Shasta Patch

The World Loves a Tryer - and I can be very trying!
Here's another experiment, this time in watercolour, trying to capture these damned elusive daisies:

Watercolour on rough paper, 50x32cm: "Shasta Patch"; What I'm trying to do is capture the feeling of these long thin stalks reaching for the sky and swaying in the breeze. I also have another image developing in oils but that's for another posting when I think I definitely can't do anything else with it. Meanwhile, I set up my travelling easel in the garden with a little side table to lay out my paintbox and waterpot and painted this while the daisies swayed about in the wind. I purposefully set the board at a very acute angle (-85deg) so that the applications of watercolour would streak downwards and just laid on bold brushstrokes heavy with colour.

I know I haven't yet achieved my objective but this is another step along the way and I had some fun doing it!

Shasta Daisies

Still playing with this little moleskine sketchbook trying to see what else I can do with it and how the marks of different materials stand up. Felt pens seem to work wonders, skating over the smooth surface with marvelous unencumbered freedom (thinks: maybe I'll do Casey's Freedom theme with these pens?)

My other predilection at the moment are these wonderful perenial Shata Daisies, or Chrysanthemum maximum "Wirral Pride" as we call them in these parts:

Felt pens on moleskine paper, 2x 9x14cm: "Apart from the Crowd"; It's amazing how tall these stalks stand with their frilly white flowerheads without blowing over in the wind. Probably because they hang in there together as a clump giving each other physical if not moral support. But, as is my way, I like to set one apart from the crowd to give her/him/it individuality. The resulting image triggers an association with the work of Joan Mitchell and her colourful eight-foot high abstract expressionist "scribbles". I would give my right arm to paint like her, but then I wouldn't be able to hold the brush now would I?

Felt pens on moleskine paper, 2x9x14cm:"Shasta Cloud"; Without being too prescriptive trying to let my pens float across the pages the colours chosen by disengaging my mind (not too hard to do). Felt pens on moleskine paper, 2x9x14cm:"Shasta Starburst"; Like exploding skyrockets these two flowerheads burst out in all directions, the creation of whole new worlds from life's dark matter.

So I'm pleased with how felt pens work on the moleskine paper. Must try something new tomorrow.

Three Red Peppers

I've always avoided doing red peppers as a subject because I feel it has been done to death, but today when preparing a salad for lunch I could'nt resist the luscious image this pepper made when sliced in half. It was a good opportunity to try watercolours in my own new moleskine sketchbook without having to pass it on to someone else if it was a disaster!

Pencil and watercolour on Moley paper: "Red Pepper 1"; Free flowing pencil line then sloshing some strong watercolour on the smooth paper. Well the first thing I learned was that the paper isn't exactly absorbent and the colour skates about a bit before it finds somewhere comfortable to settle. So much for being inspired by Vivien's alternative moleskine exchange thinking I must try that too!
Pencil and watercolour on moleskine paper: "Red Pepper 2"; Getting more confident that I can control the colour but still not a lot different from the first attempt.

Pencil and watercolour on moleskine paper: "Red Pepper 3"; Getting the hang of this and in fact beginning to like the way the colour separates and settles where it will making for an exciting and unpredictable finish. Here are the three drawing/paintings together:

Pencil and watercolour on paper: "The Three Amigos"; Although they are each painted about 9x13.5cm I can just see them 90cm wide by 1.5m high. That's another project added to my list. When will I get round to doing them? Manyana!

Flowers to the Left Flowers to the Right...

I don't particularly see myself as a flower painter but at the moment there are flowers galore around our house. Now I am happy and that's a good thing but with so much proliferation I feel I have to paint as many as I can while they are there for me.
First up is a full blooming carnation which survives in glorious effusuion while all the other flowers in the bouquet, particularly the roses, are wilting and going brown:

Acrylics on paper, 30x40cm: "Bleeding Carnation"; This flower is so deep and powerful I felt my response had to be equally strong, so it had to be acrylics used very loosely and expressively to say how I felt about it.
Pleased, but somehow not quite there yet. Go deeper:

Acrylics on paper, 30x40cm:"Dark Carnation"; Very fluid washes of strong colour laid down with uncompromising strokes.

Working in the studio is fine when the rain is battering down outside but when the sun bursts out I grab what I think is necessary for an outdoor session - sketching easel, pot of water, tin palette with some freshly squeezed acrylic colour, A2 plywood board with a sheet of heavy cartridge paper, and my trusty Chinese caligraphy squirrel brush (large). These Shasta Daisies are constantly catching my attention as the grow at warp speed and reach for the sky:

Acrylics on paper, A2: "Shasta Sunburst"; Most are still just about to open but a couple have already spread themselves to reveal their bright yellow centre like big frilly fried eggs.

Acrylics on paper, A3: "Oh You Are Awful, But I like It!" If only we had more than two weeks of warm weather during the year!

Jacqueline's Birthday Bouquet

Today is Jacqueline's birthday and for 20 days we are the same age (no, not a hundred and two!). So I made these two small pastel paintings of her birthday bouquet:



Both Neocolour II on paper, A5: "Yellow Roses and Blue Iris"; And dotted around with other small round white flowers. Looking down directly on top of them. But the Neocolours make an awfu' mess when you hold a full-length stick before it inevitably breaks in half with the pressure I put on them. Thankfully they are watersoluable but let's hope they are non-toxic as well otherwise I could be sprouting these flowers out the end of my fingers!


Neocolours II on flesh, 5x4cm: "Where Love and Life Collides"; My favourite colours together in the palm of my hand. Happy Birthday Jacqueline - I'll never wash them off for as long as I live, so they always remind me of you, my sugar-pie!

The Zen of Weeding

After the days work is done I often take my garden chair out front to my little circular lawn where I can catch the last rays of the setting sun. My next door neighbour was making use of the light nights also by doing a bit of weeding on her driveway - picking out each single weed individually. It struck me that this was very meditative: identify the weed, pluck it out, place it in a bag, identify the weed, pluck it out, place it in a bag. She worked like this for over half an hour by which time my glass was empty and the sun had dipped behind a roof further down the drive. Time to go in.
Pencil (5B) on paper, A5: "The Zen of Weeding"; Fascinating!

Pencil (5B) on paper, A5: "Zen of Weeding 2"; Total concentrated focus. None must get away!

Last Post for the Poppy

The Poppies are finished now with this very last one dropping it's petals as I sit and draw it!

Pastels on paper, 33x29cm: "Last Poppy 1"; The petal flaps about vigorously in the gentlest of breezes seemingly desparate to break free and fly away. To capture the moment I often stare and stare then quickly shut my eyes like a camera shutter, then record my remembrance of it.

Pastel on paper, 33x29cm: "Last Poppy 2"; When I did this one I didn't imagine that it might look like a fashion model with bob hairstyle (like YSL's A/W2008 Collection) feather ruff and long Valentino red dress. All I need is to add a pair of skinny legs and platform shoe-boots to see this one strutting down the catwalk! (I must try that for a future post).

Pastels on paper, 33x29cm: "Last Poppy 3"; Now the wind is getting up and the petal can no longer hang on. A sharp gust and....FREEDOM! Off it went to the other side of the garden where it will disappear back into the earth. Goodbye red petal, it was nice seeing you. Let's meet again next June and we can share our stories of glory!

Pastels on paper, 33x29cm: "Last Poppy 4"; Where did that other petal come from? Who knows, but he's gone now never to be seen again! Sound the bugle and play a lament for what they gave me was hours of pleasure and now they are gone. Except I have got these images to remind me, and if anyone would like one too then just follow this link to Etsy:

http://davidcornelius.etsy.com/