These two paintings have a red figure as their center of interest.
Rain, Reflections and The Lady in Red, 8" x 10", oil on board, 2011 SOLD
Moving on, 12" x 24", oil on canvas, 2011 SOLD
Can you tell why red is so powerful in both paintings? Sometimes, I find red daunting but at the same time I could never have a palette that didn't have red in it!
SPECIAL QUOTE "A thimbleful of red is redder than a bucketful" (Henri Matisse)
Marlborough Buildings, Bath-The sketch, 11" x 9", Graphite, 2011 SOLD
This is one of those sketches I really enjoy doing. The Architecture and Landscape! This drawing also went under the hammer at The Bath Prize last year!
SPECIAL QUOTE "Draw, draw, draw and draw-not short cuts just keep drawing"-Adebanji Alade
These are some of my recent sketches on public transport. The sketch has always been my constant method of understanding and grasping everything that art is about. For me it all starts with a sketch.
What are the qualities of a sketch/sketcher?
I tried to think of some of the things I carry along into each sketch I make and thought of breaking it down into the very word S-K-E-T-C-H
S-It must have spirit! It must have the soul of the sketcher embedded into it!
K-It must be executed with knack! The sketcher has to find his or her own 'shorthand'way of doing it!
E-It has to have some sort of energy, by this I mean vitality and intensity of expression!
T-The sketch has to be unique with the sketchers particular technique. Because it's mostly done quickly there has to be an underlying technique utilized by the sketcher to get it done quickly, if need be!
C-COURAGE!!!!- This one is the most important, it's that state of mind that enables one to do it anywhere, anytime and any place without any lack of confidence or fear!
H-The sketcher must have Heart! By this I am emphasizing the sketchers prevailing mood and present or current inclination while the sketch is being executed. He or she must believe it is possible, once the hand touches the pen or pencil and the first stroke hits the paper!
SKETCHING THE SKETCHER-Here I sketch myself on public transport and record the process with the camera in my other hand. A bit clumsy but worth sharing so people can enjoy a full unedited process of a sketch taking place on a fast shaking and moving train! It's divided into 2 parts so grab a cup of coffee or tea and some biscuits....quite long, I mean.
THE SKETCH
PART 1
PART 2
SPECIAL QUOTE "I talk as I sketch, too, in order to keep their minds off what I'm doing so I'll get the most natural expression I can from them. Also, the talking helps to size up the subject's personality, so I can figure out better how to portray him." -Norman Rockwell
Just After the Rain, The Abbey, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30", 2011, SOLD
This is one of the paintings that got sold in the Bath Prize auction last year.
I went with my son Josh who was happy to see my painting go under the hammer, he got inspired and managed to sell one of his sketches for 30p!
Adebanji and Josh at The Bath Prize Auction, picture by Andy Short
I have tried to capture that freshness in the air after the rain with some reflections too. I was mainly inspired to take this piece after studying how Edward Seago takes on the clear cut effect of light and shade on architecture.
SPECIAL QUOTE "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might..."-King Solomon of Israel(Ecclesiastes 9:10)
This is one of those pieces that I get to do when I feel like making a statement about my experiences(these experience range from what I see in peoples faces, discussion I had with people as I sketch, the way I felt on the day I sketched the person, inspiration I gathered from the journey that day and a host of other things) on public transport, the press cuttings and the constant cancellations and delays. Most of it is personal and all the sketches used for this piece were done right there and then on public transport. The coloured sketches were all done directly from the sketches with no other references used. The joy of juxtaposing and composing these kind of pieces knows no bounds, it makes one feel like a child again in the craft class.
detail(below)
SPECIAL QUOTATION "I know that a design works when the eye moves around the format instead of becoming focused in one place."-Robert Bateman, Design & Composition secrets of professional artists.
The Face of Homelessness (Kings Road) found a new home last year! It's always great when someone comes along and really falls in love with an artwork and also decides to buy it! Now, that's exactly what happened at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition in December last year. The standards were very very high, I got one painting in, and I was so happy that before the Private View had even kicked off at 3.30pm on the day, a lovely lady came to tap me on the back and simply said, "I am excited to buy your painting, can you come over and take a picture when I put the red dot on it!"-That was a great feeling, also it was the second work to sell at the Exhibition which was very successful!
And the Red Dot is placed....
Later on after Carole had picked up the painting from the Mall Galleries she invited me for a get together with 20 of her friends and we all had a nice evening unveiling the painting, while I also introduced the guy I painted and how I came about sketching and painting him. It was a marvelous evening. It's the third time in my life as an artist that I've got the chance to actually see the new home where my painting would be living for a long while. Most of the time these works are purchased off the gallery wall and that's it-never to be seen again! But this was a night with a difference, thanks Carole!
Adebanji and Carole with Painting at the Mall Galleries.
Adebanji, the sketch and the painting at it's new home
Adebanji with Carole and the painting at it's new home
SPECIAL QUOTE "A worker or painter should enjoy his work, else the observer will not enjoy it"-Robert Henri, The Art Spirit
These are more sketches that I have made on public transport! Going around, almost like a hunter, the sketcher never misses an opportunity to catch a good shot! If it was possible to sketch with ones eyes, I would give it go, because sometimes I see a face that I can't resist sketching but I either cannot reach out for my sketchbook or probably forgotten my pen-it's painful!
SPECIAL QUOTE "MY MOTTO IS:All drawing is good, to draw everything better"-Adolf Von Menzel
Rain, Rain and Rush Hour, 24" x 20", Oil on Canvas, 2011 SOLD
This is one of many paintings I did last year, which I am yet to post. This particular piece has two of my favourite subjects combined-Rain and Rush Hour! Viewing these scenes are almost magical to me, all my senses start ticking and I'm really on edge to get the right shot with my camera- I need an umbrella in one hand and my camera in the other. I can take up to hundreds of shots, just to end up with one that will suit the kind of painting idea I have in mind. Then I bring the picture back to the studio and paint it with the spirit of the scene in mind!
COMPETITION The First person to know the exact spot of this painting in London, gets a Nice New Years Prize! The prize is not mentioned, you have to trust me to give out something good. Mr Adebanji always has surprises up his sleeves and is willing to post to anywhere in the world! The only rule is that you cannot post the answer twice, you have only one attempt and that's it! Good luck and hope you enjoy! Once the winner emerges-I'll congratulate them on the comments section and announce their prize too! Past winners of my competitions can win again, it's free to all!
SPECIAL QUOTE "I like to use my imagination when I paint-While the stimulus of painting en plein air is very exciting, I don't want to be a slave to the landscape. I enjoy using a variety of references, be they photographs, sketches or quick oil studies done outdoors, and working them up to larger pieces in my studio."-Peter Wileman from his book, "Painting Light in Oils"
These are some back load of sketches from last year which I haven't posted-they show everything I feel when I observe people everyday. I could catch a sleeping man three times, if he keeps changing the pose! I simply love it! I could catch a lady putting on make-up in a rush on the train-this says a lot about London life! Someone could be right there, staring at me and I'll take it on, full and bold-they'll ask if they can have a look and I'll smile and say , Yes!! Then I watch their reactions, always a mixture of shock and excitement! London is the place to be! Hope you enjoy!
SPECIAL QUOTE "The sketch is, by everyone's admission, extraordinarily clever and characteristic: it is of course mere dabs and blurs and considerably caricatured, but certainly more like me than I expected anything could(be)"-Veron Lee, in a letter to her mother on Sargent's 3 hour painting of her.
