Still life with exotic jug (102)

Sticking with the still life theme, this one of an exotic jug with fruit is my first water colour painting. Again, I painted it at my friend Sue’s house. I didn’t realise that I needed to leave blank pieces of paper for highlights as there is no white water colour paint. Despite this, I think it turned out ok, though the fruit could do with a bit more body.

I find paintings of still life compositions more difficult to paint than subjects from photographs, but they provide good practise at really seeing objects and how they relate to each other ... so I need to do more of them.

Still life with mangoes (100)

Sorry for the delay with posting painting number 100. It’s been finished for a while now but life has been busy lately! It’s a still life painting of two mangoes and a milk jug on a wooden bread board.

This is my first mixed media painting (acrylic and watercolour pencils). I painted it at my friend Sue’s house. She’s an artist and was rehearsing for a mixed media class she was going to teach and wanted a guinea pig. First we discussed the Golden Rule of Composition (the 1/3, 2/3 rule) and I drew thumbnail sketches to find the best composition of the subject matter.

Having decided on the composition, I used a weak acrylic wash to blend the subject into the background, then added stronger colour to bring the elements to life and grounded them by using the watercolour pencils to add shadow. This was a very different process to how I usually paint and I found it a refreshing change and like how it turned out.

More good news – I’ve sold another painting from the exhibition at Two Rubens, A River Runs Through It (see blog from 22 March 2011). This exhibition will be up for at least another month if you want to see it.

Redgate Beach (84)

This oil painting of Redgate Beach near Margaret River comes from a photo in a tourist brochure. I mistakenly titled the painting Redgrave Beach to begin with, and it wasn’t until I saw an article in the paper about someone who had died there that I realised my mistake.

This beach, although very beautiful, is notoriously dangerous and it’s general beach hazard rating is 8 (highly hazardous). In fact, the hull of the shipwrecked Georgette that sank in 1876 can be seen on a calm day.

I started this painting near the end of an art class, after I had finished another painting, and got most of the elements in place in a short time. The refining of the painting was an easy job after that so it came together very quickly. I find that the paintings that I finish quickly are often the best as there is less reworking and they seem fresher.

More good news - I’ve sold another 3 paintings since the last blog! Simply Red sold at the Moore’s Building exhibition, my pastel of the Cappuccino strip in Fremantle sold from the Two Rubens exhibition, and my first abstract, Urban Sprawl sold on Artfido.

Daisy in bed (99) & competition winner

This painting was a Christmas present for my partner, Ian – another portrait of his dog, Daisy. The photo that inspired this painting was taken in the winter after she had been clipped. She was shivering, so we covered her up with a blanket in her bed and she looked very cosy. It was a difficult pose to paint, and I don’t think I quite got the angle of her head right, but it seems to work anyway.

I have an admission to make … I miscounted my paintings - I thought this was number 100, but it’s only 99! I am now working on number 100 and will post it here as soon as it is finished.

Thanks to everyone who entered my third anniversary competition which closed yesterday. The winner is Paul Merrick who said: 'I would get you to do a portrait of my dog, a blue heeler cross, in charcoal. I may even get her to sit still. Oh well, I still love her.' The prize will be in the mail as soon as I find out his address.

Some good news is that my exhibition at Two Rubens is continuing until further notice, so if you haven’t had chance to see it yet you’ve still got time. Another piece of good news is that I sold another painting on Christmas Eve - the oil painting of the Karri forest with the recycled Karri frame (see the blog from 3 July 2012). I was very excited about that sale and hope that it’s a sign of things to come in the new year.

On that note, I’d like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and creative new year.

Third anniversary competition

Well, it has been a very busy and successful month for me art-wise. I've been involved in three exhibitions: the Artists’ Great Garage Sale, my solo exhibition at Two Rubens, and the exhibition of work by Artists from the Freedom School at the Moore’s building. Two of these run till early January (see above for details) so try and get along to see them if you can.

This photo was taken at the opening night of my solo exhibition where I sold six paintings, and I have recently listed some of my art on artFido – an online gallery. I’m also going to create a facebook page for my art, once I work out how to do it!

Can you believe I’ve been writing this blog for just over three years? I’m also working on my 100th painting! To celebrate these milestones I’m running another competition. This time the prize is six of my cards featuring my latest abstract work, worth $20.

To enter just click on the link below, leave your details and tell me, if you were to commission me to do a painting, what would the subject be and in what medium and style. The competition will close on Monday 31 December and the winner will be announced soon afterwards. Good luck!


Click here to take survey

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!

Upcoming art exhibitions & Cottesloe beach (56)

I’m excited to announce that I have two art exhibitions coming up before the end of this year. I will have different art in both exhibitions so please try and get to both if you can. Details are above.

This painting is of the Indiana Tearooms on Cottesloe beach, one of the more popular beaches in Perth and a magnet for tourists. This unusual building sits right on the beach and features in many photos. The original building on the site was built in 1910 so it has become an icon around these parts.

Iconic or not, I wouldn’t recommend eating here. Ian took me to the Indiana Tearooms for our first anniversary dinner. Although we got a stunning view of the Indian Ocean, the menu was very ordinary as was the food and the service, and the prices were extraordinary!

The dramatic sky and sea were a pleasure to paint, but I found it quite a challenge to paint the Indiana (buildings are not my strong point!) However, I quite like the quirky way it has turned out.