The weather is getting cooler now and it takes a bit more convincing to get out Plein Air painting. I almost didn't go because guess what, there is always something else to do which seems more important. But then I reminded myself how happy I am every time I do go Plein Air painting. I enjoy the fresh air (as long as it doesn't freeze my fingers off) and I feel productive with getting another painting done. This time I…
Silvan is always a lovely place to paint, especially in autumn. I'm still sticking to my little 6x8 oil paintings and love working with the palette knife. The big advantage is that I don't have to clean brushes, which means that I don't have to use solvents or wash my brushes at the end of day with soap and water. This little painting was finished in one go (alla prima) and wet-on-wet, since the oil paint doesn't dry until the…
Have you ever heard of the one rule of composition? If not, you will find that the book by Greg Albert, "The simple secret to better painting" is marvellous. Greg Albert talks about randomness in you painting created by "never making any two intervals the same". Interval refers to "distance, shape, tonal value, colour and just about every other element in your painting." The book discusses design dynamics and refers to landscapes, still life, figure or portrait. If you are…
This blog is about: Creating test paintings until they come out of your ears, and a good approach to working with tracing and transfer paper. Test Paintings Have you ever had an idea in mind but no clue how to approach it? This can happen if you are trying to paint something that doesn’t exist or it exists but looks very different from the way you want to show it. I found this dilemma with “Autumn in The City”. The…
Do you know the feeling when you go for a walk and you see all these beautiful autumn colours and you want to paint them immediately? While you are walking you are thinking of what colours you have in your palette that might do the trick. A gorgeous autumn scene is already developing in your head and you can't wait to put it down onto paper as soon as you get home. For several years I wanted to paint these…
Today, I finally finished Hot Chips Are Mine! Since the lockdown has started I could take advantage of the unexpected time available in my studio to paint. Still, I miss teaching and therefore thought I might share how I created this painting. I know it’s a watercolour painting but most of the principles apply to oil and acrylic painting as well:
Due to the lockdown in New Zealand I can't show you any photos of plein air painting or other events/locations, however, I can show you a photo of my favourite place: my studio. Happy Easter!
The Nelson Centre for Musical Arts (NCMA) and Wall To Wall Art Gallery have been collaborating in an exciting new project called Art + Music. Artists were invited to paint or draw during one or two lunchtime concerts, experiencing some of Nelson’s finest classical musicians during Schubert’s “2 Cellos” String Quintet in C major, andAmerican Songs and Arias. The two concerts for Art + Music = have now come and gone. What an experience not only for the artists, but…
13 February – 13 March 2019 [email protected] Gallery, Nelson It’s all About Colour or the Chicken or the Pear "Recently I started reviewing why I like some paintings and not others. The same question I asked myself about my painting subject. Why and how do I choose what to paint? I always thought it was contrast, light and dark, but it turned out to be incorrect. What I truly like is colour and shape. Every artist is evolving during their…
