Slave to reality no more

One of the biggest hurdles in painting(  for me) has been to create a sense of familiarity or recognition in a subject without being a slave to the original image, be it a photo, real life or whatever.
I have often ask friends if I may use  their photographs and use them a a jumping off point or as inspiration for a painting only to have them say " But you left the ......out" or " the colours are different".

As captain of my own ship I now cast off from reality......I want to paint how the scene FEELS.

20x 24 cm
oil on hardboard
click here to buy
ps. I love this painting.

The Curious Mob

Curious Mob

 

 

 

 

 

I used this reference photo before, but wanted try it again.
oil on stretched canvas
30 x 24 cm

A sunday painting

I don't often get to paint on a weekend, let alone a Sunday. Sundays are wake up late, kids all over the place, be mellow and potter around the house kinda days. Charles goes for an early morning bike ride, the kids take advantage of me sleeping late to hog the computers and I like to use the day to reorganise myself for the coming week.
This Sunday was different....I got up at 7 to go help at a school fundraiser, Charles took to the kitchen and made a huge fry-up breakfast feast for the boys and then took them all mountain biking. Cool dad!

I arrived back to see them leave.I seized the opportunity and threw the easel outside and painted my view for a few hours. I had to paint quickly as the light and sky changed quite quickly.

This is fairly big for en plein air, but seeing as I was close to home, I gave it a shot.I was using an old canvas that I had wiped off and then smudged it with a reddish tone. I feel less intimidated by a toned canvas. I have white fright!

So, here I am on Monday, disorganized and  looking down the barrel of the ironing......never mind, it was worth it!

35 x 45 cm oil on canvas board
click here to purchase

Fishhook for Ngahinapouri School Fishing Competition

I liked this idea of fish, freshly caught, with the fishhook in sight.

25 x 35 cm
Oil on Canvas

I will be offering this as a prize for our school fundraising Fishing competition held on 01 and 02 December 2012. How cool that we have a fishing competition as a fundraiser....better than a bake sale! if you like to fish, live in the Waikato area, contact Jan Thomas on email letscatchfish@live.com for a great day out.

The View from the Farm

Long ago, in the days when I was very fit and mountain-biked up crazy steep hills and such, I used to enjoy this view. It is from the west, looking east, back towards Hamilton . In the autumn we would see the hot air balloons, rising above the city and in spring, we would be sharing the track with lambs and their noisy mothers. To enjoy this spectacular view we had to do a lot of climbing, often through a few flock of sheep and the odd smattering of young bulls( who all need lithium ). We usually stopped here to catch our breath after our panicked climb away from those sexually frustrated teens and marvel at this magnificent view. We being Big Luce and I . He has since left for the warmer climes of Australia and the big city lights.Bastard.He was such an amazingly fun friend and his genuine terror of the bulls made that ride worthwhile.

Anyway,Charles still cycles here and I thought that it would be a nice addition for his office......he can daydream about the view and mountain biking.

I used a palette knife on this painting , something I do not do very often, but it was fun and different and I shall have to experiment more with it.
30 x 60 oil on boxed canvas

Whangamata beach walk

Back into painting. Back into the oils and some landscape.....or  I should say, beachscapes.
25 x 35 cm
oil on Canvas Panel

click here to buy

Web woes and big dogs

My computer desk is strewn with the detritus of the last few days attempts to fix my website bugs. Empty teacups, biscuit packets and the minutest fragments of desperation chocolate litter the surfaces.Profanites hang in the air...they are always the last to leave.
Some of you can see my new website and some of you cannot. I have been wringing my hands and tearing my hair, Googling, YouTube-ing, , begging, pleading and occasionally sobbing.....but I am at an impasse. I need professional help with this web malady and have to exercise patience and wait for it to be fixed by those in the know. I hate not being in the know.I like being a know-it-all.

So, I paint.

This Rottweiler was inspired by a FB conversation with Vera and a huge sense of guilt towards my brother.....I have been promising to paint his lovely Rottweiler and , to date, have not.

As I do not have a recent photo of Marmite( her name!...the Chocolate labrador he has is called Toast!), I had to rely on another photo taken when I was running at the lake. Two ladies were standing on the path, mid chat.. One had a Rottie on a lead. It was seated but looked very intently at me as I came trotting towards them.Rotties have a distinct look....the eyes, the ears, the sense of power in those big heads....very distinctive.I ran wide past them.

I place this dog slightly left of center on the canvas but with her eyes slightly right,. I wanted to get the sense that she was looking past something in the immediate proximity( you!).....fixed on something in the distance, approaching.

Rottie
25 x 35cm oil on canvas
NZ $ 100 excl p&p
click here to purchase
or email me jenniedegroot@xtra.co.nz

Giveaway and an announcement

I have been working on creating a website. WOW!!!That's a biggie ,I hear you say ( I know!!), and as always, these things go well till a point and then one has to learn how to iron out any problems.That's the bit that sucks.This is where you come into the picture.......

Always keen to learn new things but quick to ask for help.   So here I am ,asking you to test the site for me and let me know what happens. As this is a new site, some of you might find it instantly and some might not....such are the vagaries of being verified etc.....I just need to know!

www.jenniedegroot.com

click on the link and it that does not work, please type this in your header bar
http://www.jenniedegroot.com


Now here is the bribe in the form of a Giveaway:  please test it and let me know what you found. Leave a comment in the comment spot at the bottom of this blog or email me jenniedegroot@xtra.co.nz.



I will enter all those who leave  a comment or send me an email into the draw for this little gem.

Thank you so much

16 x 24 cm
Oil on hardboard

Night sky at the beach.

We have changed the clocks to herald daylight savings.....darker in the morning but lighter till later. This, my darlings, is the herald of summer hope.I say this with a timbre of desperation in my voice because I am still lighting the fire at 4 pm and have gone as far as to stack more firewood....summer is a few months away in reality.My lightweight clothes have to stay packed away for a while yet.

Summer . The epitome of summer for me is when I am not cold at night.....you can tell I grew up in warmer climes....but to sit on a beach, watching the moon play on the water ,without having to leave because I can no longer feel my feet.....mmmmmm, summer. This painting was all about wishful thinking.

Oil on canvas board, 20 x 40 cm
NZ$ 100 excl p&P
click here to purchase

How I love painting cows!

I made this collage after realising that I have painted cows in many ways, in different mediums and on different substrates ...and I still love painting them.