Pot plant

Well, here it is, the 31st painting of the year - January is now complete.

Pot plant, acrylic, 10 x 12

There were times this month when I didn't think I would keep up, but as the month has gone along, it has become easier.  I now have a daily habit of going into the studio every morning and most afternoons, for a two hour stint each time.

Obviously there are days when I am out, so I try to paint a few in hand so that I don't miss uploading on this blog.  I don't class it as cheating, as I am still painting everyday except if it's impossible to do so.

Hopefully February will be just as good

Extreme Composition, lesson 3 again

Another composition from the Jane Davies online workshop

colour field painting 12 x 10

Extreme Composition,lesson 3

Following on from previous posts, this piece is from the Jane Davies online workshop, Extreme Composition.  Lesson three was on colour field painting.

colour-field painting 12 x 12

Marc Rothko being a well-known colour-field painter.  This is where the colour IS the whole focus of the painting.

Staithes, again

Another quick sketch of Staitches, using watery acrylics

Staithes, acrylic 10 x 14

Extreme Composition, lesson one

I felt I should add a piece of work from lesson one, which was about line, and this is it.  I feel some tension in these lines.

Line, 10 x 12

Only a few more days to go to the end of the first month, it seems to have gone remarkably quickly.  I have managed, excepting for a few days last week, to keep to a studio routine of two hours morning and two hours in the afternoon, most days. , I haven't managed to work out where the textile work fits into this regime yet.

I work upstairs in a bedroom, when stitching or working on the embellisher.  Perhaps because the studio is 'in my eye' every time I go from the living room to the kitchen, and also the desktop computer is in the studio, so I go in frequently to use it and see work laying about.

Extreme composition, two

Another painting from the Extreme Composition workshop with Jane Davies.  This came in Lesson two, of six lessons as did the first piece.

Stack one, 10 x 12

Stacks are something I have played about with in the past.  I love to see actual pebbles stacked up, and a painting of them gives the same slightly insecure or apprehensive feeling.  This is good, it makes you look again.

Extreme composition

I have been taking part in an online workshop by Jane Davies, on Extreme Composition.  It's a very good workshop, and is making me work hard both mentally and physically.

I thought I would post an occasional painting from that workshop here as it does come under the heading of experimentation and development.

Extreme one 10 x 12

This painting came under the heading of 'two shapes and a line'.  Line is something I find difficult to add to a painting, merely because it is something I haven't really done before.  I think it does add to the painting, and needs to be experimented with more.

House on the hill

Used thinners, trickled on to remove paint for road and lower right tree trunks.

House on the hill, oil on board, 8 x 8 inch

Poppy fields

Perhaps too many poppies.

Poppy fields, oil on board 8 x 8 inch

Farmhouse

Oil painting with charcoal and oil bar added.

Farmhouse, oil & charcoal on board 8 x 8 inch

Rain on the moors

A very loose painting, with lots of layers.

Rain on the moors, acrylic 10 x 14 inch

Farm lane

Looking at contrasts, light against dark.

Farm Lane, oil on board, 8 x 8 inch

Yorkshire Dales

A splashy under-painting, with pastel highlights.

Yorkshire Dales, acrylic & pastel, 10 x 14 inch

Poppy fields

A quick oil painting today.

Poppy fields, oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

Chrysanthemums in blue vase

A very quick painting at art class, using up the colours on my palette.

Chrysanthemums in blue pot, acrylic, 10 x 14

Staithes, a little tipsy

This was worked from a sketch, I deliberately made the houses look wobbly.  It makes you feel a little uncomfortable when things are off kilter.

Staithes, acrylic on board, 10 x 14

Bluebell Woods

A painting from a photograph, using quite thick oil paint.

Bluebell Wood, oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

Yorkshire Moors

Trying a loose, atmospheric style today.  Trying to capture the weather on the moors with mist in the distance but sunlit in the foreground.

Yorkshire Moors, oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

I used different brushes, including a fan brush, and a cloth-wrapped finger!

Spring Fields

Very simple painting today, not too much time.

Spring Fields, oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

The Yorkshire Wolds

A nice gentle view of the Yorkshire Wolds, a few miles from where I live.

The vertical marks are the underpainting of gesso.  It would have worked better if I had the board turned the other way.

Yorkshire Wolds, oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

Staithes again

I love painting views of Staithes.  I have dozens of photographs and sketches of this village in North Yorkshire.  This painting was worked on a board which I primed with dark blue acrylic.

Staithes, evening. Oil on board. 10 x 12

I think the houses work well, but I need to fade out the house on the far right a little more, so that the two central houses stay as the focus.

Staithes, North Yorkshire

Back to oils today.  As I know I have more time, it's easier to use my oils at the week-end.  This is a subject I have painted dozens of times.  I haven't got the colour balance correct as the blue and red roofs jumps out as pure colour whereas all the others are tinted.  I used a palette knife for the stream and rocks above it.

It was a quick sketch, and I think I need to go back to using smaller boards so I can spend more time on composition.

Staithes in winter, oil, 10 x 14 inch

Bridlington Harbour

Enjoying working in a loose way with acrylics.  Definitely not a restricted palette today!  I used pastels at the end to bring back some of the brights.

You can tell that I was using the same colours as yesterday on a stay-wet palette!

Bridlington Harbour, acrylic & pastel, 9 x 12 inch

Having a loose day

Worked over a collage base using my non-dominant right-hand.

Cornish village, acrylic, 10 x 12 inch

Scottish cottages

Working on a pre-collaged board today.  The white houses you see in Scotland are a great subject to paint.  I used heavy body acrylic and acrylic inks.

Hill Village. Acrylic and collage on board. 10 x 10 inch

Using Phthalo blue (red shade), Cadmium Yellow and Permanent Rose with white, plus a little Violet.

Breaking up the plane with the trees, from top to bottom, is a good way to add depth to the painting.

Experiment in loose painting

Worked from a sketch made on a cold, blustery day.  Minimal palette of Phthalo Blue (green shade),  Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Yellow medium, a little Ultramarine, and white.

Using thick brush marks to convey the weather on that day.

The Sea from Sewerby Headland 13 x 9 inch, on canvas board.

Abstract landscape

I decided to use up the remaining oil paint on the palette by doing an abstract landscape, working from a photograph of a painting I did a few years ago.

I wanted to have a smooth surface, with little texture, as I was looking for a pattern of tone and colour rather than realism.

The Wolds. Oil, 8 x 8 inch on board

I've removed the colour in Photoshop, to check on the tonal quality.  I feel it could have done with a brighter highlight on the lower sky area, and also the light area in the field could have been smaller but lighter. Having said that, I am pleased with the colours and the composition.

Yorkshire Dales

Experimenting with thick and thin paint, and using a palette knife.  This was worked from a photograph.

Yorkshire Dales. Oil on board, 8 x 8 inch

Earl Grey

I promised myself that I would upload each of the daily paintings, whether they were good, bad or ugly!  Today's is the latter.  I was in a hurry and it shows.

This was also an experiment using gessoed mountboard, which isn't anywhere as good as hardboard, but easier to cut.

Another chance to do better tomorrow.

Earl Grey, oil on mountboard,  8 x 8 inch

Complementary study

Looking around the house for inspiration, I choose the red apple and green pear as they are complementary colours.

'Complementaries' oil on board, 6 x 6 inch

Daily, or mostly daily painting

Recording my experiments with painting, hopefully on most days.  By painting every day, I hope to improve both the design and technique in my artwork.

A quick sketch of Bridlington Harbour. Acrylic, 10 x 12 inch.