Little Oil Paintings

Portrait

2008-07-25T15:10:00.001-07:00

For my Dad

Rocks

2008-07-23T02:27:00.000-07:00

For Trisha

Oil on Board

5" x 7"

Mum and I went to visit John and Trish in Invercagill...we spent a splendid and very memorable day on gem stone beach collecting beautiful little stones...the best ones are somewhat translucent when wet. Trish does delicate watercolours of these stones and more...real gems in themselves. I'm attempting them in oil now by way of inspiration....something more tangible and poetic about hers though.....but I did enjoy looking so closely as I painted mine.

As prematurely stated below...

2008-07-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

Oil on board

I was cleaning up my still life for the series of egg and glass, and I dropped the egg...the result - a contained mess - so it was decided that I should put the remains inside a glass that didn't feature already in the series. Voila...of coures...this all happened days a go....still hopeless at remembering to post(I've since moved on to painting rocks and orchids....to come!)

Final in egg series.

2008-07-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

Blog glass drawing demo..

2008-07-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've decided to do a little step by step demo for Tan, drawing a glass.....'tis a funny thing drawing something see through, its time to suspend what you think you see, and draw what you see...here is the glass of reference...

Begin with a line drawing of the perimeter of the glass..draw a centre line to help you find the symmetry in made made objects. Keep your lines VERY light. This is the time to make judgements on measurements and angles..it is easiest to change ones mind now...not after shading begins.

Shade entire shape a medium tone, then find large secondary shapes of darker tones, keep shading flat not patchy. This reference glass is placed with nothing behind it....if this were not the case you would find and shap in the darker shapes of any objects behind it...also any next to it as these too will reflect on the surface of the glass. Draw with very little pressure -keeping marks light.

Now observe very closely and locate the darker shapes, IGNORE detail, it may help to squint in order to find the shapes more easily(squinting gets rid of detail) render edges and keep thinking in terms of shapes rather than lines-there is no such thing as a line in nature, just a place where different tone/colour shapes meet. Line is an element of design in a drawing/painting and will sever a form. Start rendering(shading) the nuances of the tones as well...darker where shapes gradually change to darker etc. You will also begin to see the lighter shapes ...but do not think of them as reflections just yet...just shapes. Keep looking back up at the reference class to see what I have drawn.

Now....with a putty rubber...(exmple of this tool at the end of blog) start pulling out the lighter shapes that you see....again have a look at the reference glass above. The reflections/light shapes that you see are most likely windows so they will square..your shapes should be as such..they will be white blobs to begin with but with your pencil in the next stage reshape them. Almost time to see detail....at this stage make sure your darkest bits are quite dark -it is the variety and the stretching of the grey scale that make a drawing really pop(ie. include darkest darks and lightest light and all in between)

Now return with your pencil and place the smaller shapes and the detail of the reflections that you can see....the frames of the window perhaps....juggle the light and dark forms...for example the reflected light from the window will be lighter than the secondary reflected light stripes(in the example) adjacent to it. Use you putty rubber and your pencil freely...Look back and forth at the blance of lights to darks....et voila!

A grey putty rubber is an instrumental tool...it is soft so is maleable to any shape you might need in order to get at thos odd spaces....and no pesky shavings.....the pencil I used was a mechanical one with 6B lead....also......when drawing from live reference that is upright in front of you, it helps to draw upright too...on an easel for example, or tilted 45 degrees on you lap...taking it down for detailed work...when referencing from a photo on a flat surface it is better to draw flat. Have a go...I enjoyed that!

Egg and glass.....

2008-07-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Egg 5

5"x7"

Oil on Board

I received a message from Tan yesterday asking how to draw transparent objects, which I'm delighted to answer ....The trick is to not draw what you know but draw what you see. When drawing/painting realism you are attempting to recreate the three dimensional into two dimensions, and in time rendering it to appear to be three dimensional. The only way to do this is to break your reference down into shapes, like flat cutout shapes and draw/paint them on your surface next to each other. Ideally start with all shapes that are in the middle range of tone, then the dark, the lights, and lastly the very brightest highlights. For drawing use a putty rubber to pull out the highlights....with painting use the cleanest of whites. Difficult to explain without the assistance of a demonstration, but hopefully this simplifies a bit. I use a number of books in my classes...I'll have a closer look and see which ones may teach drawing transparent objects...alternatively just page through any how to draw books...there are many out there. Hope this helps Tan...let me know if you have any other questions. Perhaps this calls for a blog demonstration!

2008-07-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

Glass and Egg series 4

5"x7"

Oil on Board

They look good all lined up next to each other on the wall....

Dropping an egg in it.....

2008-07-07T17:34:00.001-07:00

Another of the egg series I'd forgotten to post yesterday.

Orchid series coming up...

2008-07-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Palaenopsis hybrid

42x42cm

Oil on Ply

I've begun a series of simple orchid portraits.....the most aesthetically miraculous of flowers I believe,

It has allowed me to slow down and concentrate on achieving detail and texture whilst still enjoying rich colour...a wonderful, quietnening challenge.

A break from the eggs......

2008-07-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

For Kerry

5"x7"

Oil on board
This is for Kerry....upon his instruction and request.......with much affection of course.

Transparent and the opaque

2008-07-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

Inside

5"x7"

Oil on board

Egg and Glass series

2008-06-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Egg and Glass1

5"x8"

Oil on board

I've begun a series of paintings using eggs and a mixture of little glasses I've found in local second hand treasure stores. I suppost there is some personal symbolism...but mostly I just wanted to get drawn in to painting the opaque and the transparent....together.

Classic

2008-06-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

Classic nude

Graphite on watercolour paper

8"x10"

Drawing...my old friend(the act of, silly - not the model!)

I do miss the ease and subtlety of the drawn mark.

More nudes....

2008-06-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Untitled

5"x8"

Charcoal on paper

Never can resist the traditional.

Koi painting

2008-06-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

Koi

10"x10"

Oil on canvas

nfs

Nude drawings

2008-06-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Nude Torsos

4"x6"each

Graphite on paper

Just little drawings I did whilst watching the news, in some really CHEAP(I know-they look it!) little frames to keep them safe from dirty paws. I've returned to drawing --my first love, for a while. I've begun teaching my life drawing class and its hard not to get inspired!

Little finches

2008-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Finches

Oil on Board

I just had a lot of fun with colour.....they have yet to own feet! Had to stop, the dogs are getting antsy and need the beach.

Also, here are the Frizzles(their feathers grow outwards)...Dusty(the dusty coloured one) is the owner of the previous post's egg!

My girls' eggs

2008-06-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

Three Eggs

Oil on Board

The little on is the first ever layed by our frizzle pullet Dusty, the brown one by one of the larger girls, and the bigone by our fabulous wierd little Duck chuck -who likes to do her own thing and has been sitting on 14(yes 14) unfertilised eggs for the last three weeks...she is so intent we haven't the heart to tell her.

Koi series

2008-06-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Koi 1

Oil on board

I am absolutely hopeless at remembering to post them! I've started playing with the beautiful colours of Koi fish...have done a large one on plywood -it looks like it is floating.....these little ones are sketches. Sweet colours, but I would like to make them look more real.

Tea pot

2008-06-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Tea pot

Oil on Board

Goodness -I'm awful for forgetting either to photograph them in the daylight or actually posting them on the site...this one is two days old! Borrowed the teapot from the school -better get it back!

White horse

2008-06-04T23:53:00.001-07:00

White horse

60cmx75cm

nfs

Remember those sketchy cows a little while ago?...I really liked them, and I rarely like anything I do. I decided to do a larger version of an animal in the same style.....I enjoyed it immensely and this shall hang on my wall. I suppose ultimately a painter is happiest painting what he/she likes to look at best...the kind of painting one might gravitate to on a gallery wall.

Fabric Rabbit

2008-05-31T15:52:00.001-07:00

Rabbit

Oil on Fabric

In an effort to establish some thermal curtaining in the house, I prepared to make my own by purchasing some thermal lining. Managed to find some second hand curtains though...hence left over fabric(quite a lot).....I mounted it on some board, drew the image, gessoed where the paint was to be....et voila! I kind of like it..its fuzzy and was fun to paint...think I'll run with it! This was a practice one, I'll have to be more careful to keep unpainted area clean - at least I have a use for the fabric now!

4 Mandarins

2008-05-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Four Mandarins

Oil on Board

Funny, I'm trying to get myself away from painting tightly...but no matter how loose I get, I always whish to include more detail. Keep going....for I like to look at loose paintings best.

Bull

2008-05-26T18:04:00.001-07:00

Bull 1

Oil on Board

Don't know this guy....might even be a steer! I've been working on larger paintings recently and preparing a lesson for a wonderful student who wants to learn how the masters(18th cent) painted...I was taught this when getting my masters and found it a painstakingly long process with layers and fiddling...rewarding though as the effect is so luminous. So am having another go at it on my own...will post it when it is finished....

..another lovely

2008-05-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

Calf 1

Oil on board

I've hand raised two calves since moving to New Zealand.....one of the very most delightful experiences of my life......First one is a big girl now, still go out to the paddock to cuddle her....and she still wants milk!!

Here come the cows...

2008-05-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Cow 3

Oil on board

I like this one too....have done a number of cows now and am enjoying them very much, learning a lot and a little tribute to this particular cow who lived next door to me when I lived in near Bath in England in a little rural village called Farrington Gurney. I used to lie in the paddock and read...she liked to hang around me...lovely creature.

Spotty Cup

2008-05-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Spotty Cup

20mm x 15mm

Oil on Board

Pukeko

2008-05-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Pukeko

20mm x 15mm

Oil on Board

Not fond of the painting itself but I do enjoy the bird...colours and they have HUGE wading feet, I messaging flick of a white tail, they like to meander the roadsides in NZ and lucky us have a large family visiting near the house to spy on the chooks every morning. We don't want them to get too tame though....they are shot frequently by philistines and monsters...just for the fun of it! Grrrrrrrr.....mmmm me big hunter...so evolution has come to this?

Another Cow

2008-05-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

Cow 2

20mm x 15mm

Oil on Board

Uh oh...looks like a succesion of cows to follow. I am enjoying painting these little versions. Recently I explored creating larger versions, but ran out of faith. This renewed interest in painting cows has brought with it a new dimension(approach) in paint application, and I am beginning to recognise what pleases me both in process and aesthetically. Have never quite concluded what appeals to me in my work -often it is very little...but things may be changing. We shall see.....perhaps in time a return to the larger canvas.

Favourite Cow

2008-05-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

Cow 1

Oil on Board

20mm x 15mm

I love this little painting, I do have a great fondness for painting animals, I always seem to return to it. Something about this one sits so well with me...the sketchy, unfinished ness perhaps.

Do really like cows too...gentle curious beasts.

Silver Egg

2008-05-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Silver Egg

20mm x 15mm

Oil on Board

Definatley from the red chook....

Little cow

2008-05-09T01:41:00.001-07:00

Little Cow

Oil on Board

15mm x20mm

So sorry about the photo....was helping build a wardrobe all day,

finished it tonight, then photographed it leaning against the fish tank, better to photograph in daylight......got a new wardrobe though!

Bits of Orange

2008-05-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

Bits of Orange

20mm x 15mm

Oil on board

I wiped out three paintings of a spoon today..disater in disguise....I learned a lot.

The orange was a last effort to complete one for the day...the colours always pull me in.

First Spoon

2008-05-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a series of this little spoon I think, I enjoyed painting it but I'd like to try different light sources and styles.

Three Apples

2008-05-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

Three Apples

20cm x 15cm

Oil on Board

Our trees grew no red apples this year...no rain.

Torrents now though.....our tank overflows....but too late for apples.

Copper Urn

2008-05-03T21:38:00.001-07:00

One Green Apple

2008-05-02T14:39:00.001-07:00

Just an apple.......gave it to Lulu half an hour later.

Lulu(the calf)...that's Grub I'm holding..yes-its a dog.

Mum's Eggcup

2008-05-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

A smaller version of a favourite painting I did years ago.

The eggcup given to me by my Mum....the egg by our red chook...or maybe the black one or.....

Time to share my hand in paint

2008-04-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

I love to paint...the sticky stuff - oil.

So I'll put my hand, my eye to work. Just little paintings.....for sale too.

We live near Raglan in New Zealand, a beautiful farmlet with a harbour view.

We have calves, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, a cat....and three lovely dogs.

Our days are our own....and our life is the stuff of dreams.

The paintings begin May 1st.