Dickensian afternoons spent drawing......

 I’m an avid Dickens fan and I equally enjoyed the tv series adaptation of The Pickwick Papers, featuring a star studded cast including Nigel Stock, Phil Daniels and Clive Swift of which I think Dickens himself would have approved . Cannot pass up the opportunity to draw and sketch these wonderful characters in all their fine period costumes.
Dickens inspires many an artist, poet , musician, and so it goes on…..

A Brush With Nature.....

A few pics from my show 'A Brush With Nature ' at  _____ ( I 've decided to remove the gallery name from this post because I don't want my images plastered all over Google images ha ha) on Saturday. We ate lots of good vegetarian food, and drank lots of good wine, while listening to the Edwin s wonderful guitar playing away in the background.

I was pleased with the presentation of my work, and to see all my paintings under the spotlight was something else, if not a bit daunting. Painting for the love of it is one thing - having it scrutinized by the public is another. Being able to see my work displayed in this context, gives me better perspective on what my work looks like as a whole. It's a struggle to balance the demands of every day life and to keep that consistency in my work. I wish I could devote more time to it, without being pressured by government departments that see no real  value in art as a career nor give any support. There's the dilemma.

Heat, and all that........

'40 degrees in the shade (of the Wonga Wonga Vine)' 

acrylic on timber

122 x 185cm

Heat wave has seen me try to escape in painting. 

Finally found a large piece of ply wood at the re-cycling centre just around the 

corner, and very happy to bring it home without the need for 'wheels'.

A couple of magpies kept me company in the early stages of the painting,

entertaining me with their song, and funny antics as seen above.

This fella trying to 'eat' a citronella candle , obviously attracted to the aluminum foil

patty case it was contained in.

'evening clouds over ringwood'

pastel on paper 

....escape is staring at the vast skies above us...

void of all the turmoil and strife taking place on the land

above us you can sense freedom,

in the wisps and currents of the wind.

recent life drawing.......

in a spot of bother at the moment as I have some plans 

for another large canvas but funds are low, and difficulties finding

it on foot/public transport. Internet may save the day.

Am thinking of just buying a roll, laying it out on the grass

and painting from there....

'the shack out the back'

pencil and charcoal on paper
25 x 35 cm

These shoes......

'these shoes were made to travel'

graphite pencil on paper 2011

After looking at Vincents paintings of his own boots, and being fascinated by
his habits of walking vast distances, sometimes for days, I felt a deeper admiration for the
then, often-mocked dutch artist.
Walking as a means of travel in times gone by wasn't such a rarity as it is now.
Captain James Cook was another famous example I can think of who would walk
two hours to work and  return, each day.
Puts our modern species to shame me thinks.

'Looking Into Infinity 3'

acrylic on canvas

Two sick children home this week......missed out on life drawing so decided to draw a few of my own models

I found lounging about the house in typical pose.......

 'Looking Into Infinity'

acrylic on canvas 

107 x 84 cm

'Looking Into Infinity 2'

acrylic on canvas

109 x 84 cm

Wonderful sunny winters day today started with a walk

to the local art supply store for the essential black paint that I needed to stock up

on. The weather has been kind of late, giving me a chance to get outside

and paint....

l

From my little sketches mentioned in the previous post,

comes the first of more paintings that I plan to complete in time for my
exhibition later this year.

Interesting to discover that once on canvas, the little drawing
needs adjusting to suit the larger format.

Success relies on the position of the lines.

searching for the pure and simple,
black and white,

no  fuss nor clutter to confuse the mind...
 -that is my aim.

Here displayed on my recycled paper and cardboard

table, and a little tableau of recycled paper products hand made by 'moi'.

Drawing from life....

....Friday May 27th. Cold , miserable day with intermittent rain.

After a quick bite of lunch, rush out the door, 

leaving my keys behind reasoning that someone will be

home by the time I get back. Dread overcomes me tho' as the 

thought enters my mind that, what if todays session is not on,

and instead, next week! aaaagh. I enter the old estate, round the corner into

the corridor, not a soul is in sight. Blinds are shut, door closed, but as

I near , I am comforted by the sound of voices, and as I open the door,

there they all are, easels set up and ready to go.Phew.

I might take my keys next time just in case.

These drawings the result of that afternoon.

 

Some 5 - 20 min. sketches from the  life drawing session today.

Felt a bit rusty, as it's been a long time since I last drew from life.

It's hard work ...warrants complete concentration,

but very satisfying all the same.

More portraiture.....

conte on paper

30 x 25 cm

....and I really like drawing people. 

I've been drawing people for years, and are one of my favorite subjects.

The beauty of conte chalk is in the many marks and variations you can 

coax out of it. Smudges, deep dark lines, light fine lines, swift and fleeting,

strong and pronounced....all combine to give the drawing life and character.

This recent drawing of  my friend from Oregon, U.S.A.

25 x 30 cm

Cloud watching........

'white cloud drifting'

tetraptych

acrylic on canvas
12o x 15o cm

I wanted to experiment more with White Cloud Drift...

I imagined four canvases this time, with similar lines to the first.
And so comes a second.

        

I

 remember
a moment

  when time stopped-

    and the salt sea 

  ran through my veins-

                                                     
     no future
      no past,
       just now.
         floating and dreaming
        watching....

                                                                                                            

       white clouds drift.

  

series of cloud studies 

30 x 40 cm

Dec 31, 2o1o

First day of the year , and I must say, the weather a bit kinder than it 

was yesterday, with the temperature soaring to 38 degrees yesterday.

Being so hot, I sat under the shade of  our large old gum tree in the backyard,

and commenced a series of watercolor studies of the beautiful cloud formations 

rolling in. I noted that the clouds had changed from cumulus in the morning,

to cumulonimbus in the afternoon, and , being a sight to behold, 

I couldn't resist painting them.

A difficult task, as the clouds keep changing shape rapidly, so too, I have to paint

swiftly to capture them.

The vast blue skies as inspiration......

'white clouds drift'

diptych

synthetic polymer paint on canvas 100 x 150cm 

 Faced with two blank canvases, is a confrontation. As a new canvas in itself, is beautiful, clean and un-udulterated. I hope I can only do it justice .

Small notebook in hand , I set about doing a few very rough sketches, primitive as they are, and select one that grabs my attention, making adjustments on the final painting where I feel necessary. Immediacy is called for here, as I strive for the fresh and spontaneous . The final blue brush marks are the most important and my hand needs to be confident and sure ......

             

             

               white clouds drift

                      on winds that carry time,

                               blue sky dreaming

                                         alto-stratus, cumulus and nimbus

                                               drift by, I

                                                     hear distant bird call -

                                                                 towering above where winds soar,

                                                                        knowing I am

                                                                                 but a second away from eternity

                                                                                                       majestic but  fragile,

                                                                                                                     here and gone,

                                                                                                                                    white clouds drift