‘Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.’ D.W.Winnicott I am driven by my passion to paint and I love putting up my works in progress week by week as I enjoy sharing the process whereby I get to the finished artwork. BUT… there is the other side of being an artist whereby I not very forceful and spend a lot of time alone, by necessity, at my easel quite happily. So yes….. tension! With this work, I was in Verona a couple of years ago, sitting on a bench in the sunshine with my camera to hand in case something caught my eye for a possible painting. I suddenly saw this young woman in a lemon yellow dress and the contrast with the shadows of the ground and the Arena amphitheatre to me was perfect. Yellow and purple are opposites on the colour wheel and compliment each other, so I will be painting layers of purple and blue over the lilac grey of the ground and likewise on the walls of the Arena. I think this composition will work. If you would like to be kept up to…
Read More ›
‘Nearly Ready’ completed and available. 19 Oct 2016
Really enjoyed completing the detail on this painting. When I think a work is finished, I turn it upside down to check details again, as mistakes will always show up, not sure why. The same is true if you look at a work in a mirror. Maybe the eye gets too attuned to the work and you can no longer see the wood for the trees. Whatever it is, it works every time. I was tempted not to put in the fabric detail in the sofa, but in the end am glad I did as it adds emphasis. It’s always difficult not to overwork a smaller painting. Bigger works involve bigger brushes so less chance of that! Building up of glazes adds delicate layers to the work, which works well on smaller paintings. It has also been interesting painting square for a change. The Ampersand board has been a real find for smaller works. The smaller brushes glide so smoothly over the surface. I wanted to convey the eager anticipation before a girl goes out on a date, something I remember from my youth :-). It’s such a happy feeling and the anticipation is sometimes more exciting than the actual…
Read More ›
I am really enjoying the painting this week. As I said last week, I was told that a touch of red adds pizazz to an artwork and I realised again how true this is. I love the contrast between the red of the sofa and the black of the dress and adding a touch of red and black to the flesh tones is really pulling the composition together. It’s a gentle piece, a girl getting ready to go out, waiting for the phone to ring to say the taxi has arrived to take her on her date. I put the glass of wine in as she might be nervous and needs some Dutch courage, or maybe she is just having a glass of wine as she relaxes. The book is discarded as she is ‘nearly ready’. Much looking forward to the detail next week. This is a square painting for a change and is painted on Ampersand Board. If you would like to be kept up to date with what I am up to in the next few months, please sign up for my Newsletter at the top of the Home Page. I usually send these out quarterly so will be…
Read More ›
