Sophie Ploeg

2013 has been an amazing year for me As you probably already know But just to count my blessings here are some/my highlights: January, February I painted a series of self portraits March I finished the very large Eurydice enters the Underworld April My Self Portrait with Lace Collar  got accepted into the BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2013 May I received over 160 visitors over 3 days during my Open Studio June The BP Portrait Award Opens and I received the Travel Award Self portrait with Blue Background got accepted into the RBSA Portrait Prize Exhibition in Birmingham July, August I travelled to various lace-related places, read many books and studied early 17th century lace and portraiture for my Travel Award Project September The exhibition Women Painting Women UK opened at Art Exposure Gallery in Glasgow I spent most of my time sewing; making props for paintings. October I exhibited with the prestigious Haynes Galleries in Nashville, Tennessee I finished...

All subscribers the the Pastel Journal (USA) should have received their February issue now, and hopefully seen my article “The Fabric of Life”. Here is a picture of the opening spread. In the article I give a step-by-step demonstration on how the painting ‘Lace Lines’ came about, with lots of pictures and explanations. I also discuss technique, subject matter and much more, all illustrated with my pastel work. My technique for using pastel is quite similar to the technique I use with oil paints so hopefully the article will be interesting for oil painters as well as pastellists. The small hatching technique can easily be applied to both, and gives much control over details and shading. I hope you will enjoy the article. Feel free to let me know what you think of it. Enjoy! You can purchase your copy here: http://www.northlightshop.com/pastel-journal-february-2014-issue-group/?lid=BWpasar121713 A preview of the magazine:

New pastel painting off the easel Lace Lines Pastel 10x17” The ‘making of’ will appear in the February issue of the American Pastel Journal. A preview of which can be seen here. and you can buy the Pastel Journal here http://www.northlightshop.com/pastel-journal-february-2014-issue-group/?lid=BWpasar121713

Art Exposure Gallery is putting on their Christmas Show and 4 of my paintings are included. Do go and see if you get the chance. ART EXPOSURE GALLERY   19 PARNIE STREET   GLASGOW   G1 5RJ   Tel: +(0141) 552 7779   Email: info@artexposuregallery.co.uk  http://www.artexposuregallery.co.uk  Tuesday - Saturday 12pm - 5pm  Or by prior arrangement White Dove, oil, 40x60cm Child of Time, oil, 40x30cm Silk & Lace, oil, 40x50cm Enveloped, oil, 60x40cm

Save the Date! Save the Date! The dates for the BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2014 have been made public. This exhibition will include my first ever solo exhibition of paintings created for the BP Travel Award which I won last year. I am working very hard to make it a great show. I am sure I will be around on the first day to welcome you. BP Portrait Award 2014/ Travel Award Exhibition 26 June - 21 September National Portrait Gallery London (and then on tour)

My paintings for the BP Travel Award are inspired by the many portraits of women from the early 17th century as painted by Larkin, Gheeraerts and Verspronck and many others. They painted wealthy upper class women. Although their wealth gave us the opportunity to see their faces and their dress, they were women who must have shared many things with modern-day women: they were mothers, daughters, wives and grandmothers. They loved fashion and beautiful things or perhaps not so much. They had to battle the challenges from life as a wife or a mother and a head of a household.They were hugely restricted in their freedom but no doubt found ways to exercise some power over their own lives. They were painted in elaborate clothes, often richly decorated with lace. The lace would have been made by many more women of whom we do not have portraits. They were invisible women who were also mothers, wives and daughters. The incredible refinement and beauty in the lace is something we cannot reproduce...

Just some pictures of work in progress....for your to enjoy...and to wonder what it is all going to lead  to since I cannot show you any complete paintings....yet..... A small 2 inch detail of a work in progress. I love painting silk! This is the underpainting stage.... with a small brush I add texture to turn the silk into taffeta silk Detail of a painting in progress.... Some reproduction goodies to be used in my costumes...

I am happy to exhibit again at the Royal West of England Academy of Art (RWA)  for its 161st Autumn Exhibition. 24 November - 26 February RWA Queens Road Bristol www.rwa.org.uk http://www.rwa.org.uk/whats-on/events/2013/11/161-open-exhibition/ Petals & Lace, graphite, 38x28cm Some images of the show, with the room where my drawing hangs: Other posts on the RWA Open exhibitions: RWA 163d Open Exhibition 2015 R WA 162d Open Exhibition 2014 RWA 161st Open Exhibition 2013 RWA 160th Open Exhibition 2012 RWA 159th Open Exhibition 2011

Finding some ideas in Dutch 17th century ruffs....;) (photograph)

My palette is starting to look rather, eh, creative... A thorough clean with a paint scraper and ready for an underpainting! Colours laid out for the next stage.

John de Critz, Portrait of Queen Anne of Denmark, 1605-10. National Portrait Gallery, London Anne of Denmark (queen consort of James I), (born 1574- died 1619), daughter of the King of Denmark, who loved fashion, extravagance, fought for custody over her children, was a Lutheran and had a troublesome marriage with the king. Portrait by John de Critz (1551-1642), Flemish born, but living and working in England most of his life and 'Serjeant Painter' to James I (chief painting job in court)In 1619 Anne of Denmark died and in the same year a whole generation of artists such as Hilliard, Robert Peake and William Larkin, paving the way for new style in portraiture. Her silk dress shows the 'pinks'; little decorative cuts in the fabric. It is decorated with embroidered bands. She wears an Elizabethan wheel farthingale under her skirt and in her wire- supported collar there is some very detailed and expensive cutwork lace.

Thanks to fellow exhibiting artist Melixa Morón Gonzalez for taking some pictures at Haynes Galleries in Nashville, Tennessee, US. It is really exciting to see my paintings hanging on the gallery walls!

Detail (about 2 inches wide) of a portrait in progress...Flemish lace. Am afraid I can't show you much more at the moment....

I am delighted to share that I am exhibiting 3 pieces with the Haynes Galleries in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. The Haynes Galleries is one of the leading galleries in the US that show contemporary realist art. They have an impressive stable of artists and art on their books that include not only past greats such as Andrew Wyeth and John Singer Sargent, but also contemporary realist masters such as Anthony Ryder, Burton Silverman, and Alexandra Tyng. I am very proud to join this impressive group of realist artists and exhibit in their next exhibition New Works: New Directions 'Fresh faces, fresh work and fresh perspectives highlight “New Works: New Directions” at Haynes Galleries, an exciting collection of paintings from some of the most talented names in contemporary American Realism. The show runs fromOctober 11 to November 16 at Haynes Galleries, on the historic Music Row Roundabout. An opening reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. October ...

New work.... Trapped , oil on canvas, 50x60cm/20x24" (excl. frame) The painting was inspired by the choice many women make, of being at home and taking care of the children instead of going out to work and develop a career. While they happily make the choice many feel trapped at some stage in their life, trapped by the expectations of being feminine, beautiful and attractive (the lace underwear), while also providing a home, raising kids, cleaning and tidying (the rug in the painting), but not being able to develop themselves mentally in a career. A feeling, I am sure, many women recognize.

The Women Painting Women Exhibition at Art Exposure in Glasgow is well on its way. I am happy to say that both my paintings there sold within the first 24 hours of opening the show. I am so grateful. I hope you get a chance to go and see this show as it has some really great artists in it. Most of these are friends, whom have gotten to know each-other though the extensive network of artists that find each-other on Facebook. Facebook has been brilliant for me the past few years. While it has been a simple of means of staying in touch with friends for many, for me it has provided a network of international artists to exchange work, experiences, exhibitions and support. I have met many artists whom I first only knew on Facebook but who have now become real friends. It has been a goldmine of added value for my painting career and life in general.  The catalogue for the exhibition at Art Exposure is available to buy online, so even if you don't get to see the show, you can...

I am finally getting to where I want to be with my ruff-making skills. It is far from perfect, I am no seamstress after all, but at least I can work with this one....Hopefully you'll see it again in one of my paintings....

Preparing for paintings, making collars....I look like a seamstress but honestly this will lead to painting!!

Working pictures.... ruffs, patterns, lace....

Frans Hals, Seated Woman (detail), 1633. National Gallery of Art, Washington The large ruffs you find in Dutch early seventeenth-century portraits are the results of the time consuming efforts of linen bleaching, sewing, starching and setting. A ruff is constructed from a long strip of fabric, usually very fine linen lawn ( Holland lawn was the finest around, made, obviously, in The Netherlands), gathered into cartridge pleats. The length of fabric ranged from a few meters up to nearly 20 meters and ruffs could have anything from 30 all the way up to hundreds of pleats! The famous Dutch portraits often show ruffs of around 200 pleats and we can assume that the painter painted the ruffs fairly accurately. The laundress had the responsibility to starch and set the ruff in the shape required with the aide of a hot poking stick to set the pleats. Rain and wear would 'melt' the starch and would make the ruff go floppy and the work would have to start all over again. In Jonson...