Journey of a painting

Hello and welcome to my Monday Blog

Unfolding Story    Oils on box canvas 16 x 16 inches

When I open my studio door I know I shall go on a journey.

I am not alone as the painting will accompany me.

Painting is an exciting occupation but has its ups and downs.

Sometimes more downs than ups but the destination eventually dawns.

This happened last week as I re-worked a canvas for the second time.

I will show you some photographs...

First stage...an old painting covered and some new textured parts added.

I continued to work with layers of greys leaving some parts uncovered.

This is a close up of the lower centre.

After this dried the painting was left on an easel

 as I like to rest a piece to allow time for inspiration.

Eventually I began teasing out a random composition and

it was time to introduce some brighter colours.

Now my painting has taken on a new look.

I stopped working just in time to avoid an overworked appearance.

Time to leave it alone.  Finished.  

Reworking continued...

'A change is as good as a rest'...

Gone, but not forgotten. Another re-work.

This board has had two makeovers.

It began life as a coastal subject of the Lincolnshire creeks.

This image has now been overpainted as I really wanted to 

get a loose, abstracted feeling of coastal atmosphere.

Rather than a literal representation.

  

Reminiscence  Oils and cold wax on board  28 x 18 inches

As you can see, the work is totally different.

This time I used a little cold wax medium mixed with the oils.

Laying the paint on and then scraping back revealed parts of the dried

oils underneath.  I like the effects.  They give depth to the work.

There are patches of colour and marks sculpted with my knife.

Parts were rubbed with a rag to blur some places and sharpen others.

There is a feeling of coast and shore with suggestions of distance on the horizon.

Now, a second piece on the easel...

The same size as 'Reminiscence'...

I would like it to be a similar scene.

I re-worked an old painting using leftover paint on my palette and cold wax medium. 

 At first the paint was randomly scraped on with a knife and

This photo shows the first stage...

At first I thought about leaving it as an abstract.

Then I decided to work it further. It is still unfinished...

(The frame is on just as a trial.

It may well change at the end).

Here is a photo of the two together.

This gives me time to think about their future.

Good friends...

These photographs show work by two artist friends...

Lyn Lovitt, Potter  

Two of her little sculptural pieces are in our home.
I bought these from a recent exhibition.

Mike Lovitt, Sculptor

This little carved 'two image' sculpture is of Buddleia.

This was also from a show last year.

If you are interested in seeing more of their sculptural work and paintings they are both

members of Lincolnshire Artists' Society and will be exhibiting during 2018.

Lincolnshire Artists' Society has a show

 in Sam Scorer Gallery, Drury Lane, Lincoln

from Tuesday 19 June to Sunday 1 July 2018.

Until next week...

Thank you for visiting

Mood and Mystery

Good morning and welcome to my Monday Blog

Before Spring arrives I am enjoying painting the grey mood

 of winter and exploring the darker side of framing.

With a limited palette I made cool greys, adding a little warmth in places.

 The painting below was kept loose and unfussy to give a sense of place.

I painted the gold frames black and then rubbed over the raised

pattern to reveal a little gold.  This gives them a luxurious feeling

 which seems to fit with modern and 'traditional' interiors.

Bleak Times   Oils on canvas board  10 x 12 inches  

Wet fields and winter colours with loose and expressive brush strokes.

A similar frame holds a special favourite...

Today the sun shone on my painting about sunlight on a winter shore.

I love the drama of this almost monochrome painting in the black frame.

Lifting Mood   Oils on canvas board  10 x 12 inches  

Contrasts...

The painting below on the right is sitting happily in

 an off-white mount and simple black wood frame.

   

Muffled   Oils on canvas board  7 x 5 inches

There is just a hint of colour in this snowscape.

Loosely painted with a few textured brush strokes.

Drama at the coast...

Last Call   Oils on gessoed watercolour paper 5 x 7 inches

 This dramatic little study on paper is framed without glass

protected by two coats of re-touching varnish.

The off-white mount holds the picture in a simple flat black frame.

Moorland mood...

Along the way   Oils on canvas board  6 x 8 inches

Soft, moody colours of dried grasses and heather.

In a speckled dull gold frame.

Small studies can also have mystery and atmosphere.

A gold coloured frame adds warmth to this cool landscape.

Until next week...

Thank you for visiting.

  

Cold winds and bleak days

Good morning and welcome to my Monday Blog

The weather is cold and bleak this week but painting goes on.

I think I must be in a Gothic mood, as all things dark and mysterious are

of interest to me.  My palette has been sombre and sultry too.

Jewels of Winter  Oils on canvas board  10 x 12 inches

A moody piece of work about the wild night sky.

Dark clouds scud across the sky with moonlight breaking through.

My black interlude also extended to frames...

I have been experimenting with oils and cold wax medium

over gilt frames.  I mixed the dark with Ivory Black and a touch

of Venetian Red for warmth.  Cold wax medium mixed into the

oils helps to reduce the gloss giving a velvety surface.

'Early'   Oils on canvas board 10 x 12 inches in a hand-painted frame

This painting is about sunrise over meadows and trees.

Abstracted and reduced to marks and colour for atmosphere rather than reality.

'February Fields'   Oils on canvas board 12 x 8 inches in a hand-painted frame.

This piece is about the wet fields around my home.

Puddles and water in the tractor ruts are like mirrors for the sky.

I have a few more in this 'dark mood' which I will post

 when I have a photograph of them.

Last but not least...

I say goodbye to my framer Graham who has made my frames for several years. 

  He has made me some speckled gold frames for some little oil studies.

Thank you Graham and good wishes for your work in Archaeology.

Until next week...

Goodbye and thank you for visiting

   

The nature of things.

Good morning and welcome to my Monday Blog

The Nature of Things   Oils on panel  13 x 9 inches

Sometimes things do not go according to plan.

I am referring to my studio work this week.

I have been away from my painting for a few days

owing to maintenance jobs around our home and 

Saturday was the only time I put brush to canvas.

I was planning to put some darker washes on a landscape I painted some time ago.  

All was going well until I decided to change part of the composition. 

I should have known this would not end well for my landscape.

After a struggle I did manage to bring some order to the chaos

It was definitely a case of 'Creation-Destruction-Creation'.

Close encounters...

A detail of the work.

Parts of the previous painting show after scraping back.

Another detail...

I love this part. 

 The oils have a luscious texture.

The rich green was made with a mix of black and yellow

This little area of the painting would be good to try as an abstract.

I have some 12 x 12 inch box canvases which would be ideal.

Until next time...

Thank you for visiting.