Thursday 31 October 2013

Christmas Exhibitions in Swansea and Cardiff

Christmas Exhibitions

I have 2 exhibitions coming up this Christmas.

The Christmas Show

Oriel Ceri Richards Gallery, Swansea University

Nov 9th-Dec 20th 2013

 
For more info please click the link below
 
 
All welcome to the opening on Nov 9th and they offer 10% discount on that day only.
 
One of my paintings exhibited is
The Window Seat,
watercolour

 
 

The Christmas Exhibition

 The Albany Gallery, Cardiff

Nov 8th-Dec 31st 2013
 
The opening is Nov 8th
 
You can see my paintings exhibited on the link below
 

 This is one of my paintings in the exhibition,

I Saw Three Ships,

 watercolour and ink.



Children of Eden and a Ghostly Tale......

Going to the dress rehearsal not sure what to expect from Children of Eden. Not familiar with the production it s a revelation. Composed by the same man who did Wicked it is full of toe tapping gutsy music that carries you along with the story or Adam and Eve to Noah's Ark. Swansea Amateurs gave, as always a thoroughly professional performance with some great star turns by the leads. The children involved, picked from the local theatre groups such as Wiseman Stage school where super talented and enriched an already great production!! I was drawing away in the auditorium catching the action, wondering how I had never come across this before. Going back stage the cast, anxious to iron out all the niggles before opening night where a delight as always, happy to pose and point out anything that may be of interest.

While i was waiting for it to start, talking to Brian, he told me of the Grand Theatre ghost. I have never heard of this before so begged him to tell me more. Apparently the ghost was a young dresser who had died on the Lusitania. Brian said had felt her presence and see chairs in the theatre auditorium move as she walked past!!! There is always apparently, a smell of violets when she is roaming and a "cold" seat on the top circle where I presume she likes to sit. I , needless to say did not go and check it out. I will keep you posted if I see any sightings.......



Original post 2011

Albert Lee

Picture

I was absolutely thrilled to meet the legendary guitarist Albert Lee and his band Hogans Heroes at The Garage in Uplands, Swansea. They were all very welcoming and I could hardly stop my self dancing to their great country music and rock sound!!! It was especially great to be in an intimate venue where you really felt part of the music. I love the guitar so it was a great privilage to see such a stella lineup in Swansea and I very much look forward to capturing them in paint. For more tour dates look at http://www.albertleeandhogansheroes.com/
 
Original post 2011

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg paintings



These are the first of a series of paintings from rehearsal with Royal Ballet principals Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg at The
Royal Opera House. I hope I captured something of these extraordinary ballet dancers. It was a really magical experience:)
More from the series can be seen on my Facebook page on the link below
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoe-James-Williams/162461306404?ref=ts&fref=ts


This particular painting is from their rehearsal In The Night. It is pastel

Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru are partners on and off stage. They met while principals at the Royal Ballet and started their famous partnership in their first ballet together, Romeo and Juliet. Alina is now principal with the English National Ballet and Johan is freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher.

Official website of Alina
http://www.alinacojocaru.com/

Official website of Johan
http://www.kobb.org.uk/

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Opening night of my exhibition Encore! at Swansea Grand Theatre,Aug 22nd 2012



My Portrait in Bill Wyman's Scrapbook

Former Rolling Stones guitarist and founder of The Rhythm Kings Bill Wyman is currently working on the imminent release of a picture book about his extraordinary life, entitled “Scrapbook”.

I was thrilled to be asked for my painting of him, which is now in Bill's collecition, to be included in his book!
Of course I said yes!
It will be releaseed on March 25th

http://www.concertlive.co.uk/books/billwyman/

Monday 28 October 2013

Pastel with Art Class Part 2

After looking at pastel through Degas my classes took the techniques they had learnt and applied it to their own work which I think is a vital part of the teaching process and help create their own style and confidence. A selection below with more to come!!





Joy

joy

Sarah



Shelagh

joy

Sue

joan

Brian

Brian

Vivian



Mike

Lyndsey

Sue



Tim
Janine
Brian
Andrea



 

The Poet Ted Hughes

Poet and writer #TedHughes died #onthisday in 1998.


One of my favourite poems by him
The Howling of WolvesTed Hughes

Is without world.

What are they dragging up and out on their long leashes of sound

That dissolve in the mid-air silence?

Then crying of a baby, in this forest of starving silences,
Brings the wolves running.
Tuning of a violin, in this forest delicate as an owl’s ear,
Brings the wolves running—brings the steel traps clashing and slavering,
The steel furred to keep it from cracking in the cold,
The eyes that never learn how it has come about
That they must live like this,

That they must live

Innocence crept into minerals.

The wind sweeps through and the hunched wolf shivers.
It howls you cannot say whether out of agony or joy.

The earth is under its tongue,
A dead weight of darkness, trying to see through its eyes.
The wolf is living for the earth.
But the wolf is small, it comprehends little.

It goes to and fro, trailing its haunches and whimpering horribly.

It must feed its fur.

The night snows stars and the earth creaks.


Bio
Edward James "Ted" Hughes, OM (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation.[1] Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.
Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until her suicide in 1963 at the age of 30.[2] His part in the relationship became controversial to some feminists and (particularly) American admirers of Plath. His last poetic work, Birthday Letters (1998), explored their complex relationship. These poems make reference to Plath's suicide, but none of them addresses directly the circumstances of her death. A poem discovered in October 2010, Last letter, describes what happened during the three days leading up to Plath's suicide.[3]
In 2008 The Times ranked Hughes fourth on their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945

Sunday 27 October 2013

Pastel in Art Class, Looking at Degas

Teaching pastel to my art classes which they have all thoroughly enjoyed as you can see from some examples below. I showed the use of pastel through artists such as myself and Degas. I found a lovely photo from the Frick Museum of a photograph of a little ballerina recreated as Degas must have drawn her. I thought it would be a good idea to pastel from a photo rather than direct from an actual Degas painting so they could view the ballerina as he would have. Also as you can see, some of my students loved it so much they went on to copy some of Degas' actual pastel sketches as well.

After Degas