#356 'Early Light, Southsea Beach' 9x12"

Good to get back to plein air painting as I had a week in the studio doing commissions, finished and happy :-)

A quick painting session this morning before piking up our shared dog (Matte) from my Mum in Southsea. 

I was really pleased to find these great shaped clouds and contra jour sparkling light on the water!! 
I didn't do any of the usual things before - like sketch and mix piles of paint... I just got the board out and did the sky straight away, as it was breezy and the clouds were disappearing to my right fast.

The tonal values were really important getting the lower half of the sky darker than the sparkling sea but still a yellow glow. The light on the clouds were lighter than the overall sky but darker than the sea sparkle. A lot to assess in a one a hour painting!

After this one I turned around and started another this time of an old friend South Parade Pier, painted many times when I used to live in Southsea. Sadly I ran out of time so will post when its finished!

#355 'Middle Ward, Windsor Castle' 12x16"

My first plein air competition! I found it quite nerve wracking to start with and didn't realise how big is would be with 100 artists! 
There were areas we were allowed to paint in the grounds and it had to be choose before hand - tricky if you've not been before! 
A stinking hot day with no where to shade & the reflecting heat from the walls and concrete made it unbearable at times. So I'm pleased with the outcome, it's also not what I'd usually choose to paint. The sky was lovely and the building silhouetted which made it hard to get the right tonal value and colours of the building. The people I think bring some life into it and it was soooo busy, an amazing amount of bodies go through this place. 
Spot me with some kids!

The size of the board was big and it being a new subject, it all felt out of my comfort! 
We had a pop up exhibition at the end where it was judged and even though its big for me my painting looked too small to stand out well.
No awards but a big learning and not sure whether I will enter again next year...time will tell!

A note to say I am painting two commissions at the moment in my studio, hence less posting on here but I will be back at it soon, lets hope the sun continues just a bit longer! Clare

#354 'Sunset Bosham Harbour 11x14"

I faffed for an hour starting another one, putting two much building and foreground in. Then I realised it was the sky I liked so started again and focused on the sky...
I had only a little time then before the sun went below the cloud line, very fast mixing and painting!
Quite a big board so used a big brush and thicker paint in the area I liked and thinner up above.
I stopped when it had changed too much and started another but a drawing preparation for a painting.

The Sky turned a gorgeous pink!

Award Winner :-)

My painting is being shown at The Patchings Art Centre Exhibition. The judges, including the editor of the Artist Magazine & painter David Curtis, look around the show and decide who will get awards. I didn't know how my painting would go down as it's a little different to the norm...but so chuffed as I was nominated with two awards!

The first is 'The Artist Collection Award' which means I am one of the top 10 and will be in a separate exhibition at the Patching's Centre next year.  

The other is an art company - Royal Talens they choose my painting and I get £250 worth of their equipment!! 

I won the 2 same awards last year, didn't think I could do it again!!

Background to the painting....

-9 my toes were so frozen they were white, I defrosted them in the bathroom sink!

Debate of the yellow sign MOD - some people really didn't like it but I put it in and left it there.

It was snowing and although I had my big umbrella up the snow still hit may board...

Little pit marks from the falling snow!

#353 'Preparing to Sail, Bosham' 9x12"

In this gorgeous weather Bosham has Mediterranean rich colours and sweltering heat! Painted on Sunday when the families were turning up to sail. 

A lovely commission open to what I wanted to paint in Bosham. I turned up and really liked the blues and sweeping path in leading the eye nicely to the yachts and building - which I can't remember the name of?

It got better when the people arrived and the sails started going up. So much potential for paintings this area.

Nearing the end of the painting and my view was now almost fully obscured! 

#352 'Moored by Richmond Bridge' 11x14"

I started this on a Friends of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) plein air day. 

Standing under Richmond Bridge - its cool there!

There were over 20 great plein air artists on that day and although it was inspiring and lovely to work next to them I felt a pressure to 'perform' and produce a decent painting. It took me till lunch to settle and during the morning I had started 3 paintings which were all scraped! Then I started this little boat and I was away!

8x10" study completed en plein air

I actually completed this little study on the day and Ioved it so much I wanted to do a bigger version and slightly different angle.... so I started another one :-)

I mapped it in a underpainting of Burnt Sienna on site but then the group went to the pub and so it was abandoned till the studio...

Having just painted it once to do it again helped as I was familiar with the shape and colours. I made the boat large in scale to feature it and give a strong composition.

#351 'Sunflowers' 12x12"

A busy week, hard to keep on top of all the artists jobs to do, including this one!

I am lucky that my Mum supplies me with great flowers to paint, like these :-)

I decided to paint outside again as the natural sunlight works well on a still life especially flowers. I started early so there was only a little patch of sun on the lawn and had to move the flowers at least 5 times chasing the sun around the garden! But it worked out nicely.

I didn't paint the colours of the table or the shape as I wanted it soft and undefined - making the flowers as focus.

I used thick paint towards the end as the subject seams to lend itself to oils and juicy brush strokes.

Click on this close up to see the mark making.