It May Be Finished!

I think this little painting may be just about finished. I’ll sleep on it, but I don’t think I’ll be doing much more, maybe a little softening on the arm. I’ve never done anything like this before, working directly from a sketch and splashing paint randomly in layers, scattering rice into pools of watery pigment,Continue reading “It May Be Finished!”

Going Psychedelic!

I’ve swirled a final watery paint layer onto my two girls – this time in Pthalo Blue (red shade) from Liquitex, tipping the canvas so the paint ran across randomly. I dabbed at parts with a paper kitchen towel to reveal the yellows, reds and oranges beneath and threw more rice onto it, forming aContinue reading “Going Psychedelic!”

Layering Transparency.

After laying down a translucent ground of Indian Yellow acrylic paint (Liquitex Heavy Body), I brushed some watered down transparent Naphthol Red (a hot, bright red) and tipped the canvas so it formed runs and drips across the yellow areas. As an experiment I threw some grains of rice across it to see what wouldContinue reading “Layering Transparency.”

The Start Of A Painting.

I did a sketch at a fundraising event last week and I like it so much that I’m going to have a bash at making a painting from it. I don’t normally paint from sketches, although I often develop printmaking projects from my sketchbooks, so I’m going to have to approach this in a veryContinue reading “The Start Of A Painting.”

#StandingStoneSunday 16

It’s #StandingStoneSunday again and here’s a drawing I made during a 2 day trip to Pembrokeshire to draw more ancient Neolithic monuments on my quest across South Wales with Rhondda-born archaeologist Dewi Bowen and Swansea film maker Melvyn Williams, hunting the wild megalith, accompanied by my portable drawing board, portfolio of Fabriano paper and a bag fullContinue reading “#StandingStoneSunday 16”

#Caturday Archives 14

I painted this portrait of Sparta Puss way back in lockdown, for my window art gallery. Back then, the speech bubble said “Stay Safe”. I thought I’d update it, painted out the original slogan and painted in Sparta’s support for our nurses, currently striking for fair pay. Throughout the first lockdown, we took to theContinue reading “#Caturday Archives 14”

Rough and Irritating.

I’m working on my niece’s eyes and I’m now finding it difficult because the canvas is rough and it’s hard to control my brushstrokes. I only re-started painting again, after a 4 decade break, at the beginning of lockdown in Spring 2020, and I’d forgotten how irritating canvas can be. But it’s a challenge andContinue reading “Rough and Irritating.”

Getting Down To The Details.

I’ve been working on a painted portrait of my great-niece for a while now. I pick it up and put it down and leave it for a while. I’ve gone through many stages of underpainting and now I’ve started working on the fine details. Still a fair amount of work to do, but I thinkContinue reading “Getting Down To The Details.”

#StandingStoneSunday 15

The stone near Penlan Uchaf outside Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire has an amazing view over the countryside and out over the sea to the Worm’s Head, in the background. It’s very colourful, covered in bright lichens. This is a painting / drawing I did a few years ago, travelling across South Wales with Rhondda-born archaeologist Dewi Bowen andContinue reading “#StandingStoneSunday 15”

#StandingStoneSunday 14

It’s #StandingStoneSunday again and here’s a drawing I made at Tair Carn Uchaf in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Carmarthenshire. Carns (or Cairns) are piles of stones and these three are exceptionally large. People still add to them and someone has built a small tower on top of this one. I drew it onContinue reading “#StandingStoneSunday 14”