More Branches

The next stage, just lagging on the colour, going to start thinking about washing back some areas now, that is always a difficult one, being brave and obliterating areas that might be looking interesting in the hope of getting something even more interesting.

Another day

Some more work on the large watercolour, it takes ages to build up the right depth of colour.  Strangely this painting is reminding me of an illustration that I did nearly 30 years ago:

I am not sure that Sam, who is the model for my painting, will appreciate being likened to a rusty giant, but I can definitely see a similarity in the two paintings.  I must be slightly obsessed with deep dark forests.

I have been laying down washes of colour and then pressing cling-film over them to build up some texture.  Also quite a lot of dry brush work.  One of the things that I like best about watercolours is the sense of adventure, a reckless splash of colour and some hap hazard treatment can result in something lovely, or not, that is the adventure!

Work in Progress

A work in progress, very large watercolour, the largest that I have attempted so far, this one is approximately five foot high by just under four foot. As well as being large it shall be quite dark too as it is deep inside a dark wood...in the rain!

Moody and mysterious, we shall see if I can do it!

Flower Pickers

Morning Break

Morning Break
Oil on wooden panel
40 cm x 15 cm x 3.5 cm or 16 inches x 6 inches x 1.5 inches

More of the flower pickers, and a new addition to blogger, the location thing, I can pinpoint the exact place that this painting is about, magic!  It is raining today but when I made the sketches for this it was dry, the soil almost pink in the spring sunshine, flower picking is not so bad in such weather, when it is freezing cold and raining it is a different story.

St Breward, Cornwall

Daffodil Pickers

Daffodil Pickers

Oil

10cm x 18 cm or 4inches x 7 inches

Change of pace, oils and small, always bring a different quality to a painting, the colours are intense, marks are less easy to controll.  I love small bright oil paintings, like a little window into a time and place, captured, like looking through the windows of a dolls house.  Still working on my flower pickers theme, might go bigger now!

Flower Pickers

Flower Pickers

Watercolour

50 cm x 20 cm or 19.7 inches x 7.9 inches.

After what feels like ages I have some time to be painting again.  I have been skulking around in the daffodil fields sketching the flower pickers.  Inspired by a trip to London and the Van-Gogh exhibition and especially his drawings of agricultural workers I thought a Cornish version would be interesting.  I love figure drawing and the combination of figures, the landscape and patterns made by fields and crops is a rich seam to be mined!

Also it is Mothers Day, so a field of daffodils seems quite appropiate.

For all of you who like watercolour here are a few details of the figures, personally I love to see how other people work by studying the marks and brush strokes so here you go...

(remember that you will see a much larger image if you click on the picture)  and finally my workspace with the lovely flowers that my kids gave to me today, lucky bird!

Western Light

Western Light

Watercolour

7 cm x 10 cm or 3 inches x 4 inches

A tiny one now, nothing much just a glorious blue sky, beautiful sea, the sun is in the west and there is a hint of warmer days to come... aah, dreams of a good summer!

Still Water

Still Water
Watercolour
72 cm x 110cm or 28 inches x 43 inches

For ages it seems I have been embroiled with illustration work, slaving away.  Yesterday I broke the shackles, threw off my bonds and ran free with one of my very large sheets of watercolour paper. 
This is early morning, very quiet and still, water like a rippled mirror, colours heartbreaking in their bright clarity.  Spring has to be not far away, please please, not long now until the trees begin to green up and the land breathes out.