All Change!- new website news.

 Well, at last I have been able to put online the new website. This new site will introduce visitors to all aspects of my work. The way this new site works means that this blog page will become redundant and this is likely to be the last post on here.
Do go over to the website and have a look- see you there!

www.andybeckimages.co.uk.

The Wainwrights in Colour- update 28/11/14

Exciting new about the Wainwrights in Colour book and two brand new Limited Edition Prints.
Do take time to look at the video and then for more information on how to order visit the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk

Special Offer to make space.

This offer is only on until Sunday 31st- don't miss your chance!
Update 29.8.14- Four of the fells shown below have now been reserved. Only seven left.
 This has never happened before and it is unlikely to do so again.
 As I near the completion of the project I am looking towards the publication of the book. I had thought about keeping any unsold works and then putting a small selling exhibition on combined with the launch of the book. This may still happen but logistically it may be difficult.
So today I have made the decision to sell 10 of the completed and unsold fells. These are currently taking up room in my studio and they would be better hanging on someone's wall. It will also help towards the printing bill for the book.
These works are mostly due to the incompletion of orders by customers so I have the opportunity to offer these 10 fells only at a discount price of 10% off the catalogue price. This offer will only be on until the 31st of August. So if you have ever considered purchasing on of these unique collection of sketches then now is your chance. Delivery charges may apply if you live some distance away but this can be discussed.
The 10 fells are listed below:

Binsey- Northern Fells. Seven sketches. Measures 56cm x 60cm.

Reserved

Graystones- North western Fells. Six sketches. 60cm x 51 cm

Catalogue price: £510 discounted price: £459

Hindscarth- North western Fells. Nine sketches. 60cm x 74cm

Reserved

Illgill Head- Southern Fells. Five sketches. 49cm x 57cm

Catalogue price: £455 discounted price: £409

Shipman Knotts- Far eastern Fells. Four sketches. 46cm x 51cm

Catalogue price: £400 discounted price: £360

Whiteside- North western Fells. Fourteen sketches. 78cm x 74 cm

Catalogue price: £1,085 discounted price: £975

Green Gable- Western Fells. Five sketches. 40cm x 71cm.

Catalogue price: £460 discounted price: £414

High Pike- Northern Fells. Sixteen sketches. 69cm x 95cm

Reserved

Knott Rigg- North western fells. Four sketches. 48cm x 46cm

Catalogue price: £400 discounted price: £360

Scoat Fell- Western Fells. Ten sketches. 69cm x 58cm

Reserved

Do remember that these are all one off originals from this unique project. They will be sold first come-first served. They are all fully framed and ready for delivery or collection now.

If you are interested in any of these fells then contact me:

info@theteesdalegallery.co.uk

 

 

The Wainwrights in oils......the follow up.

 Firstly, many thanks to all of you who have liked and commented on my blog post yesterday. Most of the comments have been made on The Teesdale Gallery Facebook page and are there to see. Also thanks to those of you who have contacted me via email. Your overwhelming support has been heart-warming.
 So, following up on this situation I was thinking it would have been at least something to get an acknowledgement from the artist that he had been inspired to begin his project after seeing or reading about The Wainwrights in Colour. So I set about to catch a fish.
 By pure co-incidence I actually have been following Simon Whitfield's page on Flickr, he does take some pretty good photos of the Lake District. So yesterday I posted a comment on one of his photos, a view from Arnison Crag. I was hoping he would post some sort of reply which he has just done.

His reply to my comment "that's quite like a Wainwright view" was "I've been doing some of the Wainwright fells for an exhibition in Keswick this autumn. It is not as heroic project as your own superb and unique Wainwrights in Colour which Is an outstanding, achievement, but I hope it might give some small pleasure to Lake District enthusiasts" unquote.

So he acknowledges my project but makes no relationship to the two ideas. I could think I was being paranoid but even yesterday I received a message from someone who recently in a gallery saw one of his works and both friends commented to each other how similar his work was to mine.

 Despite suggestions from friends I will not be taking this further but I am confident in the knowledge that he has been shown as blatantly copying my unique idea.

 The good thing about having been in this business for some time is that I know a lot of people in the art world, I think it's about time I made a few phone calls and get myself invited to an opening of an exhibition this autumn in Keswick. :)

Is imitation really flattery?

 It's been a while since I last made a blog post but those who have been following the website or my exploits on various Facebook pages will fully understand that my time is limited. Even the On Location pages of the website you will notice that recent explorations onto the fells haven't been posted purely due to this shortage of time.
 Many of you will realise that work has been progressing really well on my Wainwrights in Colour project and at last after all this time there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am truly grateful to those last few customers who have been patiently awaiting the completion of their fells.
 Recent wandering over the fells have meant that I now only have 2 references left to tick off, and one of those is a confirmation of a view which I possibly got wrong. Some long days and a few cracking nights wild camping have resulted in some wonderful experiences which when time allows I will share in full.

Sunset on Coniston Old Man 24.7.14

 

However, it was following the receipt of the Wainwright Society Newsletter in my inbox this morning that I felt motivated to write this blog post.

 The Wainwright's in Colour Project has been my life for the past 8 years, providing my sole income as well as all the stress and concern that comes with that challenge. In all the years since AW published the seven Pictorial Guides it seems that no-one had come up with the idea of painting the views as they are today. Many people have complimented me on coming up with such a unique take on these wonderful works so much so that as you maybe aware I have had some excellent coverage in local and national press as well as being filmed by the BBC. It has turned out to be a mammoth task, getting to the locations, photographing the scenes from exactly the same viewpoint as Wainwright and then interpreting the vista as a scaled watercolour. The sales of the work and the pre-orders for the forthcoming work speak for themselves. I was just so fortunate as a professional artist to by chance come up with this idea and bring it to life.

 My format of framing all the sketches for each fell as a montage complete with hand-painted title really shows off the watercolours to their best and the fact that I personally hand cut each mount individually and then frame them totally "in house" means that this is truly an artists work.



Green Gable fully framed.

I am currently in the process of designing the final layout of the book, like AW, this is fully under my control and I am really proud of what I have achieved.

Arnison Crag- the page from the book.

So, from reading the fore mentioned newsletter another artist has taken it upon himself to undertake the exact same "project" the only difference is that he is using oils as a medium and not watercolours. Now I fully realise that my idea cannot be copyrighted after all the views that AW drew are there for all to photograph, sketch etc. What I do find galling is that this artist has obviously copied my idea instead of coming up with his own original and unique painting project of the Lakeland Fells. Even the way he has mounted the sketches as a montage in a cream mount complete with what looks like a photocopied title underneath copies my layout. So far he has only completed Arnison Crag (he began his project in March 2014- about 8 years behind me) and his images bear little accuracy to AW's view despite his statement "As part of an on-going project I intend to re-visit AW's viewpoints with the aid of his guidebooks and paint them as they are today." unquote.  Sounds familiar?

 In some ways I wish him the best of luck, no one more than me understands the challenge he has set himself. Perhaps when The Wainwright's in Colour book comes out I will sell him a copy and save him some ground work.

 Does all of this make me sound like a bitter old man? I hope not. I'm not bitter after all, sooner or later someone is going to question this artist and say "aren't you just copying Andy Beck's excellent idea?"

 Of course, if I was really bitter I wouldn't share with you this artists website so you can take a look for yourselves: www.simon-whitfield-artist.com.

 By the way, do remember where you heard about the idea first. :)

 Feel free to post a comment either here or on The Teesdale Gallery Facebook page.

 

Scafell Pike goes under the hammer!

Well, as you may have read from my previous post, the work on the painting which will feature as the front cover for the Wainwrights in Colour book has now been completed. Today the work was returned from the printers and I was able to fully frame up the watercolour.

I must admit I am really quite pleased with the way it has turned out, after all, it has been a while since I have produced a decent sized watercolour, sketches have been my output for quite a while. Now all I have to do is wrap up the painting and organise to get it delivered to Manchester for next week this painting is up for auction. All for a great cause, this event is to raise money for the NSPCC Childline charity. Each year in Manchester they raise a huge amount and hopefully my efforts will assist in adding more to the pot.

 

Scafell Pike from the Gorge of the Esk.

I understand that the reserve for the framed painting is set at £500 and the auction takes place in the Hilton Hotel Manchester on Saturday 1st March. If anyone is interested in placing a bid for this unique painting which will be the front cover for the Wainwrights in Colour book then just let me know and I will put you in touch with the auction organiser. info@theteesdalegallery.co.uk

Cover up!

 Work is really progressing apace with the Wainwrights in Colour Project especially after a couple of hiccups in 2013. It really now seems that 2014 will be a very special year for me, not only to fully complete the work but also to get the book finished and published.
 With that in mind I was considering the actual cover for the book. Some of you may have already seen on the website or at the exhibition at Rheged that I have a mock-up of the book complete with cover. I have been having thoughts about the layout of the front cover and the image I want to use after all, it's one of the first things a customer or reader of the book gets to view. For the original idea I used a sketch from the Scafell Pike chapter, the view from Throstle Garth.  Even though its not an aspect seen by most walkers of this fell it is a classic view of England's highest mountain. Due to the size of the original sketch it doesn't fit the cover very well. So I have decided to produce a bigger version of this same image to specifically use for the book front cover.

Work in progress- Scafell Pike from Throstle Garth.

 Now I hadn't intended to work on this painting for a while yet but I have been motivated to produce this painting for a very special reason. Some time ago I was asked to donate an original painting for an auction to raise money for the NSPCC and Childline. With so much work on I am unable to produce work not involved with the Wainwrights in Colour so this will solve the problem. The intention is to donate the original framed painting to the auction but also to produce a high quality limited edition print of the image which will be available for purchase through the gallery website.
 To keep up to date with my progress on this painting then why not like The Teesdale Gallery Facebook page. If you are interested in bidding for the original then just drop me a line info@theteesdalegallery.co.uk