Sunday 20 March 2016

Other than a few watercolours over the years, I am tackling landscapes for the first time.  It's rather ironic that it has taken me this long, as I love the outdoors to the point where I would rather be outside than inside.  After a few small sketches, I set about to paint a larger one.  Here is the newest, largest one.  I'll also post a few few of the small ( 5x7") sketches so you can get an idea of my progress.  These are all paintings of the marsh and shoreline that surrounds our bay.  In winter, I love the wild tangle of grasses, brambles and branches that all writhe together heading upward into winter washed skies.


"Blackie Spit"  Oil on  Canvas         18"x 24"

 




Sketches:  5" x 7" oil on board                                                           

Friday 19 February 2016

Last year the dahlia tubers are started to put out white blooms rather than expressing themselves in the original colours.  I don't know enough about the plants to know if this is normal, but since many of my garden beds are in front of a very dark green cedar hedge , the white blooms tend to look like white stars.  A very good and beautiful thing to have happening!


Wednesday 17 February 2016

Do you ever finish a big project and then experience a slump afterward? In talking with other artists, I have heard that many find themselves needing downtime after completing an especially large painting, or a commission. I just finished two paintings that represents the start of a new series.  They took seven weeks to complete.  After putting the canvases away to dry, I found I had to do something less challenging for a while.  As seems to be becoming usual, I did some very small florals as a relief, or was it escape?  I posted them in Daily Paintworks today, in case you want to take a look.

As to the BIG IDEA paintings, they are about a topic that  I have been thinking, reading and writing quite a bit about. It is the question: "What is original in 2016 and is it possible to be unique in this day and age of mass media and communication."  From cloning of animals to bootleg copies of branded goods, photocopiers that can make skin and forgeries that are expensive as the originals, I keep wondering about questions of authenticity, truth and individuality.  I hope to write some salient ideas about the topic here on the blog in the coming months, but thought I would post the first two paintings.  What do you think?

Pink and White  Oil on Canvas  30"x40"


White on White  Oil on Canvas    20" x 24"