#89 'Fishing Boat, Staithes Harbour' 7x9.5"

I painted this on Saturday afternoon, bright sunshine and a busy beach. Lovely to be amongst the children playing in the sand and the dogs rushing into the sea.

Love this boat especially the coloured buoys catching the sunlight. It was quite windy so I depicted it in the sky, painting it quickly and loosely with some medium.
I painted the figures as they walked into my view. The guy next to the boat was up and down and bending he was painting the boat, quite tricky to capture him while he was moving! But I'm happy with the result and his yellow wellies :-) 

This pen and ink I did while I was in Staithes, a great view I may paint at a later date. 

#88 'Staithes Beach' 7x9.5"

Second painting in Staithes on the Plein Air workshop. Love the little red boat so much so I painted it another 2 times after this!
Blocking in the dark tones first gives a good backdrop for the sunlit boat house. Also careful to observe the sand colours - not just yellow :-)

The photo below shows I have cropped in to paint the areas I am drawn to.

#87 'Staithes, The Beck' 8x8"

I had an amazing 3 day Plein Air workshop up in Staithes, North Yorkshire. A wonderful teacher, Haidee-Jo Summers and I loved being immersed in painting to eat drink and sleep it :-) Also lovely to talk to other artists and exchange tips.

I produced 6 painting over the weekend, I will post them daily on here. This was my first.
It's an estuary off the harbour, soft greys and those rich red roofs. The boats have a certain shape and colours (very paintable.)  I can't believe what an inspiring place to paint it is, definitely going back there!

I tried a new technique in all the paintings. Putting a slightly thinner mix in of the darkest and mid tones which were muted down. This gives a harmony to the whole and helps with tonal connection. Also it blocks in most of the board in 30 mins or so. Then add the lighter tones and more intense saturated colours. I am really pleased with the outcome. Although it felt tough doing a different method and out of my comfort.

Here is a pic of what I saw and my palette...

Oil Painting Course

These are my students from one of my classes in Farnham. They have nearly completed a years worth of lessons, no longer beginners! It was actually a mixed class of abiliities from complete beginners to painting for 40 years. I have really enjoyed teaching them all. We were painting roses in this class on Tuesday.

Today I am going on a 'Plein Air' painting workshop weekend to be a student myself, the same artist as before Haidee-Jo Summers, very excited. It's up in Staithes, North Yorkshire, a seaside town.  I probably wont get to post until I'm back on Monday.

#86 'Sunflowers' 6x6"

Love the vibrancy and sunshine feel to these. They could be in the sunbaked Mediterranean but sadly not! 

I was unsure about the centre area before I painted as it seamed so dark and boring but looking closely when I was painting it there are so many vairations and interest.

Yellow is tricky especially when you want to keep the bright freshness. It's hard to make it dark enough and still work. But I'm happy with the outcome :-)

The Surrey Open Studios is now finished. Really enjoyed it and so pleased with how many paintings I sold, 20 at the last count! Thank you to everyone who came and supported us.

#85 'Rose in Bloom' 6x6"

A beautiful rose, I don't know the name of, I like the full rounded head and two tone petal colours. Really difficult to paint! There is a tendency to get lost in the layers of complex petals - simplifying! But still getting the essence of it.
The photo has a bit of shine on it so I may take it again tomorrow.

Had a busy Open Studio day which we weren't expecting for a Friday. Nick, my husband is also showing his photographic work in his studio opposite mine. Here he is on my studio floor with our dog Matte getting cuddles in between visitors today.

#84 'White Rose' 6x6"

I had one of those days today. I went to get a rose for this painting and was so excited and focused on getting one I forgot to pay the car park. I didn't remember until I saw a parking fine on my window, very upsetting! So upset I then got lost on the journey home! 
Anyway, I am pleased with this rose painting, it feels a bit of a break through in my flowers. I painted it in a different order and way, from the inside out - see pic below.

I used a new palette today, called 'Posh Palette' from New Wave in America it's super smooth and wonderful to mix my colours on. I'm used to a perspex with white paper underneath, so it will take some adjusting to a mid tone grey but it is lovely to use.

#83 'Reflected Watermelon' 6x8"

It's been so busy I haven't had the time or energy to do any painting. But I was itching to do one so I got into my studio by 6am this morning which gave me time to focus and work on this painting before any Open Studio visitors arrived at 11am.
I put the melon on tin foil and was pleased with the reflection it created of the skin. 
Painting it I was aiming for the translucency at the top and richness of the red, fun to paint and will have another go. 

The photo below is of me over the weekend painting in between visitors but didn't get much done so it was abandoned. I'm not complaining about having people come and visit as the Open Studio is going well :-) Making sales each day we are open and meeting some new arty people especially in the local area which is really great.

#82 'A Bowl of Cherries' 6x6"

I enjoyed the previous cherry painting so I thought I'd have another go. I haven't done this in the past as I was scared to try and repeat something that was successful but decided to go for it and I'm pleased with the result. Lush colours and shiny cherries!
I chose a range of cherry colours and tones for composition. The little bowl has appeared in 3 paintings now, it's a useful size and favourite colour! The past two were - 'Citrus' & 'Turqoiuse Pots'.
My light box where I usually place my still life set up is dismantled for the Open Studio, therefore it was harder to paint as I had about 5 different light sources, I kept turning off and on my lamp to see its light to paint.
Using my primed boards is a much more slippery surface than I'm used to and although it gives a nice result I'm not used to the slipperiness. For example adding a dark tone over an area I have to lay the brush at a really low angle to the board and load it or else it just takes the paint off underneath. 

The Open Studios went really well at the weekend we had a good number of visitors and I sold 7 paintings, really pleased :-)  I had some great feedback and I enjoyed talking art with people. We are open for another two weekends, looking forward to see what that brings. I will include some pics next post.

#81 'Reflected Cherries' 6x6"

Loved painting these cherries! So luscious and shiny, I ate some while I was painting too.
I haven't tried using tin foil to reflect a subject before, it's an idea from an excellent daily painter called Carol Marine it works well and adds a challenge and interest while painting it hopefully to the viewer as well.
I didn't use any white in the main of the cherries, which keeps the paint more translucent and shiny looking - like the cherries. The highlight is thick paint and nearly white makes it more shiny too.
Opening our doors tomorrow for the Open Studio, quite nervous for it, painting this helped calm me and good to get back to the painting again.

Preparing Boards & The Studio

It is the longest I haven't painted during this year and I miss it, I'm itching to do one! I brought some cherries a few days ago and started to set up a composition but focus when I knew I still had loads to prepare tor this Saturday.

My studio is now ready for the Surrey Open Studio's so I wanted to do a messy job before we open the door to visitors.

The above picture is boards or panels I've prepared with oil primer (the equivilent to Gesso a water based primer) I got a little carried away with how many boards I did - 38! Which should keep me going for a bit :-)
If your interested I used C Roberson & Co primer the drying time is about 16 hours. I mixed Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and sometimes a little Yellow Ochre. Making quite weak mixes so its not too dark in tone. - a warm and cool version. (grey and brown) I prop them up on glass pots (saved from deserts) to keep the floor clean and easier to put the primer on as well.
Using these boards means I get the surface I want - not too slippery or too rough also not a stark white board.

You can see my displayed paintings on the floor behind the boards I ran out of wall and shelf space :-)

Preparing for The Surrey Open Studio 2016

My Husband Nick and I did the Surrey Open Studios for the first time last year. I opened my studio in the garden and his man-shed converts into a photographic studio gallery.  (see pic below)

We are doing it again this year and it starts a week today! June 4th at 11am.
I had forgotten how much input it takes to make it work well. I'm just having the framing done and getting my new work made into greeting cards.

I'm excited to show my new work in person to people and not just on the internet. I had 35 paintings last year which was a culmination of 3 years work, I was proud of that amount and the work. This year I just completed my 80th painting! I can't believe I have painted that many in only 5 months. They are of course smaller than my old ones but still pleasing.
I am framing some of them to give an idea of how they will look framed. My husband has built shelves in my studio so the paintings work well propped up and displayed - see pic.

This year we are open for 8 days out of the 16. I already have butterflies for it. I can't wait to have people come and look and chat to them. I like the fact you get to talk to so many lovely people about painting! 

I will be carrying on with my 'almost daily painting' while it's on. I'm not sure how much work I'll get done but it's good to keep it going for me and so I can show how how I do it :-)

All the paintings I have done this year will be on sale ranging from £35 - £120. If you have liked a painting you've seen but can't make it here, contact me and we can make a sale through paypal.

I know a lot of you don't live close enough to come and visit us over this time, but if you do you would be very welcome. If not I will be posting updates on how it's going.
Below is an invite we made for it....

#80 'Clematis' 6x6"

A sunny morning, I was going to find somewhere away from the house to paint but as I was going through the back door this flower stopped me. Beautifully sunlight from behind, I wanted to capture the vibrant yet delicate petals. 
One thing I've learnt with flowers is when you go darker in tonal value the colour become stronger, more intense. Instead of the tones becoming more subdued in colour. 
Getting the sunlight look helped with putting the light pink around the edges of the petals. It also made it stand out more against the background.
The background was an experiment. One of my students said this week so you've got to be brave when painting, yes! Sometimes you put a tone or colour on and it scares you :-) being so bright or dark. That happened today with the dark blue but it works and I'm happy!

#79 'Gorse Cottages' 8x8"

This house is a few doors away from us. I was drawn to the sun drenched blue pots bursting with flowers. I cropped the door to make it a more interesting composition - and to emphasis the bits I really like! 
I started painting the pots first they were fun to do and reminded me of the still lives I've been painting. The painting indoors has definitely helped my plein air painting.
I worked on matching the front door colour, I kept thinking I'm sure this is a Farrow and Ball tint! 
When I took the painting in I realised I hadn't gone dark enough with the shadows, and would need to go over some of them. If the shadows aren't dark enough there isn't the contrast you get on a bright sunny day. 

#78 'Wisteria' 8x8"

I experimented with this painting. I used a different board called: Ampersand, it has a super smooth surface, unlike the medium textured board I usually use, which means the paint goes on easily but sometimes slips off and doesnt even make a mark! You have to get the thickness of paint right. I also used a medium called Sansodor, I usually use the oils neat but wanted to try a looser more impressionist feel. 

I painted in the beginning with squinted eyes, to take away the detail and just paint the shapes, it helped. It was hard to get the balance of impressionist and fluid but still convey the shapes of the flowers. I'm pleased with the outcome and will try more in this way. 

This wisteria is outside the front of our house, it great to finally paint it!

#77 'Citrus' 6x8"

I enjoyed painting these colours, fresh and clean. I liked the shadows - so much in them, also the harmony of colours and the challenge of a cut in half fruit, first one I've tackled! You have to really question what colour is that? And also tone, yellow is tricky as you tend to paint it too light. So I make sure the darks are dark enough without being dirty.
I also made sure my edges were varied with some soft and some crisp. I liked encorporating a bowl with the fruit, fun to paint. I hope my students will enjoy this too :-)
I put this painting up against one I did in January, no.7 quite a different!

No. 77 & No. 7

#76 'Peppers' 5x7"

I wanted this to be well observed but painterly. Rich complementary colours go well together. One for my students to try :-)
The title I did want to call it was: 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine', but it seamed a bit of a mouthful! When I was painting it that's what I thought of with the green pepper stalk resting on the red peppers back...

#75 'Morning Shadows' 8x8"

Being inspired by the weekend workshop, this was an early morning painting in a allotment. I've not been to an allotment before and it was quite lovely, especially at this time of the year. It was huge with over 100 plots based in Compton, Surrey. Sadly it was locked when I got there, not realising this was the case but thankfully one person came and opened up. 
It was peaceful standing painting with the sunshine on my back and the birds tweeting! Being caught up in the moment I didn't realise the guy had left and locked me in, oops! But again I was lucky as I finished someone else came and I was free :-)
I'm happy with the painting, quite a complex setting, the shadow shapes on the shed attracted me and the bright sunshine lighting the pots. 

#74 Tide Coming In' 7x9.5"

This painting I did on the second day of the weekend workshop I just did in Harwich. I was working on shapes and being looser with my mark making. 
The tide was coming in very quickly, I had to move all my gear up the beach several times as the water was lapping at my feet! 
As the tide came in the boat ungrounded itself and drifted around, not helpful but I had thankfully got most if it in by then. 
It was bitter cold with a north wind coming off the sea. See photo below :-) I completed the painting in an hour and forty minutes, a lot faster than usual, helpful when its cold!
I am pleased with the outcome being a zoomed in composition and strong shapes, I probably would have had all the boat in before, so it's great to have influence from another artist.

#73 'Pink Rose' 5x7"

I am buzzing from an amazing painting weekend! It was at the Old Bank Studios in Harwich, a great set up for painting courses (lovely lunches too!)
Haidee-Jo Summers ran the workshop, she is a wonderful plein air painter, I feel very inspired and full of new ideas. 

This rose was in front of a cottage window, the sun hit the tops of the petals. It was quite tricky to get the richeness of colours but the density of tone as well. Even so I enjoyed it and looking forward to doing more :-)

#72 'Teetering' 6x6"

It was a late finish for this painting today as I went to the framers to start framing some of my work ready for the Surrey Open Studios starting June 4th (not long!)

I am pleased with how this one turned out, I wanted to try painting glass and I saw the yellow and red tomatoes in the supermarket and thought they'd fit nicely in the glass dish. 

I worked on getting the richness of the colours but making them dark enough in the shadows areas. I hardly used any white for the tomatoes, which keeps the vibrancy.
The glass was interesting, deciding what colour it is and how it distorts the shapes and colours when looking through it. 

I am going on a Plein Air Painting Workshop this weekend by the sea, which I'm very excited for, not done one before. It's with an artist I admire Haidee-Jo Summers, lets hope the weather holds and it's an inspiring weekend.
I'm not sure if I will be posting while away but I will try.

#71 'Sunrise, Frensham Little Pond' 7x9.5"

I was up painting early at 5.15am for sunrise, it was still and peaceful at Frensham Little Pond. Hardly any movement on the water (until the dogs jump in and the ducks swim by :-)
I am pleased with the reflections, I painted it all in downward soft strokes. The sky I mixed with medium to make it thin and wispy looking. Getting up so early was worth it!

#70 'The Boathouse, Winkworth Arboretum ' 7x9.5"

I'm not complaining but gosh it was hot out there today! A great spot next to the lake with the geese were really going for it with their honking! 
To get the best view of the boathouse I was quite far away from it see pic below, I put the surrounding trees in to get a feel of Winkworth. I enjoyed the spring colours of the leaves.
The water was a challenge, I'm pleased with the sky reflecting ripples. This was my most complex and biggest outside painting to date, progress!

#69 'Garlic Bulbs' 5x7"

I put a strong spot light to the side which gives a blue-violet shadow for half of the garlic, it also accentuates the bulbous shape. 
I painted in a really dark background mixing a blue-black and brown-black with the 3 primary colours. It felt quite scary putting such dark colours next to the light garlic but it works! And my students will be trying this as well next week :-)

Started on a coloured ground and put all the light tones in first.

#68 'Little China Clog' 6x6"

I started out with three pieces in the composition, but changed it as I wanted the clog to be the star.
I'm pleased with the blue flower pattern, I left some orange of the ground colour showing it seamed to work better than just blue and white. 
The little clog is only a few inches long, but it was fun to paint, another gem from a charity shop.

I thought you may like to see inside my studio cupboard it's my still life collection from charity shops & eBay brought over the past few months - this isn't all of it either!!
It helps to have a good range as like today I had no clue as to what I was going to paint until I delved into the cupboard :-) (Spot where the little clog is.)

'Yachts, Port Solent' Pen & Ink

This is a marina and shopping complex near to Portsmouth where I used to live, a lovely spot when it was sunny like today.
I wasn't up to painting it but hopefully will get back there and do it another day.

#67 'Quality Street' 4x4"

I have been poorly this week (with a nasty cough) , so I was only up to doing a small painting today. 

These chocolates were surpringsly tricky to paint. The colours are quite intense, I used my artifical colours like Pathalo Blue & Green and Magenta. Lots of reflective surfaces with highlights and shine. Many colours are in the shadows too. I did paint the background a pale pink but change it as the chocs disappeared, the whiter background makes them pop out.

The chocolates are: The Purple One (Hazelnut & Caramel), Green Triangle (Noisette Pate),
Vanilla Fudge.

'Skies 1 & 2' Pastel on paper, 10x15" & 8x10"

Gorgeous sky again had to draw it. I haven't really used pastels much before, so I  experimenting with what they can do. I need to invest in some more colours and surfaces. I had a look online and got rather overwhelmed with the 400 colours I could choose from in just one make!

Also the surfaces, this one is with a sandpaper style rough textured like sandpaper, great for pastels as they stick to the paper nicely. 

I kept it quite loose in the marks and not putting much detail in. A couple of colours I overlaid with another but mostly it's one layer. I also let some of the brown paper show through to add unity to the whole - like an oil painting.

'The River Wey, Guildford' Pen & Ink

My car was having a MOT so I had an hour to spare, not enough time to paint but I liked this narrow boat scene so I drew it in pen and ink. The pens is supposed to be water soluble but the ink didn't move very much when I painted it over it with water. 

Interesting view of the navy blue narrow boat and behind it were two barns, the larger one was called 'Dapdune Warf' a busy boating area and good for a riverside stroll.

#66 'Magnolia' 6x6"

I used a deep dusty pink ground base colour (see pic below) which allowed me to see the white petals of the magnolia.
Broad strokes were used with not too much fussy detail. The tonal differences were very small, I did light the flowers from the side to create more shadows and interest.
I decided to paint over the top of the dusty pink ground in a similar but lighter colour graduating it as I went up the board also leaving gaps so the base colour shows through and links it together.

#65 'Rhododendron' 6x6"

A tricky subject! Painting the flowers so they are defined but not overworked. Simplyfing the pink tones and shapes otherwise its confusing to the eye. 
I did paint in a blue background thinking it's like the sky, but it looked dreadful! It's now a creamy pink colour (the camera doesn't pick it up)  
I worked on the edges so they were soft, flowers are delicate so a crisp line makes them look cut out and not sit in the painting. 
I had trouble getting the cutting to stand up in the glass, bluetack on the bottom, masking tape the leaf to the glass, all didnt work...in the end I raided my husbands garden sand but didn't realise Rhodies have a short life, I should have put water in the glass as well as sand! It wilted before I finished :-(  
Anyway I'm pleased with the result, and will try some more flowers...

'Bramshott Common' Sketch

Having taught the oil painting course this morning I didn't have enough 'quality' energy to do a painting this afternoon but wanted to get out as it was a lovely day. This view is just down the road from us (in Surrey.) 
I loved the sky and endeavoured to capture it in charcoal and conte pencil, it would have worked well in pastels too.

I drew the sky first, as it was changing but then I could draw the trees over the top.
I was facing directly into the sun so the view was 'contra jour' - it made the tree dark and silhouetted. I put the little trees in to give it scale and space. 

#64 'Sugar Pot' 6x6"

I'm happy with this little pot a lot of thought went into it.
I rumaged in my husbands workshop for some wood for the pot to sit on. I winched my tripot holding my light box as high as I could, see pic below. The composition is eye level so there is very little table surface showing. 

I wanted to emphasis the pattern and painted it first as that's what drew me to the pot, the white and blue combination and the Japanese feel to it. (see below) 
Painting a light object like this it works well to paint on a coloured surface, so I painted the board using acrylics (as they are fast drying) last night ready for today. 

Once I had finished the pot the original warm terracotta background worked so I painted over it in oils, a darker tone which makes the pot jump out, also has the warm and cool colour element.