
Gouache figure painting
Following on from watercolour, I have also been experimenting with gouache. It is a medium that I have found to be unlike any other, with its own unique set of advantages and problems. I absolutely hated using it at first,…

Watercolour Master Copy
The copying of master works as an aid to learning is a centuries old tradition, although it’s not something I have done very much of (if anything at all). Looking for exercises to continue my experiments with watercolour, I thought…

Illuminated Interior
A little watercolour interior. This is a lamp we bought after Nelly accidentally smashed its predecessor (which was something a lot more tasteful). It’s a pretty big table lamp, around 3′ high I would guess, and makes me think of…

Experiments with Watercolour
Although my output over the last few months has been pretty sparse (to say the least), I have been thinking a lot about different mediums and more experimentation. With this in mind I bought a starter set of watercolours and…

White Lilac
Another painting from a few months ago, this one of white lilac. Thinking that the delicate blossom wouldn’t last very long, I worked quickly and looked for big structural shapes within the larger heads, before picking out a few details…

Garlic with the blue and white jug
Well, it’s been quite a while since my last post. Many other things got in the way over the summer months, not least some ill health, and art has been the area to suffer. I’ve got a few new pieces…

Tomatoes on the Vine
A fairly rapid oil sketch of some vine tomatoes and the paper bag they arrived home in. I tried to not to fuss each brush mark, and to put down thicker paint and little medium to see how things fused…

Delphiniums in Cobalt Blue and Violet
A little study of Delphiniums. Their colouring was irresistible.

Something for Fun
In due course I’ll probably paint over these, but in the meantime, they are a bit of fun. I enjoyed not really thinking too much about composition, and in the case of the Sharpies, cracking open some of my lesser…

Duck Eggs
I painted these duck eggs (in a white ceramic egg holder) over an old figure study that wasn’t worth keeping hold of. I intended this to be a high-key painting, with subtle, pale hues conveying a sense of calm. Instead,…