More Still Life

Not having done it before, I'm finding the preparation necessary to present a range of paintings at the local Art Fair very time consuming. This, along with getting organised for the family wedding that takes place next week and the holiday that follows, is making it difficult to keep up with the workmen doing the repairs and painting before the winter sets in. Never mind, I don't want to sound as if I have much to complain about, the only real problem is lack of painting time, in particular opportunities for plein air work. Fortunately there are lots of things around the house that make interesting subjects for painting.

It seems that I've spent a lot of recent painting time looking at flowers, it's easy to understand how so many people specialise in botanical painting, they make fascinating subjects. One of the things that interests me about painting flowers is the tension between maintaining a loose impressionistic approach and the urge to try and capture in detail the beauty of the blooms.

On this occasion I had left my box and brushes on the kitchen table so decided to give them a cameo role alongside the flowers.

Still Life October 20th - watercolour on Not paper 16" x 12"

September Project

As part of the ongoing monthly project series that I share with my friend Peter, he selected this image as the subject matter for September. At first sight I found the task quite daunting then Having thought about it, I decided to heed some of the advice I keep giving myself and get rid of much of the intricate detail in the picture. The job then looked a lot more manageable.

Boats at Beer - Photograph

The first decision I made was to attack the figures as they are difficult in themselves and I'm not sure this was a great idea as I'm somewhat disappointed with the way that the central character sits against the boat. If I did it again I'd do something about the light direction and the colours used to give that figure a little more prominence. Another good learning experience.

Boats at Beer - Watercolour on Rough Paper 16" x 12"

The next month is going to be hectic, painting wise as Sheila has finally persuaded me to display some of my work at a local Art Fair and I've taken the plunge and booked a stand. However, this means that I've got to get on with lots of framing and organising how the pictures are displayed. The big problem I now have is selecting pieces that people might like and not hanging on to those pieces that I feel quite possessive about. The show is towards the end of November and I'll update the blog with news of how it goes.