'Spider Tomatoes'

'Spider Tomatoes'

oil on board

7" x 9"

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Staying on the fruit theme...here are some delicious and very ripe vine tomatoes. When I saw them today I couldn't resist painting them. Their colour was so vibrant and I love the shapes the bunches make when they're still on the vine and...vine tomatoes are one of my favourite things to eat! So I've tried to make them look as juicy as I could!

Apples and Oranges finished!

'Apples and Oranges on a Dish'

oil on board

8" x 8"

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I didn't post yesterday as I spent the whole day on the computer catching up with emails and correspondence! But the good thing about that was, because it had been 48 hours since the first layers had been applied, the paint had dried to the stage where I was able to scumble the next layer over without disturbing the under layers, which made it easier to do the work that needed to be done to the apples. Now that the painting is finished, I can now return the fruit to its rightful place in the kitchen to be eaten!

Work in progress

'Fruit on a Dish'

8" x 8"

Here's what I've been up to this afternoon. I'm about three-quarters through. I will go back and strengthen the shadow areas and possibly delineate the apples in the foreground a little more but that's probably all as I don't want to lose the vitality of the paint. It will be Monday before I am able to finish it as I'm running a life drawing workshop all day tomorrow and when I get home I'll probably put my feet up!

Challenging jewellery!

'Bracelet, Ring and Pendant'

oil on board

6" x 6"

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Parts of this painting went like a dream...brilliant! Other parts proved to be far more challenging and took much longer...not so brilliant. After I'd finished it this afternoon, I put the painting out of sight and looked at it again after a couple of hours. I often do this when I've worked on something solidly for a while. The separation from it gives me a chance to see with a fresh eye and I often find that the first impression when I look at it again tells all. However, I was satisfied that I'd done all I could, so here it is!

A difficult day!

'Sasha in my Studio'

oil on canvas

50cm x 60cm

SOLD

The painting that I started today I had to wipe off! Argh!! I won't go into details but it got to the point where I just had to throw in the towel and resolve to start again tomorrow! To all you fellow painters out there...don't you just hate it when that happens!!! So instead I decided to show you this painting from my archives. You might recognise the image...the detail is at the top of the blog. Thought you might like to view the entire painting. 

No 4 in the series

charcoal on scored paper

70cm x 50cm

I decided to leave the eyes looking glass-like as I feel it gives the drawing an enigmatic quality. The faces in these recent drawings are invented, they are not portraits.  I begin from a reference point of either a drawing that I've made earlier or a photographed image, then work with the creases that I've already made in the paper. It's a fascinating process as the new face emerges from the surface.

Another new drawing

70cm x 100cm

This is another drawing in the new series. It's the largest one I've made using the method I described previously in my last posting. This time I crumpled a whole sheet of my very expensive Snowdon paper!!