Here’s another small figure study on one of my gesso panels from Zecchi. I’m increasingly enjoying working on these, although again I am noticing how differently they make me work. They are also very tricky to photograph as they seem…
I started this portrait last year, and have been reworking parts of it since then. To say it has been a lesson in perseverance would be an understatement. Originally the painting was larger and included the sitter’s hands and tops…
Garlic bulbs seem to be very popular with artists as a still life subject. This is the first time that I have painted them – in a dark corner of the studio, with a red onion for company, fading into…
My first charcoal portrait for a long time and I was encouraged by how quickly I got a good likeness. The mark-making is quite controlled and the overall statement clean and stark. In a way though I’d prefer a drawing…
I began this still life by thinking purely about visual composition, simply looking for shapes, colours and textures amongst the various items collected in the studio. Once arranged I felt dissatisfied that there didn’t seem to be a narrative to…
Well, back to work after a couple of weeks away from the easel. There’s nothing like the meditation of concentrated drawing to make you forget other thoughts and simply be in the present. This was a complicated pose to capture…
The last few weeks have been very difficult and sad for me. Over Easter my beloved Sophie deteriorated more rapidly and she died at home last week, on 22nd April. She was 16 years old, which I know is a…
Another study on the gesso panels from Zecchi. The surface and absorbency of these panels definitely facilitates a different way of laying down paint. Mainly I find that edges fuse differently, and rather than force them to blend I decided…
Not much to say about this one. I didn’t spend too long on it, which helped me to keep things loose-ish with visible mark-making and energy here and there.
This unexpected little still life only happened because my portrait model couldn’t make it for our sitting. I toyed with going home or reading a book, but once I got started I really enjoyed working on this. What began as…
