Painting exercise

'Pineapple on Plate'

10" x 12"

oil on canvas panel

I finished off a painting exercise today that I began last week. In the first session, I made a rapid underpainting which I needed to dry completely before continuing. I used cadmium yellow in the underpainting along with titanium white. These pigments have a slower drying time, but luckily the pineapple survived the drying time :) and I carried on with it this afternoon. I gave myself no longer than 2 hours working time from start to finish. The first session last week took around 45 mins and the second session an hour. The result is fresh and energetic, and unlaboured, which was the kind of result I was looking for :)

'Two Pots and a Mirror'

'Two Pots and a Mirror'

6" x 6"

oil on board

My grandaughter bought me this little pot out of her own pocket money :)

Then she asked me if I would paint it! So here it is, just for her, two pots for the price of one! I like using mirrors for the abstract shapes they can create, but not round ones I've decided...they're very tricky! It's been an interesting exercise exploring once again all the different tones and colours of grey you have to use to achieve white. Half closing the eyes is an invaluable way of identifying values, I can't recommend it enough.

'Tomatoes and Pan'

10" x 12"

oil on board

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I painted 'Tomatoes and Pan' this afternoon. It took approximately two and a half hours to complete. I imposed a time limit again and didn't go over it and I'm happy with the result. It's certainly not overworked and that's the way it's going to stay, and to make sure, the things have been put away and the tomatoes will be eaten within an hour! 

'Pots with Pear in Dish'

10" x 12"

oil on board

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I set a strict time limit for this painting. I didn't want to spend too much time on any one part and end up putting in too much information and subsequently tightening up. My time limit was two hours which was easy to set as two hours was the only amount of time I had to work so I couldn't go beyond it even if I wanted to...this seemed a good plan. All went well and I was just giving myself a pat on the back for achieving what I'd set out to do when I realised I'd left out the reflection of the blue and white pot! Duh...! That was yesterday afternoon. Today I painted in the weird and distorted abstract reflection and strengthened some of the values. 

I don't think it's important what objects you paint, the importance lies in the way in which the light falls on them. Sometimes you can suddenly notice something that you've passed many times previously which had stayed invisible until that moment just because the light is falling on it in a different way. Changing light alters our perception of what is around us and provides an opportunity to translate that visual excitement into paint. Sometimes I feel very privileged and lucky being an artist.

'Pot, Apple and Very Old Spoon'

10" x 12"

oil on board

This is my afternoon's work after teaching this morning. The light coming through the window in my studio was just right for a still-life set up on the floor. I'm pleased I've painted this lovely patterned pot at last...it's been waiting its turn in my studio! 

'Mushroom Study'

6" x 6" 

oil on board

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I enjoyed painting this little mushroom study this afternoon. I knew I only had a limited amount of time so I chose a simple subject for a quick study. It does look very 'mushroomy' so I'm happy with it :) I used a warm orange for the ground colour and then worked over with a palette of burnt sienna, yellow ochre, ultramarine and titanium white which were enough colours to mix a range of warm and cool greys - warm greys for the mushrooms and cool greys for the cloth.

'Tomatoes and Garlic on a Blue Cloth'

'Tomatoes and Garlic on a Blue Cloth'

8" x 8"

oil on board

SOLD

I painted the majority of this piece on Monday and applied the finishing brushstrokes this afternoon.  I like the freshness of the cool blue of the cloth against the bright warm red of the tomatoes. I'm reminded of summer when I look at this painting...and...that spring is just around the corner...can't wait! Here's to a sunny summer this year! :) 

Paintings with cherries!

'Jug with Lemons and Cherries'

12" x 16"

oil on stretched canvas

This afternoon I've been busy adding cherries to these three paintings! Have a look and see what you think. In the painting above 'Jug with Lemons and Cherries' I'm happy that the composition is now complete both in terms of space and of colour.  

'Green Apple with Jug'

6" x 6"

oil on  board

In 'Green Apple with Jug' the cherry becomes a compelling focal point. And along with the two red leaves, it creates a triangle in space which again leads to a stronger composition. 

'Delicious Biscotti'

8" x 8"

oil on board

Before I added the cherries to 'Delicious Biscotti',  the biscotti looked a little lonely and were crying out for something to sit next to them! However, now I'm glad to say, all is well, and again I feel the composition is complete. 

'Brush, Paints and Picasso'

'Brush, Paints and Picasso'

10" x 12"

oil on board

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Since posting the first stage of this painting I've been able to spend a further two sessions on it. The bulk of the work was completed on Tuesday and finishing off was done this morning. I will, as always, look again later (tomorrow) to decide whether it is finished or not. An important element in my still-life paintings are the abstract shapes within the composition. Abstract shapes become more obvious to the eye in a cropped composition.  Interesting spaces and shapes are created where the objects slice through the picture plane and off the canvas. Picasso is one of my heroes and the printed image that you can see in the book is 'The Weeping Woman' which is one of my favourite paintings by him.

'Young Amaryllis, Brass Pot and Radish'

'Young Amaryllis'

12" x 8"

oil on board

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I don't know whether you know about the growth cycle of an Amaryllis but once you get them out of their little box and start watering them they're away! Their growth is that rapid you can literally watch them grow! I started this painting Saturday and by the time I had finished it on Sunday, the leaves had grown right off the canvas! I found balancing the two contrasting greens interesting...the organic green of the plant against the synthetic green of the pot. It gave me an opportunity to check out my very old tube of emerald green which has rarely seen the light of day (I'm not a fan of tube green as my class members will be very quick to tell you). But I am pleased to say that I found the paint to be still usable and...a perfect base colour for the green of the pot. In its defence, tube green does have its place but should, in my view, only ever be used within a mix and never straight from the tube.  

'Pomegranate and Spoon' becomes 'Pomegranate, Spoon and Knife'!

'Pomegranate, Spoon and Knife'

8" x 8"

oil on board

SOLD

I've never thought that this painting was quite complete so today I added another object, the knife.  It's quite tricky adding another object after a painting is finished without it looking added on or out of place. I applied more paint around the area where the knife was to be placed so as to achieve softer edges. That seemed to do the trick. Now I feel the painting is resolved.

'Two Paintbrushes and a Tube of Raw Sienna'

'Two Paintbrushes and a Tube of Raw Sienna'

6' x 6"

oil on board

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First painting of the year! A painting about painting! At present, painting for me is about the craft, the materials and honing my skills. In the recent months I have gone back to basics, working from observation taking subjects from the immediate world around me and rekindling my passion for paint. It is very satisfying making a painting that describes the subject in front of you, and at the same time tells a story of the abstract elements within the composition. It goes without saying the importance of the relationship between shape, colour and tone of the subject. But equally important is the consideration of the division of space within the picture plane and the shapes and patterns that the composition is making in relation to it.  

I would like to take this opportunity to say thankyou for taking the time to look at my art. 2013 will see many more paintings and I hope you will enjoy following my progress.

Below are details of my next Life Drawing Workshop for which I still have lots of places left (I'm usually almost full by now...maybe it's post-Christmas lethargy!)

Sunday 13th January 2013

10.30am - 4.30pm

The Village Hall 

Sturton by Stow

LN1 2AE

Cost is at the bargain price of £20!!!

If you are able to make it that would be fab! It would be great to see you there! 

Please contact me asap if you would like to reserve a place.

'Poinsettia'

'Poinsettia'

10" x 12"

oil on board

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In celebration of Christmas I have painted my Poinsettia. It feels almost indulgent painting such wonderfully rich crimsons and cadmiums and so beautifully accentuated by the deep complimentary greens...a vibrant contrast and a perfect combination! I scaled up a little for this painting so that I could portray the leaves life-size. 
It's a busy busy week but I won't be hanging up my brushes until Thursday evening, then I will have to get down to the Christmas prep! 

'Mince Pie and Coffee'

'Mince Pie and Coffee'

6" x 6"

oil on board

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I seem to have eaten more than my fair share of festive mince pies just recently! For the last couple of weeks we've managed to munch our way through quite a number in our 'run up to Christmas' classes! So I thought it appropriate that I should make a painting of the humble but very traditional mince pie! I spent an hour and a half on the painting Wednesday afternoon and finished it this afternoon (no painting yesterday as I finally went Christmas shopping having decided that I couldn't procrastinate any longer!) I'm happy with the painting and at last am becoming used to painting on a small scale. It's been tough to acclimatise to scaling down as my natural way of working has always been large (at one time I was working to the scale of 12' x 4'.) But making small work has alot going for it, it's fun and not so precious as it's quicker to make and therefore you're always moving on to the next piece...and that means more practise and more practise means of course faster progress.  

If you're celebrating this weekend, have fun!!

'Pomegranate and Fork'

'Pomegranate and Fork'

6" x 6"

oil on board

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Phew...this one took all my powers of concentration! The inside of pomegranates is something I'm not that familiar with and on cutting it open I realised just how complicated it is! But...oh so beautiful! Literally crammed with colour and pattern. I hope I've done it justice. 

'Spotted Umbrella with Apple'

'Spotted Umbrella with Apple'

6" x 6"

oil on board

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Sadly I have to say goodbye to my lovely spotted umbrella :( It has without a doubt seen better days. But I must say, it has served me well. (Thinking back to the water-logged non-summer just gone it's no wonder it's worn out!)  I'm happy with the painting. It's the first one I've made using my new shadow box. The box keeps the light constant so it's now not a race against time as the light moves round or disappears altogether! 

Photo without glare!

'Baubles in a Dish'

6" x 6"

oil on board

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As promised here is a shot of yesterday's painting without the glare of the artificial lamp light. I took this one in natural light although I was still restricted to photographing indoors as the teeming rain prohibited me from taking the painting out of doors which is where I prefer to photograph work. 

By the way...there were some very interesting pieces emerging from the class this morning. Can't wait to see how they develop next week! 

Green Apple with Jug...and Poinsettia!

'Green Apple with Jug'

6" x 6"

oil on board

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Today I made a little alteration to this painting and added some leaves of a Poinsettia. I kept noticing the empty space above the jug and felt that there was something missing in the painting. I adore Poinsettias for their colour...and the magical touch of its red brings the painting alive. 

'Green Apple with Jug'

'Green apple with Jug'

6" x 6"

oil on board

I'm always impressed by the 'greenness' of Granny Smith apples, it makes them look so fresh. I used burnt sienna as a ground colour which still peeps through in places and helps to bring warmth to the painting and I introduced lemon yellow back into my palette to capture the cool greens of the apple. The uncropped 'duo' of objects standing alone and isolated from each other seems to work in this piece.  

Potted Plant

'Potted Plant'

8" x 8"

oil on board

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I've included glimpses of this plant and its pot in previous paintings so today I thought I'd paint all of it and let you see the whole thing as the colour of the flower is such a wonderful muted pink.  I've been busy teaching this week, my regular Wednesday class, a life drawing workshop and a class with the ladies and gents at Knaith Park. Everyone has worked really hard and there's been some great outcomes! So well done to all of you.