ashar art

about me and my work - Memories and experiences and how the two move in and out of my psyche deeply informs my art. My history has been a challenging one, which must in itself inform my work as does all the fleeting visual impressions constantly entering my consciousness. Our lives are made up of millions of tiny moments, both positive and negative. They appear and disappear triggered by a word a moment in time a colour a place a smile building layer upon layer. This is how my paintings are built Layering and glazing the paint influences the paintings final outcome; each layer building a picture of memory and experience. My work could be termed ‘experimental art’; it originates from my psyche, with elements of control. The materials I use, and the processes, are an important part of my practice. I sometimes have a broad notion of what I am trying to convey, however I hope not to allow preconceived ideas to hold back any creativity. Reworking and editing as I go, creating an interaction between me, the paint and the painting; and giving way when a composition wants to go in a completely different direction. The act of painting becomes a journey of discovery, a constant struggle between the urge to control the work and the desire to welcome the unpredictable. By not bestowing meaning, I sometimes find meaning; however I intend no meaning, and they do sometimes conjure images whilst in the making, and this can lead to their naming. Like all abstract art it communicates on a subliminal level, negating the need for words. A response to the paint and the canvas, manifest visually from the psyche.

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bit of a funny year so far

bit of a funny year so far

bit of a funny year so far

It has been a bit of a funny year for me so far, painting individually and not in series has been a strange experience. Plus not having to work towards open studios. The black dog moved in, a different time this year all adding up to making it a bit of a funny year.

I did start out painting in series as usual however I found my focus shifted from ‘silence’ to painterly…

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Big Spring Sale of Paintings

Big Spring Sale of Paintings

Grab a Spring Bargain

I am having a bit of a spring clean in the studio, to make way for a new series of works.  So I have decided to have a BIG SPRING SALE OF PAINTINGS with up to 45% off, of some of the work in my current portfolio. Have a look and let me know if there is anything you are interested in…

‘all that I dream’ Oil on wooden panel 18” x 18” £500 less 30% £350

‘you…

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2019; so far so good.

2019; so far so good.

2019 got off to a great start for me. I am to be represented by Artwave West, which I am absolutely thrilled about.  They are a very good contemporary art gallery based here in the West Country; I could not be happier. Thank you Artwave. 

Having now decided to go down the gallery representation route I will now be looking for galleries outside the South West to represent me.  Any suggestions…

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being amongst the winged

being amongst the winged

It has been a long time since posting   ‘in a good place now’ back in February; which, if the truth be known was a little premature.  The black dog really didn’t leave me until May when the long horrible grey winter finally turned into; I was going to say spring but we never really got a spring at all. Turned into bright skies and a wonderful early summer. 

I now found myself working on a new…

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In a good place right now

After my last posting I made a decision to stop beating myself up and cease working for a while.  I also decided to get out and about, see some exhibitions and visit other creatives.

Consequently I have been out and about looking and musing.  Last Monday was a good one as it was Social Monday at the RWA meeting up with other artist members and academicians was a tonic, my travel companion was fellow Somerset artist Jenny Graham whose company was uplifting, and a visit to her new studio was inspiring so thank you Jenny you did me a world of good. 

In a good place right now

Thanks also to all of you, for all your encouragement and support, your messages and visits have been a tonic thank you all so much.  Of course I still have March to come which is always a bad time for me, but for now I am in a good place right now and making the most of it.

A good day was followed by a good week.

I was back in the studio on Wednesday, to what was a really good light and found myself painting again on the paintings that I shared with you last time.  Beginning to see some merit in them too… I hope you agree.  Your thoughts are always welcome good or otherwise; there is always something to learn

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I also decided I would take a break down to Cornwall to immerse myself in art and artists and I have booked up for three nights in Penzance, heading off on Monday.  I will be posting to my Facebook page with updates on Cornwall

    in a good place right now In a good place right now After my last posting I made a decision to stop beating myself up and cease working for a while. 

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Still struggling, still undone! 

Although I now recognise that the black dog has moved back in!  Very strange that, not recognising a regular visitor for this time of year.  He kind of crept up on me without my being aware that I had let him in. 

No wonder I am still struggling, still undone!  and cannot work properly; I kind of thought it was a confidence thing and I had lost it.  Well yes I have lost it, but I now recognise it for what it is.  Depression.

I had such a huge response to my last post I was hoping that by now I could have updated you all, with me cracking on through it and showing you some work.  I am so sorry this isn’t…

Although I have been going into the studio, trying to get some work done and not liking what I am doing, which endorsed my feelings of having lost it.  So at least now that I have recognised that I have slid gently into the black hole; I can reconcile myself to being aware that yes I will not see my work objectively until I come out of it. 

Still struggling, still undone! 

The work I have been doing has been very slow as I just cannot see any merit in it, I do not recognise it, I spend more time contemplating it than working.  What’s to do?  Should I continue working until I come out the other side (which feels like beating myself up) or take some time out until I recover?  (which is such a waste of time) My main problem with that is by not keeping busy I can become entrenched in my misery…

Kind of a vicious circle, I cannot see the work objectively which makes me feel I have lost my way; but if I stop working will I ever get myself out of the hole?

Do the pieces I have been working on have legs? and is my depression clouding my judgement? Or is the work generally not up to it? I cannot see…

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Works in Progress

I am making such hard work of it all.  Cannot see the wood for the trees.  If your around Langport anytime soon, please drop in for a coffee

all the best ashar

Still struggling, still undone! Still struggling, still undone!  Although I now recognise that the black dog has moved back in!  Very strange that, not recognising a regular visitor for this time of year. 

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One of my worst days ever in the studio

I have come away feeling I can’t do it anymore; I have forgotten how!

As usual I have set aside January to do some experimental work and just see what happens. However today has been horrendous, I just spent most of the morning mixing a colour palette. To start with I put too much Prussian blue down and spent most of the time trying to bring in line. I was trying to mix a dark and a lighter slate grey. I just kept mixing and adding colour to get what I wanted, the more paint I added the more I was determined to make it work.

It was a bit like when you ask an Irish man directions and he tells you ‘Well I wouldn’t start from here’ I could have done with that advice! well actually I knew I was starting in the wrong place I just wouldn’t give in. I never got to the colour I wanted but went ahead anyway.

experiment 01 oil on board

experiment 01 oil on board

experiment 01 scraped back

experiment 01 tempered grey

One of my worst days ever in the studio

I ended up with a horrible mess on boards, after trying to make them work for the best part of the day. Only to scrape all the paint off the boards and ending up with a pot of very expensive sludgy grey oil paint… very disheartening and only me to blame for one of my worst days ever in the studio

My experiments so far have been very hit and miss. Out of the four boards I have been working on I have one that I think has legs, one that I scraped back yesterday and have worked on today with todays palette. I have managed to bring the grey down on the board, although it isn’t really to my liking. I think once I work on it when it has dried off a bit it may find its legs; at least it has a chance

experiment 02 oil on board

experiment 02 oil on board

experiment 02 with legs

However the other two have been scraped and washed off and back to their grounds. Yes I know one and a half out of four it not at all bad given they are experimental works. But those bad ones really had no hope and have left me feeling that I have lost it and have forgotten how to do it. The bad days do that to me although usually I give up and do something on the computer or clean up and go home, but today I just kept on going from bad to worse; my own worst enemy – no fool like an old fool!

colour palette – sludge grey anyone!

Ah well, tomorrows another day. Anybody want a pot of sludge grey oil paint

One of my worst days ever in the studio One of my worst days ever in the studio I have come away feeling I can’t do it anymore; I have forgotten how!

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Green is my nemesis

I have never been comfortable working with green and always avoid it in a composition; as green is my nemesis

For the best part of this year, the Letting Go series of work was my focus.  I started with a palette of yellow, black greys and blue with text being an integral part.  However, the palette changed throughout the year leaning more towards blues; a colour I am very comfortable with. 

Even so, what happens every year since having my studio at Shakspeare Gallery is MAY… May and early June from my studio window which overlooks Cocklemoor is nothing but vivid green and yellow, invading my space and will not be ignored.

Green is my nemesis

Not for the first time during this period, my palette becomes saturated with this vivid green and overtaking it.  I have always struggled with green and find it a very difficult colour to deal with.  It will not behave like other colours, constantly changing with the light and is difficult to blend.  Just when I think I have it, the light changes and I can see that I don’t.

Nevertheless, once again the greens just took over for the period, well I say period – I was still grappling with this mini-series within a series well on into July and beyond.  Green…. What I learned was that light has a huge effect on how you see it.  I could leave the studio feeling at last! I have it, satisfied with the piece only to return in the morning in a different light and hate everything about it; and vs a v.  This happened many, many times. 

as seen at the RWA

Mini-series within a series

Finally I did manage to produce three larger works and three small pieces all of which I am now very pleased with.  One of which is on show at the RWA (Royal West of England Academy) They are a series within a series in that they grounded me throughout that period.  Letting Go was mostly in the sky but these where terrain based and focussed me onto a colour.  Green has always been my nemesis I have never felt at ease with it; though I am now hoping I have learned enough about it to be more comfortable with it in future

the three small ones

‘coming into land iii’ oil on panel 9″ x 11″

‘coming into land ii’ oil on panel 9″ x 11″

‘coming into land i’ 9″ x 11″ oil on board

  ‘out there on Cocklemore in May’ oil on panel 30″ x 30″

‘coming into land on Cocklemoor’ oil on panel 28″ x 28″

‘the colours of Cocklemoor in May’ oil on panel 24″ x 20″ hung in the RWA

the other thing I found is that photographing them is a nightmare.  the above photo images do not do them justice but are the best I could do

feel free to leave a comment, best ashar

green is my nemesis Green is my nemesis I have never been comfortable working with green and always avoid it in a composition; as green is my nemesis…

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Rundown on the year so far

I started this year thinking I would use the time between open studios in 2016 and 2018; to experiment and hopefully come up with some good open exhibition pieces.  Consequently when I started to do this I found myself just letting go.  The work that was coming out was to some extent being forged by the palette I had chosen at that time mostly white/ grey, yellow some blue and black.  I was using items torn out of newspapers as I wanted to use text in the work although less readable than it had been in the ‘Exmoor and More’ series   All of the earlier work was experimental although, subsequent work was turning into a series off of it.  ‘letting go’ was in the throws of being born.   

which way up is down

Royal Academy Summer Show 2017

About this time for the first time ever I decided to enter into the Royal Academy Open Exhibition.  You have to enter quite early in the year and I had not really finished anything of this new work.  However there was one piece that was almost there.  ‘Let Go’ was entered and to my total amazement was selected sent up to London and HUNG.  I was elated it was a lifetime goal actually I never ever thought it was possible; that is why I had never entered before and here I was not only hung in the RA but had sold on Collectors Day.  Fingers now firmly crossed for next year!

let go

finding my way

Some of my visitors in the studio at that time, weren’t quite sure what I was up to and I found myself trying to explain what was happening.  This led me to write about the progression of my work; from representational into what seemed to me at the time freedom of form and colour.  This has taken the shape of a little book ‘finding my way’ about my quest as an artist to express feeling of place into my work and not represent ‘the’ place.  I was still working all the time on what was now a series of work ‘letting go’

Letting go

‘Letting go’ took on several guises, it started in experimentation and found its way into the sky; all the time the marks man makes being an integral part of it.  I found myself not just in the sky where the ‘Exmoor and More’ series had led me; but when May arrived with its vivid greens and yellows on Cocklemoor, (this being all I could see from my studio window,) crept into my work and resulted into a mini series within and grounded me for a while. I just could not escape the vivid colours of the moor.  May and June over I found myself back in the sky but keeping myself grounded with the marks now taking on a more botanic form. 

all that I dream

Once I found myself doing another series, I decided it would need to be shown as a body of work.  2017 being an odd year, Somerset Art Works Festival year – SAW 2017 the odd years being about Venue and collection of artists.  Consequently, I got together with Claudia Gunton a painter and Rose Hubbard an experimental photographer to show at a barn in Chesterblade, SAW 2017 VENUE 12.

Overall, I created 16 small works and 22 larger works all of which are on my website.  Some of them still waiting for their new homes.  I am very pleased with this body of work, it needed to be given life.  However, I do need to be focused and stick to plan in the future.  Lesson learnt – stop putting pressure on myself and use the odd years to experiment and enter opens, as well as showing the odd work in chosen galleries

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in ful flight

out there on Cocklemoor in May

in the night sky

dancing with dragonflies

Rundown on the year so far

Looking back on the year I haven’t stopped working, and I am well and truly pooped.  showing in SAW and writing and publishing my little book ‘finding my way’ in addition to the RA drumming up a lot of new collectors, which was great.  However, this would have happened without my having done SAW and stuck to my original plan to use the year for opens and experiments.  As a result I had missed several opens as I was concentrating on showing and holding back pieces for the show. 

finally I now need to catch up with myself; garden and house work and blog etc…  once that is done  I will be taking a break.  I think I will just book a few nights at a hotel on Dartmoor do some walking and sketching.  This from where I am sitting now sounds just like heaven. For the rest of the year I intend to do some experimental work.  Wish me luck

I am interested in what you think about ‘letting go’ please leave your comment below

Thank you for taking the time to read this – best ashar

  rundown on the year so far Rundown on the year so far I started this year thinking I would use the time between open studios in 2016 and 2018; to experiment and hopefully come up with some good open exhibition pieces. 

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Oh, my goodness – whatever happened to June, July and August…

September and I had hoped for a break before finalising everything for SAW 2017 not to be!  I have just under two weeks before we hang the exhibition on the 18th September.  Then all the listing, labelling and pricing and then prepping for the Open Evening on the 22nd and then make sure every piece has been UV protected. The edges have all been tidied up; fixings to be added etc… once they are done I need to catalogue the work add it all to my website and to Artfinder and Saatchi online.  So, I am feeling just a bit panicked…

Thought I would share this with you just in case you were thinking I was having a ball; seeing that I rarely post these days

If you follow me on Facebook, you will know it has been a very busy year for me; many of my older works have sold and gone far and wide to their new homes from London to Singapore. I am feeling a bit like a dispatch clerk to boot.

So with painting, writing and packing – whatever happened to June, July and August

I have also been writing a booklet regarding my work and its progress from my search for ‘spirit of place’ to ‘letting go’.  This will be available at Venue 12 and from my Studio as well as from my website’ but more about that later on.

 Now for the good news, this year’s work ‘letting go’ has gone well and I am looking forward to showing it to you.  I still have three paintings in WIP which I would like to share with you now

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work in progress

work in progress

Work in Progress

They have come on a little since these photos were taken, and so far so good; just one naughty one among them.

Feel free to let me know what you think, as you know I am not precious about my work as an artist I learned a long time ago you need a thick skin to survive.  Your comments are always of value to me and not just the good ones we live and learn

Oh, my goodness - whatever happened to June, July and August… September and I had hoped for a break before finalising everything for SAW 2017…

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letting go

Further to my post in February I am still working on the series ‘letting go’ despite having major disruptions like selling loads of work off the back of the RA Summer Show 2017.  12 to date. This has involved spending time packing instead of painting.  As some of the work has gone as far as Australia and Singapore and needed to be packed extremely well.

‘letting go’ as a series of work has been going very well; so I thought you might like a peek at some of the finished pieces

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in the night sky

dancing with dragonflies

coming into land, on Cocklemoor

which way in is out

As I told you in February I have teamed up with two other artists for Somerset Arts Weeks Festival 2017.  We have found a barn in Chesterblade for this Exhibition running from 23rd September to 8th October – at least one of us will be there every day

Venue 12 – Small Down House, Winterwell Road, Chesterblade BA4 4QX

I hope you can make it out there to see us and our work

we three – Rose, ashar and Claudia

Rose Hubbard is a photographer experimenting with chemigrams, a camera-less photo technique

Rose Hubbard

Claudia is a fellow painter and is working on a new body of work her theme is gleaming lanes and dark trees

Claudia Gunton

It should be a good show, I will inform you more about it nearer the time

it would be good to hear what you think so far, leave a comment below

  letting go letting go Further to my post in February I am still working on the series 'letting go' despite having major disruptions like selling loads of work off the back of the RA Summer Show 2017.  

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Varnishing day at the RA (Royal Academy)

I would like to share some photos of Varnishing Day at the RA 2017 with you

selection

I had a really great day, what an experience! I won’t bore you with all the details of the day and will let the images tell the story.  Suffice it to say it is so exciting going to find where your work has been hung, and I am very proud to say I was hung in Gallery I, hung by Gus Cummins RA whose work I greatly admire; such an honour.

Gallery I, where ‘let go’ is hung

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It was good to meet up with Deborah Westmancoat and Fiona Bradford fellow graduates from Plymouth University, Somerset College; who also had work hung Well done to us all I say. 

‘let go’ To see post on ‘let go’

      Varnishing Day at the RA Varnishing day at the RA (Royal Academy) I would like to share some photos of Varnishing Day at the RA 2017 with you…

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The RA Summer Show - Varnishing Day

The RA Summer Show – Varnishing Day

The RA Summer Show 2017

For as long as I can remember I have loved art, and have looked up to the great artists of our past.  Many of whom have been Royal Academy Academicians; JMW Turner, being my particular passion.  My admiration for this great artist has never diminished.  I love to read and immerse myself in the many stories of his involvement with the RA; especially those of the RA Summer…

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So Far This Year

So Far This Year

So far this year

I have been very busy in and out of the studio so far this year, in the studio I have four works finished and three more on The Work In Progress wall.  No stopping me at the moment, I jest I have had major computer problems and it has been in hospital sick ill and bad where the Guru has fixed it and is now back; hence this post.  The studio bit is true I am glad to tell you

lettin…

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Update since SAW 2016

Update since SAW 2016

Update since SAW – to bring you up to date

Since SAW 2016 and moving into my new space, I have had several sales off of the back of SAW from my ‘Exmoor and More!’ series. This series of work has been exceptionally well received.

I also made several sales from my Black Friday Sale of pre 2016 works. So that’s all to the good and will certainly help with my much increased studio rent; and take the…

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introducing my new studio

following a very successful SAW Open Studio 2016 I have been moving my studio from one end of the building to the other.  So introducing my new studio… a much larger space.

set up and ready to go

with special thanks to Will and Ed of Shakspeare Gallery and my very good friend and mentor Chris Dart without their help I would never have got here

introducing my new studio

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I am going to take a short break now to recuperate. I will be back in the studio and working next week; so if your in the vicinity of Langport please pop in and say hello.  I always welcome visitors; look forward to seeing you

best ashar

introducing my new studio introducing my new studio following a very successful SAW Open Studio 2016 I have been moving my studio from one end of the building to the other.  

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a very good first week

a very good first week

a very good first week

I have just completed a very good first week SAW Open Studio 2016, 

a big thank you to all my collectors and followers; your continued support is very much appreciated; thanks to you all

for those of you that haven’t yet made it; I look forward to seeing you

Exmoor and more! SOLD

at Venue 25, Park End Studio Shakspeare Gallery, Westover House, Westover, Langport TA10 9RB 17…

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