After the rains

I chased this image this morning! First, I saw it as I was driving the boys to school. I dropped them off, did a mad wheelspin exit from the carpark ( raised eyebrows all round) and went chasing the clouds. Drove past Cameron and Nathan waiting for the school bus, and BOOM!!!.....there it was. The storm clouds parted and shafts of light rained down on the countryside. It was so chocolate box I almost did not notice the dalmatian peeing on my car .not so loony chocolate box. I whipped out the camera and....dropped it. So now I have to hold the battery door closed whilst I take a photo......not ideal!!
Anyhow, I took a few reference shots, came home and painted it.it is too windy to paint en plein air and I have a headache.maybe that's from the turps and vanish!

This is off Rukuhia road, across towards Ohaupo,showing the paths, rain sodden, on the farm.






Ready for my close up?



10" x 14"
25x 35cm
Oil on canvas board

For sale
NZ150.00

Contact the artist


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Quiet walk along the lake with dog

If I had a dog and lived near a lake or the beach, I should like early morning , quiet walks .

Actually , seeing as it is a struggle for me to get out of bed before 7 am and I don' t really like dogs, I doubt this should ever eventuate!!!






Oil on panel
8" x16"
20x40cm

I am apply with the way I caught the translucency of the lake water in the bottom left corner.

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Early morning walk at the lake

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Moody beach scene

A somewhat moody beach scene. Most New Zealand beach scenes are painted in the height of summer.....azure skies and turquoise waters, lush foliage. I am a bleaker space, so this is today's efforts. I Have been attempting some figures (without much luck) , so more about that another day. I have not given up but will have to think about it and practice a whole lot more before I blog them!




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Location:Whangamata

Horse riders on the beach...Waikawau bay

These guys were enjoying an early morning ride on the beach at Waikawau bay, Coromandel, Nz. I , like a fool, was running.......but I ran with my camera ,savvy!!

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Thwarted !!! Plein air, plein gone!

Must stop saying things out loud.I declared my intention to paint outdoors today and a wind of note duly arrived and shattered that dream.

So I retreated to the studio and took inspiration from an amazing Dutch artist, Roos Schuring, who paints outdoors come hell or high water, and painted this scene.



9x12 " /22x30cm
Oil on panel
After Roos Schuring


Then, as I had intended to wander in the direction of the beach I painted this one of the hot water beach at Kawhia. Hot water from the center of the earth seeps up through the sands at low tide. If you take a shovel you can dig yourself a little hot pool and wallow till the waves come crashing over and you have to retreat.
New Zealand has so many little surprises like that.My friend Mark took us there last summer . I channeled my inner hippo and had a good wallow session before the tide came in.




-
10 x20"/25x50cm
Oil on board



A close up of the hot pool.......





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Touch ups

I changed some things, so I am re blogging them.


-Yesterday's foreground was too busy and drew the eye to the foreground too much,so I changed it and it forces the eye back now.My photo is darker then the original.....I have not got the hang of the photo editor on iPad.grrrrrrrrr.



I think I fiddled with the edges, but I cannot begin to explain where!


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Expressive skies...Whitianga harbour

8x16"\20x40 cm
oil on panel


I am trying to create expressive skies......and boy, is it difficult! The air in my studio was blue this morning. I want to get out and paint the skies but they are uncooperative.... bland and boring today.I relied on a photo and it's not the same. I feel let down but am happy with this painting. Whitianga has a lovely estuary /river harbour.

From Gillard road towards town,plein air painting

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Location:Gillard road, ngahinapouri

En plein air.....I did it!

Today started out kinda bleugh . The was no great light, thee were no great skies...so I painted indoors.

Then I had to pop into town and on way home, hey presto! The day changed....still not great but time to go al fresco and paint outdoors. So I packed a few things into the sopping trolley and this is what I did...



I set up on top f the hill with a view towards Hamilton( trust me, ts 10 km away in the distance)



My trusty Grumbacher French easel and oh so fab shopping trolley( don't mock me, it is brilliant). I set up under a tree.....very nice. I ignored all traffic except Shani, who made me jump by hooting her hello!!!









The sky kept changing, but I reckon what I did was ok!

I will post it once I have taken a proper photo. I am so pleased to have painted en plein air today!!!! Must do it more often.....but I must remember to spray myself with insect repellant.....I provided a smorgasbord for the Mosquitos!!!!!




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Waikawau bay, coromandel

Waikawau bay is on the Coromandel peninsula, New Zealand. Remote,beautiful and a favorite holiday spot for many of my friends. This year, we abandoned ship for a beach house as we knew the weather was going to be unreliable, but usually we camp here.





10x20 "
25x50cm
oil on board
For sale $50

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Showers over pirongia

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Third time's the charm!!

Ok, sorry, Em, but this is my final one, I promise!!!! I feel that this is a much better feel and the background was detracting from the feeling of Jack being lost in thought.



-And now the two paintings sit much better together.



See? I think so.

I bought a wonderful instructional DVD by Australian artist, Herman Pekel, and he advised to omit what he did not feel " fitted" into scene. So that's what I did!!!!

Hope you like it.......I promise not to change it again!

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Jack deep in thought

This is also for Emily in Wales... a completely different vibe of Jack, deep in thought , on a windy day at the beach.




There is a nice contrast in feeling about the two paintings. One has lots of energy in the subject matter and the other a contemplative ,thoughtfully feel.

Here they are, side by Simeon the drying rack.



I am still not sure if the second painting is finished or not.I have changed the composition twice already!!!

It might be a different painting tomorrow!!!!



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