Grey. Three Kinds
Here is a recent life size portrait where I used a slightly smaller canvas than usual because I wanted the focus to be much more about just the head and shoulders. As the painting progressed I wasn’t sure if there…
L’amour est un oiseau rebelle
Another painting on one of my gesso panels. It started well, went astray midway through, then got back on track as we neared the end. Every project is a lesson in perseverance, although that’s not to say that every one…
Seated Nude
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…
Silent Prayer
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…
Brief Moments of Happiness
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…
Broken colour, islands of paint
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…
Lemon in Grey
This was very nearly wiped out, but I felt it had just enough going for it to save it. That said, it’s not satisfactory and I suspect I will paint something else on the other side of the panel –…
Ultramarine…beyond the sea
This is a terrible photo of a short portrait study that I finished this week. I haven’t worked on these particular gesso panels very much, and I really noticed how much this support altered my painting technique. For example, fusing…
Portrait of a dog called Bessie
This has been a really fun little study in preparation for a commission to paint Bessie perhaps at a bigger scale… although as of yet I’m not sure which direction to take. In the meantime however, I’m immensely pleased with…
A collection of small paintings
To get the year started, here’s a small nude study painted just before Christmas. Seen alongside some of the other small studies I’ve been working on recently, it adds to quite a nice, cohesive little collection. Back to work on…
