Duality

Acrylics on canvas, 60x60cm.
On my recent visit to Arran for my working holiday I took with me four canvases each 60cm square. I am intrigued by this sqare format and think that I can do wonderful things with them - they are a good shape for placing two decent sized figures side-by-side, or a single subject filling the whole surface. The intention was to take these canvases with me out on field trips and paint direct from life, but I took cold feet, not wanting to stand about in public painting at an easle. I have done it before but maybe I'm getting too old for it, certainly more reticent about exposing myself in public to the looks and comments of passers-by. I hate being a side-show for the tourists especially when I am struggling to make a decent painting worthy of viewing.
So these four boards were kept firmly indoors at the cottage where I was staying where i had set myself up in a makeshift studio in the kitchen/dining room. This painting came from one session where I allowed myself to open up and freely express some of the thoughts in my head. Or in this case these two heads - one full of energy and life, and the other, darker, a shadow of it's friend. The concept I was exploring (again) is one of personal duality. In fact that's what I'll call it 'Duality'.

Windsurfing

Oils on paper, 30x25cm. Took a trip down to the coast at Troon on Saturday, got out my little fold-away chair, and sat for an hour or so sketching these guys fly up and down the surf with these fantastic kites that pulled them along at great speed on their surfboards. The boards have two loops which they stick their feet through to hold on and they skite across the waves sometimes flying up 5metres into the air. On occassions they land flat back on the water and carry on, but mostly they crash into the sea and have to start again. These guys are hardy because, although it is a bright warm sunny day the water is absolutely freezing! Just as well they have these black all-in-one thermal suits on otherwise they would be like blocks of ice in no time!
In this little painting I was trying to capture the fleeting movements of the kite as it whooshes past, and maybe a little of the thrill these blokes obviously get and my enjoyment of the action. I've made this surfer very cavalier by holding the ropes with only one hand and waving to the onlookers to show just how cool he is!
I could do that (if I wasn't such a wimp when it comes to activities on, and in, the icy waters!!!).

Salsa Night

Acrylics on paper, 59x43cm.
This came from an amalgum of two pencil sketches I made whilst at an introductory salsa dance night many years ago. Nothing came of it that time probably because we were still thinking in terms of Cha Cha Cha, Rhumba, and other Latin American, along with Modern Ballroom of our regular dance club which all have a very different basis of rythm and movement. But that was then, and this is now. The dance club we went to at that time has long since disbanded but we still need to get out of an evening and shake those hips and move those feet. Salsa is the only dance class currently available to us in EK so two weeks ago we went along to see how it would be and where it would take us. Although the music is not 100% to my liking it is still fun to dance and I'm glad to say we enjoyed it very much! So this sketchy painting came with the beat and the action still in my head demanding to be put down on paper for me to relive the enjoyment of the night and what better place to turn to than my sketchbook for inspiration.

Reclining Nude

charcoal and pastel on paper, 59x43cm.
Working from a simple, two-minute, sketch this was worked up with mainly black, but also a little bit of colour - pink, red and white. It sort of encapsulates all that I am trying to do with my figure drawings - unusual poses which are very dramatic.

Tumbling Man

acrylics on paper, 59x43cm.
Painted in one sitting from drawing made last week, at Life Drawing, of Jim, only instead of using him in the original vertical format I turned him on his side. Strikes me as being more dynamic!

The Girl's on Fire

acrylics on paper, 59c43cm.
Painted with a passion for the female figure.

Girl at Rest

acrylics on paper, 46x64cm.
Using a fairly loose technique of laying in broad areas of colour first to create an atmosphere, then 'drawing' the figure on top with brushes. Further layers are added to define the figure more specifically, and make corrections where necessary.

Two Figures

acrylics on board, 30x40cm.
Using myself as the model these were painted on small boards primed with gesso and using the acrylics fairly fluidly. On the left I gave the figure longer hair because I felt like it!

A Man at the Door

oils on hardboard, 46x61cm. Based on a photograph of myself (how else could I get this rear view!), it was painted with a palette knife over an old, failed, painting, some of which is allowed to show through in places. I have intentionally tried not to describe every aspect of the painting in too much detail, prefering to leave somethings to the viewers imagination.

Alone

Original life drawing: charcoal pencil on paper, 43x59cm.
Painting: acrylics on paper, 43x59cm.

The Blue Scarf

Painted about 2 years ago it didn't get to see the light of day until a few weeks ago on my Art - Drawing and Painting site when it attracted great interest and recieved good reviews. So much so when a fellow artist suggested we do an 'art exchange' this, out of all my paintings, was the one she chose. I posted it off last over a week ago to Phillidelphia via Royal Mail Airsure, with an expected delivery time of 5 days. I really hope it gets delivered today. I'm beginning to get nervous with the delay!

Wood Nymphs

Original life drawing: charcoal pencil and pastel on paper, 43x59cm.

Composition with second figure and colour study: pastel on paper, 43x59cm.
Final painting: oils on stretched canvas, 51x76.5cm.

Lovers

James' Fiery Thoughts

oil on board, 75x53cm.

Figure Composition

Beginnings of a figure composition. I'm thinking that it should be a range of blues contrasted with the strong orange and red. I will want it to be a little more abstract.

Greeting the Morning

Created this morning as the final stage in a step-by-step progression from original Life Drawing to final completion, and posted onto a new Flickr site called: the art process,,,building a painting.
This can be found at: www.flickr.com/groups/

Lisa from the North

Charcoal and pastel on paper, 43x59cm. Mostly done from memory. I had barely got started on this pose when time was called. Completed it with pastels on return to the studio.

The Bleeding Man

Pencil and acrylics wash on paper, 30x43cm. This was done last year at an experimental Life Drawing Class at Strathclyde University. I loved the course as it allowed me to follow someone elses direction for a while (four weeks) and let myself go.

Little Boy Blue

I like the energy created by this method of working - heavy impasto applied with a palette knife over an older (failed) painting allowing prvious layers to show through. It is fragmented in places but allows me to be more expressive.

Jacqui reading

Made this painting about two years ago now of Jacqui sitting out in my studio reading a paper. It was painted 'alla prima' within about 30 minutes - thats about as long as J would sit for me without a cup of coffee in her hand! I was pretty pleased at the time and on re-viewing I find I am still happy with it withiout needing to add anything else. The reason I was looking at it again was as part of an ongoing discussion with an american artist friend, Mary Ann, on Yahoos' photosite Art-Drawing and Painting. We have a lively discussion going on regarding favourite artists and in particular portrait painting. Yesterday I posted four pictures by my superheroes William Gillies, Joan Eardley and Anne Redpath.