Sophie Ploeg

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

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.

My tiny blue painting is done, it is small, it is blue, it was fun and a challenge. Just how I like it. 5x7" / 13x18cm, oil on panel Just to show the small size of it I am holding it next to frame.

The summer break is nearly over and the kids will head back to school. Although I have been painting a little during the summer months it is hard to find the time. So soon I am diving right back into it. I'm doing a little warm up with a small (tiny!) painting, enjoying some rich colours, painting deep blue velvet. I think I am nearly using all of my blues (which is probably a mad thing to do, so much for a limited palette) but it is really letting me get re-aquainted with my blues. For a lot of my work bright high-chroma colours are of little use and I either spent time toning them down or I use ready-mixed greyed tints, but sometimes it is so much fun to indulge in sheer colour! I am trying out my newly purchased Cerulean blue, which is a lovely greenish colour. I finally found use for my Vasari Video Blue, which in most situations is way too strong for me. The same goes for Cobalt Blue - it only rarely sees its cap taking off. I definitely want to try Vasari's or Mussini...