Stone circle (71)

This is my latest finished painting, based on a photo I took during a six day hike in the Peak District last August. I went with my partner and the walk was the highlight of our trip to the UK. Spectacular scenery, good weather, picture perfect villages and great food and beer every night are hard to beat! We stayed in pubs and B&Bs along the way, which was a pleasant change to walking in Australia where you usually have to carry everything with you.

We came across this stone circle on Stanton Moor near Youlgreave. The moor was a centre for the Bronze Age inhabitants of the area and contains many traces of their occupation. At least 70 barrows as well as stone circles, ancient enclosures and standing stones have been found here, and the area is of such archaeological significance that it is now protected.

Winter wonderland (69)

This is my latest finished painting that I’ve done for this year’s Christmas cards. It’s based on a photo I took during a winter walk in Derbyshire with my cousins a couple of years ago. It was a very cold day and there was frost on the hedgerows and high ground.

I remember that ‘’Rambling Roy, a friend of my cousins, came with us. Although in his 70s, he was much fitter than us young ‘uns! His other great love besides hiking was travelling and he organised independent adventure trips all over the world. Everyone admired him for how fully he embraced life, but sadly, he died of a heart attack less than a year after this walk.

Sweep (68)

 

Sorry for the delay between posts. There have been a few changes in my life this year. Things are just starting to settle down and I am finding time to do some art again. I've resumed art classes and plan on turning a workshop at my new house into a studio. I'm also back into blogging …

If you read the blog I posted on 6 September 2010, you'll remember I did a portrait of a cat I thought belonged to my brother in law, but it turned out not to be his cat! When I was in the UK earlier this year, I made a point of taking a photo of the real Sweep and this painting is the result.

Sweep has very distinct markings and it was difficult to get them exactly right, but I think it’s a pretty good likeness. I originally left the background plain, but Brian, my art teacher, suggested that I paint the carpet in the photo. This had an amazing result on the finished product –  although the carpet camouflages Sweep to some extent, it also seems to make her stand out more.

A river runs through it (54)

This scene is from a photo I took while on a hike with my cousins in Grindleford. It was a lovely crisp autumn day and the colours of the leaves on the trees were stunning.

I decided to do this painting in oils but it took me a long time to get it right and I nearly gave up on it at one point. I’m glad I didn’t though because I feel it captures the light and mood of an English forest in the autumn.

Fence post, Akaroa NZ (33)

This is a painting of a lichen covered wooden fence post in Akaroa on the South Island of New Zealand. It is taken from a photo I took about five years ago.

Akaroa is a spectacular part of the world. I loved how the luxuriant green vegetation in the foreground contrasted with the ancient volcanic cliffs and bright blue sea in the background.

I found the amorphous lichen very hard to paint, but I persevered and think I captured it pretty well.

Roath Park, Cardiff (63)

This is my latest painting that I used for my Christmas cards. The scene is taken from a photo I took in Cardiff one wintery day in December 2009. It was bitterly cold and there was ice on Roath Park lake all day. You can just see this in the foreground of the picture.

Roath Park is Cardiff’s most popular park and when I was studying for my degree in Cardiff I spent many happy hours here. It has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award which recognises its high quality and importance to Cardiff. It was built on 130 acres of ‘reformed’ bogland and the lake covers an area of 30 acres. Roath Park opened to the public in 1894 and still retains a Victorian atmosphere. The lighthouse in the picture was built in 1915.

The painting came together quite easily apart from the lighthouse that was a bit crooked to begin with, and the clocks at the top also needed some fiddling with. I think I got there in the end though!