Sophie Ploeg

Autumn

2012-01-24T11:25:00.000Z

Autumn, oil on canvas, 60x40cm

Here are some progress images:

Snow Flakes

2012-01-11T16:14:00.000Z

Snow Flake Children

Oil on canvas, 70x50cm

Just finished (I think...)

Work in Progress

2012-01-04T14:15:00.002Z

This painting is currently on the easel, hopefully finishing before some open exhibition deadlines but besides painting, a lot of time is taken up by thinking where I am taking this. It is still far from finished so delay your judgment, it can all still change! Would love to hear what you feel this painting is about (if anything!).

No title yet, 70x50cm, oil

Winner of Best Picture of the Year (figure/portrait) !

2012-01-03T09:29:00.003Z

The Making a Mark Award for Best Pictures of the Year (Portrait/Figure) on an Art Blog 2011 has been announced and my painting ‘Dream’ is joint winner, together with ‘Leah at Sea’ by Taryn Day.
Thanks to all who voted for my painting!

MAKING A MARK is an fabulous blog by artist and critic Katherine Tyrell, it is no. 3 in the top 25 art blogs in the UK. Well worth a read!

My painting ‘Dream’, oil, 30x40cm. Now sold to an American collector.

“Leah at Sea” by Taryn Day, 15x15cm

Awake and Painting Blog

Happy New Year!!

2011-12-30T17:43:00.001Z

In 2011 I decided I was going to try out some of the prestigious open exhibitions held by the societies of the Federation of British Artists, held at the Mall Galleries on The Mall in London. It would boost my cv if I would get in one. My first try was the Pastel Society and I painted a portrait of my son. Alas, on the handing-in day I was ill and could not submit. So I submitted it to the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. And shock and behold! It got accepted. I am still very proud of that. My year was made.

2011 turned out to be my year as what followed was acceptance and an award at the Society of Women Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and The Royal West of England Academy of Art. I still cannot believe it all.

To make the year complete I was recently informed that my submission for the 2012 Open Exhibition of the Pastel Society was accepted. Got there in the end.

So 2011 was a fantastic year for me. I could not have wished for greater success.

I will try to build on this in 2012 and continue to push myself. Textiles still hold my interest so I will continue to play with those.

I hope the new year will be fantastic for all of you. Thank you very much for reading and commenting on my blog. It is great to interact with you all and share and chat. I am grateful that you stop by once in a while on my blog and hope to see you in 2012!

Here’s a sneaky preview of what’s currently on the easel, still at the underpainting stage.

Poll: Making A Mark Awards 2011: Which is the best artwork - portrait/figures - created by a blogger and posted on an art blog in 2011?

2011-12-26T18:29:00.000Z

On the Making a Mark Blog there is the annual poll for best art works and the author, Katherine has nominated my painting Dream. You can vote for your favourite....

Poll: Making A Mark Awards 2011: Which is the best artwork - portrait/figures - created by a blogger and posted on an art blog in 2011?

Love Pastels 2012

2011-12-22T19:58:00.001Z

Flowerbed, pastel, 65x45cm

I am happy to share that my painting ‘Flowerbed’ has been selected to be exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Pastel Society. It went through two stages of selection by a panel of expert judges who saw hundreds of entries.
The exhibition, Love Pastels 2012, will be on display at the Mall Galleries in London from 14-25 February 2012.

Mall Galleries
Pastel Society

an image from last year’s exhibition of the Pastel Society

see a review on Making a Mark blog.

My fellow pastelist Svetlana Cameron will also exhibit a wonderful piece

Highlights from the ROI Exhibition

2011-12-19T13:58:00.001Z

Highlights from the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Exhibition

On his blog, Adebanji Alade gives us his highlights from the exhibition at the Mall Galleries. I so wish I could have gone to see it. David Curtis, Nick Verrall, Combes...just some of my favourites. Happy to see Adebanji gave me a mention too! The exhibition is now finished, my painting sold to “a museum in the US” (if anyone knows any more do let me know!) and I believe many paintings were shipped off to new homes.

David Curtis, Deep Snow Mission 2011

Nicholas Verrall, Still Life on Slate Table

For Verrall also check out his wonderful book Colour and Light in Oils, which is beautiful, interesting and useful.

Detail of my painting Dream

Brochure Book

2011-12-15T13:29:00.003Z

Some pics of my brochure book

I am really pleased with the quality of the prints.

My Book!!

2011-12-09T10:40:00.001Z

I have created my own book featuring my fabric paintings from 2011 and some miscellaneous work. It is a small book, 20 pages, 7x7”/18x18cm and available in hard cover and soft cover. Here’s a preview of the first 15 pages:
click on the basket link to order your copy.

Sophie Ploeg |

Review: 124th Annual Exhibition of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters

2011-12-08T09:14:00.000Z

A lovely review of the ROI Exhibition on the fabulous Making a Mark Blog.

Review: 124th Annual Exhibition of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters

*Sold!

Christmas Gifts....

2011-12-07T10:08:00.001Z

Last weeks before Christmas - The English go shopping en masse......why not have a nose around the art world....there’s plenty of links in the side bar to artists who are happy to sell their paintings, drawings, sketches, prints, cards online and I have added a GIFTS page to this blog as well. Feel free to drop me a line if you’d like to know more.

Still deliberating ‘Delicates'

2011-12-06T11:45:00.001Z

Fixed a few issues, repainted some bits, this is probably going to be its frame....

Delicates

2011-12-02T19:57:00.001Z

Delicates

Oil on canvas, 60x40cm

Photo taken in evening light, will check tomorrow for colour correction.

Work in Progress - fabrics

2011-11-19T16:29:00.001Z

Currently on the easel

More fabrics in a pile. An exercise in whites or neutrals, a challenge of textures and a whole lot of fun to do!

It hasn’t got a title yet, but its oil and 60x40cm.

Pastel Painting

2011-11-14T12:45:00.001Z

After a long break I took out my pastels again. The last pastel painting I did was ‘In the Rainbow Underpass’ (the one that got in the Royal Society of Portrait Painters!) which was a while ago, back in the early part of the year. Now we’re already rushing towards Christmas! High time to get ‘dusty’ again. I wasn’t planning on doing such a big painting, but here we go:

Flower Bed, pastel, 65x45 / 25x18”

As good as finished, just a few tweaks here and there.
15 Nov: I have updated the image with the finished piece.

ROI Exhibition

2011-11-08T06:32:00.004Z

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF OIL PAINTERS ANNUAL EXHIBITION

My painting Dream has been selected for the annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. I am delighted to be included in this great show. I hope you can go and visit to enjoy the world of oil painting.

The only major national art society that is devoted exclusively to oil painting, featuring a wide variety of contemporary landscape, figurative and still-life paintings by some of the finest established artists working in oil today, alongside work by non-members. During the annual exhibition a number of prizes and awards are on offer, including the Phyllis Roberts Award of £2,000 for a promising young painter. Other highlights include the Winsor & Newton Under-35 Oil Painting Awards.

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as the ROI, is an association of painters in London and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil.It is one of the 9 member societies that form the Federation of British Artists and holds its meetings in the Federation's Mall Galleries, next to Trafalgar Square. The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, was founded in 1882, and was granted royal status by King Edward VII in 1909.The Institute is confined to about 65 elected members and includes many of the leading artists in the country.It encompasses all styles and techniques which is a tradition that goes back to its inauguration.Work for our annual Exhibition was selected on Monday 31 October and just under 700 non member works were considered for the show which opens at the Mall Galleries on 7th December .

When and where: Mall Galleries, London, 7-18 December 2011
Mall Galleries
the ROI

(text info from the ROI website and blog)

RWA Autumn Exhibition

2011-10-30T20:37:00.001Z

RWA 159th Autumn Exhibition

Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol

My self portrait has an excellent spot right beneath an amazing painting by Alan Kingsbury

The show features 500+ works by Academicians, other established artists as well as emerging talent. The variety is enormous and it is a great show. I still hope to go back soon and take photos of all the works that stand out to me.

Blenheim Palace Painting

2011-10-26T21:16:00.001+01:00

** NEW WORK **

Drama at Blenheim, oil on canvas, 80x40cm/32x16” in black frame.

RWA Autumn Exhibition

2011-10-19T21:25:00.000+01:00

159th Autumn Exhibition

My pastel Self Portrait has been selected for the autumn exhibition at the Royal West of England Academy of Art in Bristol. The show features a huge variety of the best of contemporary art and I am proud to be part of it. All works will be for sale and I hope you can visit to have a look!

The Exhibition runs from 30 October - 31 December 2011.

Royal West of England Academy
Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1PX, 0117 973 5129, info@rwa.org.uk, www.rwa.org.uk
Opening Times: 09:30 - 5:30pm Monday - Saturday. 11:00 - 5:00pm Sunday
Last admission half an hour before closing

New Work: Dream

2011-09-30T10:14:00.001+01:00

Dream, oil, 30x40cm

Art at Client’s Home

2011-09-23T12:43:00.004+01:00

Always nice to see one of my paintings on someone’s wall!

Why do I paint?

2011-09-20T21:17:00.000+01:00

A lot of people ask this question...why do artists paint? Some have the feeling they ‘must’, some do it for relaxation, others just because they enjoy it.
Why do I paint, I wondered.....of course because I enjoy it, and
to add a little bit of beauty to our lives and make it more tangible than just the fleeting moments it usually appears in.

A detail of a work in progress, currently on the easel.

Pound Barn Gallery

2011-09-18T09:24:00.001+01:00

My tulip paintings are exhibited in a beautiful new gallery in Wickwar, Gloucestershire: The Pound Barn Gallery. It is a beautiful light and airy space (converted barn) where Mike and Jane exhibit fabulous art made by mostly local artists. There is also some ceramics, cards and prints, cakes and tea.
A nice visit in the beautiful Cotswold countryside - go on and have a look if you can.

Pound Barn Gallery

West End, Wickwar, Gloucestershire, GL12 8LB

www.poundbarngallery.co.uk

Peach Parrot, Parrot Tulips, both oil on canvas, 30x24cm, £300

The Veil

2011-08-25T13:36:00.004+01:00

The Veil, oil on linen, 70x60cm

A very big work for my standards, but such fun to do. Got the frame ready, just need it to sit for a bit and to dry...
This one piece of lace is providing me with quite a few paintings! More to come!

Commissioned Portrait

2011-08-19T12:21:00.000+01:00

Commissioned Portrait,

Oil on linen, 45x35cm

with permission from the client.

Frames

2011-07-29T18:42:00.004+01:00

Received some gorgeous frames from Frinton, all hand finished to perfection.

Not quite unwrapped yet, but wanted to share anyway.

The Veil in Progress

2011-07-27T22:39:00.005+01:00

Its been a while since I posted here, I am sorry! I’ve been busy with this one, fairly large for my standards:

Work in progress, 70x60cm, oil

SWA images

2011-07-02T12:51:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of images taken at the SWA exhibition in London.

Thank you Claire, for sending me some pictures.

Winsor & Newton Choice Award

2011-06-29T19:15:00.000+01:00

I am happy to announce my painting ‘Yellow Scarf’ has won the Winsor & Newton Choice Award at the Society of Women Artists 150th Exhibition at The Mall Galleries in London !

Thank you SWA!

Yellow Scarf, oil on linen, 40x50cm

www.society-women-artists.org.uk

www.mallgalleries.org.uk

SWA

2011-06-13T15:10:00.000+01:00

SWA Society of Women Artists 2011

150th Celebratory Exhibition

Thursday 30 June - Saturday 9 July 2011

Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1

www.society-women-artists.org.uk

The Big Hat

2011-05-27T16:48:00.002+01:00

The old lace I got from a friend was too good to resist. As soon as I had it in the house I started playing with it. It is just beautiful. I try to evoke nostalgia and beauty in my fabric paintings. A hint of cultural things past. A timeless beauty that can easily delight in the 21st century. Feminine but not too pink, female but without the cleavage. It is a technical challenge to paint lace and silk but the technical aspect is always inferior to the vision I want to portray.

The Big Hat

2011-05-26T20:22:00.002+01:00

Oil on linen, 40x50cm

finished for now.

will post details soon.

ART GIVES SAME LEVEL OF PLEASURE AS BEING IN LOVE - NATIONAL ART PASS

2011-05-24T09:15:00.000+01:00

For anyone who had doubt about why we create and enjoy art...

The Big Hat

2011-05-16T14:19:00.001+01:00

A friend’s mum has lent me some gorgeous ancient lace to paint.

Work in Progress, currently on the easel:

oil on linen, 40x50cm

SWA Exhibition

2011-05-10T15:53:00.002+01:00

My painting Yellow Scarf I.....

has been selected by the Society of Women Artists’

150th Celebratory Exhibition

Thursday 30 June - Saturday 9 July

Mall Galleries, The Mall, London

Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition

2011-05-05T10:19:00.003+01:00

Moi at the Mall Galleries in front of my painting.

It was so busy!

Open Studio

2011-04-30T18:48:00.000+01:00

Open Studio
this weekend!!
30 April - 1 May
10am - 5 pm

Hope to see you there....

Drapery

2011-04-20T20:37:00.000+01:00

oil on canvas, 40x60cm
finally calling it finished.

Article in Bristol Evening Post

2011-04-14T10:50:00.000+01:00

Fabulous article in today’s Bristol Evening Post; a big thank-you to them!

Drapery work-in-progress 2

2011-04-13T16:50:00.001+01:00

Refining the values....pulling out contrast and removing it elsewhere...trying to catch the subtleties of light...

Drapery: work-in-progress

2011-04-11T11:45:00.002+01:00

First block-in done, now scumbling over it for finer details.

Silk Dress

2011-04-05T16:20:00.003+01:00

(no title yet), oil on linen, 40x50cm

Black frames

2011-04-01T09:53:00.003+01:00

My Yellow Scarves are framed in black and gold painted frames. Thank you to Claire, my framer! It looks beautiful.

Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2011-03-24T10:01:00.002Z

In the Rainbow Underpass, Pastel

Just got selected for the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.

Exhibition at The Mall Galleries in London from 5-20 May 2011

http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/index.php?pid=2&subid=70

Yellow Scarf II

2011-03-14T13:55:00.003Z

Yellow Scarf II, oil on linen, 50x40cm

Yellow Work in Progress....

2011-03-10T11:13:00.003Z

Working on another ‘yellow scarf’ painting

work in progress....

No postage

2011-03-10T11:12:00.000Z

I can announce I now offer free postage to anywhere in the world (within reason*) if you buy direct from me.

Hopefully this will remove any hesitations that my foreign fans might have....

(*of course some limits apply just in case you buy something enormously big or live in antarctica or already enjoyed some discount....)

Jen

2011-03-02T14:34:00.001Z

Jen, oil on linen, 50x40cm / 20x16"

100!!

2011-02-21T08:41:00.000Z

Yay, Erik has become my 100th follower on this blog! Thank you so much.
We’re talking 3 figures now.....this is getting serious.....;-)

Sketches

2011-02-20T18:25:00.000Z

Some sketches from my sketchbook. Just doodles, and simple drawings when I cannot get to painting.

Studio shots

2011-02-13T20:01:00.000Z

A work in progress and my new drawers for all my paint. It’s ideal, each drawer contains a different colour range. Perfect and within reach.

My wall at the moment.

Artist in Studio

2011-02-09T13:03:00.004Z

Artist in Studio, oil on canvas, 60x50cm/24x20"

Rainbow Underpass

2011-01-29T22:38:00.000Z

Working with pastel again...messy but so much fun.

I think I got dirty finger prints all over my studio now. I better clean up and finish this one off.

Yellow Scarf

2011-01-24T14:58:00.003Z

Yellow Scarf, oil on linen, 50x60cm.
Available.

Studio

2011-01-20T19:32:00.001Z

A very messy studio at the moment....

Baby Study

2011-01-13T19:34:00.002Z

Study of Baby, oil on board, 8x10”/20x25cm

Open Studio 2011

2011-01-11T15:17:00.004Z

Just filled in the forms, arranged the dates, make note if you are in the area:

Open Studio * Art Trail

30 April * 1 May

2011

between 10 and 5.

Painting Demonstration at noon, only in good weather.
50+ artists participating

Head Study

2011-01-05T15:09:00.000Z

Head Study with curls on top, oil on canvas, 30x30xm/12x12"

2011-01-02T16:17:00.002Z

Happy New Year Everyone!
Thanks for reading my blog. Hope you’ll stay with me in 2011.

Autumnal Portrait

2010-12-30T17:29:00.001Z

A portrait commission I finished just before Christmas.....

Alex & Taro, oil on linen, 60x50cm/24x20”, Commissioned

Colour Study

2010-12-24T11:35:00.001Z

A study, focussing on minimising the strokes, pre-mixing my colours, and colour.

Oil on board, 30x40cm

Study of Autumn Leaves

2010-12-17T19:51:00.001Z

A recent commission involved painting a lot of autumn leaves.
This is a study of leaves I did the other day.
nearly true size, very small!

Study of Autumn Leaves, Oil on panel, 13x18cm / 5x7"

Christmas Cards

2010-12-06T21:21:00.005Z

Just a suggestion....I have Christmas cards for sale....quite original with a print of my work on it. Not too expensive. Just email to order. Postage at cost.

15x21 cm glossy folded card, with envelope and xmas message. £1 each ($1.60).

Cherub, Christmas Cards, 18x12cm, matt card. With Christmas Greeting inside. £1.50 each ($2.35) including envelope.

More Christmas Gift suggestions here

Framing

2010-12-03T21:47:00.001Z

A frame can ‘do’ a lot. Which one do you prefer?

Looking for Pebbles

2010-03-02T16:24:00.002Z

Collecting Pebbles

Oil on Linen, 40x30 cm

Uploaded on my new iMac...struggling with iPhoto....but managed to get this one on!

Stones and Stripes

2010-02-18T12:07:00.003Z

Stones & Stripes

Oil on Linen, 40x50 cm, Available

I am finally calling this one finished. I hope you like it. It looks better in real life but I cannot seem to get it to look exactly like it on a computer screen.....

Pebbles on the Beach

2010-02-13T16:10:00.005Z

Pebbles on the Beach, Oil on Linen, 40x50 cm. Still a 'Work in Progress'....

Although I hope you see sunshine, summer, seaside and a cute toddler, for me this painting was about painting the textures and colours of the stone surfaces. An interesting challenge I hope I pulled off.

I worked some more on the values....