Look Familiar?

I am revisiting my sheep theme.

I like looking at sheep.I like painting them and, in need of some downtime and  respite from fish,sheep ticked all the boxes.So, a dreamy, tranquil pastoral view of sheep it is.No excuses or explanations of what is right or what is wrong with the painting...it is just a simple painting of some sheep.

I enjoyed my time at the easel today.

Thanks, Dad.

I took some advice from my Dad and reworked the foreground. He said the original was too dark and too boring.(OK, what he really said was "you could think about lightening the foreground and adding some interest") As with most of the advice that he has ever given me, he was spot on.

This is now a landscape scene featuring Toe Toe (a miniature pampas like grass) . Thanks, Dad!

Working on a project

I am presently working on a three paintings to enter into Thornton Gallery's OSFA(One size fits all) competition. The one size refers to canvas size, 10inx10in (25cmx 25cm) and that's it! It makes for a lovely exhibition, seeing all those canvasses with so many different styles, subject matter and medium represented, side by side. I will publish my efforts here once I have handed them over to the Gallery in July. The exhibition runs from 8 July till 5 August 2011. So, till then I shall leave you with this image ,which is winging its way to California ,to Jo!

Graphic fish

Forgive me. When I am on a roll, I gotta go with it and it seems I have a thing for fish right now. I was having coffee with a friend, discussing this latest interest,  and it came to me that I think it is the whole juxtaposition of beauty and death. Or may not. Maybe I just like painting dead fish. Either way, something about it is compelling. Maybe beauty in death? After death? Anyhoo,I decided to paint a selection of mackerel (strangely enough, dead) but I realised I had only 30 minutes before the kids arrived home(sound the horn!Armageddon arrives at 4pm!) so I painted this somewhat graphic style interpretation of those poor, wee mackerel.
The fishmonger is starting to look at me strangely.

fish on ice

It is a rainy, cold day. What I want is to be somewhere sunny and warm. I ended up painting ruddy fish on ice. Freud would have a field day with that one.

Air-drying fish AKA Bokkoms

Fabulous title.Not! Nevermind, it's the painting that counts.I painted this over an old canvas and really like the texture it gives the new image. I realise this does not translate in the photo,but trust me, it's groovy!




 I took inspiration from a wonderful photogrpaher, Kathryn Stout, who is lucky enough to live near the sea and be blessed with a great eye for an image.She and her brother both take amazing photogrpahs and whilst they are art forms in themselves, I loved the images she took of fish being airdried along the coast and used her photos as reference.The name given to these dried fish is Bokkoms.

Anyway, back from school holidays and my trip to South Island (no words for how beautiful the land is down there) and back to work painting!

Leme know what you think...I think the break has done me good!

Fish on ice

The inspiration for this came from the cover of a Cuisine magazine, a New Zealand foodie mag. The original photo depicts these gorgeous fish, frozen in a block of ice, slowly thawing. I ripped the front page off and stuck it in my refrence file  and , alas, cannot credit the photographer, but if I ever find another copy, I will add it here!

I wanted to paint something with a limited palette: French Ultramarine, Creulean blue, white, yellow ochre and black.I added a bit of green , but it was a mere dab on the palette.Hardly counts.
As an excercise, I am happy. My mojo is still there and I like the end result. A good friday for me.

May

Hey, a helpfull friend (who collects the Cuisine magazine) told me that Aaron McLean is the photographer of I wanted to credit as inspiration for this painting.