Siobhán Bromley

I recently visited two astounding exhibitions and thought I’d share my enthusiasm for them with you.

First was the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008′ at the Natural History Museum, London. I visit this every year and it really is one of my favorite yearly events. Not only is it a celebration of the phenomenons of nature and photographic skills, but it is deeply evocative. I feel the same pang of wonderment and awe looking at the photographs as I do when I watch documentaries such as Planet Earth. We are so extra-ordinarily lucky to have these stunning images of events which many of us shall never witness, at our fingertips. Many of the photographers spend weeks and even months staking out an animal just to capture one momentous shot. I truly am in awe of nature and in awe of the dedication of these artists. If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the exhibition then I urge you to purchase the catalogue online.

The second exhibition was ‘Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990–2005′ at the National Portrait Gallery, London. It included over 150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, interweaving her professional work and autobiographical images. From her more well known images of celebrity figures such as the famous photo of a nude pregnant Demi Moore to the deeply touching documentorial shots of her dear friend’s battle with cancer. It was a well executed exhibition yet I have mixed feelings about her work. Whilst there are a few elements of her style that are not to my personal taste, there is no doubt that she is a very talented photographer. The way in which she can at times, in a simple portrait, portray the person behind the eyes leaves the viewer breathless. In spite of this I did feel that she is somewhat over-rated. Yet perhaps that is my ignorance as I really know very little about the history of the art of photography.

The exhibition did get me all fired up about portraits though and it’s certainly something I would like to gain more practice in. It is such a fine art and is so very difficult to do well that I am intimidated by it…I shall add it to the list of techniques to explore.

Hey and happy New Year!

I hope you all had a magical Christmas and New Year. Mine was lovely and busy as ever. I did far too little artwork, ate far too much food and got thoroughly spoilt by my nearest and dearest!

I did managed to do this piece as a wedding present for a very lovely couple who tied the knot over the festive season. Congratulation wishes to them! The wedding photographer was 11th Studio and the stunning images should be appearing on his website very soon.

Anywho, I wish you all the best for this new and exciting year. May it be full of adventures and you realise your dreams.

x

Computer software such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop remain to be a mystery to me. Whilst I strive to be more proficient on them, I become increasingly aware of how much there is to these programs and how little I know and what potential there is for me to create digital artwork of a decent caliber. This frustrates me! However, I am storming on with the self-tuition with the fruits of Google as my guides and the images in my head as my muses.

These are two pieces I’ve done to replace the ghastly default thing that looms above the pages of my blog.

I’ve been painting a lot of mini canvasses of late. They suit my intricate style well and I can really focus on refining my brushwork. I shall be putting a few up on my site for sale eventually, but in the mean time I am willingly taking commissions for mini pieces of art. They’re more affordable than bigger pieces of art and placed on mini easels they make gorgeous personal presents. Feel free to email me with any questions regarding my work.

Here’s a sweet morsel for you to feast your peepers on:

(actual size: 2.4″ x 3.1″)

Hi everyone,

I am terribly sorry for being so disgracefully neglectful of late, but I have been busy, honest! I have been spending much time wading through the quagmire that is computer land, learning and perfecting my skills in Illustrator….and it makes me feel funny! Seriously, my eyes go fuzzy, my brain feels like one of those knotted balls of elastic bands and time and space alter in speed, reality and dimension.

On the upside, I have found it very rewarding….eventually. The rare moments when I get to throw my arms in the air and squeal to the still unpacked boxes in my study, ‘I…oh yes, I, Siobhán Bromley…am a freaken’ genious!!!’, are truly priceless.

So here’s something I’ve been doing recently. The colours need tweeking.