My name is Marty Owings. I love art. I create art and art gear reviews, art tips and tricks. I also love helping people improve their artistic skills. Thank you for checking out my channel.
My interests include software development, the human condition, painting and drawing, art, old books, new gadgets, history, and adventure motorcycling.
Very nice painting Marty. Shows that you DON'T need a ton of colors to do a beautiful painting. I may take a screenshot of your birdhouse and try it myself (if that's okay with you).
Thank you Brigitte - I learned that at the St.Paul Art Academy here in my hometown and further applications from James Gurney. The limited palette is really freeing because you don't have to worry about too many color combo's and you just work with what's there. It's a lot of fun. Thanks for the kind comment.
I like how the birdhouse turned out. I usually don't do any painting outdoors. It's too hot, dry, windy; or, cold. I tend to take a lot of pictures, either with my camera or with my phone that I sometimes use as a camera. Recently, I did take some pictures of the trunk of a willow tree that had interesting texture which I will render in watercolor at some point.
Hi Donna - Photo reference is great and do some of that myself. As you know the weather here in the Midwest doesn't always cooperate with our plans. 🙂 Luckily, this year, in-between the rain, it's been pretty nice. Spring and Autumn are usually great, except the light is fleeting. Good luck with your willow trunk painting, it sounds fun. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber and supporter.
My grandfather, who lived in England, sent me Reeves watercolour palettes every year. We had left England when I was three. When I was eight, he sent me a black metal Winsor and Newton palette for my birthday. I think he was aware it was the last gift he would give me before he died from cancer. When I was 10, we moved cities in a company paid move and my mother tossed my beautiful watercolour palette out. Otherwise I would still have it. I remember repeatedly taking out the little pans of paint and marvelling at the names of the colours. Love this story about an English schoolboy, and what was very probably a cherished possession.
Wow alisonjames8082, that's a wonderful story of your own. Sounds like your Grandfather really hoped you'd enjoy watercolor painting. Hope you are still exploring art. Thank you for sharing this and for taking the time to comment and to watch the video. All the best, Marty
@@owingsart thank you for your kind comment. I have become a collector of watercolour palettes, and have way more than are sane. My grandfather did bookbinding - the Morocco leather and gold leaf kind - and drew really well. Yes, I love making art and I love your channel.
@@alisonjames8082 Bookbinding is an art all on it's own. Making good books takes tremendous talent and patience. I went down lots of YT rabbit holes when I was learning about bookbinding for my little sketchbooks, it really is an art. That's really cool and I hope you have a book or two from him. Thank you for sharing this and the support.
I would like to know how far from your comfort zone you felt you were taking yourself with this painting? ( I know I would struggle with the opacity of the layers.) I think you captured the textures of the birdhouse and tree really well. It was good to see Mark 1 of this subject and I would enjoy seeing Mark 2 if you felt inclined to do one. Thanks for this and your company.
Thank you for the great question - I don't get that one very often. It wasn't too far, but what threw me a little was the buckling paper. I used a little too much water in my first pass of the background. Other than that, I think the lessons in Gouache from James Gurney have helped tremendously. Thanks for the suggestion on a Mark 2. It's a possibility, but I think I learned what I could from this one and it was time to move on if you know what I mean by that. :-) Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave me a great question. Hope you have an amazing day! -= Marty
You are so right, we are always learning. The internet with others has been great but what is so fun for me is also to see each persons personal style too. Happy 4th of July to you and your family. I may have to borrow your acorn birdhouse for a journal entry, but don’t worry it will just be in a journal. 🌞🐿️
Hi Essie - You can borrow anything I do for your journal my friend. I'd be proud if I or my work were ever in your journal. Happy 4th to you and yours Essie and thank you for the kind remarks as always.
I LOVE the painting and that bird house! Im going to go back and watch your past videos this week. I hope that you don't mind if I leave comments on the older videos.😊
Such a wonderful painting you've done and a tribute to this young boy. I think that it would be a wonderful idea for all of us to maybe at your name address and age at the time on the backs of our pallets. That way someday someone will know where they came from as well. Carrying the past into the future helps us to know more about where we came from and where we're going.
Voice quality, music, history, thoughtful commentary, beautiful painting: all add up to an extraordinary video. Thanks, Marty, for bringing us along in this adventure. You have a true gift for this combination of history, art and story-telling. I super appreciate it!! ❤
I love that he etched all that info on the tin...especially 'self portrait with cat' .Form V primary school would put him aged about 11 at that time :))I very much enjoying your vids about this :))
Hullo Marty, I am enjoying watching this video and your voyage into the past and how it was sparked by a name and address on a watercolor palette that you purchased in a second hand shop! I thought your version of the home created from your curiosity and the paints in this old palette! Well done sir, thank you.
Thank you kindly and I really appreciate that you took time to leave a few kind words here. Thanks for checking out the video, it was a fun mini-project..
This story is so fascinating. I love that you and your subscribers did so much research and were able to sketch and use the paints from the paint tin belonging to the subject of your research. So cool! Thanks.
Hi Pete - Thanks a done for the comment and for checking out the video my friend. If anyone else is reading this, please go check out Pete's channel at: www.youtube.com/@IllustrationsByPete
Delightful picture, Marty! What a nice hommage to Alfred Matthews. I am glad you liked my suggestion! I also went down a rabbit hole and gound out Matthews seems to be a common name in Northern Ireland. Perhaps Mr Matthews left NI for his job and they settled in Alfred's mother's place? I ❤ everything about this story: the doscovery of the tin, the swatching, the community sleuthing and, finally, your lovely painting. I hope someone down Mr. Matthews's family line finds this and can share more.of the story. Thanks ever so much, Marty!
Hi BerolinaStrassmann - Thank you so much for your great suggestion. Seems like the rest of the channel subs loved it as well. So many mysteries involved when you try to track down common folks who didn't have histories written about them or weren't infamous/Famous in some way. I think the hunt for clues is great fun and so happy to have the help from the great people on the channel. I hope you stay in touch as there might be a part 3 coming. 🙂
What a romantic story! Great idea for a video. Thank you for bringing it to us. And, thank you for a lesson in grisaille, Marty. Maybe in the near future you could continue using more of the colors in a painting. Hmm. Bournemouth landscape? Different angles (since you have a 3/4 right image)? I guess that you might not want to deplete these historic colors, but it would be cool to see more and hear more if additional info becomes available. Again, thank you! 15:59
Great ideas and I'll consider them. I always wish I had more time for things like this, but life keeps pestering me for other duties. Thank you so much for the kind remarks and taking the time to watch the video. There might be a part 3 in the future at some point. 🙂
Wonderful commentary, Marty! I agree it is likely a Reeves palette. Next step is to frame your painting in a vintage frame and display it with the Paint box or in a shadow box. Make sure you sign it and someday someone else will have the collection and looking you up!
Thanks for the kindness Paulah. Good things to consider for sure. Not so sure the painting is, "frame", worthy, but I am humbled you think it is. Hope you have a great day!
This was fun to watch. What a great antique to find. It really fires up the imagination about Alfred's life. Great job on the rendering too. Fantastic idea to paint the house.
It's a detached house rather than a semi-detached (duplex) or terrace (rowhouse), so we can infer that the family was middle class and reasonably well off but not necessarily wealthy. Young Master Alfred would have attended a "public" (private) school rather than the local free school for working class kids, another indication that his family was of better than average means. Alfred was a grandson, legitimate or not, raised as a son of the (maternal?) grandparents. Perhaps his actual mother was a widow and Matthews was her married name. My story for Matthew is that he emigrated to the USA, had a family of his own, and when he passed away his heirs let his belongings go in an estate sale, where an antique dealer bought the paint set and perhaps other things. I would start looking for him in your own community. Perhaps he has descendants who might be delighted to see a portrait of their great-granddad's childhood home.
Great info and some nice leads here. It looks like Edward Socock's occupation was was listed as RETIRED COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER FANCY GOTHS. Not sure what that means though. I did spend some time trying to track down the Mathew's here, however there are just loads of Mathews.
One of the best narrators in the game! I wish you narrated audiobooks because I'd snap those up. Sooo glad you are uploading frequently again. Love the history you share in your videos about people, products, companies and places you visit. Lovely house painting as well. You're a treasure, Marty.
I love everything about this so much! I teach technical theatre and love bringing together history and art. It's what we do in theatre to design shows. My colleagues share this passion too. Thank you for sharing this wonderful art history journey and tying it together with the found object. What a rare find and surreal experience! (RU-vid really needs a "love" option above just the "thumbs up".)
