I'm hoping that one of my Campbell Park paintings will work well enough for the upcoming ROI show in October/November at the Mall Galleries. I've not been happy with the quality of light but it's improved in the last couple of sessions. Notably, I've found working on the painting in the new house a completely different experience. No bothersome noise and the north light is perfect. It makes such a difference to have a comfortable space to work in.

I've got some new paintings planned out and have done some preliminary charcoals based on my sketches/pochades. I'm quite excited about a couple of them and looking forward to taking them on in either acrylics (or possibly watercolour + gouache which I've not used a great deal) or oils. I'm still trying to do a small drawing each day and it's really helping tune the visual senses and it helps building confidence. It also fits into the working week quite nicely. I went down to Stony this morning and sketched one of the houses on the high street. Nice bit of fresh air and got chatting to some friendly folk. Anyway, a recent little daily drawing and a watercolour (done in the car as it was raining!)....


(I know, 'don't frown' I hear you say!)

A few more sketches to show how I try to keep the creative embers burning...including one or two recent life studies from the weekly evening class (sorry the shots aren't great but hopefully give a flavour)

It's been a tough period recently and the painting hasn't been flowing. To counter this, I've been keeping the right brain ticking over by squeezing in some short and regualr drawing sessions. I'm enjoying the simplicity of heading out with nothing more than a pencil and paper to make a direct connection with something. After a while, it becomes quite addictive. I think it's important for any artist to accept that things don't always pan out as you intended but it's equally important to keep the passion alive. These drawings aren't anything special and have no grand purpose other than recording my attempts to engage with what's around me. The sketchbooks vary in size from pocket/thumb size to A4. Thought you might like to see a few...including the foot studies (phew!)

At last, I've moved house! Really hoping it's going to be quiet. So far, so good (touch wood). Great space upstairs for painting with a north facing light and two large windows. Really looking forward to doing a bit of painting in there. Hoping to do some plein air work next week so I'll do my best to keep the blog updated.

A small and quick study after work at the end of the day. Took about 40 minutes and I liked the purity of the still reflection (although there's enough asymmetry to make it interesting). Also liking the diagonals and strong value pattern. Hardly a masterpiece but a useful exercise. I'm also doing plenty of drawing at the moment as this is helping to fine tune my visual perception. I'm finding that if I can do a little sketch each day then my mind becomes more efficient at processing visual information. It's also a good way to de-stress after working at the computer all day!! Anyway, here's the sketch with a detail study to show the brushwork:

An imminent house move has put a dampener on my painting activity recently but I've still been out and about with my sketchbook on the summer evenings after work. I really do enjoy drawing these days. It's like my mind is just opening up to the possibilities. I recently read the book Drawing on the Right side of the Brain (Betty Edwards) and it was extremely interesting. I now make a conscious effort to engage my right brain when drawing. I've also been fascinated by the drawings of Degas. He was inspired by Ingres and his emphasis on line. The line is so important in drawing and I'm inclined to dive into the tone too early. I love the line work of Degas pencil drawings and will try to see if I can focus on this in a similar way.

I've become a little obessed with drawing my feet! Toes are odd little things and demand a keen eye when being drawn. We think we 'know' what a toe/foot should be like but when actually drawing them they almost defy belief! I'll try and take a few shots of some of these sketches. Quick drawings are an excellent way to satisfy those daily artistic urges, explore ideas, improve technique and sharpen the artistic mind. It's becoming a daily habit I can't seem to be without and a welcome change from the rigours of painting. Picture of the Campbell poplars to follow soon!

I made a big effort to try and wrap up the paintings of Campbell Park this weekend. They've been dragging on for a long time now. One of them hasn't made it through 'quality control'. I'm just not happy with it and the more paint I seem to apply the less it seems to work. It's harsh, but sometimes you feel like you're circling the plughole with only one way to go! The other two have carried themselves through though after some hard graft indoors (well, in the garage actually) to pull them into line. The night before last I went out to a little spot near Nash in the late evening just to get some fresh air and remind myself about what it's like to connect with nature. I really enjoyed the session. Just an hour or so of rapid painting, trying to capture the unusual light of the sun glowing underneath the clouds.



A couple of short studies done down at Campbell Park are shown below. I do like the one with the water. It was done on a warm/hazy afternoon a diffuse light. Took about 2 hours to complete:




(above, first light)