Close

Painting roses is hard enough, painting them close up is a mission. It took a few attempts before I was reasonably happy. I think because they are such a challenge, I can see myself painting roses until I'm very old.  :  )

Close
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Quiet

However much I love colour, sometimes I feel that less is more. Which brings me to a song I love, its called Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSKrC7dGcY

I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday.

Quiet
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"
 

Pink Rose in Blue Creamer

I tried to keep it simple with as little brushstrokes as possible.

Pink Rose in Blue Creamer
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

With or Without

With or Without
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

After painting colourful flowers for the past five years I find myself really looking at the foliage that comes with them. I am amazed at how beautiful leaves can be so decided to paint without the flowers. Which brings me to the song that is my personal all time favourite, so far anyway.....With or without you by U2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ




Blitz

I met this delightful dog last year when I went to see my friend in France.

 My heart goes out to all the people who have suffered the atrocities in Paris.

Blitz
Ink and wash on watercolour paper

Sunny Day

Today we've had rain, winds and now beautiful sunshine. I feel blessed to have a warm home and the health to enjoy all the drama of English weather.

Sunny Day
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Chrysanthemum Sketches

The sun is out, after about a week, and I have time to sketch/paint.  :  )

Chrysanth Sketch
watercolour, ink wash on cartridge paper

Chrysanth Sketch II
watercolour, ink wash on cartridge paper

Harvest

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson

Harvest
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Never too Late

It is never too late to be what you might have been. 
Quote by George Elliot

 

 

Never Too Late
oil on oil paper
8" x 10"



 

More Pages from my Sketchbook

I'm still having a great time making use of my sketch book from our local Tiger store where I bought my little travelling chicken. She is still happily enjoying the hospitality of artists around the world and having some amazing portraits painted in the process.

Gladioli

Some more loose flowers in acrylic, ink pen and pastel.

 

 

 

 

A Page From My Sketchbook

I've been playing around with pen and watercolour. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to experimenting with a combination of mixed media.

Pansies
pen and watercolour
 

Be Present

You might think that you need to be in the right frame of mind or have the space to be creative. You don’t, all you need is to be present.

Azra Iqbal

The Royal Academy of Arts asked me for my advice as an  exhibiting artist and the above was my contribution.

Be Present
oil on oil paper 10" x 8"

This is something that I need to remind myself from time to time. :  )

Tulip Fields

This was a challenge simply because there was so much colour.

Tulip Fields
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Grove Farm

I've been painting while listening to this album, love her voice..Part of the Process by Morcheeba


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwi1UEPPlkI

Grove Farm
oil on MDF
8"x 12"

Mixed Flower Sketch

I began this three days ago and finished it today.

Mixed Flower sketch
pencil on cartridge paper.

A Lesson Learned is a Lesson Earned

I painted this pear composition over two years ago and did not post it because I thought it was not good enough. Today I just happened to be going through some storage boxes and saw this painting. I looked at it and thought, actually this is worth keeping. I'm so glad I didn't tear it up at the time, I think this is why you should reserve judgement on your own work for at least a year or so before you decide to destroy it.

A Lesson Learned
oil on canvas sheet
8"x 9"

Boardwalk Babes

A beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking a stroll on the boardwalk....

Boardwalk Babes
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Cherry Brandy Roses II

Its a beautiful autumn morning, the sun is out and I'm painting again. :  )

Cherry Brandy Roses II
oil on oil paper
10"x8"

Cherry Brandy Roses

A beautiful bunch of the most amazing roses were given to me nearly two weeks ago and I've been eyeing them longingly, but I just could not pick up my brushes to even start. Today I gave myself a good talking to and here is the result.  :  )

Cherry Brandy Roses
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Addiction

“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without” – Cecil B. DeMille




Addiction
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Summer Sunset

Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.

Quote by Elbert Hubbard

 

Summer Sunset
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

 

Memories

Sometimes  you catch the edge of a scent from the past
, or a combination of colours that remind you of a childhood dress that you loved so much. This painting is a celebration of those memories.

Memories
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Pears and Roses

My pink/green/white roses are still going strong and the pears were a gift from a neighbours garden.

Pears and Roses
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Uphill

Passion is different than desire. People that are successful recognize passion. You have to be willing to work at it. I love the image of pushing a boulder uphill - it will flourish you.

Quote by John Schneider

Uphill
Oil on oil paper
10"x8"

Pink Roses

I have this beautiful bunch of pale pink and green roses, I could be a while with these.

Pink Roses II
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Pink Roses
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Very Plum Plums

Sweet, juicy and the most beautiful colours, I just had to  interrupt what I was doing and get back to painting still life again. Has anyone seen The English Patient??

Very Plum Plums
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Change

“Half of me is filled with bursting words and half of me is painfully shy. I crave solitude yet also crave people. I want to pour life and love into everything yet also nurture my self-care and go gently. I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision, yet also wish to sit and contemplate. This is the messiness of life - that we all carry multitudes, so must sit with the shifts. We are complicated creatures, and ultimately, the balance comes from this understanding. Be water. Flowing, flexible and soft. Subtly powerful and open. Wild and serene. Able to accept all changes, yet still led by the pull of steady tides. It is enough.”
― Victoria Erickson

Change
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Gentleness

Gentleness

oil on oil paper

8"x 10"

 

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.

Mahatma Gandhi

A Beginning II

Had more fun with this one. :  )

A Beginning II
oil on oil paper
8"x 10!

A Beginning

Every day is a beginning, what a blessing to wake up to a new day.

A Beginning
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Make Each Day Count

Something I have to remind myself, otherwise one day melts into another.

Make Each Day Count
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Peace

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

Peace
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Poppy Fields

Not exactly obvious, but the fun in an abstract is to get it just right. Have I achieved that my friends??

White Ladder by David Gray is one of my top ten albums, I must have listened to it a million times and it always sounds good.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsDMjet0fyo&list=PLQGX2r3T1iMtsewsns3UkHMy43FU3hgxB&index=1

Poppy Fields
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Painted on a Rainy Day

Today has been wall to wall rain and I love it. I love the sound of rain, I love walking out with a umbrella looking at the puddles and reflections. I love the raindrops on the plants and windows. I have yet to paint an urban scene with people and umbrellas and all, but its  one of my dreams to do so, one day.

Painted on a Rainy Day
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

This painting is however nothing to do with the rain, but adds to the joy of hearing the rain in the background.

Letting Go

In my experience I have found that the minute I let go of all expectations, things happen, good things happen. So I'm trying to apply that principle to painting. Just having fun, enjoying the experience of letting go.

Letting Go
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Letting Go II
oil on oil paper
10" x8"
 

Letting Go
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Thank God for Friends

I dedicate these paintings to a dear friend who not only let me bend her ear yesterday, she  also gave me a gorgeous tube of Schmincke Atrament Black. Its a wonderful greeny black and I've had fun using it today.

Thank God for Friends
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Thank God for Friends
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Thank God for Friends
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Sunset

Sunset
oil on oil paper
10" x 8"

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.

Mahatma Gandhi

Heatwave II

Sometimes its good return to the familiar, my favourite glass jar, which I've painted countless times. However I have kept it to minimum and broad brushstrokes.

Heatwave II
oil on box canvas
40cmx40cm

Open to Ideas

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Quote by George Bernard Shaw

This quote sums up this new painting. I have been trying to leave the safe shore of realism and explore a mix of what is real and imagination and heading towards some abstraction, its an exciting prospect. :  )
I have been painting small for so long I thought that going larger would be hard but actually its  liberating to have more room to move the paint around.

Open to Ideas
oil on box canvas
40cmx40cm

Heatwave

I bought this bunch of gladioli last week and have been watching each flower open. I desperately wanted to paint each stage, but lots of things have been happening. Kittens with stuck hairballs, daughter getting engaged, you know everyday things. :  )

After all the excitement I've finally found time to settle down and paint.

Heatwave
oil on stretched canvas 40cmx40cm