More fish

I had such fun painting those fish in the last painting I posted they're now appearing in my new works. I'm experiencing pure joy experimenting with colours outside my usual palette. I didn't know dioxazine violette mixed with pthalo green could create such a range of interesting colour - obviously I'm not experimenting enough, happy as I've been in my comfort zone. Note to self: EXPERIMENT!

Update

I found my camera!



Here's the nearly completed piece. I'm thinking about reducing the size of the crescent moon ... I'll let it sit as is for a week, then look at it again.

Missing my camera

I went canoeing on the weekend, was bitten on the wrist by a wasp, had a bad reaction, gobbled anti-histamines, became dozy but paddled like hell anyway, returned to the dock, went home and slept round the clock and haven't seen my camera since. Turns out the evil wasp had been eating something nasty before he bit me, so my arm became infected, puffed up like a balloon, from the palm of my hand to my bicep. After several days, antibiotics and other pharmacy products, I'm able to paint again and would love to show you my progress, but alas, no camera - blame it on that nasty beastie wasp.

I'll borrow a camera and post some images soon.

Cheerio!

On the easel

Step 1 - red ground, conte sketch, slap on a little background colour.





Step 2 - paint in all the basic shapes in the darkest colours.

Q. Are those wine goblets or fish? A. Both - ponder that.





Step 3 - add mid-tones and a few layers of glazes without totally obscuring the goblet/fish.



Step 4 - take a break for a day or two and play with beads and buttons instead.

I'm pleased to report yesterday was a productive day in the studio. I started 2 acrylic paintings: one on canvas, the other on linen - I haven't worked with linen before and thought I'd experiment. I like the extra texture of the linen and am interested to see how it may affect the overall look of the painting once I've added several layers of paint, glazes and tiny details.

I'm feeling quite relaxed after taking most of the summer off and perhaps that's why my new imagery is all curves and rounded or oval shapes - quite unlike the sharp-angled works I usual create, like those below from the series Our Town and With Sturdy Shoes.





I'll post some images tomorrow, when my camera has charged.

Cheerio!

Studio time

After several months of not doing much in the studio, I'm ready to get painting. I've been busy sketching this past weekend and am excited to turn some of my sketches into paintings... stay tuned