All Behind

The alps region in France is beautiful. The vistas go on forever, but the rider's were focused on their strategy.

This painting is one of a series taken from Le Tour de France coverage by our local TV station SBS. I watch the action live, and click my iphone at the screen when a scene grabs me. Sometimes I end up with 50 or more clicks from each night.

I then paint one or two images. 

It's sort of live, only half a world away, and at midnight here, and in winter!!

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The Fixer

"The Fixer"

Technicians can change wheels very quickly, despite the 

extra gadgets attached to these bikes.

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24cm x 32cm Watercolour on 200gsm Canson Watercolor Paper.

Classic Tour

With the cameras behind, this view is 'classic' Le Tour de France.

I saw it on the Stage 15, before they started the huge climb.

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24cm x 32cm Watercolour on 200gsm Canson Watercolor Paper.

Sprinter's Day

The sprint finish on Stage 13 of Le Tour de France.

Cavendish, on the right, wins the race. 

He has now won 25 stages, a new record.

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24cm x 32cm Watercolour on 200gsm Canson Watercolor Paper.

The Other Bike

I am losing sleep! Every night Le Tour is on TV, and I watch it, and paint it.

So colourful, so exciting!

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Flying Deep

One of my paintings from the "The World Below". 

It depicts the underground reservoir at Centennial Park, Sydney, with some fantasy: this time the unlikely happening of seagulls flying through.

Normally used to house Sydney's drinking water, the reservoir was emptied, my husband photographer, Bob Peters, and I were lowered in... and we helped to make a record of the space. 

From this memory, and the photographs, I have produced a body of work comprising 26 medium and large scale paintings.

76cm x 76cm, oil on canvas.

For Sale: AU$980.00

See my web site www.shirleypeters.com for all the paintings from this series.

at last...

A Dutch Barge

How about self-contained living on a Dutch Barge in France, 

floating all around the French/Dutch waterways,

 visiting the small and less-known villages?

At the same time, doing painting workshops with me?

This is my new 'big idea', and it will start in September with the purchase of a suitable barge, and some lessons in where to find the brakes on one of these things.

My new plans relate to this painting and to this blog:

http://www.kanumbra.com/2013/getting-a-painting-of-kanum.html

(apart from my show in July, that is!)

Photo download problem...

Hello,
I have been away from blogging, and feel that I must give an excuse: I am doing large works for a show in July: and my galley owner has asked that I not display them anywhere until the show opens. (I like his 'marketing' mind.)

So I am going to use this blog for a few rants for the time being.

I was just trying to copy 3 thousand very important time-lapse photos onto my mac, and I received a "jpeg error code -36"... and worse: every photo showed this error!
I was using a card reader (Belkin) and a Digitech USB hub... so I connected the USB straight from the reader to the computer, and problem solved: all pictures are OK and are now downloading...
Phew! (Just thought I'd share this in case it helps someone else...)

Moral: don't trust "hub" hardware!

Cheers
Shirley

Reservoir Under Centennial Park

I'm embargoing my "reservoir" paintings ... 

Sorry about that... 

They'll be in my new show which opens on July 4th in Sydney.

:)

Shanghai Winter Sun

Another memory of Shanghai.

23 x 30cm Oil on canvas

Behind the Bamboo Seller's House

 

I visited the Chinese country side and found many views
and details worthy of painting.
This will be the first in a new series.

Size is 20 x 25 x 3cm (approximately 7" x 9")
Oil on canvas.

Painted on the sides, ready to hang.

Available on Ebay

En Plein Air ...

I have done two paintings in two days of this harbour pool.

My back is quite sore, as I had to bend over the work.

And as you can see, the weather was just perfect: about 30C and a cool, gentle breeze.

My main complaint was that I didn't have my swimmers with me.. and 

I live about 30 mins away.

It is acrylic on paper and is very large: 1m x 1.5m

St Patricks Day in Bridge Street

Watercolour Sketch 

26 x 38cm

Two Buses in Clarence Street

Watercolour sketch

24 x 32cm

The Lift

These sketches were done from my car.

Sort of "en plein air" but not obvious to passers-by.

My husband was commissioned to photograph the lift of 

large machinery and ramps up onto the top of a building 

that will soon be demolished.

Bob was taking the photographs, while I sketched!

Each 24 x 32cm approx

Fig Tree Sydney Harbour

Another classic scene from near the Botanical Gardens, Sydney.

23 x 31cm Watercolour on paper

Ebay

Harbour Rocks

Mrs Macquarie Point: the rocks are an old extension of a boat ramp: now washed away.

In the afternoon sun the colours were beautiful.

24 x 32cm

Watercolor

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Harbour Lights

Sydney Harbour as viewed from the point north of the Art Gallery.

It is called Mrs Macquarie Chair: she was the wife of our first govenor, and liked to sit on the point looking out on the harbour. So they named the area after her.

I was there last Sunday doing some watercolours, it was windy and 

the sea was breaking over the rocks.

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Watercolor on paper: 26 x 36cm

(Will suit an IKEA "Ribba" frame AU$14.99, with some trimming of the mat)

New Growth

Beyond the bike path, our canal boat passed acres of saplings.

Their lines formed graphic patterns, and the colours were unusual, 

considering we were there in spring.

26 x 36cm

Watercolour on paper
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Deep and Still

The canals in Amsterdam are lined with house barges. The water

is deep and still, occasionally disturbed by

tourist cruises. We were on one such cruise. It was great, 

as it gave us many new views of the city.

20cm x 28cm

Watercolour

eBay

Night and early morning

Pale Night

Hidden Moon

Summer Night

Warm Light Reflects

Early Light

A walk though the dark streets of Meilhan sur Garonne, very late... and very early.

These are watercolours on paper: about 20 x 29cm.

All sold

The Mill House

eBay

This derelict old mill house on the River Baise in the South of France still has 'authority' over it's environment. It would make a wonderful 'restoration' project!

21 x 29cm Watercolour on paper

Landscape

Coastal Walk

A few weeks ago I discovered a part of our coast that I had not seen before: halfway between Maroubra and Coogee beaches; a path leading down to a sea pool. It was flooded with high tide and rough seas, but looked like it would be fun in milder seas.

I will go back this week to paint "en Plein Air" this scene. 

I have done this watercolour as a warm up.

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The Lady in Red

The old-town buildings in Nerac were often leaning. 

They were also built out over the street. 

To facilitate tossing the washing water out the window maybe? 

This lady was waiting patiently for her friends to catch up...

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New faces Old

In Nerac, the old town is preserved. New buildings have been constructed on one side of this small lane: crumbling old town is on the other.

22 x 30cm Watercolour

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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!)

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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

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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.)