Uncharted Waters

Uncharted Waters

acrylic & inktense pencils on heavy archival paper - 11" x 13" - $50

This painting was inspired by another that I finished recently - a larger (24" x 30") acrylic work on canvas. I have painted this subject (reflections in water of shoreline, trees and rocks) many times, in a variety of ways ranging from somewhat naturalistic to fairly stylized and abstract. Once I finished the larger painting, I continued to think about extending it into another and because working on paper gives one a sense of a freedom and allows mixing of media more easily, it was the surface of choice. I am quite happy with the results. Unfortunately the surface qualities and transparency of the colour layers does not come through on the screen as well as in life, but that's life in the digital age, I guess. 

Below is the first painting, which I am still contemplating. Now, not so sure it is finished.....any comments?

Blues & Greens

Blues & Greens

acrylic and ink tense pencil on acrylic paper - 9" x 11" - $50

Playing with abstracting the 'land' and painting loosely. 

The Here and Now

The Here and Now

8" x 8" - acrylic on canvas - $70

(includes shipping in USA and Canada)

The third in this small series of small landscapes executed (mostly) with a palette knife and some sgraffito work into the paint. This work is about suggesting a landscape 'mood' through texture, colour and marks, rather than suggesting a particular place. 

Thanks for looking!

All 3 available as a series for $150, or individually priced at $70 each.

Scottish 'Scape

Scottish 'Scape

8" x 8" - acrylic on canvas - $70

(price includes shipping in the USA and Canada)

This painting was inspired by a photo I took while travelling in Scotland, I think near Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye in 2016. 

It is the second of a small landscape series 'threesome'.  They are priced individually at $70, but are available as a set of 3 for $150. 

Urban Relief

Urban Relief

8" x 8" - acrylic on canvas - $70
and BTW....the price includes shipping in North America.

This is the first of three small 'acrylic paintings on canvas' I did once back in my studio after two months of travelling. It's always a challenge 'to start again' so working small and with a palette knife helped with painter's angst. 

This one, inspired by many landscapes, slowly came together with the layering of paint, and sgraffito (a fancy art term for scratching into it paint to reveal the colours beneath the surface). I was really happy with the textural qualities and especially the palette.

On our travels we visited some small and many larger urban areas like Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Saigon - which we enjoyed - however I have to say that open spaces and pastoral landscapes are more restive and peaceful. Hence the title.  

More Sketchbook Faces

The last of the abstract faces from my sketchbook.

A little Painting 'Face Time'

I used to love painting faces, but over time got out of the habit. When not being a tourist in Siem Reap in Cambodia last month, I spent some time drawing and abstracting 'faces' from magazine pictures. My goal was to exaggerate more than copy, and then paint in a very non-representational way. Perhaps it was in response to all the colour I had been seeing for many weeks at that point in S.E. Asia. Good fun!

More sketchbook painting ......

A few more little paintings from my sketchbook while travelling. As you can see I was 'all over the map' in terms of subject matter, working from some old photos, and just creating from my head, other images. 

But good fun none the less. 

Back in the Studio......

   It has been a little over 13 weeks since I last posted and have spent any concentrated time painting, which for me is a very long time! Most of that time I was travelling in South East Asia, through Hong Kong to places in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. It was a fabulous trip to say the least. I took watercolour painting materials with me and had hoped to post while away, if not art, then inspirational photos, however, technical problems prevented that. 
   As you can imagine I did not really have a lot of time to paint as we were being tourists, walking, eating, walking, and moving from place to place every few days. However, there were times I took breaks and escaped into an hour or two of sketchbook painting. Plein air activity was not possible, so I worked from pictures or my head and just played.
    One of the most widely seen and revered images in Thailand and also that country's national symbol, is the elephant. It is featured on their flag, in statuary in temple complexes and on a million tourist items for sale. The elephant also appears in the form of the elephant-headed Hindu god, Ganesh. Although Thailand is a predominantly a Buddhist nation, statues and shrines to Hindu deities are a common sight and there he is referred to as Phra Phikanet.  Ganesh is also popular with artistic people and is thought to encourage creativity so he seemed like a good subject to paint when I finally got out my sketchbook for some painting therapy. This photo taken in a cafe garden in ChiangMai inspired my first painting. 

 

   While in Thailand we also had an opportunity to spend a wonderful day at an elephant sanctuary where we fed and walked with them, and some (younger than myself) helped to bathe them in mud and then wash them off again. It was an incredible experience to see these intelligent creatures in such a personal way.

 

More from my sketchbook tomorrow.....