Painting big!

New work, Empress Falls in the Blue Mountains.

This canvas is 180cm wide  I’ll post progress photos, plus others that I’m working on.

Now for some new paintings!

After a few months with Youtube, it's time to get back to real work, and prepare for three group shows this year. 

I'll be showing in each of the Australian Affordable Art Fairs: Brisbane, Melbourne and then Sydney. 

Gallery NWC in Katoomba NSW is hosting myself and about eight other artists. (Last year was a great success and I almost sold out!)

I'll be continuing on with my bushland theme, but also doing seascapes. Here are a few studio views:

Youtube success!

 I have restarted filming and uploading Youtube videos, and the latest video has hit the jackpot! Thousands of views in the first week, and my subscriptions have increase by 200, to more than 10,000.

Check out my Youtube page on this web site, and follow the links.

A Watercolour Masterclass with Alvaro Castagnet

Two days with the watercolour master! 

Friday was rainy, and we planned to paint at the Royal Art Society. Instead, the weather improved so we ventured down to Lavender Bay to paint the harbour. It was so good listening and watching Alvaro Castagnet demo-paint. After each of his demos, we painted our own scenes. Alvaro visited each artist and offered specific advice.

The second day we were upstairs at the gallery, and Alvaro did a slow demo with pauses for the artists to repeat his image, a classic Alvaro street scene.

After lunch he critiqued each work, and then did a fourth demonstration of a cafe scene from Europe. 

He was very generous with his sharing of knowledge, and very patient with repeating important points for anyone who asked! 

I came away with a better understanding of watercolour, a strong, powerful medium that can hold its own against acrylic and oils. And a healthy disrespect for reference photographs, and reality! 

Below are my paintings from the weekend.

Harbour Bridge with Two Boats

A3 watercolour

North Versus South

A3 Watercolour

Heavy Traffic

A3 Watercolour

Mudgee Painters Plein Air Week 2024

Although the week of Plein Air painting at Mudgee, NSW Australia started with rain, it soon cleared to sunny blue skies. I painted with John Rice, Don Talintyre, David Landgrebe, Nicole and about 20 others!

My paintings from the week: 

Under the Road to Hill End

40 x 50cm, oil on board, en plein air.

The Bridge at Lue

40 x 50cm, oil on board, en plein air.

Twin Cottages near Mudgee

40 x 50cm, oil on board, en plein air.

Looking at You

40 x 50cm, oil on board, en plein air.

The Shearing Shed

50 x 40cm, oil on board, en plein air.

Mudgee Station

(sold)

Good result at the Affordable Art Fair in Brisbane.

 I'm pleased to report that five lovely buyers chose my art at the AAFair in Brisbane. So big thank you to them, and to Katherine and Nathan for their work during the Fair. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year. But from all accounts it was aa lot of fun! 

Here are the sold paintings: 

Wood Float Aqua (40 x 40cm)

Broken Rock Stream (40 x 40cm)

Early Drift (40 x 40cm)

Gentle Flow (40 x 40cm)

Dappled Beauty Climbs 

100 x 83 cm

New large landscape "The Forever Glade"

 

A beautiful cool waterway at Wentworth Falls, near Sydney, Australia. 

A favourite subject for me. I love the gentle fall of "small water", more than large, showy cascades.

"The Forever Glade"

Oil on linen. 

H122cm x W182cm x D4cm 

Painted on sides, framed.

It will be available at the Sydney Affordable Art Fair in June.

Plein Air Week at Bathurst NSW Australia

Just a few pics from the week. The final paintings are below.

(Above) Floating Free

45 x 35cm 

Oil on board

The Rational For Discussion

45 x 35cm

Oil on board

Refreshment Summertime

45 x 35cm

Oil on board

 

Self portrait

 

Reset

Do I look sad? Amidst the tumultuous landscape of 2024, a world in disarray and imbalance, the act of painting appears to have lost its inherent meaning and purpose. I wish for humanity to embark upon a transformative journey, initiate change, reset its course.

For me, this is a non painting. I took it all the way to finished, then scraped it back to the linen. It is reset. 

100 x 76cm

Oil and charcoal on linen

Art Trail Open Studio

Open Studio with the Mulgoa Art Trail.

 What a lovely weekend meeting old and new friends and clients. 

I made a few sales, and met some artists that I follow on social media. It was a fun time.

But, now back to painting for my next series.

Honey, Oscar and Peppi

 My house mates! (Hubby doesn’t count ☺️)

Dappled beauty: a stepped waterfall in the Blue Mountains.

My initial sketch for this painting was using white paint on a black canvas. I was tempted to leave it. But I couldn't help myself, so I continued with the colours of the glade. They were the whole spectrum!! I'm very happy with this work, and I'd like to make a larger version, maybe for the Wynne next year.

"Dappled Beauty"

Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia

76 x 100cm 

oil on canvas

Framed 

Sold at the 2024 Affordable Art Fair in Brisbane.

 

The Dam

 A beautiful spring day produces bright colours and deep shadows. I enjoyed painting this landscape as it is a favourite subject.