Flowers in a Green vase

 Flowers in a Green Vase

(Acrylic on canvas board, 12x12 in)

Finding myself a bit adrift this year, I fell back on the old maxim, “When you can’t paint, paint something else.” I did a few very small still life paintings during the Lockdown and quite enjoyed them, but scaling up to even this modest size proved difficult. What I expected to take a couple of days or so has taken the best part of a week. I wonder if the next one, should I give in to temptation, will be so difficult?

Daisies in an Alfajar

 

Daisies in an Alfajar

(Acrylic on mountboard, 20x20 cm)

SOLD

A follow on from last week’s still life painting, this uses a lovely little jar I bought in Malaga a couple of years ago. "Alfajar" is the brand name. If you're ever in Malaga, do look up the shop - it's well worth a visit.

Anemones in a Bayeux Jar

 

Anemones in a Bayeux Jar

(Acrylic on mountboard, 20x20 cm)

I find using acrylic on such small format boards and canvases, lends itself to these still life paintings. although I don't find it easy to find interesting vases or the bunches of flowers to go in them. This little jar is based on one I bought on a trip to Normandy many years ago, although the shape has been quite radically simplified.

This little still life took all week because of umpteen tonal adjustments: change one bit, another needs work. So it goes. I’m happy with the result, but if I want to continue the theme I'll have to hunt for a new vase or jar.

Xmas Wreath 2020

 

Xmas Wreath 2020

(mixed media on mountboard, 27x19 cm)

Merry Xmas and Very Best Wishes to all my Reader!

Bouquet for Kathleen

Bouquet for Kathleen

(mixed media on board, 8x6 in)

A little birthday present I made for a friend as a surprise. Now she has it, I can show it. I’d like to be able to thank the photographer who took the photo on which it’s based (I know she’s on Instagram) but I’ve lost her name.

 

Marsh Marigolds

Marsh Marigolds

(acrylic on watercolour board, 8x8 in)

The Shipley Art Gallery's second Challenge to Gateshead Art Society members presented us with two paintings, ‘Apple Blossom’ by Roger Ashby and ‘Summer Time’ by Ralph Hedley, showing the start of Spring and the middle of Summer. The challenge was to "create an artwork that shows how we are witnessing the start of Spring from our home, garden or daily walk. What flowers are starting to bloom and what animals are appearing?"

I wasn't going to do the Challenge this week because we have - or had - no flowers. Then the marsh marigolds in our little pond came to the rescue.

I found myself struggling a little with this painting, mainly I think because it's in such a very realist style and I could have achieved that more readily with oil paint. Blending acrylic is not so easy.

My Dad's Diary : Fri 2nd May1947

"Fine day.

Garden at night - put in sweet peas and flower seeds."

Still on Course

Project 1 has moved along and changed over the week. The fruit have disappeared and been replaced by a key and the flowers have become better defined. Not too much more to do on this one.

On Course

I think I mentioned when beginning work on my wooden heart, that I'd signed up for an online painting course. It's with Este MacLeod and it started this week. Este's paintings are nothing like mine; her background is in textiles, she paints in an abstract manner and she uses acrylics, on this course Golden Fluid Acrylics. All of which I thought would throw me out of my comfort zone and maybe give me a push in a different direction.

It already feels like it's working. There's that old feeling of finding water unpredictable and uncontrollable and relief to find that she uses mostly acrylic medium to thin her paint. But not knowing, and finding out how paint and colour will behave is a getting-back-to-basics strategy and is truly fascinating.

At the top of this post is one of the colour exercises and here's a couple of pages of fanciful flowers put together, quite quickly, from deconstructed fruit and veg.

More as things unfold.