On the Road in New Zealand

Well, it has been a very long time since my last post in mid December and so much has happened since then! That's probably an understatement.

My year began with a wonderful two month trip travelling through New Zealand in both a camper van and then by car. I think we drove on every road exploring both the North and the South Islands and had great fun, met wonderful people, ate and drank superb food and wine, and were constantly blown away by the spectacular scenery. My 3000+ photos really don't do justice to the beauty of that country. I didn't really have much opportunity to paint while travelling but everyone in a while I got out my watercolour paints and some paper and did what I could . Better than nothing but oh how I missed my studio! 

Below are a few small works, studies and fun pieces done while away. 

French Abstracts

Some painterly responses to the Provencal landscape, done in September when I was there.

A Distant View

10" x 11" acrylic on paper

Luberon

11" x 11" - acrylic on paper

30 in 30 - Day 28 - Farther Afield II

Farther Afield II

16" x 20" - acrylic on canvas - $125

I am always experimenting with different brushstrokes, especially when I have new brushes, and they helped me work a little looser in this landscape. I also started with a black ground, which you can see in places and I think that added some depth to the colour. It's day 28 in the Challenge - yahoo!

Small Paintings, Big Ideas

Field of Dreams
13" x 10"  watercolour & pastel on paper

In the weeks I was not posting last month, I was painting, but nothing too serious or time consuming, in my sketchbook, experimenting and having fun. Isn’t painting always fun? Yes and no. It is engaging and challenging and obsessive and mind consuming, and yes, often fun and satisfying. Did I say frustrating? I am not sure what I would do if I didn't paint!

 

Fantasia
7" X 5" mixed media on paper
(watercolour, gouache, pencil crayon, pastel)

Post Modern Apples
6" x 7.5"  watercolour & pastel on paper

Watercolour Artful Play and Experimentation

In the Shade
8.5 x 7.5 - watercolour on paper - $25

Sometimes life gets in the way of painting.....but the week ahead looks clear and I hope to get back to work and finish a couple of paintings that are still needing resolution. I felt that I needed a bit of kickstart into serious painting (said with tongue firmly in cheek) so decided to experiment (artful play) with my watercolour paints and other media. Because I had to wait for layers to dry, I had to keep starting new paintings, and after a wonderful day I had a stack of small watercolour landscape paintings - which I will post throughout the week. And...if you are looking for a creative exercise I suggest you play!

More Watercolour Play

I am really enjoying this recent dabbling with watercolour - in fact it has become rather addictive. Though I will soon be getting back to my regular studio and the "landscapes" that still need work, I think that this diversion with another medium has been a good tonic, and I will endeavour to continue with it in the new year.

The small paintings below are both based on the same photo/scene taken a few years back.

Pathways 1

9" x 5" - watercolour on arches - $25

Pathways 2

6.5" x 5.5" - watercolour on arches - $25

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. 

Rocks as Inspiration

Balancing Act
acrylic on canvas - 36" x 24"
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

I love rocky shore lines and have taken many photos of such over the years, thinking that they might be good subjects to paint - but how? Using my mac, I recently began to select details from the larger photos, cropping out about 90% of the original photo and found that I had some really interesting little abstract compositions of shapes, forms, and lines - and so have begun to paint them.

This is the first of these rock-inspired abstract paintings. I am quite pleased with how it turned out, and particularly like the combination of 3 dimensional forms and flat 2 dimensional shapes. I have another one on the easel.....so stay tuned.