Images of the month (Painters Online, November 2013)

My "Sunflower Square / Last Sunflower" is one of Painters Online's images of the month (November 2013). Which is nice.

Not on canvas any more...

Something to make you smile, I hope...

Thankfully, the promised storm seems to have turned out to be a bit of a damp squib in this area.

Micheldever Shopping

That Micheldever Christmas thing.

A Bit Like Portreath

This 5x7 inch canvas was painted with two wintery photgraphs of Portreath, Cornwall, in front of me, but is only loosely based on them.

Oil on canvas, 5 x 7"

Micheldever Woods

I've got a Christmas craft fair in Micheldever next month, so I thought I'd do something with the best photograph from our visit to the woods that share the village's name. It's really about the way that the light catches the leaves, making them glow.

Oil on Canvas, 20 x 50 cm
SOLD

Things I Have Learned From Making Self Portraits

1. Conté on blue Murano paper

It's quite an education, doing self portraits.

Inktense Sketches

"Inktense" is one of Derwent's brand names They found a way of locking up strong ink pigment in a solid form that could be released with water. A bit like blocks of watercolour, but using ink, not paint. And the colour can be used dry as well.

Derwent are best known for their pencils, so - naturally - they encased this interesting material in wood and sold it as Inktense pencils (as well as bars). I was a bit slow in picking up on Inktense, but I recently bought a tin of 12 pencils, and here are a couple of my exploratory sketches.

Poppy Square

What else to finish this short series of floral squares with but poppies? 

Thatcham English Barn

This barn - a grade 2 listed building - is right in the centre of the town of Thatcham. It's still there, but now there is hoarding around it and a residential home behind it; this is from a black and white photograph that I took around 10 years ago.

Acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7"

Thatcham Bluecoats School, A4 side

When I lived in Thatcham, I grew rather fond of the old Bluecoats school building. Back then, it had a sign proclaiming "Antique Pine" (although it never seemed to be open) and all views of it were partially obscured by street furniture - roadsigns, pedestrian crossing controls, barriers...

Sunflower Square (Last Sunflower)

It was our last remaining sunflower, and it's a square painting... as it's part of a short series of close-up flowers outdoors but with no sky, the "Square" title takes precedence.

I think Sunflower Square would be a lovely address. So would Bluebell Square, of course...

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 cm
08 October 2013

Bluebell Square

An acrylic / palette knife treatment of one of the many source photographs from my successful bluebell painting expedition in May.

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 cm

LEGO Minifigures 87: Skeleton

Well, it is Hallowe'en in a couple of weeks...

Acrylic on Canvas, 7x7cm

Rock, Canvas, Painting Knife ... and some other books

7" (showing the front on the book)
and 12" (shoing the rear) versions of
Rock, Canvas, Painting Knife

My new book has arrived!

In plenty of time for Christmas (and upcoming Christmas fairs).

It has 32 pages of rocktastic paintings and drawings, all inspired by stones in various forms.

LEGO Minifigures 86: Veni Vidi Vici

He came, he saw, he conquered. But the Roman Senator - or is it Julius Ceasar himself? - doesn't look very happy.

Acrylic on canvas, 7x7cm

Avebury Evening

Well, it was late afternoon, early evening.

School Mural Project: Second wall done

I spent yesterday morning applying black lines and highlights to "Heart of the Village," on the front of the local primary school.

LEGO Minifigures 85: Centurion

Looking at this fellow's face, and considering the sudden temperature drop, I'm not sure if he's saying "Grrr" or "Brrr".

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm
10 October 2013

Scarpa!

After discovering the effectiveness of my "secondary"palette, I decided to reapply it. The subject was a largely monochromatic one (a bit like a portrait): my sturdy leather walking boots (which were made by Scarpa, and have been in my possession since January 1993).

Secondary

I don't usually post all of my self portraits, although I might slip one of them in as a profile picture every now and then.

Heartstone

Some time ago, my young daughter gave me a heart-shaped pebble that she found on a beach. I kept it, and eventually I made these two pictures of it.

Tadley Library Exhibition: Installation View

A bit of car

This is an alternator that my husband acquired, disovered it was non-functional, and left in the garden.

Bradgate Heights - not for sale

This is based on a photograph of my two children at Bradgate Park, Leicester. The image stood out from the many photographs that I took; it was full of rich contrast. It was begging to be painted.