Category: Art Boat Stuff

20th April 2018

Keeping up with TheArtBoat 2018

On my way…

Where has the winter gone? I am really happy to see the unfurling leaves, hear the birds sing, and the last two days have been pure boating joy with the sun really making its presence known, but (only a little but)… just one more month of preparation time wouldn’t have gone amiss! I’m all caught up now though, and another Spring and Summer season of travelling and trading is underway for TheArtBoat 2018.

The first floating market of the year at Market Haywood was a great start to the season, and the lovely people who came to see and support the floating traders were not deterred by the rain and copious amounts of mud. The Art Boat is presently on its way to the RCTA Floating Market at Berkhamsted, with a couple of stops for a “PopUp” art gallery on route. This is the schedule so far, (Please note that any PopUps are dependant upon available space and weather).

 April, Saturday 21st-Sunday 22nd. Stoke Bruerne, PopUp

 April, Saturday 28th-Sunday 29th. The Globe, PopUp

 May, Saturday 5th-Monday 7th. Berkhamsted, RCTA Floating Market

 May, Saturday 12th-Sunday13th. Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, PopUp

 May, Saturday 19th-Sunday 20th. Rickmansworth, Festival

 May, Saturday 26th-Monday 28th. Boxmoor, Festival/Floating Market (Awaiting confirmation)

 June, Saturday 23rd-Sunday 24th. Braunston, Festival/Guild of Waterway Artists exhibition

 July, Saturday 21st-Sunday 22nd. Cosgrove, Festival,

 July 27th-November 4th. Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, Guild of Waterway Artists Exhibition

 July, Saturday 28th. Linslade, Festival

 August, Saturday 18th-Sunday 19th. Blisworth, Festival

 August, Saturday 25th-Sunday 26th. Milton Keynes, RCTA Floating Market (Awaiting confirmation)

More events and Popups will be added as I go

Brand New Paintings

Although the Art Boat hasn’t travelled very far over the past couple of weeks, lots of business has been going on inside and I have two new paintings that are travelling with me. They will be displayed for the first time at Stoke Bruerne this weekend.

Looking forward to catching up with you somewhere on the cut.

Until next time…Jan

Main photograph by Robert Clement-Evans

8th January 2018

TheArt Boat in 2017…What a Year

A year of Single-handing.

I’ll say it again…What a year! This year has brought many challenges, the biggest of which was single handing Tonka for the majority of the 6 months of TheArtBoat tour. I often single hand but not usually for so long a period and with so many time pressures. Festivals and Markets won’t wait for you to get there and although my planning is getting better, I had originally planned the route with two crew in mind. Unfortunately my partner had injuries that meant he couldn’t be with me for the travelling this year and this meant I was thrown in at the deep end.

But you know what? It was fantastic! I loved almost every minute of it, and although I was sorry that Barry couldn’t join me, the feeling of accomplishment was great. I may even get used to tunnels in time!

Tunnel…the boat behind.

All Shelved up.

Thanks to Barry, The Art Boat has now got shelves along the whole of it’s length. This means that all of the space under the awning can now be filled with paintings, prints and cards. I love it when Tonka is dressed up as The Art Boat.

The Art Boat Shelves

Almost famous!

This year The Art Boat managed to be featured in a couple of online articles. One of these was on the Canal and River Trust site.

I was really surprised as, being the numpty I am I hadn’t realised I was actually being interviewed. I thought I was being asked if I would like to be interviewed in the future. I chatted away not feeling under any pressure, oblivious to the fact it was a real interview!

I musn’t forget to mention Kev Maslin. A brilliant photographer and responsible for the photo at the beginning of this post. You can see more of his wonderful work here.

Thank you to all my Customers!

So many paintings this year have left me to be rehomed. I am feeling overwhelmed that I am finally able to say with conviction that this is my full time living. I am an artist surviving by my brush  (I have been saying it for a while but not really believing it). A wholehearted thank you to all my customers. Whether you have bought a painting, print or a fridge magnet you have all helped to get me to this place.

Selection of sold paintings

The next few months will be mostly about getting more painting done, ready for the beginning of TheArtBoat 2018 tour…Bring it on!

Until next time! Thank you so much for your support … Jan x

20th October 2017

Chance to Win a set of 10 Fine Art Cards.

What an Amazing Year!

(And a chance to win 10 fine art cards)

The Art Boat has had a wonderful Spring and Summer, catching up with old friends, making new, and trying out some different festivals. If ever I doubted I was doing the right thing (and believe it or not, even with my fabulous life, I do), this year has made me absolutely sure. I have sold more original paintings than last year and added some lovely mugs that my sister has started printing for me…She will have a whole blogpost to herself when she is ready!? I will be telling you all about my lovely year in a separate post, but for now I want to celebrate…

10 Paintings in 10 days.

10 paintings in 10 days

After my Spring and Summer season on TheArtBoat I came straight back to an Open Studio Event at Vernon Mill with the prospect of very few paintings to show (my successful year had it’s downside). Not to be deterred I got my act together and challenged myself to produce 10 paintings in 10 days. Each one on a 8″ x 8″ canvas . Two have already sold (nos 9 and 1) as well as several hand finished 6″ prints. I will eventually be adding them to my shop but meanwhile contact me if you are interested in any of the Originals or prints.

WIN a set of 10 Fine Art Cards

To celebrate the end of a challenging season I am giving away a set of 10 Fine Art greetings cards to one lucky winner. All you have to do is subscribe to TheArtBoat Newsletter on the form at the side of this post. I will also be sending a discount code for anything in my shop (If the item you want isn’t there yet, just let me know and I will sort it! ) The cards are made with slightly textured prints mounted on brown card with a recycled paper insert. They are left blank for your own message.

The Newsletter is a brand new venture for me, and is intended to keep you up to date with The Art Boat and exhibitions and new works by Jan Vallance as well as special offers.

Until next time… Jan

14th May 2017

Keeping up with TheArtBoat 2017

The Art boat has set off on it’s travels again and there has been a lot of miles covered. For the first part of this years tour I have been single handing so I have had very little time to let everyone know where I am up to. I will amend that now and get to the point of the post …A list of places where you will be able to find me over the coming months.

 Saturday 13th May – Sunday 14th May POP-UP Apsley

 Saturday 20th May – Sunday 21st May Rickmansworth Canal Festival.

 Saturday 27th May – Monday 29th May Stoke Bruerne RCTA Floating Market

 Saturday 17th June – Sunday 18th June Foxton Locks Festival

 Saturday 25th June – Sunday 26th June The Guild of Waterways Artists Summer Exhibition at Braunston Canal Festival

 Saturday 22nd-July – Sunday 23rd July Cosgrove Canal Festival

 Saturday 29th July Linslade Canal Festival

 Saturday 12th August – Sunday 13th August Blisworth Canal Festival

 Friday 25th August – Monday 28th August Merry Hill Floating RCTA Market

 Saturday 9th September – Sunday 10th September Black Country Boating Festival

 Friday 15th September – Sunday 17th September Tipton Canal Festival

 Saturday 23rd September – Sunday 24th September Birmingham RCTA Floating Market

Don’t forget I will be updating this blogpost as I go along to add extra events and Pop-ups So keep checking in. You can also look out for Monthly schedules on my Facebook Page

18th March 2016

The Art Boat Artist …Jan Vallance.

It is complete chaos here on The Art Boat. I am getting ready for the long summer, painting, making a new workspace. keeping up with woodblock orders and finishing my website, I can’t believe it is now only a week until the first gala at Buxworth basin. I have been working on an “about” page, for the Website, and thought it might be a good idea to blog it for some feedback. Please have a read and then let me know what you think so far? I don’t want it to be too long, but hope I have included enough information without boring the socks off people!

Jan vallance art work on display

All about The Artist Jan Vallance. In her own words…

I have been painting and selling my art since 2005. In the winter I work from a studio in Vernon Mill, an old mill in Stockport housing the studios of over 50 artists. The studio gets bitterly cold, so I often work from a makeshift studio in my mum’s loft. But the Spring and Summer is my favourite time. This is when I work from home. Home is a narrowboat, and from late March to the beginning of October it becomes The Art Boat, my home, studio and floating gallery. I travel the canal system, popping up at floating markets, festivals, and sometimes just on my own.
Limited space means that smaller paintings are more practical to work on and this is where my miniature pieces are ideal. This year’s series are all waterways based and are painted under the loose title “Mini Mondays”. My work isn’t limited to miniatures though, I paint larger pieces too.

Inspiration and Method

I am inspired by my surroundings, and like to work on projects that explore different aspects of a subject. I live and work on the canals and they are the primary influence on my current paintings.
I work with layers. The paint and it’s application is all important. I apply paint quickly, filling the canvas and then start exploring…. printing, scraping, doodling. The image comes later. Sometimes I work with the subject, other times against it. I love paint – exploring it’s possibilities.

Previous exhibitions and events:

Last year (2015), I took part in the Artists on the Canals tour, organised by the inimitable Magda and Berth on Wanderlust . Three “Art Boats” travelling together and popping up along the canals. Exhibitions at the Queens park Arts centre in Aylesbury, The Old Town Hall in Hemel Hempstead and The Cha Cafe in Cassiobury park, were also part of the tour.

Open Exhibitions:

Stockport, Derbyshire and Macclesfield.

Selected Group Exhibitions:

Vernon Mill Artists at Stockport Art Gallery.

Portico Library, Manchester .

“Love across the ocean” Chicago

Solo:

Marple Library,

Stockport Art Gallery.

Jan Vallance studied art at Chester University. You can find her at TheArtBoat.co.uk

13th March 2016

Win A Hand Finished Print

It’s that time again! Another chance to win one of my Hand finished Prints. I marked the end of the Artists on The Canals tour last year with a prize draw for one of my Hand finished Prints and the response was excellent. This time I am marking the beginning of The Art Boat tour 2016. The last competition was run from my facebook page, but this time I want to show off my brand new website and blog, so the prize draw will be run from here.

What is a Hand finished Print?

The prints are all taken from images of Jan Vallance original paintings.

NOT JUST A PRINT. Printed on real cotton canvas, the canvas print has gold and other highlights added by hand using artist quality acrylic paints. It is then finished with varnish to protect. Each print measures 7½ ” x 7½ ” and is supplied in a 12″ mount. This prize draw is for one print only

How do I enter the prize draw?

It is very easy to be in with a chance to win:

Subscribe to my blog during March and you will automatically be entered. Don’t forget to….
Comment on this post, and include the number of which print you would like. The available prints are all shown on the accompanying picture at the top of this post and are numbered 1 to 6

How and When will the winner be announced?

The competition will close at midnight on March 31st, and the winner will be announced on Friday April 1st. I am hoping to be able to video the draw again as that was very popular last time.

There will only be one winner, but everyone who subscribes in March will be sent a code for 15% off ANYTHING in the shop. You can find out more about my prints in The Art Boat Shop

7th March 2016

ACEOs, Mini Mondays, and why I am addicted…

ACEO

Once apon a time, a long time ago, when my children were knee high to (ok…they were probably a bit bigger than that), I needed a way to earn a bit of extra money from home. I was browsing ebay to see if it was a possible avenue for some of my smaller paintings, and I kept seeing the word ACEO pop up. I hadn’t a clue, but I researched and discovered that ACEO’s are playing card sized works of art that were being sold and traded all over ebay. Mostly in the US at that time.

So what exactly is an ACEO?

ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. They are tiny works of art, measuring only 2.5 x 3.5 inches. They can be displayed in an album or framed individually or in groups. ACEOs are very collectible. They provide a wonderfully low-cost and affordable way to purchase an original piece of work direct from the artist. ACEOs are an offshoot of ATCs (Art Trading Cards). This wikipedia article will tell you lots more about both sorts of cards

And they are Addictive?

Absolutely! I can guarantee once you start painting them you will find lots of reasons to make more.

I use them to: make family gifts, swap with other artists, paint in series, and try out ideas. You can experiment without wasting vast amounts of materials. There is only one rule …they must measure 2½ x 3½ inches. The rest is up to you and your imagination…

So where does Mini Monday fit in?

A couple of years ago I started a daily painting series. I painted a sheep painting a day for a year. I loved the project and I found the discipline that was needed to complete one every day was really good for me and has stayed with me since that time. I started the Mini Monday series, because I wanted to do something similar that would fit in with the Waterways paintings I am doing at the moment. So once a week (usually on a Monday!), I paint a miniature waterways painting. Today I completed Mini Monday 7 (the swan painting at the top of this post). So keep a look out for my Mini Monday …Tiny Tuesday…Wee Wednesday… Paintings. I will be adding them to the Miniature Paintings Gallery each week.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget you can have immediate notifications of blog updates if you subscribe to email updates.

Oh, and if you want to know any more about my Mini Monday paintings, or are wondering how to get started making your own aceos, Just leave me a comment.

6th March 2016

Hello and Welcome to The Art Boat

The very first Blog post from The Art Boat…

Don’t let the sleepy exterior fool you. There is so much to do to get Tonka ready for the Spring and Summer months of travelling as The Art Boat. All has been extremely busy on Tonka over the winter. As well as preparing for the journey, there are paintings to be signed, varnished and got ready for my first exhibition with The Guild of Waterways Artists at Audlem in a weeks time….aargh. Where has the winter gone? I suspect a lot of it has been spent getting my brand new Website, shop and blog (Ta…dah!) built. I have certainly not seen as much of my studio as I would have liked over the past couple of months, and I am hoping to see a lot more of my paintbrushes in the coming weeks.

I will keep this first post short. I just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone. Don’t forget to subscribe, it’s free, and you can cancel at any time … Coming up in the next few posts are details of The Art Boat’s itinerary and information on how to enter my March competition to win a handfinished print.

19th April 2016

The Art Boat in April…The first few weeks

Making Plans for The Art Tour.

Getting ready to leave on the Art Boat seemed to take for ever, so I can’t believe that we are already 4 weeks into the Art Tour. This is the art boat’s first year of having to work out it’s own itinerary . Last year we were totally spoilt by being part of the artists on the canal tour organised by Magda and Berth on Wanderlust. Although it has taken a while to work out a do-able tour (Some of the festivals I wanted to do would have involved The Art Boat growing wings in order to get there in time!) it has been fun trying to decide where to go. Some festivals I would have liked to attend were booked up before we got chance, and others just fell into our laps. Now is the best bit…actually doing it.

So Far

So Far I have managed to experience a lovely family funday at Buxworth, a solo pop-up, and two pop ups with other traders, the first time with a Pirate (…Aaar) and a HomeBrew Boat (…aar..hic!…aaar), and the second time with The Oat Cake Boat and Flavours afloat (yummmmm). I have managed to put my brand new shelter up and take it down on my own. (easy peasy), and had the heavens kindly provide the usual variety of April weather in order to help test the shelter. And, I am pleased to say Barry, it is holding up magnificently. On land I have had work hanging in Audlem Mill as part of the Guild of Waterways Artists exhibition.

The Draw

The draw to mark my new website and online shop took place on 1^st of April. I was really pleased with the amount of people that subscribed to The Art Boat blog and entered. Tony Binns was the winner, and chose a hand finished print of View through a Bridge as his prize. You can see the video of the draw HERE. I have just sent out emails with the discount coupons to those that subscribed in March , so if that’s you, keep an eye on your inbox.

And Coming up…

For the next few weeks you will find the Art boat at:

April 23-24 Great Haywood

April 29^th -May 2^nd Alvecote Floating Market

May 7^th-8^th Stoke Bruerne

May 14^th-15^th Apsley

May 21^st-22^nd Rickmansworth Canal Fastival

Later in the year I will be at: Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival in June….REALLY looking forward to that one, and you will be able to see me alongside other artists in The Guild of waterways Artists tent at Braunston, (also in June)

I am hoping to see quite a few of you soon. We are covering quite a few miles this year, so it figures that at some point we won’t be too far away. You have no excuse, come and say hello!

Until next time…Jan x

31st March 2016

Keeping up with The Art Boat

The Art Boat Floating Market Itinerary

An exciting schedule planned this year for The Art Boats Floating Gallery/Shop. Quite a few festivals and RCTA Markets included as well as two exhibitions with the Guild Of Waterways Artists. Audlem mill Easter exhibition (which you still have time to visit as it is on until the 9th April) and I will also be joining the rest of the Guild in the tent at Braunston in June. Pop-ups will be added to the schedule as I go along. I have added the ones for April.

I have already had a fabulous start to the tour with Buxworth Gala. Despite the weather a great weekend was had, proving that us Northerners won’t be put off by a bit of rain…though come to think of it there were a few Southerners there too!

 Sunday 13th March – Saturday 9th April Guild of Waterways Artists Easter Exhibition, Audlem Mill

 Saturday March 26 – Sunday March 27 Buxworth Community Gala.

 Saturday April 2nd – Sunday April 3rd POP-UP Bollington Aquaduct

 Saturday 9th April – Sunday 10th April POP-UP Higher Poynton

 Saturday 16th April – Sunday 17th April POP-UP Westport Lake, Trent and Mersey

 Saturday 23rd April – Sunday 24th April POP-UP Great Haywood, Trent and Mersey

 Friday 29th April – Monday 2nd May Alvecote Floating Market.

 Saturday 7th May-Sunday 8th May POP-UP Stoke Bruerne

 Saturday 14th May – Sunday 15th May POP-UP Apsley

 Saturday 21st May – Sunday 22nd May Rickmansworth Canal Festival.

 Friday 10th June – Sunday 12th June RCTA Floating Market, Gt Haywood.

 Friday 17th June – Sunday 19th June Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival