Diary of a Painter

House / Studio Swap

Laura — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:22:25 +0000

We are heading to North Devon in England for a year’s sabbatical – intensive art training - June 2012 to June 2013 -

Ideally it would be great to find an artist(s) or craftsperson(s) who would be interested in swapping both home and studio space with us for the year or perhaps 2 different swaps for 6 months each.

We have an outdoor studio suitable for 2 & 3D work and an indoor studio suitable for 2D work as well as a fully equipped wood workshop.

We could also rent the house at an affordable rent if you are not able to swap with the location we need ( a 20 minute radius of Shebear, North Devon).

The house, Mas du Diable, is a 800 year old stone-built farmstead in the Cevennes mountains of southern France. Lovely ancient accommodation with a modern injection to make it cosy, stylish and comfortable inside. It has 4 bedrooms (2 currently used as workrooms) master bedroom with en suite, fully fitted cooks kitchen, pantry, lounge/dinning room with traditional fireplace, large sun filled reception room and another family bathroom.

There is a 1.8km dirt track to the house which is built into the rock below the crest of a mountain. It has its own source and a special microclimate making it possible to grow all kinds of exotic crops. Check out the kitchen garden on my blog www.masdudiable.com

Located in a tranquil, rural spot in the northern part of Langedoc Rousillon close to the Ardeche with great canoeing. The Cevennes mountains are wonderful walking country and the house is situated near to one of the many GR paths running through France.
There’s a real food market in the nearby town of Grand Combe on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Ales is the nearest big town, with all facilities and art materials, about 35 minutes away by car.

A vehicle is available with the house if necessary.

We have 5 cats and feed a local population of friendly wild cats. So anyone staying at our house would need to feed the cats for us. We are both practical and respectful of the environment and are hoping to swap with like minded people who will care and look after our home in the same way we would look after theirs. Drop me an email via the contacts page if you are interested.

Nine Acres Poet selects my painting as book cover

Laura — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:19:21 +0000

One of my paintings of the vegetables I grow Broad Bean Pod has been selected as the image on the cover of a new book of Poetry, Nine Acres, by Nathaniel Perry. The book is the winner of the annual American Poetry Review’s Honickman First Book Prize and will be published in September 2011.

Proof cover of Nine Acres

Nine Acres was chosen from a submission of over 1,000 manuscripts so well done to Nathaniel and thanks go to him for selecting my work to illustrate his poetry. I am truly delighted and I look forward to reading his poems.

American Poetry Review

New Website

Laura — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:32:53 +0000

I’ve just put together a new website for my artwork. This new site is where I will be posting recent work and the whole thing will be more of a portfolio. Diary of a Painter will remain but I’ll use it more as a blog about art, culture and painting, rather than to show work. I hope you’ll visit the new site and join up for emails of new work as it is posted.

Laura Hudson Studio

Preparing for a new show

Laura — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:29:08 +0000

I haven’t been posting pics of individual work since Christmas as I have been working on a show here in France that will open mid February so it has been full on. I have been working on about 12 landscapes for the show simultaneously. It has been interesting to work all the pieces up, rather than finishing one and moving on. My style can change according to the moment and how i feel in response to what is in front of me so working in this way has brought the individual pieces more in tune with each other as a whole. An interesting way of working. It also seems to have helped as I am painting landscapes from nature and, moment to moment, the light changes, the sky darkens, mists descend and the colours change madly – we even had a snow storm where nothing was visible. I do love that about working from nature but it makes it hard to paint, working in this way, across a range of canvases, when the light changes I can move onto another that is capturing that light of that moment – the fleeting feeling of light.
Here is a taster of a piece in progress (out of focus and unfinished – that’s not the title just its status)

Olive Trees II, 80cm x 40cm, oil on canvas

The show will run 19th February to March 15th 2011 at The Line Gallery, Linlithgow Scotland. I am putting the final touches to most of the work now so I’ll start to photograph them and post them up as they finish. Then off to Scotland.

Preston Road in Snow, Linlithgow II

Laura — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:25:12 +0000

Preston Road in Snow, Linlithgow II. oil on canvas. 2010 [23.7x30cm]

The snow stayed around and the sky was blue really beautiful.

Road to Cockleroy in the snow, Linlithgow

Laura — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:41:59 +0000

Road to Cockleroy in the snow, Linlithgow, Oil on Canvas, 2010 [23.7x30cm]

The snow is still magical and inspirational – i love the way the thick snow transforms the landscape. Over 3 foot deep in most places here.

The Art of Cornwall

Laura — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:04:16 +0000

Some of my favourite artists were included in a wonderful documentary about the art scene in Cornwall from the 1920′s to 1960′s – It is still available to watch on BBC iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/wbn80/ until thursday or if you download it this week for another 30 days after that.

I’d say it is worth a watch.

Orange Pumpkin II

Laura — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:54:47 +0000

I am not in France at the moment I am snowed in in Scotalnd visiting family so I have been painting what is around. Luckily my sisiter is also a keen vegetable grower so despite being away from home and my exotic produce I still get to paint some wonderful veg.

My niece wanted me to paint a picture of the pumpkin she and her mum grew in the back garden – a wonderful orange whopper. This is the second version I painted of it, the first belongs to my niece.

Orange Pumpkin I

Laura — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 01:32:13 +0000

Orange Pumpkin I, oil on canvas. 2010 [23.7x30cm] SOLD

Preston Road in Snow, Linlithgow

Laura — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:44:19 +0000

Preston Road in Snow, Linlithgow. oil on canvas. 2010 [23.7x30cm] SOLD

I have been snowed in here in Scotland, but borrowed some wellies, and been out and about painting.