Sophie Ploeg

Had a great photo shoot today, with a huge piece of antique lace. Cannot wait to get started on painting it all.

VOTE for the Best Artwork on an Art Blog in 2012  You are invited to VOTE for the Making A Mark Award for the Best Picture on an Art Blog in 2012  I am pleased to tell you Making a Mark blog has nominated me again this year for the 'Best Artwork on an Art Blog' in the category of Still Life. Chosen was my painting 'Folded Lace'. You can vote in various categories and also for the 'Best Artwork' in general. Please go and have a look on how to vote, the other nominees etc etc. Thank you Making a Mark for nominating my painting!

Wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas!

A detail of a painting that is currently on the easel....

While I was at it I have totally renewed my portfolio book as well. Same square format but now only available in premium paper to make the pictures stand out beautifully and totally updated. Check out my 'Bookstore' here . Here's a preview Sophie Ploeg by Sophie Ploeg | Make Your Own Book

Just an idea for Christmas....A notebook, sketch book, doodle book, whatever you want to use it for. Enhanced with my art for your inspiration. www.blurb.co.uk/user/store/sophieploeg Small Notebook 20 pages, 5 with art work From £4.95, 6 Euros, $9.20 for a paperback but also available in hard cover Or Large Notebook 100 blank pages, of which 16 with art work. From £16, $25, 19 Euro for a paperback but also available in hard cover Shipping to anywhere in the world. Order direct from my page on the Blurb publisher website  Order here You can order from anywhere in the world. Just choose your country and currency at the top menu. If you have trouble ordering, please do not hesitate to contact me and I'll be happy to help. For Christmas delivery, order before 10 December Sketch Write Dream Think Plan Note List Doodle Draw | Make Your Own Book

Gorgeous Blonde lace; a type of bobbin lace made from silk, this probably made for the Spanish market. Late 19th century. Should feature in a painting soon.....;)

My latest painting is finished: Black Lace Shawl, oil, 40x50cm

I have made giclee prints available of my painting The Blue Dress. They are available to buy on the link below. http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-blue-dress-sophie-ploeg.html Shipping to anywhere in the world, including the UK of course. You can choose whichever size you want and choose from a variety of archival papers. Greeting cards are an option too! At the top of the page you can choose your currency from a drop-down menu. Please note: ALL profits made from the sale of these prints will go to charity. The charities I have chosen are STARS and PoTS UK , two patient organisations who do a lot for people with dysautonomonia. If I get enough orders for a standard size and you are willing to wait I can make a bulk order and thereby save everyone postage cost. Feel free to ask any questions you might have and I hope you will buy and support these vital charities.

I have been sharing my progress pictures on this next painting and thought I wanted to show it here too. This is currently on the easel. Underpainting stage. Just burnt umber (=brown) paint on white canvas (oil primed which is the base I prefer to work on). It takes a while at this stage as I want to get the 'feel' right, the line of the neck is vital. The sepia look is quite attractive, perhaps I will do a completely monochromatic piece one day! Colour blocking in: This stage goes quicker. I put in some base colours and make sure that the skin underneath the lace is approximately the right colour. Now I get the small brushes out, a synthetic or sable size 1 brush and start hatching the skin and begin the lace pattern. I'll end up getting lost in all those curly black lines! To be continued!!

For some reason I never tried drawing lace in graphite before. After a little bit of trying I decided I had to draw the 'negative space: the space around the white lace. So I 'drew the holes', thereby leaving the white lace. This is the result. I hope you like it. Petals & Lace, graphite, 38x28cm/15x11"

In between paintings I sketch a bit, nothing spectacular but good practice and trying to try out ideas for a self portrait.

I think I am really nearing the end of this painting..... Black Lace, oil on canvas, 45x35cm this will be its frame...

Here are some images taken at the Private View of the Royal Academy's Autumn Exhibition in Bristol. This huge exhibition (over 500 works) runs until 30 December. Lots of work from academicians, lots of affordable and unaffordable but mostly beautiful work. Main Hall with some awesome work by Anthony Garratt and Gordon Ward RWA Small Blue, oil on panel, 13x18cm Small Works in the main hall, with my 'Small Blue' on the outer right. Milner Gallery with animal works We really liked these scheming sheep by Seren Bell Stancombe-Wills Gallery with amazing David Cobley's work in the center Stancombe-Wills Gallery with Malcolm Ashman, Joanna Dixon, my 'Snow Flake Children' and lovely work from Rosalind Robinson, Lex Thomas, Beka Smith, Alice Buckee, and Caroline Rudge Clare Ferguson-Walker, with her 'Ship of Fools' Rosalind Robinson with her two paintings 'The Tree Family 2' and 'Be...

Here we go, the show opens Sunday 21 October. They had over 2000 entries and managed to select over 500 paintings to exhibit. See this piece on 'This is Bristol' for the details: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/landscapes-striking-sculpture-spaceman/story-17106685-detail/story.html as you know, two of my pieces were selected for this exhibition: Snow Flake Children and Small Blue . I've had a sneaky peek today:

The 159th Autumn Exhibition 2011, last year. I am very excited that I will have two paintings in the RWA Autumn Exhibition in Bristol. This huge exhibition (last year had 508 paintings on show!) is a big event on the art calendar of the South-West and the UK. The paintings to be exhibited are my Snow Flake Children and Small Blue . I hope you can come and visit, if you do, let me know what you thought of the show! 160th Autumn Exhibition 21 October - 30 December 2012 Royal West of England Academy of Art RWA Queens Road, Bristol www.rwa.org.uk open 7 days a week Snow Flake Children, oil, 70x50cm Small Blue, oil, 13x18cm Other posts on the RWA Open exhibitions: RWA 162d Open Exhibition 2014 RWA 161st Open Exhibition 2013 RWA 160th Open Exhibition 2012 RWA 159th Open Exhibition 2011

After many months of work I can finally announce the birth of my latest commissioned portrait! ;) As you can see and I'm sure imagine I was delighted to be asked to paint three beautiful red heads. What more could I ever ask for? I could paint them forever. With permission from the client, please enjoy and let me know what you think.  oil on canvas, 70x50cm / 28x20"

The Holburne Museum in Bath The last week of the Holburne Prize Exhibition is on so don't miss it! There are some real great works of art, some big names and a lovely café to finish off your day. I feel honoured my painting is amongst such great works in such an aboslutely stunning location. http://www.holburne.org Me and my lovely model at the Holburne Museum

I am about to submit some paintings to open exhibitions so everything had to be framed and labelled, polished and dusted. Some of my frames come from Frinton , who makes the frames by hand, finished off to a very high standard. At other times I ask my local framer, Claire , to make a frame for me, which she always chooses and finishes perfectly. Fingers crossed now that these will get accepted into these open exhibitions! Small Blue, framed in black/gold frame. The painting itself is only 13x18cm Silk & Lace, framed in black/pewter. The painting is 40x50cm excl. frame,  55x65cm incl. frame.