A Pie and a Pint

A Pie and a Pint
5" x 7"
Oil on Gessoed Panel (Framed)
SOLD

Belated Happy Christmas. Possibly the last thing you want to see right now is more food and drink. Mind you the dogs are happy that their vegetarian master is painting meat pies . . . 

Clem Alone

Clem Alone
7" x 5"

Oil on Canvas Panel

For this piece I have reverted back to a canvas panel and a looser feel. With a less striking background than the complementary blue (with the orange of the clem) in yesterdays painting. I am exploiting the complementary of the red in the orange of the Clementine and the brown background to work with the green of the fruits stem and leaf. I think it works (?) The photo has picked up some glare again - if anyone has any suggestions on how to take better photos of these paintings I would be glad to hear from you.

I won't be posting for a couple of days as I am going down to Chelmsford to visit my other in Hospital but will get back to this asap.

Clem on Blue

Clem on Blue

5" x 7"

Oil on Panel

In addition to experimenting with compositions daily paintings provide an opportunity for me to try out different materials and brushes. I used Lead Primer on this panel which offers a flatter surface with less'tooth' consistent with detail. For working on this surface I used soft silky synthetic 'Shiraz' brushes made by the marvellous Rosemary & Co from Yorkshire - Highly recommended artists brushes.

As is evident I wanted to have a really striking colour combination in what is a straight forward composition. In the back of my mind I had Giovanni Bellini's painting - The Doge Leonardo Loredan (still in the National Gallery I think?) which I have always found a really compelling piece.

Spilling Clems

Spilling Clems
6" x 8"
Oil on Canvas Panel

This one is on a slightly bigger panel than previous daily paintings which I found a bit more liberating to work on and consequently more conducive to loosening up. It was difficult to photograph though and I think I have still picked a a bit of glare in this shot . . . and that's even before it gets a coat of varnish. Sometimes I can spend as much time photographing these pieces as I do setting them up. 

Persimmons and Stripes

Persimmons and Stripes

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas Panel

More of my striped material and what better to contrast with this blue grey than some cheerful Persimmons?

Clems 'n' Tapas Dish

Clems 'n' Tapas Dish

5" x 7"

Oil on Gessoed Panel

A variation on a theme of  'Clems & Stripes' . . . being of a certain age I can remember back in the day when clementines, satsumas, mandarins, tangerines and the like were only to be found here at Christmas time. Nowadays they seem to be in the grocers and supermarkets all year round.

Clems 'n' Stripes

Green Stripes & Clementines
6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoed Panel

Here I was principally interested in composition. I found some oddments of striped material in our local material shop in various colours which I felt were great for adding some interest to compositions. In this piece by keeping the detail to a minimum I hope that I have achieved my goal of leading the eye around the picture plane.

Beets 'n' Leeks

Beets 'n' Leeks
6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas Panel

Beetroot produce such a lovely coloured juice and I have often thought about using it to paint with along with some watered down Turmeric powder. Both lovely strong colours . . . a sunset one day perhaps (?) Painting the Beetroot wasn't easy. The colour of this vegetable is misleading - this piece was the result of countless false starts.

Leeks 'n' Limes

Leeks 'n' Limes

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas Panel

Looking at a change of perspective and cropping to create a dynamic in the composition.

Limited Edition Prints £35

Apple Blossom

12.3" x 8" (to A3)
Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Print
(limited to 25)
Reproduced to Archival Quality on Fine Art Textured Paper
£35

Click Here to Purchase

I have had a number of enquiries about this painting (which sold some time ago) and have therefore now made the image available in the form of a high quality limited edition print. Nice gift for Christmas?

Lemon 'n' Leeks

Lemon 'n' Leeks

6" x 6"

Oil on Canvas Panel

Generally there are three considerations I follow when composing paintings; 1. The overall design - an attempt to create something that is pleasing to the eye 2. Leaving the viewer with something to do - leading the eye around the picture plane and perhaps having the viewer complete the picture and 3. Having the viewer look at an (everyday) object differently. That's not to say I always follow all three in every picture. Here I was looking at perspective and cropping (the viewer completes the forms) to add interest to the leeks while the lemon provides relief against the linear patterns.

Red and Green

3 Beef Tomatoes & Salad Onions

7" x 5"

Oil on Canvas Board

"Red and Green should never be seen except on an Irish Queen . . ." from a poem and its the only line I know. Red and Green is a certainly a striking complementary colour combination. I tried several set ups for this piece with different colour backgrounds - none of which worked as well as this green.

When life gives you lemons . . .

Two Lemons & Tea Cloth

5" x 7"

Oil on Gessoed Panel

When I see the combination of blue and yellow it reminds me of holidays in the Mediterranean. Is it the blue sky and sea and the golden yellow rays of sunshine? . . . maybe. Google "Van Gogh" and click on images and its pretty much a screen of blues and yellows - a winning combination.

Roll Up & Roll Out

Clementines & Pudding Basin

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoed Panel

Ellipses can be tricky to paint and draw – when you cant get them correct it can become a nightmare. If I had a pound for every time I wiped an ellipse off a canvas and started again, come to think of it if I had a pound for every time I gave up on a composition because the ellipse in it wouldn’t work out.

Like most things it takes practice and in the case of ellipses patience and careful observation. You will get it eventually. If there is a secret it is to draw what you see not what you think you see. When you think you have the hang it to really test your sanity do some ellipses that are cropped off the picture plane. If I had a pound . . .

A Different Angle

Beef Tomato & Salad Onions

7" x 5"
Oil on Gessoed Panel (Framed)
£97
Click Here to Purchase

Working on these smaller daily paintings affords me the opportunity to experiment with composition. Changing the position of the subject in relation to the viewing point varies options and this change in perspective presents a fresh challenge in rendering. I have grown fond of working from above the subject matter - although this does present problems in so much as my easel is virtually at right angles to the subject!

Here we go again . . .

Clementines & Blue Bowl
5"x 7"

Oil on Gessoed Panel

It is so good to be back painting and posting again . . . albeit a little nerve wracking having been sidelined for a while now. A big thank you to Charlotte Ashenden for her encouragement and advice and getting me posting again. I have settled into lovely North Norfolk and set up an unconventional but functional studio. Now I want to loosen up and be more painterly and to widen my subject to include figurative and landscape pieces. These Clementines presented a real challenge to me in so much as they normally have a habit of pulling me into detail in order to render them. On this occasion I think I have managed to avoid that scenario and I am reasonably happy with the ‘loose’ outcome.