Morning Light. Acrylic on canvas. 51cm x 51cm

Morning Light won a highly commended in the W.A.S.A. exhibition. It was painted on stretched canvas and on a dark background. I made the background using Ultramarine blue and Cadmium red. This is a better formula than using black. This method creates vibrant colours. There is a certain magic in looking through trees. The English artist John Hammond demonstrates this perfectly.

My painting "Golden Hills and Blue Gums" just won me the overall art prize with the West Australian Society of Arts. Very pleased indeed as this is the second time I have won this prize.

Golden Hills and Blue Gums. 20"x20" Oil on canvas

My inspiration for this painting was an area around Bathurst. From the one photograph, I managed to create four different images. It's a beautiful part of the country. It was the first time that I had been to the Mitchel school of art and the weather had been hot and dry for months. I just love the dry crinckled look of the ochre paddocks after such a dry spell. The second time I went to Bathurst they had experiencd quite a lot more rain and I was so dissapointed that eveything was very green. I felt cheated but , you can't have it all ways can you?

I have had a few weeks break in my blogging because I have been compiling a web site of my own. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience although, at first, I was very scared of tackling the project. I'm now very proud of myself. I used Artspan which was advertised in the International Artist, art magazine. Of course, they provide all the tools and instructions and we fill in the body by creating pages and uploading images. Very satisfying. So now I can get back to my blog.

The Gathering Storm . Acrylic on Canvas 30"x30"

My first cloud paintings were in oil but this one is in acrylic. I thought it would be impossible to get the blending that I got with oil. With the help of gel retarder medium I was succesful. I love the drama that this painting gives.

Cloudscaped. Oil on Canvas. 20"x20"

I'm getting adventurous now. This one is 20"x20" and I've really enjoyed it. I started with a base colour of burnt sienna allowing some of the colour to show through.

Just Heavenly oil/canvas 14"x20" 35.5cmx51cm

This is the first cloud painting that I have done. It's not very big but a big step in reaching my goal of painting clouds.

I have recently begun a different journey with my painting. My new venture is painting clouds and skies. I've always been overawed by the beauty and drama of skies and included them in my landscapes. I have, however, always thought that a dramatic sky deserves to be a painting in itself. I now have the courage to do just that. I also became a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society, complete with certificate and badge. My earliest influence was an English artist called Edward Seago. His huge skies and low horizons are magnificent. Then, on a visit to Amsterdam, I saw the way the Dutch masters painted their clouds. I was hooked. My next influence is an American artist called Kathy Buist. Her vast magnificent stormy skies are a sight to behold. I also look on this challenge as an excercise in painting larger and looser. Something that has eluded me for ages. My usual style is detailed and tight because I really do love detail.