INTO THE STORM

30x18  

Acrylic on canvas                                                                                                                                                                     Again, this cloud painting was painted in Australia and continues the theme of semi abstracting subject matter.

This is one of my all time favourite paintings which I painted in Australia and entered into the ' United Nations Year Of the Forests' exhibition. It won me the first prize and it sold on the opening night.
It is of the magnificent Karrie trees of Margaret River in West Australia.

I have had a break in my painting and my blogging following the devastating loss of my husband Philip  after 40 yrs of wonderful marriage. I have returned to live in England and be nearer to both his and my family. I've now been here for nine months and have only just managed to complete two paintings. This is a start. I will now try to build up my motivation and confidence and go from here. My loss has been unbearable but I'm sure Philip would not wish me to give up.

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.

I am now into my second term of teaching acrylic painting. I have taught one or two people in the past, which is nice and intimate, but never many more than that. I found it quite nerve wracking at first. Then I really got into the swing of it and formulated a method of showing how to put people into their paintings, without putting too much distracting detail into them which leads to overworked, wooden looking people. The beginning of the second term with new students was also a little daunting, but now I am thoroughly enjoying myself. The experience has also helped me to be less nervous when I am demonstrating painting for an art club.

Still Life With Poppies 12"x12" Oil on canvas

SOLD

I painted this still life from my imagination. Must make a mental note not to do it this way again. I should set it up and paint from life or photograph it first.

Prevelly Beach. Margaret River. Acrylic on canvas

Margaret River is a beautiful area of the West Australian coast, and this part of the coast is Prevelly beach. Lovely to look at and lovely to paint.

JERSEY GIRL

SOLD

This painting was done from a Photograph that I took while we were in Devon, in the South of England. I risked getting stung with nettles and thistles to get this picture. I didn't really need to go to those lengths as this beautiful Jersey cow wandered closer to us to see what we were doing.

I painted it directly onto flat canvas which I had taped to a drawing board and left sufficiently wide margins so that it could be stretched onto stretcher bars. This saves much messing about trying to paint around the sides of a ready stretched canvas. I like my finished image to wrap around the entire surface.

A Place In the Country 12"x12" oil on canvas

SOLD

This painting recently won best oil painting in a local art club exhibition.
I used a dark background to paint on since this seems to give a greater intensity of colour. I drew the image onto the canvas using white coloured pencil then painted upto the line,leaving a dark outline. It was quite tricky because I didn't want to end up with something that looked like a stained glass window.

These two lovely old guys had enjoyed their swim and were just drying off.

Harley and Norton. oil, 12"x12"

These two Jack Russels belong to a friend of mine and
I painted them from a photograph. I think she was lucky that they were so obliging in sitting still. Maybe she bribed them. N.F.S.

The lovely back lighting from the rear of the bar was a challenge to say the least, but so enjoyable to paint.
SOLD

This painting was done from a photo taken at the Maroochie River, Maroochydore, Queensland. The storm was threatening and it didn't help that I was stood on a small wooden jetty with my camera poised. I was glad when I had enough pictures. Storm Approaching the River
oil 16"x16"