Finger Stone (141)

I’ve recently spent six months based in the UK. I took lots of art projects to do while I was there, but never seemed to get time.

This painting of the Finger Stone, in the Staffordshire part of the Peak District National Park, is my latest art work. I actually started it a while ago on a previous visit to the UK. I painted it on black paper and thought it needed a lot more work, but when I looked at it again I realised that the black paper showing through adds to the broodiness of the subject. All it took to finish it off was to crop the bottom off as that wasn’t finished and didn’t add to the composition.

I’m happy with the result and think it’s looser than my usual work. I hope you like it too.

Poppies (59)

Poppies are one of my favourite flowers - I love their bright colour and their delicate texture. This picture was painted from a photo my Mum took of poppies growing in a field in England. I liked the contrast of the bright, regular shaped poppies against the chaotic green undergrowth and poppy heads and the play of light amongst it all.

I meant post this a few days ago in time for Remembrance Day as poppies are associated with the World Wars. During the First World War, poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium and, in soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. A powerful symbolism became attached to the poppy – the sacrifice of shed blood.

The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders field:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Home sweet home (29)

Having just returned home from a two month visit to the UK, I thought the title of this painting was appropriate! I painted it from a photo I took of an old cottage in Bridgetown very early in the morning. The light at that time of day gave the picture a shadowy, other-worldly feel that complements the subject matter.

A friend who lives in Bridgetown bought this painting as soon as she saw it, along with a few others!

Robin (74)

This painting of a Robin is going to be my 2012 Christmas card image … so you’re getting a sneak preview! The picture was taken from a Christmas card my cousin in the UK sent me last year.

I originally painted the robin in record time (15 minutes) in response to a challenge from my art teacher, Brian Simmonds. I was very surprised (and happy) with the result, although I had to make the bird thinner as he looked as though he’d eaten too much Christmas pudding! Adding in the background and the post he’s sitting on took much longer to finish. The Christmas card had snow on the top of the post that I didn’t include – I did try but couldn’t get the colour of it right, that very pale icy blue.

Last weekend, I took part in the Artists’ Great Garage Sale at Freight Gallery in Fremantle, and one of the things I sold is the original of this painting. I know the person who bought it and she’s going to give it to her daughter in Canada for Christmas … so my art will be introduced to another country!

Two pelicans (70)

This picture of two pelicans came from a magazine I was flicking through while waiting at the travel doctors for some jabs a few years ago. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the pelicans in the photo and asked the receptionist if I could take it.

This painting took me a few sessions to finish, but I am pleased with how it turned out. Despite their size, pelicans are very elegant looking and gracefully glide through the water. Getting the reflections in the water to look right was the greatest challenge with this picture … I think I accomplished it though.

Wyadup Rocks (67)

This scene was taken from a photo in a travel brochure of south western WA. Wyadup Rocks is a stunning part of the coastline near Dunsborough. The rock formations right at the water’s edge make it a very popular spot with photographers.

I was drawn to paint this scene because of the strong colours, the quality of the light and the texture of the water - which although challenging was very satisfying.

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.

View from Pwll Deri YHA (6)

This is a painting from a photo I took while walking with Ally on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path in the summer of 2006. We stayed at Pwll Deri youth hostel on the first night. We arrived at this remote hostel perched on a cliff top after a days walk to find that it was closed. So we sat down on the grass and enjoyed the magnificent view while we waited for it to open.

This is another naïve and sketchy painting, but the teasels silhouetted against the sunlight reflected off the sea give this peaceful scene a feeling of drama.

Gritstone Edge (4)

My fourth painting was taken from a photo in a magazine which was called 'Gritstone Edge' I thought this was the name of the place but further research showed this to be a generic term for a type of rock formation. The northern Peak District is bounded on the east and west sides by scarps known as ‘edges’, which are made of coarse sandstones, referred to as ‘grits’.

I painted this scene in record time while waiting for Mum to take me to catch a bus. The time pressure means that this is more sketchy than the first three, and the grain in the paper showing through the pastel gives it more of an ‘unfinished’ look. The painting has rather a naïve feel, which Mum loved - she immediately framed it and hung it on the wall in her conservatory!

Arbor Low stone circle (3)

This was my third painting – another scene from the Peak District photo book. Arbor Low is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Derbyshire and is sometimes referred to as the 'Stonehenge of the Peak District'. The henge was constructed about 2500 BC. No one knows why it was constructed or what it was used for, but it must have been an important focal point for the people of the time.

Like many Derbyshire beauty spots, it can be bleak in winter and stunning on a fine spring morning. This photo was obviously taken on a bleak day, but I loved the unusual black, mauve and lemon sky in this photo.

Hand stone, Beeley Moor (2)

This was my second painting after reconnecting with art in 2006. This scene is another one from the Peak District photo book – of a hand stone on Beeley Moor. On this heather clad moor, some 1,200 feet above sea level, there are over thirty pre-historic barrows and cairns.

Beeley Moor can be bleak but I was drawn to this photo by the strong colours, particularly the dramatic purple sky. I also liked the way the hand stone sits in what resembles a nest.

Shane 2009 (59)

Had to post my latest painting as I’m pretty excited about it. This is my first portrait and I’m really pleased how it turned out. It’s of my nephew, Shane, who was three at the time the photo was taken. He’s very cute and his rosy cheeks come from growing up on a farm and playing outside.

Pembokeshire coast (8)

This painting is another scene from a photograph I took when walking the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path in 2006. This was one of the first pieces I painted in Australia, at a time when I had a limited choice of pastels.

It was quite a complex picture and I had difficulty getting the angles right for the cliffs falling to the sea. The result is rather abstract and looks to me as though a lumpy quilt has been laid out over the peninsula … but I like the quirky feel of this painting.

Pinnacles, WA (28)

Another photo from a tourist brochure inspired this painting of the Pinnacles, located about three hours north of Perth near Cervantes. Thousands of unusually shaped limestone rocks rise up to 3 metres from the sand like ancient ruins. They are believed to have been created from seashells which were broken down into sand and then eroded by water and wind.

The Pinnacles Desert is best seen at dawn or dusk when the rocks, which have been likened to tombstones, termite mounds and even fingers, cast long, eerie shadows over the rippling yellow sand dunes. Although I faithfully reproduced the scene, the uniqueness of the subject matter led to a rather abstract-looking painting.

Cosy Corner, Albany (7)

I came across this scene of Cosy Corner near Albany in a book of photos of Western Australia and loved the delicate pastel colours and the simplicity of the composition. I also liked the fact that I didn’t need many different colours, as this was one of my earlier paintings and I didn’t have a large collection of pastels at that time!

I painted on the grainy side of the pastel paper as an experiment and used pink pastel paper. If you look closely you can see pink flecks showing through - I quite like the effect.

Chain of Lagoons, Tasmania (10)

While staying with friends in Bridgetown one Christmas I was flicking through their outgoing calendar of Tasmania when I spotted this picture. The scene really inspired me so I got my pastels out (luckily I’d taken them with me) and got cracking. It came together really quickly and I’d finished it before dinner!

The angular rocks, solid clouds and strong colours give this painting an abstract feel.

Ladybower Reservoir (40)

This picture of Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire is another taken from my Mum’s trusty book of Peak District photographs. It was taken at a time when the fields and trees surrounding it were ablaze with rich colour and the water looked deep blue.

Ladybower Reservoir was completed shortly after the end of World War II to supply drinking water to the north of England and the Midlands. The idyllic landscape surrounding the reservoir belies its history. To build the reservoir ancient villages had to be submerged, including the seventeenth century Derwent Hall, farms and the parish church. For a while, the spire of the church was visible when the water levels dropped, but eventually it was demolished.

Although I don’t intentionally set out to do abstract paintings, at times my art turns out less than realistic!

Riber Castle (15)

This painting is from a photo I took of Riber Castle. The impressive looking ruin stands on top of a hill near Matlock in Derbyshire.

The building was never a real castle - it was built in the 19th century by local industrialist John Smedley as his country house. After the death of Smedley and his wife it was used as a boys’ school, during WWII it was a storage facility, and in the 1960s it became a wildlife park. I remember going to Riber Zoo as a kid. The zoo eventually closed in 2000 and has been empty since. There are plans afoot to turn it into apartments.

The view of Riber from the Matlock road is very impressive - the black ruins dominate the skyline and the fields are spread out below it like a green patchwork quilt.

Seagull (9)

This seagull was painted from a photograph I took while walking on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path in 2006. My friend, Ally, and I had just sat down to have a rest when it came and stood very near us and started screeching. We weren’t sure whether it was defending its young or scrounging for food!

This is one of my early paintings and at the time I didn’t have many pastels. I also hadn’t learnt the art of blending colours to make new ones, so the palette is more basic than in my later paintings.