'First Covering of Snow'

'First Covering of Snow'

7" x 9"

oil on board

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This is a view from my previous studio window (I've moved downstairs for the time being). I made the painting after the first snowfall of last winter but before I had started the blog, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to post it now to mark our first snowfall of 2013. I painted it on a primed piece of backing board which was all I could lay my hands on at the time but which proved to be a very able support....mount board is another very able support as long as it's well primed. A tip...give the back of the board a coat of primer as well in order to stop the board bending or distorting. Doesn't the snow look gorgeous from the window...not so gorgeous if you have to venture out in it!! 

'The Road to Stow'

oil on board

8" x 12"

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The subject of this painting is a road I walk down frequently. This morning, the rows of trees lining the road along the grass verge were casting wonderful shadows in the sunlight...so I decided it was perfect time to paint it! I took a photo as a reference just in case the sun went in...as if! And I'm glad I did because as I was preparing to return with my materials, the clouds rolled in, the heavens opened and that was that! The phone photo that I had taken wasn't ever so accurate regarding colour and values so I had to improvise and rely on memory. I tried to keep the painting uncomplicated and concentrated on the shapes that I had noticed through the trees which had been created by the sharp contrast of light and dark values. I feel this has given the composition a strong abstract element which is what I tend to look for, especially in landscape. 

Pathway Through Newball Woods

6" x 6"

oil on board

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Yesterday I took my new transportable easel and went out on location. It's a very long time since I worked in the great outdoors and I'd forgotten how organised you have to be! I arrived at the woods whilst it was overcast and set up my easel out in the open...big mistake! The sun came out, which was wonderful at first but I'd positioned myself in the full sun and it was becoming increasingly hotter and brighter by the minute! I had no sun hat and no umbrella to give any shade (they went straight on my list of things to take next time!) By this point I was in the middle of this little oil sketch above and decided that I'd started so I'd finish despite feeling I might melt away at any minute!  Eventually I decided that enough was enough and it was time to pack up. I did a little more work on the painting back in the studio just to pull it together and then left it alone. 
I'm at the moment planning my next excursion but will definitely be better prepared next time!

First Daily Paintworks challenge

Oil on board

8" x 8"

SOLD

This is my first 'Daily Paintworks Challenge' piece. The Daily Paintworks website sets a different challenge each week and artists are invited to participate. (You don't have to be a member to participate, so anyone out there interested...why not have a go!) This challenge is called 'The Phone Photo Challenge'. It was fun to do and quick to execute. I find that making these small, fast paintings works in a sense, like keeping a sketchbook or visual diary. They record my visual ideas and document my journey as a painter.

Wonderful lush greens!

'View from my Studio Window'

oil on board

 8" x 12"

When I went into my studio this afternoon I was immediately struck by the wonderful lush greens I saw from the window and decided I had to paint them. The sun at that point was high in the sky and shining directly onto the field so the light stayed pretty much the same for the whole time I was painting. I put a thin ground colour of yellow ochre onto the canvas first which gives the painting a warm glow. 

Castello complete!

'Castello in Spring'

oil on board

6" x 6"

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Here we are, as promised, the completed painting of 'Castello in Spring'. For some unknown reason, it has proved a difficult one to photograph. I don't know whether it was me or the camera but it took me ages to get the settings right...even set on automatic didn't work. But never say die, and after a multitude of attempts I got there in the end! By the way, our house is the one nearest to you in the foreground.