Grace Currie

This painting is called ‘My Open Studio Gang’.

 

It is a large painting using acrylic paint and a little bit of masking tape.

 

The painting is on primed canvas and is 185cm wide by 150cm high.

 

The painting was initially made with people who attended my Open Studio event, which was called Co-Lab, a collaboration with the artist Tanya Raabe-Webber.

 

‘My Open Studio Gang’ was first made by photographing everyone who attended my Open Studio event.

 

After the photographs were taken, I printed them off and each participant traced around the photograph onto acetate into one big collective portrait.

 

As part of the conversation, we talked about each other’s pets, then they also became part of the painting too!

I then used an Overhead Projector (also known as a OHP) to project the outline drawings onto the canvas.

 

The painting from top left has my cat Billy, which is painted with browns, purples and a bit of red and white.  Billy is represented lounging with his leg and paw on Tanya’s shoulder.

 

Billy is also playing with a toy gingerbread man that is painted gingerbread brown.

 

Then there are my 2 neighbours called Aiden and Tina, who had never been in my studio before.

 

They even bought a painting from me!

 

They are painted with pinks and light and dark browns and shows them posing together. Tina’s hair is made with masking tape and then painted over with a yellowy blonde colour.

 

Then next to them is a portrait of me drinking a cup of tea, I am wearing my painting shirt, which is covered in splashes of paint, I am sat down in my cosy chair.

 

Then there is Beth, who is my PA team leader, she is wearing glasses and is smiling with bright red lipstick. Her hair is brown, a bit darker than mine.

 

The Frog, who is my Creative Enabler Simon’s alter-ego. The Frog is drinking a cup of mint herbal tea.

 

The Frog is painted in the colours of a green swamp. The Frog is also sat down in another cosy chair.

Next along is Sue, who is my previous Creative Enabler. Sue is wearing glasses, has pink lips and has shocking grey shoulder length hair.

 

Next to Sue is a painting of Lana, who is Simon/The Frog’s daughter/froglet. She is wearing a blue jumper, has long blonde hair and her fringe is down across her face and nose.

 

From the middle left is Tanya, Tanya is sat in her electric wheelchair and is wearing glasses, has bright red lips and is crossing her

hands. She is wearing a creamy white t-shirt with a brown squiggle down the middle.

 

Neil is next to Tanya, who is Tanya’s husband. Neil is a lovely man and I have painted him with his grey t-shirt on with a rock-climbing symbol on it. His face is tanned brown; he has pink lips and just a little bit of hair. His eyes are brown and slanted.

 

Then there is Tanya again who is leaning into Neil, I have painted her with a brown and purple top and she has her arms crossed again. She has bright red lips and brown hair.

 

Next is Joe, an artist who visited my Open Studio who I have never met before, he is a friend of Sue’s. He brough his dog too! He has glasses and also wears a grey shirt, he has brown wispy hair. He is crying out of joyousness of being in my studio!

 

Then there is Heather who works for DASH who is painted in blues and whites, she has large glasses and big frizzy hair.

On the front row starting on the left is Tanya’s cat, whose name I can’t remember. She is a tabby cat, and I have painted her large and she is itching herself. She is smiling looking proud.

 

Next is Jo’s dog that is white, grey and black, he is hiding under the table looking very cute.

 

Next is a random French cat that my mum and dad saw on holiday who sent the picture of the cat to me. The cat is lying on the floor painted green and blue with an alien on top of it. The alien has hypnotized the kitty!

 

Lastly there is a painted version of Kiki, who is Simon and Lana’s cat. Kiki is yawning but looks like she is growling at Jo’s dog and about to eat him!

 

Kiki is painted grey and white stripes and spots and has a long pink tongue!