Laneway sketching, dark and light

"Dark into Light"	"Warm Shades"	Purple Lane
"Blue Lane"	'Light in the Lane'

These are watercolours on paper: about 23 x 33cm. Variations on the same lane: looking into the dark, and then the reverse.

I love doing this sketchy technique, as it is symbolic of the casual style, loose stones, rough walls of the old town.

(by the way, I have repeated this post on both of my blogs... Sooner or later I will make a decision to scrap one of them!)

Sold

Self Portrait

Once a year the Art Gallery of New South Wales holds a portrait competition.

It is open to all comers.. but of course, only a few get selected and hung.

I like to enter occasionally, just for the fun or it.

I know I won't get hung, but I like a deadline... and an excuse to paint a portrait.

The easiest person to paint is oneself. Always willing to pose, never complains... except I'm not happy with the amount of wrinkles I've had to add this year.

Here is a link to last year's finalists:

The Archibald Prize

Three paintings

Sold

French River Flow

A canal view, with the water flow creating delicious reflections.

'After the Impressionists.'

Acrylic on canvas board. 11 x 14"

Available AUD$120

After Cézanne II

I have done some more sketches as my 'homework'. 

We cannot use charcoal in the gallery, so I have done these from a photo of the work.

I will do pencil studies of the original (see below) just before next workshop.

Drawings

Bords de la Marne by Cézanne: Our state art gallery (museum) paid $16m for this Cézanne.

I attended a "Drawing Master Class" where we studied the winning entries in the Dobell Drawing Prize, and other works on paper by Delacroix, Matisse and other masters.

Then we were tasked with 'interpreting' one of the paintings hanging in the gallery.

The teacher was Aida Tomescu (the judge for the Dobell.)

Winter Mooring: Dutch Barge

A beautiful old work horse, resting during the winter months. 

I am accepting commissions for this type of "boat portrait".

Go to my other blog: "Floating Studio" for details.

Foe sale: AUD$250

(20" x 30" Approx.)

Boat Portraits on Demand!

I am painting Boat Portraits! A new series of commissions from people who would like to have their boat immortalised.
I have a new blog just for these, so please hop across if you'd like to know more.

floating-studio.blogspot.com.au

Mist in the Morning

My friend Mark commissioned this work: he took a photograph of this scene early one morning, and asked for a painting. Not my normal subject, but it was fun.


Oil on Canvas
33 x 21"

On the internet!

My chat with artist Michael Todoran is podcasted!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michael-todoran-podcast/id573115419 December 1, 2012

Yesterday I had a call from an artist in Colombus, Ohio. He has a series of podcasts where he chats with artists and people about all sorts of things. We chatted about art, my work, and a bit of politics!

I'm in the ground.

My photo is of me... in an empty reservoir... helping my husband Bob Peters with a photography assignment. That space was pure magic.. and it has become my muse.

The reservoir is emptied only once every twenty years for maintenance. They commission photography for their records, and we were lucky enough to be chosen. We were lowered in through a man hole, just to add to the drama!

I am doing a series of large works based on the experience... watch this space!

Mangroves II

Another sketch from my ride: the sun was behind clouds (again!) but the composition and the dramatic angles of the trunks appealed to me.

Wetland Reeds

I rode my bike to our nearby wetland and did some 'en plein air' sketching. It was my first time riding alone, and was fun... freedom to stop as often as I wanted.

Wetland Challenge: the city's edge

This painting is a little different ...!

Sydney Harbour has many inlets, and they are all interesting and surprising. This area is the fish markets at Pyrmont, with concrete silos, busy bridges, and the city encroaching on the wet environment.

1m x 1m
Oil on canvas
nfs

Mangrove Sketching

This morning I ventured out to the bottom of my street, and sat a sketched the mangroves for 2 hours. It was low tide, and overcast. Not the most picturesque of scenery. But it was quiet, and fun. Here are my scribbles. (pastel, charcoal and oils)

On the dark side - The Rocks, Sydney

This is the largest painting I have done so far. I wanted to feel that I could walk into it, up and down. There is a touch of Escher in there...

In reality it is an impression of many views of The Rocks... Sydney's old town.

"I'm here, where are you?"

Oil on canvas
120cm x 100cm

In the old town of Nerac, south east of France... it was raining and cold, but still very beautiful.

Bridge to Lock

In Nerac, the river was a golden brown from the recent rains. It meandered down under bridges and through locks. This gentle movement has influenced my technique and subject in this series of works.

Oil on Canvas 120cm  x 100cm

Payment with post options:

Pick Up (incl GST) $1,320.00 AUD Post to Australia $1,380.00 AUD Post to Worldwide $1,480.00 AUD

Flood Way Home

Medieval towns in the south of France: I have a special fondness for this one: Nerac

Oil on Canvas 120 x 120cm

Payment with post options:

Pick up (incl GST) $1,320.00 AUD Option 2 $1,380.00 AUD Option 3 $1,480.00 AUD

The Green Lights of Agen

Agen café owners had pushed their chairs under the awning, as a heavy downpour had just drenched the town.

70cm x 90cm Oil on Canvas

Price with postage options:

Pick-up (incl GST) $990.00 AUD Incl. post to Australia $1,070.00 AUD Incl. post worldwide $1,150.00 AUD

I'll go this way

Myself in the centre, my sister, Carmel on the right. A stranger on the left. 120 x 90cm Oil on Canvas

Payment with post options:

Pick Up (incl GST) $1,320.00 AUD Post to Australia $1,380.00 AUD Post to Worldwide $1,480.00 AUD

Over Nerac

This is my first "studio" work from my France trip. I loved Nerac, and was overwhelmed by the abundance of old buildings that have been preserved. The river was a green-brown from the recent heavy rain, so that colour has influenced my memories. I will continue to work on this piece and more from the same area. Thank you for looking! (Sold)

The Grand Tour

We have been to the further most corner of the world from my home down under: working backwards... Bergen (Norway), Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris and various towns in south France.
We have sketched and painted and photographed so many wonderful cityscapes and villages. Also, visited fantastic museums which housed works that I had studied in school and at college.
We stayed with friends in Helsinki, and explored Stockholm with Swedish mates.
A Grand Tour if ever there was one. It was so interesting and inspiring.
Bob and I have more than 10,000 images to manage: some are for painting reference, others for use in a Photographic Exhibition, and quite a few happy snaps, of course!
I painted while on the canal boat, and sometimes from the bank. Impressionism inspired the texture on this painting.

Click here to go to my South of France Blog

Daily Burden

A view of the miller taking his grain off to the local market.

Oil on Canvas

90 x 65 cm (36" x 24")

Available on Ebay: Click here to bid. 

Possession in the Tunnel

120 x 90cm

Oil on Canvas

For Sale

$1200 plus GST

Renaissance influence.

Just having some fun copying a Renaissance Madonna and Child. Our National Gallery in Canberra is currently hosting a show from Renaissance Italy, and after having visited it with my sister in law, I thought I'd do a copy for the exercise in fine motor skills! I'm painting this on canvas board, which gives more control than stretched canvas.

(I'm halfway through. I'll replace these pics with the final version... soon.)

First Save

A work that follows my favourite subject: Junior life savers in Rome, when the great flood arrives. 

Despite the bugs, Plein Air rules!

At least three bugs were sacrificed in the making of this painting. :|

I do believe plein air painting and life drawing are both essential exercises for visual artists. 

Regardless of one's usual projects and styles, these two activities help keep one's eyes open, skills honed and ego in check!

Here is my easel at my sister's country home. The drought has finished and the cattle are deep in pasture. The rains have greened up the hills (well, green for summer in Australia!)

Tranquil but for the noisy cows

I am staying with my twin sister, and we've been doing some fun things: backyard golf, target shooting! and en plein air painting from her back fence. This was a view of distant farm buildings, interrupted by a run of cattle. They were bellowing as they ran though my painting!

(I'm experimenting with painting oil on watercolour paper. This was done without a primer, and therefore was absorbing the paint a little too fast. Next one I'll try priming first.)

The Barber

Another classic scene from Chengkan Village. 

90 x 60 cm 

Oil on canvas

"Daily Burden"

Finished painting... almost. As soon as I post the image I can see changes that might be necessary. Best to leave it alone for a while, and move on to the next.  

Work in progress

Hello friends.

I have been neglecting to write in my blog, and so I thought I should post a pic of one of my new works. This is about 3ft x 2ft, and has been quite a challenge. I have been doing small sketchy daily watercolor paintings for many months, and I found that returning to large oil-on-canvas very difficult.

My medium was wrong, my paint brushes were thick and clumsy... it almost hit the bin one night!

Now, although I have some refining to do, I am happy enough with it.

When finished I'll upload a replacement pic.

Feels good to be back... :)

(and apologies to anyone who is following me on Twitter: as I spend too much time there, and tend to rant a lot, especially about our local politics... and only occasionally about art.)