Happy New Year 2013! - Here's a horse pencil sketch.

Happy New Year, followers of artbylukebennett.com. Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2013. I hope everyone who ordered a commission or fine art print as a Christmas present was pleased with their finished piece, and the gift receivers equally so. Thank you for your custom!

I hope to continue taking lots of commission throughout the next year, improving my skills and furthering my artistic endeavours.

Below is one of the pet portraits I completed in the run up to Christmas, a pet horse in pencil on paper, measuring approximately 9 x 9 inches.

Small, personalised gifts are always nice to receive I think, and by all accounts the recipient in this case was delighted with the sketch of her horse.

Autumn Images in Warwickshire.

Or at least, a part of Warwickshire...

Regular visitors to my Blog might be aware of my fondness for Hay Woods near Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire. It's a beautiful place to go for a long walk throughout the year, but particularly so during the changes brought about by Autumn. 

A Monday or two ago the sky was clear and the sun was burning down, so conditions were perfect for some autumnal photography. I put down my paint brushes and headed out, spending the best part of the midday and afternoon light trooping around in my wellies with a camera and tripod taking pictures.

The colour of the leaves and the distinct light and shadow cast through the clear, cold sky enabled some nice photo opportunities. (Pictured below.)

As lovely as the afternoon was however, there was one moment of sheer panic and terror as I jumped across a small ditch only to feel my legs slip in opposite directions, leading to a desperate and vain attempt to then shield my camera from the now inevitable crash landing into the (incredibly water-logged) mud, only to see it land, lens down, like buttered bread leaving the kitchen table, and get caked in brown stuff.

Luckily I had a load of tissue on hand (always be prepared, dib dob) and was able to clean it up reasonably successfully. The zoom makes a nice grinding noise now too, as a kind of friendly yet mocking reminder of my clumsiness.

More photos and artwork, including a fully customisable commissioning service at ArtbyLukeBennett.com.

Kenilworth Rotary Club Art and Design Craft Show 2012

I've just spent the last hour or so preparing (printing out labels and making everything presentable) for the annual art exhibition organised by the Rotary Club of Kenilworth, taking place at the Holiday Inn this weekend, 16th - 18th November 2012. As well as art from over 60 different artists there will also be lots of hands on demonstrations. 

Further details can be found via the link below.

"The Art & Design Craft Show, which is promoted by The Rotary Club of Kenilworth, is a 3-day event that will take place between 16th and 18th November. The aim is to bring the community together, help to promote local artists and encourage young talent from local schools."

I'll have three original pieces of artwork on show and a selection of giclée photographic prints for sale, including the shots below.

All lovely and autumnal/wintery respectively. Aww. So please say hi if you see me there or if you are interested in commissioning some artwork; pet portrait, family portrait or otherwise.

Hampton-in-Arden Arts, Crafts and Photography Exhibition, October 2012.

Once again I will be displaying work at the annual Hampton-in-Arden Arts, Crafts and Photography Exhibition, this coming weekend. 

Taking place on Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st of October 2012, between 10am and 5pm.

The Exhibition is held at Fentham Hall, Marsh Lane, Hampton in Arden, B92 0AH.
Entry costs just £1 and children get in free.

I will be exhibiting two pieces of original work; 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'Tiger Tiger', (more details here). Both pieces are available to buy via my website, as well as open edition prints on archival paper or box canvas.

Solihull, Hampton and Warwickshire residents wishing to commission a painting (pet portraits, human portraits or other), please feel free to approach me if you attend the exhibition! Or get in touch via the contact form to the right or on artbylukebennett.com.

New Painting - 'Here Comes The Sun' - Original 50th Anniversary Beatles Artwork

'Here Comes The Sun' 

Acrylic Paint on Deep Stretch Canvas, Approximately 16 Wide x 12 High x 1.5 inches Deep (406 x 305 x 35mm), finished with Matte Varnish. Ready to hang.

50 years ago this October (2012), The Beatles released their first ever single, 'Love Me Do'. A few days ago, this October, I released (finished) my first ever Beatles painting. Coincidence? Not entirely.

Meticulously hand painted in thick, bold acrylics on a deep stretch canvas, this original artwork features a new take on the iconic imagery of the world famous Abbey Road zebra crossing. The black and white road markings now contoured by the colours of the Union Flag, stretching out to their source, where The Sun (here it comes) bathes The Fab Four in a psychedelic silhouette.

Paying tribute to the best of British, in a year that saw pride in Britain swell with the arrival of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics, as well as the Beatles' 50th anniversary as an established act, this original, one of a kind, hand-painted Beatles artwork is evocative in more ways than one.

A perfect collectable for any Beatles fan. Original painting (currently) available and high quality giclée prints (on archival paper or canvas) are available at ArtByLukeBennett.com.




That's the official blurb. Now for the unofficial, erm, not blurb... It's always a nice feeling to finish a painting, especially when it hasn't necessarily gone to plan, *whispers* like this one.
Who knew that painting straight lines would be so hard and time consuming? I didn't, but it turns out it really, really is.
Without going into specifics, there was an awful lot frustration along the way; painting, re-painting, re-re-painting, etc. etc. But, I feel I've learnt lots of useful things as a consequence. I may even share some helpful straight line painting secrets in a future blog post.

In the meantime, here are some more photos of the final piece. They show the painting from many different angles and in natural light. Somehow, taking it outside into the British countryside felt appropriate.

More to come in future updates. As always, for more information, to purchase my original artwork and prints, or to commission a painting, please visit ArtByLukeBennett.com.

Temple Balsall Heritage Weekend 2012 (7th - 9th September)

On the Weekend of the 7th - 9th September 2012, Lady Katherine Leveson in Temple Balsall will be celebrating the history of the Foundation and its ongoing work with a special Herritage Weekend. The charity aims to raise money to support the work that the Foundation undertakes and to provide an opportunity for visitors to experience the Old Hall, St. Mary's Church and the recently renovated Primary School.

"Charity? Heritage? Foundations? Church?! Weekends?!! Why the sudden interest in Lady Katherine Leveson, Luke, you big bloody great Solihull Pet Portrait Artist?" I hear you ask. Well, apart from me being an incredibly lovely man who loves charity and old churches, there is also an art exhibition being held over the weekend as part of the festivities, where, I will be displaying work, for sale. A significant portion of any money made will be paid as a commission to the cause. I know, I know, I'm practically a Saint.

Apart from the art exhibition on Saturday and Sunday, there will also be an Autumn Fayre, with entertainment, including refreshments and stalls, and guided tours of the buildings and grounds.

And if that wasn't enough, there's also a Concert by Cantemus on Friday 7th September in St Mary's Church, starting at 7.30pm (tickets £5.00 each) and on Sunday a performance of Evensong, sung by the Birmingham Cathedral Choir (with guest preacher Canon Fair Claringbull), starting at 6pm.

So, anyone from Solihull or Warwickshire heading down, please look out for my work- original framed paintings and high quality giclee prints. And as always, should anyone like what they see and wish to commission a portrait/painting - pet, human or otherwise - please get in touch.

The Court of Lady Katherine Leveson, Temple Balsall. This courtyard of almshouses for elderly ladies was founded by a bequest in the will of Lady Katherine Leveson in 1674 and is still in use today. Image and information shamelessly stolen from http://iancourts.wordpress.com/

Craft Fair Solihull - Saturday 18th August 2012

Tomorrow I'm running a small stall at an Art and Crafts fair in Solihull. I'll have a selection of fine art open edition prints of my work for sale. I will also be taking bookings from any Solihull residents who wish to commission a painting.

I've not run a stall before, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm sure it'll be an interesting experience if nothing else.

As an antidote to the notion that running a stall at an arts and crafts fair might not be the manliest thing in the world, I will be taking payment in the form of blood, meat, women and beer.

As always, be sure to visit www.artbylukebennett.com for more original wildlife paintings and prints and to commission a pet portrait, a family portrait or any other subject.

Summer's Here!

Oh wait, no, it's gone again. But boy was it nice whilst it lasted.

Yes, the sun made a timely appearance last week - just when weeks of seemingly nonstop rainfall were on the verge of breaking the spirit of many good men - bringing with it a proper taste of summer. Or at least the type of summer most of us long for in Britain.

Knowing deep down that there was no way it would last, I made the most of it, leaving my canvas and paintbrush inside and venturing out, camera in hand for lots of  long walks around the Warwick and Solihull countryside.

The following photos were taken in the footpaths of Berkswell Village, where the wheat fields were in full bloom. I took most of the shots between 8pm and 9pm when the sun was setting, using a tripod and some long exposures (some longer than others, with the aid of a built in ND filter). This has brought out the natural light really well, with some interesting colours and shadows.

I'm really happy with the way they've turned out. To see more of the set visit my Art By Luke Bennett Flickr page. As always, for more original artwork, fine art prints and photographs, or to commission a portrait or pet portrait, visit my website, artbylukebennett.com.

Reeeead Alllll Abouuuut It!

I managed to get myself into the local paper - The Solihull News - last week after suggesting a story about me seeking self employment as an artist, post redundancy. Given the media's obsession with these Harsh Economic Times™ and the country still In The Grip of Recession©, they gladly accepted my story. Which was nice.

The more exposure I can get, the better, and with any luck there will be plenty of new people in the Solihull area alerted to my services by the article. Those service being pet portraits, human portraits, original artwork, prints and more, in Solihull, Warwickshire, Birmingham and beyond. Ahem.

Welcome! Again.

Welcome to the new look Memoirs of a Visible man. As regular readers (I suspect I have a few) may have noticed, I've revamped the presentation of this blog, bringing it more in line with the look of my new website, visually, as well as the URL. Formerly known as lukusaurus.blogspot, it is now artbylukebennett.blogspot.

After weeks of hard work the website is now live. Please check it out- www.artbylukebennett.com
It's full of original, high quality artwork to buy, as well as fine art and photographic Giclée prints.

There's also a commissioning service where people can arrange to have a nice picture of themselves painted. Or their pet cat, or their dog, or their horse, or their pet crow, or their hamster, or their granny, or their baby, or their house, or their car.

Basically, anything legal, I'm willing to paint it. For money.