Seeing beyond

Good morning and welcome to my Monday Blog

Recently I have been looking beyond the obvious in my work.

I will explain...

 I will show you one of my seascapes, 'Sandbank' 

The overall impression is light on sand and pools of seawater

but if you look to the lower right side there is a patch of gestural brushwork

 which, if taken out and viewed alone shows the abstract in the work.

The image could be about texture, terrain, shapes or just brush strokes.

This is one of those times when I would love to translate it into a large piece.

However, it isn't easy for me to do that.

Trying to copy an abstracted portion to look the same rarely works for me. 

 I become too obsessed with trying to get the work to be just right. 

All my spontaneous free brushwork disappears and the work becomes forced. 

The only way I can get close is to squint...sketch the shapes and note the colours.

Then I can put the image aside and experiment.

Looking further...

Here is another part of a new work last week.

Almost totally abstract and it might be easier to upscale into a large format. 

I love the power of blue here.  Close to the pale greens but separated by

a grey/brown/red which makes the colours stand out.

I like the textured surface and luscious feeling of the paint.

I am trying out some cold wax medium mixed with the oils.

Here is the finished work...on canvas/board  12 x 10 inches.

I like the way the top third has a misty far away look and the remainder

is textured with abstracted marks and brighter colours.

The Cobalt blue has a bold attitude.

I think it is finished.  No title yet.

Beyond reality...

As time goes by   Oils on canvas/board  10 x 12 inches

Seeing beyond reality yet with a hint of realism.

I like to make paintings which have a little of each.

This piece is only about lines, marks and values. 

The black and white image below reduces the painting to basics.

Patches of dark, some mid tone and some lighter. About three values. 

The warm underpainting completely disappears in this image.

Changing the photograph to monochrome is a useful tonal exercise.

Back to normal...

'As time goes by'

In a traditional gold frame distressed by hand with oil paint.

The dull gold gives some more warmth to the painting.

Is it finished?...

The dilemma I often face is how I finish a painting.

Is it enough or do I add more?

Do I retain the abstract or move towards reality?

Meandering   Oils on box canvas  20 x 20 inches

I re-worked an old painting and it hangs on my studio wall.

For months I have wondered about adding more but I have resisted the urge. 

I uploaded the image onto Instagram to get feedback from others.

I was advised to leave it alone.

Until next Monday...

Thank you for visiting