lotus seeds Archives

A Handful of Artworks – the Finished Series

Posted on February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 by Tamsin

Here they are, the full series of six studies which have kept me company, occupied and challenged right through 2021. Having started this body of work last January, and completed it a few days before the end of December, it has been the biggest project of its kind that I have undertaken.

The idea to create this series was first sparked in a conversation about an exhibition submission (more on this later in the year). I typically create in a less cohesive way, moving from subject to subject according to commissions accepted and what catches my eye. Creating a specific body of work has been a wonderful experience, and is something that I plan to do again in time.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the fabulous photographer Réhahn Photography who so kindly gave permission for me to reference his work. And of course thanks must also be extended to the models themselves, all of whom are Vietnamese, apart from the Buddhist monk from Ladakh, who is seen in A Handful of Faith.

Now that the full series of hands studies has been completed, I will be taking them to my local fine art printer who will create the most beautiful limited edition giclée prints for me. I hope to be able to share with you all that these are available soon. Once they have been professionally scanned, I will then be adding these designs to my collection of greetings cards, though this will take a little longer.

Pre-orders are being taken now for prints of A Handful of Chillies, A Handful of Salt, A Handful of Lotus Seeds, A Handful of Faith, A Handful of Love and A Handful of Coffee, each at £65. For more details including print sizes and delivery options, please get in touch.

Clockwise from top left: A Handful of Chillies, A Handful of Faith, A Handful of Salt, A Handful of Love, A Handful of Lotus Seeds and A Handful of Coffee.

A Handful of Lotus Seeds in the Making

Posted on July 26, 2021June 10, 2022 by Tamsin

To share with you something of the process of creating one of my artworks, I have created this montage of eight stages of A Handful of Lotus Seeds. This is a pastel painting, using pastel pencils on Pastelmat paper. This allows for a lot of detail which is of course important to me, and as the pastel builds and blends on the page it becomes beautifully creamy.

This artwork has already proved very popular with those who have seen it. The rich earthy colours draw people in, and the contrasting blurred background with the highly detailed hands creates an image that invites closer inspection. For me it is these things plus the narrative that is created that excites, I can just imagine someone crouching down before a mass of lotus seeds, scooping them up in her hands, and how they must sound and feel. We are transported to her world, an act that is no doubt immensely familar to her whilst to myself at least, something I have never experienced yet can still relate to.

It is the commonality in difference that is the driving force behind so much of my artwork. We are all completely individual, yet in so many ways fundamentally the same.

Once the full series of hands studies has been completed, I will make available limited edition prints and greetings cards of A Handful of Lotus Seeds, A Handful of Salt, A Handful of Chillies and the others.

Thanks go to Réhahn Photography for his amazing image.

A Handful of Lotus Seeds – Pastel Painting

Posted on June 28, 2021June 10, 2022 by Tamsin

In a recent post I shared the beginning of A Handful of Lotus Seeds. It was at that point a monochrome underpainting of hands holding colourful lotus seeds, reminiscent I think of green acorns. Since then I have been very busy with this picture, and am delighted to share with you the finished artwork. Like all of the hands studies in this series, A Handful of Lotus Seeds has been created in pastel on Pastelmat.

I had really looked forward to including the background in this picture, I love the way the out of focus seeds below give context to the image and contrast to the hands above. This background was, I soon learned, a harder task than I had anticipated. The blurring of lines when I am so used to being sharp in my mark making, and achieving a balance of the yellows and greens between the darker shadows.

When I look at this picture and any others in my portfolio, I have two distinct experiences. On the one hand I see an image I love, with a certain sense of detachment and appreciation where I can say ‘oh, I love that, it is beautiful!’. The other experience is one of remembering – perhaps a film that was playing in the background whilst I shaded, or the podcast that kept me entertained whilst I drew. Sometimes I have a particularly strong sense of place, where I was both physically, and in my life too.

Right now when I look at A Handful of Lotus Seeds I see primarily the learning. I recall the ups and downs of ‘this looks great!’ contrasting with the ‘oh no, maybe I shouldn’t have included this bit’. The ‘how on earth am I going to get that effect?’ and the ‘does this just look odd to me because I have spent so long staring at it, or will others immediately see that and think it looks off too?’ And I like that. I like the records of my experiences as an artist that it keeps, and that the lessons it taught me will inform my future work. Over time the associations and memories it holds will shift I imagine, as new connections are made with this picture and it takes it’s place amongst the series that is growing around it. My art is, to me, so much more than a picture on a page. I like that every person who views it, whatever they may think of it, will have their own interaction with it however brief or meaningful.

Once the full series of hands studies has been completed, I will make available limited edition prints and greetings cards of A Handful of Lotus Seeds and others.

Pre-orders are being taken now for prints of A Handful of Chillies, A Handful of Salt and A Handful of Lotus Seeds. Please get in touch to order yours.

Thanks go to Rehahn Photography for his amazing reference image.

On the Drawing Board – May 2021

Posted on May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 by Tamsin

Here is a glimpse of the beginnings of the third artwork in the series of hands studies that I am creating. This piece is titled A Handful of Lotus Seeds.

I am working on a richly coloured sheet of Pastelmat, and have been marking in the hands, the fabric and the lotus seeds using pastel pencils. I have chosen with this piece to create a monochrome underpainting. It is something that I have seen other artists doing with their work, so was curious to try it myself. For the underpainting I have used a white, a cream and a sepia pastel to give me a sense of where the main shadows, highlights and mid-tones lay. As with the lotus seeds in the middle, I then am laying colours on top of this. So far I have found it to be a useful approach. The time spent translating the colour image that I am referencing into monochrome on the page is really valuable. And I have a template now to which I can introduce vibrant colours, which is a really exciting stage to be at.

My thanks go to Réhahn Photography for his wonderful reference photograph.