Florida Nuts, again

Florida Nuts II
10" x10" - acrylic on canvas
sold

Another close-up of coconuts on a palm tree. This palette is a little more subdued then that used in the first painting featuring this subject matter. Maybe it's the Zorn effect?

Up Close - with the Anders Zorrn limited palette

Up Close
9" x 12" - acrylic on canvas
nfs

This small painting is based on a photo of my daughter (a favourite subject) and is my submission to this week's Daily Paint Works challenge. The challenge called for a limited palette - something I always think of doing, but find difficult to follow. The palette of cadmium red, yellow ochre, white and black is based on the palette of the famous 19th Swedish painter Anders Zorn. He did a lot of portraits and nudes - and these colours allowed me to make some great natural looking flesh tones. I am quite happy with the painting, though am still not sure I like the subdued background colour. Will have to look and think about that for awhile longer.

Fetch!

Fetch
14" x 18" - acrylic on canvas
nfs

Another painting featuring our black lab Molly. Like all labradors she is very focussed and intense when it comes to ball retrieval - and I think it shows in this painting of her as she waits to hear the word 'fetch' to begin the game. 

Florida Nuts

Florida Nuts
10" x 10"- acrylic on canvas
$95

I love palm trees. I am currently in the sunshine state - enjoying some sun and relaxation, and painting, before the Christmas activities begin. Everywhere I look I see coconut palms laden with their giant nuts. This painting is based on a detail from a photo I took a few days ago.

Almost There

Almost There
12"  x 12" - acrylic on canvas
$95 

Molly is our 10 year old black labrador and this is a typical 'Molly pose' as we arrive at our cottage on Redstone Lake in Haliburton (Ontario).  She loves the cottage, and her life of freedom there. This painting is based on a photo I took last fall, hence the autumnal colours of the trees. It will be many months before we are back there, but as soon as we start to load the van she will know where we are going, and be ready.

Big Weather Day

Big Weather Day
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
$95

I take a lot of photos of clouds, particularly the big white puffy ones that seem to develop in a blue sky on a summer afternoon, and then serve as the backdrop for a fabulous sunset. A recent DailyPaintworks challenge was to paint a landscape in which the clouds were the subject - and this was my entry.

Come Closer

Come Closer
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Another tulip, another view. I find that photographing any painting with red and getting it to look right on the screen is a challenge. It can look a little too surreal. The actual painting is a little less vibrant than what you see here, I think, and nicer for it. 

Tulips

Tulips
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Tulips are my favorite flower, because they change over time, They also offer a variety of perspectives from which to paint them. I particularly like the view from above, looking in.

Various viewpoints makes me think of Picasso and cubism - a style in which an object's multiple viewpoints are shown at the same time. That would be an interesting challenge......maybe I will try that! 

Side View

Side View
9" x 12" - acrylic on canvas
SOLD

This is another painting based on a blind contour figure drawing (see below). I have to say that I don't really like drawing reclining figures, but I did like how this one turned out, both as a drawing and as a painting.

Thinking About It

Thinking About It
9" x 12"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, about art and painting, subject matter and next steps. Some days I think that I should paint larger, or paint figures, or just paint subjects that come easily, or paint differently, and so on.

I did a series of figure drawings last winter, that I really liked. They were done in an open life class, and were essentially blind contours. In other words I looked at the model but did not look at the drawing or paper as I drew.
The resulting figures were slightly distorted and abstract.

Since then I have been trying to figure out how I can use them in a painting, or paint them, and maintain the qualities I like. After many starts that were soon whited out, I decided on a small format, and am (finally) pleased with some of the paintings. Above is the first one with the drawing below.  Your comments would be very welcome!