Journeys.

Every picture tells a story...

I have finished a painting.

Last night I decided the end had come

and I had reached my destination.

After 6 reworkings.

‘Where the Sea meets the Moon’

Oils and cold wax medium on canvas 16 x 32 inches.  

The collage above tells the story...

each image moving on to the final one. 

It’s a rare occasion to have so many reminders 

of the journey as I normally forget to take a photo.

It wasn’t an easy journey, there were many

‘scraping backs’ and fresh layers of oils 

applied over several weeks. 

Many times I wondered if it was a waste of

time and paint.  Just one more try...

Suddenly it all came together...

It was a special moment .  

Easier routes...

There are occasions when a painting journey is short.

This picture began with an under painting of yellow 

and burnt sienna with some cold wax medium.

I scraped a loaded palette knife across the canvas 

and with a rubber squeegee, sculpted the colour,

making marks and scraping away 

to reveal paler parts. 

Here and there I added some transparent blue

which turned turquoise when scraped back.

When it was dry I added more burnt sienna and 

dark red mix with a brayer.  More scraping

followed with some scratched drawing into the paint.

Darker parts at the bottom give weight 

to the composition.

Finally, I loaded my large brayer with blue and gave

two fast ‘passes’ across the canvas.

‘Upon my soul, this scene of rest’.

Oils and cold wax medium on 16x16 inch canvas.

Studio time...

Some days my studio time is in short bursts,

particularly when other jobs are to be done. 

The wild garden is now in a state of dereliction.

Turning my back on it is not an option.

I have set myself a daily ‘3 barrow load’ 

regime for autumn and winter 

to bring some order to the situation.

So far, I am keeping up with it.

The advantage...

Short bursts can be an advantage.

Working faster and not labouring over

a picture prevents the work from tightening up.

This little painting was an example of my

fast and loose process.

‘Passing by’

Oils and cold wax medium on 12 x 16 inch canvas 

Making geometric marks and removing paint 

here and there, I sculpted an abstract scene.

I like the colours and shapes with random lines.

It was made over three days...allowing 

the paint to dry before adding to the work.

Each time was brief...possibly only 30 minutes.

Larger paintings will need more time.

For now I shall keep my painting muscles

exercised with these little studies.

That’s all for now...

Until next time,

thank you for visiting.