Canal art

[dave moore]

Hi all

Just to clarify....the last posted photograph is the work of Bill Hodgson.He was a prolific painter of working boats in the Stoke on Trent/ Middlewich areas and the illustration is of a display panel he painted in the 50s, shortly before retiring. His unique style was the "Knobstick" rose, if anyone's interested in more detail then I'd recommend Tony Lewery's "Flowers Afloat" which devotes a whole chapter to Bill and his painting. I've a bit here, part of Phil's collection which I'm currently caring for. A friend owns a pair of doors from a working boat and the roses are certainly Hodgson's. The individual brushstrokes look random, but the cumulative effect is stunning. He had some artistic training in his younger days, which accounts for the more naturalistic look of his flowers compared with the more stylistic ones further south. One day, when I have time, I'm going to develop my "pottery" flowers. Phil does great work in this style. I don't know of any books/online resources for help. Hodgson's style was copied by a handful of boatmen painters, tho' none have his flair and zest. I have a cabin stool by one of the best known, Reg Barnett, which is also lovely.

Cheers

Dave

[BlueStringPudding]

I think the knobs are good aswell. What are they supposed to look like, do you have a piccy/URl of an old original.

My latest effort is leaning towards a more trad style aswell. I would post a pic but my boats gone..!!! Brother-in-law has took my boat for 2 weeks hols - very depressing. I used any old colours and painted them all on top of each other whilst still wet. Its a sort of Custard, HP sauce, icing sugar, and orange Zest jobbie if you know what I mean. I was pretty chuffed with them, reproduction will be my problem though.

 

Forgot to say, that whole board looks stunning. Maybe not traditional but just a good job from someone who obviously knows what she's doing. Keep posting the pics of your work, You use unusual colours and have a distinctive style and I for one love it.

 

 

Did some searching around and found this - on this site aswell.

now if only I could do something like that

that's a beautiful picture, Evo. Where's it from?

 

Sorry, Dave had answered my question before I asked it!

 

Hi again Evo. You asked where I got the knobstick rose images I based my knobhead roses on. Just looked it up. It's a Jane Selkirk knobstick rose from the GrannyButtons website.

[Tiber]

I'm interested in the "which paint is best" discussion because I use whatever I have lying around. The panel I did at the weekend includes Dulux Weathershield, Blackfriars enamel, Sikkens boat paint and Dulux household gloss. I suspect it'd be tricky for most people to tell which is which.

 

I love the colours pud>>>> I think I will have to try something a little more adventurous :-)

[Terence]

Where can I learn the proper way to do these without paying for a course!?

 

Hi

 

Give this a try, it's based on the Northern Knobstick. If you get chance seek out Alan Barents work (Big Al) he's always out and about on the system.

 

 

Terence

[BlueStringPudding]

Terence, you're a star. Than you. I'll try that out and the weekend and post the results on here (good or bad!)

[Evo]

Pud ..I need a large painting of a swirling Tasmanian devil weilding a brass tiller handle. Do me something in your style will ya. I want it on the side of the boat to represent the canal rage that that my deceased father-in-law used to get into.

[BlueStringPudding]

Are you kidding or serious? Coz I'd love to paint that!

[kitman]

My latest crack at the whip! I'm really pleased with this but I feel I'm struggling with my trees, they are a bit weak. I want to be able to paint them as good as Nurser. God knows how he got them so good. There's a knack to everything I spose...comments and tips welcomed ofc

 

[Terence]

My latest crack at the whip! I'm really pleased with this but I feel I'm struggling with my trees, they are a bit weak. I want to be able to paint them as good as Nurser. God knows how he got them so good. There's a knack to everything I spose...comments and tips welcomed ofc

 

 

I use an old goose hair brush that I've had for many years (a bit stubby now though), there is a brush designed for the job and you can get one from Rosemary & Co heres the link Tree brush link. They are a bit pricey but do a good job. They are also ideal for bushes. But It's all about practice.

 

If I could make a comment on your painting (which is very good by the way) just be careful when and where you use 'orange' it's a very strong colour.

 

Hope this helps?

 

Terence

[Purple Fairie]

Mostly for the benefit of Dave Moore as he gave me some excellent advice a couple of years ago but I just haven't had the time to do anything about it! Hopefully the upside of packing up with the business will mean more time to paint!

 

My latest attempt

 

 

 

Oh and Dave, it only took me about 10 hours in total this time!

[dave moore]

Hi both

 

Thanks for puttting the pics up on the Forum. I'd be happy to offer feedback but I'd prefer to speak to you. I never do so publicly! Please call me on 07831 243001 or 01384 571204 for a chat. I'm busy daytimes, still painting, but I'm available evenings usually. Hope to hear from you soon. Take care.

 

Dave

[Kez]

Seeing as everyone else is doing it, perhaps I can throw my (only) 2 castles into the pot for examination

Sorry about the photo quality, I was using my phone to take the pictures

 

 

[kitman]

I use an old goose hair brush that I've had for many years (a bit stubby now though), there is a brush designed for the job and you can get one from Rosemary & Co heres the link Tree brush link. They are a bit pricey but do a good job. They are also ideal for bushes. But It's all about practice.

 

If I could make a comment on your painting (which is very good by the way) just be careful when and where you use 'orange' it's a very strong colour.

 

Hope this helps?

 

Terence

Cheers Terry, I will get one of thoose brushes!

 

 

Edit to say: btw my roofs are a bright red, but they look orangey in the pic! The path is best red.

 

This is a lovely bit of painting, most of all I like the tree, it looks like one of those red maples

Edited February 8, 2012 by kitman

[Terence]

I’ve always thought that when I paint I do it because I enjoy it. In the beginning I never thought I would be making a living out of it. My love for this style of art is like it should be and comes from my love for the Canal System. Traditional Roses & Castles is what I like and will always be at the forefront, but, times have changed and the modern boater wants that little bit more and if I want to carry on making a living I too have to change to cater for the market. So we now have two categories, Traditional and Modern.

 

I do think though that having a good feel for the history will really help any budding painter, whether it’s a castle or a dog (in this case) that they want to paint. A Water Can on a traditional looking boat decorated in the traditional style looks in my opinion wonderful, as does a Can Painted in a modern style on a modern boat. Mix the two up and to an expert you get the NO NO but to the novice we get a WHT NOT.

 

Preserve the history and enjoy the future, no one will change us. But I’m in the Traditional camp.

 

 

 

Terence

[kitman]

Ok here's my latest...I'm fairly pleased with the bridge on the second one and I'm really pleased with first one as I seem to be getting my act together with the foliage and the turrets now! Also this is my first serious atempt as scumbling doors. I had a chance to watch Steve Priest do some scumbling on Trevor Maggs' boat, NB Corona, on Friday, so I managed to pick up a few tips!

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2012 by kitman

[Phil Speight]

I`ve been watching this with much interest inbetween making a living. I`ve just forged Hodgson roses and a coupe of landscapes on "Sweden" but as yet haven`t taught myself how to get a pictures on here!

To wind a few people up then; there is only one illustration of actual knobstick roses on this entire stream.They are the ones painted by Hodgson on what was clearly a "show-off" piece. Sorry. I know of only two painters working today who paint Hodgson knobstick roses - everybody else paints a more stylised form which allows the use of some southern techniques ( the ones we are all so familiar with ).

Before anyone bights me `ead off this is not a criticism at all. It couldn`t have been long after Hodgson`s painting came to prominence in the north that other painters started to copy him. This resulted in another style, based on his,which I personally call "potteries roses"- and very nice too.

The best of these painters nowadays is certainly Alan Barnett of Middlewich. He learned the style from his uncle, Reg Barnett, - one of the very best boatman painters who in turn was hugely influenced at first hand by Hodgson`s work. However,like the vast majority of painters,he could not produce the sponteneity of the original and so"systemized"the painting. It has been treated so ever since and some lovely work has resulted.My only point really is that this modern interpretation of the original has resulted in another style altogether.To further my argument,how many modern painters paint the leaves, veins etc. like Hodgson did? There`s much more to it than a few carefully painted white bits round the edges. In fact at no point in a bunch of actual knobstick roses does the word "careful" have a place.

So;please accept that I like a lot of work that is nowadays described as being in the knobstick style - like it a lot Isimply maintain that it should be described otherwise. Does it matter ? Not a bloody jot I guess !

 

Could become a real old boring fart if I tried eh ! Sorry - but I love the tradition I work in. I`m happy for some to say I`m not a real painter because I ain`t Ron and neither am I dead, I don`t care that people seem to admire neatness and complexity in decorative painting these days and mark me down because they are two qualities I avoid like the plague and I`m really encouraged by the quality of work to be found around the place.But - as a new generation of influential painters comes on the scene I fear

that the knowledge passed on is coming from nearer and nearer the present day. The painting tradition has already changed hugely,it began to do so in the late sixties,but serious painters,professionals included,need to look far further back, to understand why the painting was as it was and why the more time we have today,the market most of us serve today,the reference books we read today and the work of our contemporaries could well lead to our loosing the platform on which it is all based.

 

Reading through this particularly humourless contribution ( soddin` hayfever tablets dull my wit ) I realize that a)most of you aren`t that bothered - and why should you be and b)may not know who this bloody `odgson guy was anyway. He was a very prolific professional dock painter working largely for the Anderton Company and others local to the potteries. His early ambition was to be an actual "artist" and tried to get his landscape painting accepted by the Royal Academy. He failed in this and subsequently contented himself with boat decoration as a career. Except I never thought he was "content" as such at all. His canal landscapes are dark, broody and far less subtle than he could have made them and his flowers were fast and often crude ( unlike his occasional "this is what I can REALLY do" piece). He died in 1959 and his style was so unique he was surely the one and only knobstick painter - and very difficult to copy !

 

Ok here's my latest...I'm fairly pleased with the bridge on the second one and I'm really pleased with first one as I seem to be getting my act together with the foliage and the turrets now! Also this is my first serious atempt as scumbling doors. I had a chance to watch Steve Priest do some scumbling on Trevor Maggs' boat, NB Corona, on Friday, so I managed to pick up a few tips!

 

 

 

Very nice. Frank Nurser kept chickens you know....................

[kitman]

Very nice. Frank Nurser kept chickens you know....................

Cheers! I have just finished these roses which took a long time, mainly because I rubbed out alot and started again. I'm still trying to get to grips with how the brush behaves, especially at different angles. So although there are 25 passable Roses in the photos, I have probably done more like 300 bad ones! I'm looking forward to the day when I can knock these out without even having to concentrate!!

 

 

 

 

 

[LEO]

Cheers! I have just finished these roses which took a long time, mainly because I rubbed out alot and started again. I'm still trying to get to grips with how the brush behaves, especially at different angles. So although there are 25 passable Roses in the photos, I have probably done more like 300 bad ones! I'm looking forward to the day when I can knock these out without even having to concentrate!!

 

Chris,

 

Technique has changed since last year - been on a flower arranging course during the winter???.

 

ATB.

 

Mike.

[dave moore]

Hi Chris

 

The first 500 are easily the worst!!! After a lifetime's painting, I still have to think about roses....any attempt at auto pilot means starting over. When you come and look at the collection, I'm happy to waggle a paintbrush with you as well.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Speedwheel]

.... lots of interesting stuff......

 

These might interest you then Phil. Taken 6th March (my birthday!) 1976.

 

I love the blacklining (is that what it is called?)

 

[BlueStringPudding]

Lovely. All the better for the aging wood.

[dave moore]

Hi

 

That's Bill Hodgson, or I'll eat my hat! Which back cabin? Spill the beans!

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Speedwheel]

Hi

 

That's Bill Hodgson, or I'll eat my hat! Which back cabin? Spill the beans!

 

Cheers

 

Dave

 

Sweden.

 

A couple more.

 

[Tuscan]

That's a lovely looking boat in and out