Amsterdam princess

Acrylic on canvas board 14" x 10"

I saw her serving coffee in a pavement cafe in Amsterdam. She looked like she had stepped out of the Arabian nights she was so beautiful. (The painting is more vibrant than it appears here - the camera just could not capture the colours).

Me myself

Acrylic on wood 8" x 6"

This is yet another re-work of a painting which I had called "Reverie" and which I have now removed from the blog (as it doesn't exist anymore except in my imagination). It was based on a self portrait and this is a development of that. It no longer has the "dreamy" feel to it but I think it works on a number of levels so I'm content.

Acceptance to the Stockport Open show

I have heard that my two paintings - "Woman in white" and "Girl with Auburn Hair" (see below) have been juried into the Stockport Open Art exhibition to be held this summer at Stockport Art Gallery. A total of 159 entries out of 764 submissions were accepted. So I am pleased! I still say the first person I must please is myself but I was in fact personally satisfied with those two works so it kind of validates that feeling.

Claire June 9th (2)

Charcoal on paper all approx 22" x 16"

Here are some recent life drawings (see above and below). Still going to the sessions most of the time and enjoying it. It's a good discipline. Sorry about the quality of the photos but you get the general idea. The paper is actually just slightly off white and I haven't time at the moment to mess about trying to get a decent shot.

Claire June 9th (1)

Marissa May 26th

Claire April 15th

Re-working

It seems to me a bit stupid to keep starting new paintings when the old ones do not satisfy in the way we would like. It's pleasant to get positive comments but I learned long ago that the only person who matters in this game is myself. Am I satisfied with this piece of work? Have I taken it as far as I can? The answer to the last question I suppose is "never". Artists have re-worked and re-worked over the centuries. I read something very wise recently - "when a painting is over-worked it needs re-working". Sometimes I do know when something is "finished" to my satisfaction but it's rare. I'm working on a bigger piece at the moment and it will take me some time so in the meantime please look below and see re-workings of the last half dozen paintings or so. If you are interested. Smile.

Thinking back

Acrylic on wood panel 8" x 5.5"

I used a mix of palette knife and brush on this one allowing some of the white underpainting to show through and using a small screwdriver to scratch the surface.

The actress (re-work 5)

Acrylic on canvas board 9.5" x 7"

I have split the background into two shapes and lightened the left hand side of it. I have changed the colour of her dress. After all, this is a "painting", a "creation". It is not a copy of something. It has to work "as a whole". Yes, I started with a photograph but that was left alone quite a few re-works ago. It became redundant.

Mermaid

Acrylic on wood 7" x 6"

This has had a few re-works and a change of title.