Been a jewellery artist today, painting on fragments of Chris's Thames bones and throwing in a bit of silvering and gilding.  Common themes include images of fish, mermaids, rowing boats ans swimmers.

Spent the weekend in a Medieval Castle in Wales.  Still recovering from 3 consecutive late night parties and daytime dance sessions, all Cuban!...... salsa, rumba, son.

Hoping to do some dance themed paintings at some point.  I have already done some ink drawings on a fishy/salsa theme. 

http://www.czainski.com/page8.htm

Why not visit WH Patterson, 19 Albermarle Street, Mayfair, in January and have a look at their annual exhibition in aid of the Venice in peril fund.  http://www.whpatterson.com

All pictures have to be about Venice but sadly I have never been so must conjure up paintings from my imagination.  This year I have completed a single gondola way out to sea in the moonlight with its passengers and the next picture is an homage to Michael Sowa. ( He is the man who painted a pig splashing about in a soup bowl.) My take on this, is a gondola in a soup bowl with a view of Venice  pictured through a window.


I have two more pictures in mind: trompe l'oeil postcards of Venice and maybe a drowned Venice.


Just completed a pumpkin by moonlight which has a Di Chirico feel about it.... it is a Crown Prince pumpkin that I grew this year and is a monster!

Been for a visit to the seaside.
Saw the most amazing seafront bonfire at Skinningrove, on the North Yorkshire coast.

Got on with studio work in Staithes.
a. did a drawing of a wicker fish inspired by the bonfire

b.painted gorgeous sunflowers on our food cupboard

c. did a drawing of a Noah's ark inhabited by fish

d. began a painting of fishing floats

Also visited Middlesborough art gallery and the Dorman museum.  The latter should be a world heritage site!  And everyone HAS to go there if only to see the spectacular collection of speckly birds eggs!

Still not made it down to earth after being guests at Nicky Haslam's magical party.  Never thought that Chris and  I would be among16 people dancing on the same revolving dance floor with Keanu Reeves, Paris Hilton, Sharon Osborne, Tracy Emin, Trinny Woodward at the end of the evening.  We weren't shy. Was it the Champagne????  Showed off a few of our Latin moves!

You must google Nicky Haslam's Party/Telegraph for a great video showing some of the beautifully decorated venue, designed by Nicky of course.


Been a very heady week for us after a mention in November's 'The World of Interiors', (Nicky Haslam's Swish Chalet).  Check out page 168 where we get a very generous accolade by Nicky. "......Paul and Chris Czainski-who are, according to Haslam, 'the greatest decorative painters in the world.."WOW!!

Exhibited at Manchester Art Fair, Buy Art at Urbis but no one bought anything, probably hit by the credit crunch.  A good social event though and helped David and Alison ( Staithes Gallery) set up their stand.

Also went to Frieze Art Fair but only enjoyed one piece - a bronze cast of a clump of Foxgloves. A must have by Dorothy Cross.

We both made some jewelery for Nicky Haslam's party.  Will post images on the web sites soon.


Enjoying working in the studio at the moment and half way through painting of a lovely old seaside shelter at Whitby.

Special day today, preparing for Nicky Haslam's party of the year tonight.  Google Nicky Haslam birthday to read the telegraph article about it. Its going to be a splendid do!!!  As spectacular as one might expect from Nicky.

Also have a look at the World of Interiors P 159 November 2008, Swish Chalet, high praise from Nicky!

Does anybody out there have any pictures of the Duchess of Windsor's trompe l'oeil furniture, probably supplied by the studios of Jansen,  the foremost design company in Paris in the  20th century, especially  work by Natter?   I  need some reference images or leads.  I had this artist in mind  when I painted  'Postcards from Venice'  for the Venice in Peril exhibition, WH Patterson.

Just completed  a glamorous dining room in London with  delicious chinoiseries-in lovely greens , greys, mauves and antique whites set off by  antique mirrored panels....   then off to  paint a library with fun marblings.  Exhausted but enjoyed every minute of it.

Enjoyed Cy Twombly at Tate Modern and indulged ourselves with  'Dark Knight' and 'Sex and the City'.  (Can't be expected to paint ALL of the time!)

P.S.  Sold the bat painting  (see painting gallery).

Just  visited  Wimpole Hall ,  the  grandest  country  house  in  Cambridgeshire.  Chris and I were  delighted  to find  that   the pillars  I had painted 30  years  ago  in  the  entrance  hall  were  still looking  good  and  depicted on the postcards  too! They were  the  first  columns  I ever marbled.  There is  a  fantastic  piece  of trompe  l'oeil  on  a table  top  by Boilly ,  worth a  special  trip  to look  at  and also enjoy the Victoria Sponge in the cafe.

Just had a fantastic weekend showing off the garden (Open Gardens, Midgley).   Had 378+  visitors wandering around puzzling over Chris's  giant grass teapot and tablecloth and strange things in the wood, ( man made out of yew and sheep's fleece and severed head in the foxgloves!........ a mannequin head!).  We had our house guests sculpting for two or three days to keep them off the streets.

I just had time to do a spiral sculpture made from trimmings from our giant clumps of grass and hung some of my fruit and vegetable paintings in the sitooterie (garden pavilion).

Now its back to the studio and a larger than my normal painting of a lovely russet bull in a boat out at sea!

Why not (where ever you live in the world) come and see our work as we have four days of Open Studios very soon, 4th - 7th July, 2008,  as part of the Hebden Bridge  Open Studios and at the same time sample something of the Hebden Bridge Festival.

http://www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/festival

Moved on from painting seabirds for a while.  Suffering from a surfeit of inspiring source material just now.  The queue  is as follows:  little lead race horses, broken clay pipes from the Calder and Hebble Navigation, sections of partially stripped walls at the cottage,  marbles, English Florist Tulips and  a mural for the sitooterie!

Should keep me going for a while.  More pictures on  my web-site in a couple of days.

Just produced a large  charcoal study of the aforesaid bird and sold it !  Do hope I am not turning into a bird artist! Also just finished an oil canvas of  Yorkshire fisherwomen at their knitting in the open sea in a rudderless, powerless, fishing vessel ( cobble), turning a bit stormy!

My spectacular stuffed seagull has arrived.  It is massive with outstretched wings and a fierce expression, worth a substantial oil pailnting.  It is a slightly grimy bird and needs a wash and brush up. 

At the Staithes RNLI show we had a great time....AND sold 3 artworks (this means 3 bottles of champagne!!)
There is still a week to go  so if you fancy a day out on the lovely Yorkshire coast, take your wallet along as there are plenty of lovely things left to buy.

Been having fun over the last couple of days in the studio, painting two large trompe l'oeil clock/barometers (on wooden cut outs). May stick them  on the web-site.

I am looking forward to painting some more seagulls, as they seem to be popular and a dear friend is  delivering a stuffed black-backed gull shortly! What a great present!

The older I get the more I work from memory. By now I rely on my mental archive of images and ideas. What a bore sourcing material from books, magazines.... and ....God forbid, the INTERNET.

It irks me that so many artists don't draw rather they use only tracings or photoshop and that the art loving public have little idea about whether an artist can draw or not- or care?

*Just been to a big art fair with Chris .......the public were buying giclee prints, pussy cat pictures and those touristy paintings of Old Havana with the old cars   We know who you are!!!**

Get along to Dean Clough, Arts Business Complex, Halifax and spend a good half day (or more) exploring the corridors which are stuffed with great contemporary art.
I have just seen a fantastic show there (ongoing) of sculpture which uses taxidermy as its most important element. I especially loved the RAT salt and pepper shakers. Afterwards pop downstairs for the best coffee in the area in the Viaduct Cafe and take a look at my pictures!..... you could even buy one - they are for sale***

Lucky me, as the Venice in Peril exhibition finishes I am already framing paintings for the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, in March, and the RNLI mixed exhibition at the Staithes Gallery.

Keep an eye out for Staithes paintings MINE TOO! at Otley Grammar School which will also take place mid March onwards.

My wife Chris will be exhibiting her unusual sculptures  with me at the Staithes Gallery in March (RNLI mixed show). Her web-site will be sorted imminently! Take a look and you will be pleasantly suprised and perhaps a little unnerved.

Currently  working in the studio on new paintings for the Lifeboat show in Staithes. (March 2008)

I have got  a very weird mix of artistic projects at the moment.


a. a series of paintings of Venice (oops never been to Venice!!)

b. marbling a couple of black lacquer fifties bed side chests


c. intricate paintings of sections of partially stripped layers of  wallpaper in our cottage.


d. grisaille clock/barometer  cases with baroque  designs and arabesques


e. some surreal  painted fantasies  from a sea-side fishing village in Yorkshire



Come and see some of my paintings in the flesh from 22nd  of January 2008 at

W.H Patterson, 19 Albermarle St, Mayfair, London


and at Staithes Gallery, ongoing and at the annual Lifeboat Exhibition, 20th March to 6th April 2008
 
See  web site for details.

I think i have just solved my problem with updating the blog!

YES. Blips sorted at last. It really pays off to keep  at it!  Was something to do with cookies and browser.

Still working on the site and trying to iron out some blips. Cant seem to get titles and descriptions into gallery pages. Should happen eventually.  If you have queries re any of the images just email us.

We are both busy in the studio at the moment,  working on a mural for a roof garden and a scheme for a private London apartment.

Paul is also working on a series of paintings for the Venice in Peril show at WH Pattersons, January, 2008.

11/11/07  

Still got blips cant seem to update the blog but having fun at the moment. 

There's a great quote from the film 'The Rebel' (Tony Hancock) , "every brush stroke should be torn from your body".  What nonsense!  The more enjoyable a painting is to do  the more successful it turns out to be in the end. Fun and enjoyment is a great aid to creativity.