Seashore

I have been working a little more on my 'shore' painting as I wanted to try adding some blue to the sky. It was really because I wanted there to be some blue in the sky, I know the creamy sky of before suited it well as an abstract landscape. I am also working on a large painting but am painting on a board which tends to soak up all the paint and is very different to working on linen. I wanted to use the board and I am hoping that the painting will be ok in the end! My inspiration has dried up completely lately which is a bit difficult as I have summer exhibitions that I am painting for. I have been out each day for walks in forests and along the rugged north east coastline too. Hopefully the inspiration will return, without it painting is moves along almost without a soul. I have also been creating a scrap book with my sold works to record some of them as I don't have photos of them all. I am also using poetry to be a companion to the photo on each page. More on that later. 'Seashore' is 10 x 14 inches oil on linen. By the way I am having alot of trouble trying to comment on my blogging friends sites so be patient I am still watching your progress and enjoying your blogs a great deal. I am hoping to be able to comment again soon. Today I have denied access to making a comment on everyone's blog!

The Morning Light

I am posting my acrylic painting for Maggie to see. http://maggielathamart.blogspot.com She is experimenting with acrylic paints. She is known for her very beautiful fresh watercolour tonal paintings. In this small painting which is 10 x 14 inches on linen canvas I have built up the painting using fine glazes of paint. Using a glazing medium by W&N to increase the flow. The linen canvas took the paint well though there was a little beading to begin with as the canvas was primed with a non acrylic base. However as I carried on building up the glazes they took to the canvas well. I used gold and silver in the painting to create some mystery within the moorland painting. The camera failed to capture the turquoise green blue I had in the foreground water area.

Thoughts on a morning walk

My thoughts arise and fade in solitude
the verse that would invent them fades away
like moonlight in the heaven of spreading day
how beautiful they were how firm they stood
flecking the starry sky like woven pearl.
Shelley. 1800

I am often amazed at the beauty of poetry from the past, I found this poem tonight by Shelley. The painting is from last winter of a walk I took in a rural landscape with hope of blues skies to soon arrive. Walking is often a time for quiet reflection.

sea Inlet

I had to take the photo of this outside because of the turquoise yet it has resulted in a lot of the sky colour being a bit bleached out. The fore ground is also a warmer brown. Unfortunately you can't see it but there are some marks in the fore ground (sorry Rhonda you still can't walk into the painting!)I found some dried flower heads and some nice old broom branches to pull some of the reeds into the painting. It is another small painting 10 x 14 inches oil on linen. Colours used Varsari Shale, turquoise old holland, Varsari bluff, unbleached titanium, warm burnt rose lake, Davy's grey, cold grey, portland grey medium. Maggie's flake white replacement. It is less abstract than the last 'Shore' painting.

The Shore

I was working until late last night and then first thing this morning until finally I feel I have broken through and painted something I feel happy with. I know the last posts had plenty of texture and drama yet I wasn't happy looking at them on my studio wall, something didn't feel right. So working with my favourite earth colours Davy's grey by Old Holland for the seaweed areas, Gold Green deep OH, Hansa Yellow Deep Gamblin for the beach area, Chromatic Black Gamblin and Transparent oxide yellow. For the sky I used mostly unbleached Titanium Dioxide OH and Replacement Flake White (Maggie!) Gamblin. This is a small painting 10 x 14 inches. oil on linen canvas. Some brush and knife painting. Feels like I have returned home within my painting world.