of Latin America. “My goal now is to paint some canvases about Colombia and Chile which, with my Ecuadorean ones, will make up my first solo show.”

Gracias, Nico, por esta oportunidad. TFA

La Escultura

2008-08-29T15:54:00.006Z

Much as I love London my interest in painting it soon cooled, despite a positive response to the two small canvases I made. My muse remains stubbornly in Latin America, and while that's the case, it's what I have to paint.

Here is my latest piece, a view from Alausí, Ecuador. It measures 48 x 12 inches, and is painted on linen canvas. [I'm afraid it's not a great photo, but if you click on the image, you should be able to get a closer look at it.]

"Escultura" means a carving or sculpture, and this picture shows how the landscape has been shaped just as much - if not more - by man and his industry, as it has been by the weather.

This is probably the last painting I will make of Ecuador, until I get a chance to go back, but I am now planning to paint several more of South America - of Colombia and Chile - so that I have enough pieces for a solo show.

Here's a picture of me taken as I was just starting the painting. I hope you are all suitably impressed by my velcro easel. Perhaps I should patent it.

Asking Price (for the painting): £675

El Mercado Prints

2008-08-10T14:56:00.002Z

By far the most popular painting I have done to date has been the market scene, which I sold earlier this year. I have now had it professionally photographed, and 52 x 52cm high-quality prints on fine-art paper are now available on request.

Price: £200

It's showtime!!!

2008-06-30T20:06:00.002Z

My last two paintings will be on show at the Jayglo Gallery from 4th - 10th July. I'll be at the private view on Thursday, and on Friday evening too, when there'll be a live dj. So, come along!

The closest station is Liverpool Street, and it's only a 10-15 min walk or short bus trip from there, near Brick Lane.

Cheers,

Stephan

The Hungerford Bridge

2008-06-15T10:14:00.008Z

Here's my second London scene. Measuring 10" x 8", the scene (underneath The Hungerford Bridge looking towards the northern bank of the Thames) is painted in oils on linen canvas. On the left, through the gap between the Hungerford bridge and the new walkway, one of the ships moored on the Thames can be seen.

The inspiration for this, and my previous London painting, was taken from the Welsh landscape painter Thomas Jones (1742 - 1803), who I discovered at the National Gallery. Paintings like this one at the NG..

... and this one at the National Museum Cardiff (which I found on the internet)..

..impressed me by their simplicity, unusual composition (especially for their time), and calm. I tried to emulate them in my two small canvases.

Both paintings will soon be on display in a London-themed show being organised by a friend of mine in July. I will post more details shortly.

Asking price: SOLD!

The Market Scene is SOLD!

2008-04-16T08:16:00.002Z

The market scene from Riobamba has probably been the most popular work I've done. Even when I was trying to show people other work which I was proud of, people always went back to that one.

It took about a year to complete, with long periods of "resting"; in fact on more than one occasion I had decided to abandon it all together, but it seems to have paid off.

I have been considering painting new, smaller canvases based on details of the same scene, so if you're interested, let me know.

Cheers!

Gremlins

2008-04-07T19:11:00.004Z

I have received a couple of comments recently which I have not been able to read. When I try to access them I get sirens and flashing windows instead, warning me of possible viruses.

(Sorry Grogal and Dumuro!)

If you would like to let me know what you think of my work try sending me an e-mail instead (found in the profile section), and - if you like - I can try entering them as comments myself.

Thanks for your interest, and all the positive comments I've had so far!

Stephan

London: A Sunday Morning in Winter

2008-04-05T17:12:00.008Z

This is my first London painting. It measures only 8" x 6", and is painted on linen canvas.

I am currently re-discovering this city; reading about its history, and exploring new areas. It's all research for my next series of paintings. I have yet to determine which aspect of London I want to examine first - the choice is almost infinite - but I hope that in each painting I will be able to capture some of its character.

I also have to consider the style of painting I use. This painting is quite tight and detailed, but I think a looser approach may be better to express the speed, energy, and vitality of London life.

Asking price: SOLD!

Ghosts and Empanadas

2008-02-18T16:59:00.008Z

Ghosts and Empanadas is painted in oils on linen canvas, and measures 24" x 60".

This was a scene I saw from the roof-top of a train as we were passing through Guamote, on our way to El Niez del Diablo (the Devil's Nose). My previous picture, "On My Mother's Back", was a study for this.

As street vendors busied themselves selling souvenirs, food and drink to the happy gringos, this couple - a poor indigenous boy on his young mother's back - wandered silently and mournfully through like ghosts, occasionally stopping with an outstretched hand in the hope of a little charity. It was a reminder of the grim reality that lay behind all the colourful trinkets and picture postcards spread before us.

This is the last of the Ecuador paintings, and for that reason I would like to dedicate it to my great friend, Eduardo, who first inspired my love for Latin America, and who has always been a source of support and encouragement over the years. Gracias, Mop!

Despite a recent trip to Chile and Colombia, I have decided that I must now find inspiration closer to home. Living so far away from South America means I do not have the necessary access to material I can paint and, as an outsider who has never lived there, I am worried that I am not in a position to comment too much about it anyway. Paint what you know. Consequently - and inspired by another very great friend of mine, Nico - London, my home, will be next subject.

Asking Price: £1,750

En la Espalda de mi Madre - On my Mother's Back

2007-10-31T17:08:00.001Z

This this my latest work. It's a small painting (6" x 8") of a very young boy who's riding on his mother's back in Guamote, Ecuador.

It's a study for a much larger canvas that I have been thinking of doing, which would include the full-length figure of his Indian mother, as well as that of an empanada seller.

Describing it to a friend I explained that in it I wanted to express the ideas, " of vulnerability, support, love, and hope."

Asking price: £75

The Market Scene

2007-10-10T17:59:00.001Z

Oil on linen canvas, 36" x 36"

Asking price: SOLD!

(Click on image for a closer look)

Hola!

2007-09-04T17:42:00.001Z

It's been a while, I know, but I have not been inactive.

Rather than being a way of advertising my work this blog seems to have become a way for my friends and family to keep tabs on me, so more than anything else this post is to let you all know that I'm alive and well!

This is a little painting (6" x 8") showing a small mexican idol (probably made in the 1920's) which I recently bought from an antiques stall in Angel Islington. The idol also doubles up as a musical instrument (there's a hole to blow into at the top of the head-dress; the holes on the side are for the fingers).

I have also started working on a still-life, but it's fairly complicated, so it's taking its sweet time getting finished. Hopefully it won't be too long before I'll post a picture of the finished article.

I have turned my back on the market scene that I was working on. I think it's a lost cause, but I have been encouraged to finish it. Perhaps I will one day, but right now I wince to look at it.

In other news my sister-in-law, Leigh, has recenly completed a mural I designed for my nephew's bedroom. They live in France, so I couldn't paint it myself, but Leigh was obviously able to do very well without me. I drew the design full-scale, and sent the tracings.

Could this be the start of another career for me? Who knows.

Till next time,

Stephan

Asking price: £150

Picante pero Sabroso

2007-05-14T13:40:00.001Z

"When I was a young man I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. I didn't want to be a failure, so I did ten times more work." - George Bernard Shaw

So far, this has been a slow year full of false-starts and failures, and I feel it's time to adopt Mr Shaw's philosophy. I hope to post more regularly from now on. But I warn you, it may not be a pretty sight.

This small canvas, "Picante pero Sabroso" ("Hot but flavourful") was inspired by Velasquez's "Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" - which is another way of saying, "I felt like painting some chilli and garlic". It's quite a nice, decorative piece, but I failed in what I was trying to do; Velasquez could do so much with so little, and I can do so little with so much.

Time, I think, for another Shaw quotation;

"A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself."

Asking price; £200

Carnaval del Pueblo

2007-05-14T13:23:00.000Z

Every summer London hosts El Carnaval del Pueblo in Southwark. For a day Burgess Park is filled with the rhythms, colours, and cooking smells of Spanish America. It is an intoxicating atmosphere.

For me, the most impressive thing is the show of national pride. Flags are waved, costumes are worn, traditional food is savoured, and huge cheers resound at the slightest mention of, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela, or Peru.

Having been brought up in England this feeling of national pride is quite alien, since - unless we're in a football stadium - we almost seem to be ashamed of our heritage. Standing in that latin crowd a couple of years ago, caught in the moment, I remember wishing - very badly - that I were south american, so that I could be part of it too.

"Belonging" (oil on canvas 6" x 10")

Commission!

2007-03-10T10:36:00.000Z

I was recently commissioned by a lady I met to paint the portrait of a friend of hers. Never having met the guy, and with several but dissimilar photographs of him, it was difficult to know how closely what I was painting resembled him. I ended up painting two canvases the first of which is above, and the second below.

It all ended very happily this week with her buying both canvases. It marks an important milestone in my career; it's the first time I have sold any of my work to someone who isn't a close personal friend or a family member! Before long I shall have conquered the world.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the market place scene is resting again until I regain my enthusiasm for it. Until that happens I will be working on some small still-lifes.

Una Muchacha

2006-11-16T13:08:00.000Z

There's nothing like a sale to restore a little confidence, and after the Cuenca painting went I decided to return to the dreaded market scene. It's a fairly large canvas (36"x36") and it's taking a lot of time and work, but so far so good. I still get the odd twinge of self-doubt, but nothing a stiff whisky (or three) can't sort out.

It will be a little time yet before I post the finished article, but here's a nice detail to keep you amused 'till then. The head is roughly the size of a fifty-pence piece.

El Cochinito Corredor

2006-10-27T09:03:00.001Z

Just a bit of fun while I prepare some new canvases, El Cochinito Corredor (The Running Pig) measures 6 x 8 inches and is painted on linen canvas.

Asking price: Sold!

Sketch - Laundry on the Banks of Río Tomebamba

2006-10-20T10:58:00.000Z

Sketch - Laundry on the Banks of Río Tomebamba is painted on coarse linen canvas, and measures only 8 x 6 inches. Clothes of an Indian family lie drying on the ground. A path divides the painting in two, just as the river divides the city of Cuenca.

When the Inca Tupac Yupanqui conquered the Cañari Indians he ordered the construction of a city, Tomebamba, that was to rival the splendor of Cuzco in Peru. No-one knows what happened to it, but by 1547 it already lay in ruins. It is now a very fine colonial city called Cuenca, which still harbours remnants of its Incan past; the Incan speciality of roasted guinea-pig is still a favourite there, and Ecuador's most important Incan ruins lie a bus ride away.

Here endeth the history lesson.

Of all the places I went to in Ecuador, Cuenca is perhaps the one I am most eager to re-visit. It is a beautiful city, full of life. It is a place where the ancient past and the modern live in close proximity to each other, and for the most part get along just fine.

An Incidental Anecdote:

During our last night in Cuenca we were awoken by the screams of a woman on the floor above, and the deep voices of men trying to placate her. The young manager of the hotel told us the next morning that she had been a prostitute, who had tried to stab her client when he had refused to pay her. He told us all this as he sat on the stairs calmly picking at his feet with the very knife she had brandished; it seemed to be a scenario he was well acquainted with. The hotel staff seemed to be more disturbed by the fact that we ordered our coffee once again "sin azúcar" (without sugar).

Asking price: SOLD!

Morbid, moi? - La Merienda en Cuenca

2006-10-04T13:40:00.004Z

When I mentioned to my family and friends that I had begun painting a pork roast which had been carved down to the back-bone I was accused of being morbid. Looking at the entries that I've posted so far on this blog I have to admit that the case for the prosecution seems pretty strong; my portfolio until now has been largely made up of severed cow-heads and dead wasps (all of which are still available to buy, by the way - ahem).

I have to admit that I do have a sensibility that is drawn to macabre subject matter that others may find unpalatable, but I don't think that there is anything unhealthy in this. I lean towards the Mexican philosophy of death which takes it as an integral part of life; something which can be celebrated, even laughed at. Shying away from the subject does no good whatsoever.

There is no pessimism or horror in my paintings of Ecuador. What I have aimed to do is to simply record scenes from daily life as faithfully and as beautifully as I can. If that challenges people then so much the better. The intention is to show life as it is, not as it is presented in guidebooks.

La Merienda en Cuenca (Supper in Cuenca) shows the remains of a pork roast resting on its metal support outside a restaurant. Below it, a battered metal bowl, a salt shaker, and plate lie on a table which is otherwise covered with scraps of meat and gristle. Behind, in the darkness, a Coca-Cola sign and a woman wearing an apron can just be made out. It measures 54 x 36 inches and is painted on 120z Cotton Duck canvas.

Asking price: £1,500.

An American in Paris

2006-08-30T11:45:00.000Z

In an early scene from Gene Kelly's An American in Paris his character, Jerry Mulligan, is seen setting up his stall of paintings in Montmartre. A well-to-lady, Milo Roberts, comes by and asks him how much his paintings are. "Gee, I don't know!" he cries.

"You don't know?"

"Well, " explains Jerry, "I never thought I'd come to the point where that would be an issue."

Recently a real-life Milo asked this Jerry the same question, and I'm afraid I had to give much the same answer. To set this right I have now re-edited my previous posts with an asking price included for those paintings that are for sale. Please send me an e-mail if you're interested; they make great Christmas presents.

As for the market scene that I was working on, the fear that I felt before starting it proved justified. I have put it aside for a while and will return once my hair has grown back. In the meantime I have been painting a roast pig that I saw in Cuenca. It's perhaps a bit morbid, and reminiscent of my earlier cow-heads picture, but should turn out well nevertheless. I hope to post the result before too long.

Dead Wasp on Pencil Markings

2006-08-07T15:52:00.000Z

OK, just one more....

Dead Wasp on Pencil Markings is the last picture in the series, painted on another 6x6 inch canvas.

I now realise that the saying about never working with children or animals includes dead insects too. Whenever I thought I had found another interesting angle, the wasp moved. I would coax it back into position with a pair of tweezers and a scalpel blade, but it didn't last; the model had lost its nerve.

After playing around like this for a while it was starting to lose other things too; a leg here, a leg there, part of an antenna. Fortunately it wasn't much longer before we came to an agreement.

Back to the marketplace tomorrow I promise!

Asking Price: SOLD!

Dead Wasp with Two Shadows

2006-08-07T15:44:00.000Z

Painting the wasp was so much fun that I had to try it again, and I am particularly pleased how this one turned out. Natural light came through my studio window from behind, and my work lamp shone on the wasp from the front, giving it two shadows and adding interest and dynamism to the composition.

Asking price: SOLD!

Work on the market scene continues...

Interlude - The Wasp

2006-07-28T16:01:00.000Z

It's taken a while for me to get into the swing of the new Ecuador painting. There are so many different things to include, and so many different colours to mix for it, that it's been very "stop and start". After working on it for days it didn't look as though I had done much more than a couple of hour's worth.

To make myself feel better I painted this quick study of a dead wasp. At 6 x 6" it's a very small painting, but it has a certain amount of rhythm and energy; qualities that I love in a painting.

Over the past few months I have been visiting the National Gallery a lot, partly to improve what little I know of Art History, but mostly just to get fired up. On a recent trip there I spent some time looking at Botticelli's "Venus and Mars", one of my favourites in the collection. It was the wasps buzzing around Mars' head (just visible on the extreme right) that stuck in my mind and triggered my sketch. Once I had found a subject, and glued it to a bit of card (!), I was away.

Asking Price: SOLD!

The Fear

2006-07-14T16:35:00.000Z

Beginning a new painting can sometimes be a nerve-wracking ordeal. It's much like jumping into a pool of cool water on a hot day; the will is there, but the dread of the initial shock paralyses you into inaction. Ridiculous I know, but I am not alone in this. An old work colleague of mine used to refer to it as, "The Fear".

After a few false starts, I have taken the plunge and am painting a new market scene from Riobamba. It's full of detail so may take some time to complete, but so far so good. Rather than painting a panoramic view I have decided instead
on a fairly large square canvas (36"x36"). By limiting the view, you get a sense of being there yourself, jostling against the other people. The picture also has some strong verticals which gives the picture depth. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. In the meantime, here are a few details from the initial sketch.

* I have recently found out that some people have had difficulty leaving comments. Apologies if this applies to you. I'm not sure how to fix it, so please e-mail me with anything you would like to say. Cheers!

Stephan Fullagar - The Paint Brush Diaries

A Nice Little Earner

2006-07-10T10:45:00.000Z

A very good friend of mine commissioned me to paint this 12x12 inch portrait of his son, which I completed soon after "En Dios..." last month. It earned me some welcome pocket-money, and this makes it my first success since I began my life as an artist!

On the odd occasion when I picked up my brush after leaving university my painting style still showed the influence of van Gogh, as this still life of a Swiss zupfe bread shows. Although I liked the results - I am still very fond of this picture - I felt a need to break this habit. Up to this point I had made the short, brisk strokes using the side of a "short-bright" hog brush. To change this I just started using the flat of the brush instead. The following portraits of James and Javier were the first pictures that I painted using this new "revolutionary" technique.

It was not a huge advance, I grant you, but I liked the sense of spontaneity that it lent the painting, and at the very least it made me pay more attention to changes of tone. It was a style that I pursued, not always successfully, until fairly recently. The portrait of my friend's son, as well as my work on Ecuador, shows a mellowing of this approach.

Stephan Fullagar - The Paint Brush Diaries

En Dios Confiamos

2006-07-09T17:39:00.002Z

This is a life-size portrait of a Quitenian shoe-shine boy. It's painted on linen canvas and measures 32x54 inches, and was completed a month ago.

I had never been to a third world country before I went to Ecuador, and the experience of children begging to clean your shoes for a few coins was deeply affecting. If you declined, the mournful protestation - "Si! Si! Si!" - was heart-breaking, and the memory still nags at my conscience. I wanted to paint this uncomfortable picture to move others as I was moved.

For a while I was unsure whether to include a background or not, and at one point I even sketched in a part of the Plaza de la Independencia where I met the boy. I eventually decided against the idea however, as it seemed to sentimentalize the portrait. For the image to work it had to be shocking and immediate. By painting him against a plain background he confronts the viewer more powerfully. At the same time, as there are no other distractions, you are forced to focus on him alone; his expression, his body language, and his clothing, and consequently to wonder about his situation.

The title, "En Dios Confiamos" is painted ambiguously on a rectangle at the bottom left of the portrait. It is a translation into Spanish of "In God We Trust"; in 2000 Ecuador adopted the US Dollar as its currency, and this phrase - in English - appears on their One Dollar coin. As a result it refers both to the change that these children depend on, as well as our own hope that this situation will improve.

"En Dios..." turned out very much as I first conceived it. It was only later when I re-discovered, "The Boy with the Club-Foot" by Jusepe de Ribera, and Edouard Manet's, "The Fife Player" in re-productions, that I realised the similarities. The influence must have been subliminal; I saw them both in Paris in 1997 at the Louvre and at the Musee d'Orsay. I'm afraid my work suffers greatly by comparison, but at least it shows that I was on the right track.

Asking Price: £1,750

El Mercado, Riobamba

2006-07-06T10:20:00.001Z

This is the first canvas that I completed after leaving work. It shows a street corner where severed cow heads have been unloaded onto the pavement by the market in Riobamba, Ecuador. A few figures gather round, presumably waiting to buy them; plastic bags, paper, plantain skins, and grass lie scattered on the floor. A mother stands at the far right with her son and daughter. The rear wheel of a car can just be made out on the other side of the street. Painted on linen canvas it measures 45x31 inches.

I was attracted to the image by the interesting play between the row of heads and the emotionless face of the small indigenous boy. His expression, and his sister's total lack of interest tempers the horror, showing us that this is not a scene of grand guignol but a fact of every day life, something that they are used to seeing, something familiar. I tried to convey this view further by painting the heads in such a way that they no longer seemed grotesque, in fact almost looked beautiful; a fold of flesh and skin on the far left of the picture even reminds me of a petal in van Gogh's "Irises". The benevolent smile of the cow closest to you was not invented but caused, I think, by the snout pressing against the ground.

I worked infrequently on this picture for two years, and it was only once I had left the art shop that I could devote myself fully to it. In fact it was the frustration I felt at not being able to work on it regularly that lead me to leave, and when I did, the canvas was completed within a week.

Asking Price: £3,000

First Steps - Building a Portfolio

2006-07-05T15:06:00.000Z

In 2003 I travelled to Ecuador, and since then Latin America has become my muse. This painting was the first canvas that I completed on my return. It's based on Gauguin's "Still Life with Three Puppies", using as a composition three dollar coins, two mangoes, and a clay idol at its heart. It's painted on linen stretched over an oval MDF panel which measures 19 inches across.
It's not a style that I usually adopt, but the ambigous subject matter and colour scheme fascinated me so much that I had to try and emulate it. You'll be the judge of how successful I have been.

This was to have been the first of a series of about twenty canvases to be made for an exhibition based on my time in South America. I now realise that I do not have enough strong material to achieve that goal. I am planning another trip to Latin America shortly, so a similar exhibition will happen before too long, but until that happens I'll have to keep building up a body of work on other themes, and find other ways to display my work.

Preliminary Sketch

2006-07-05T13:46:00.000Z

It's been two months now since I left work to become a painter. It may have been a foolish decision, time will tell, but it was something that I had to do. With any luck conviction, enthusiasm, and a highly developed sense of humour should see me through.

I started painting in oils when I was seventeen, and at once fell in love. The colours, the texture, the plasticity, the smell even, gripped my imagination. I developed a love of van Gogh early on, and tried to emulate his style and passion; wiping my brush on the clothes that I was wearing (rather than rinsing them with turps) so as to keep up with the flow of inspiration. The colours may have suffered a little as a result - I may have even invented a few new browns - but my passion and eagerness to learn earned me the respect of my teachers, and a few good grades.

Unfortunately that was the end of my official training. At university I chose a more academic subject for the sake of the "Real World", and my output dwindled. With the lack of instruction and guidance, uncertainty and a fear of failure grew rapidly, and the paint brush was left neglected for ever longer periods of time.

After a string of brief and unsatisfying jobs I found work in an art materials shop in north London, and for the last four years it has been like an art school for me. It was an Aladdin's Cave of colour and canvas run by a team of young and impassioned artists. From them I began to learn the practical side of painting. At school the only preparation required was a coat or two of linseed oil and turps on a sheet of parcel paper, now I was learning about the different types of canvas, how to stretch them over the bars, how to prepare them for painting - the smell of rabbit skin glue! - and how to build the picture with ever fatter layers of paint. Needless to say in an environment such as this my love of painting began to warm again, and I tentatively returned to my easel.

My confidence grew after exhibiting in two staff shows, and winning first prize in a company competition, but finding a place to work, and the time to work in, proved more difficult. I managed to turn out the occassional canvas over the years, but my frustration and shame at not producing more became unbearable, and I recently took the plunge. The voice of reason is still protesting in my head, but I am not prepared to go to my grave quietly muttering to myself, "what if?"

This blog will chart the stumbles, falls and successes on my road to becoming a professional artist. Any constructive criticism, advice, or suggestions would be very welcome, as would your thoughts about art in general, and news about your own work.

I hope you enjoy it.

Stephan Fullagar