Re-working

I see it has been a very long time with no blog post - way too long!  It's been a very busy year and quite productive with commissions and sales with the two galleries I am with. My work is changing and I feel myself growing in confidence as I challenged myself with larger canvases.

The task at hand for the moment is re-working of pieces I find myself not happy with any longer. As storage space is limited this is the route to go for me.

The first two to tackle are part of a series from my last post over a year ago. It will be interesting to see what direction they take!

A New Series in "My Style"

These two paintings are the first in a new series I have been working on lately.  This style combines collage, printmaking and mixed media painting on canvas. For years I have been experimenting with many mediums and techniques and this is the end result!  For some artists, myself included, it takes a long time to develop an individual 'style'. I now feel that all the time spent learning is coming together and I'm very happy and relaxed painting in this way!

More to come!

It's OK to Re-Think

Something was bothering me about this painting for a long time.  It is called 'Courage' and I found the section around the Chinese symbol  upsetting to me.  I finally decided to give it a good look and try a few options.  Blue and a calmer area called out to me.  I have a tendency to forget about leaving some quiet spaces in my paintings.  I am very happy with this one now - courage does need a calm attitude and the blue space does seem to be resonating outward amidst the chaos.

Another thing I am working on is more blog posts and making them short and sweet.  I will try and have something to say again tomorrow!

Stages of Carey's Painting

I am finally finished this painting which is 36" x 24" on gallery canvas. It came to me completely spontaneously and was quite a challenge to complete. I painted it for my son Carey's new house and it will be in the kitchen on a rusty red wall surrounded by cherry wood cupboards and gleaming oak floors. It will add a lot of colour and interest and hopefully be a good conversation piece.

I have included photos of my process, starting with applying gesso to an old painting. Each step was a surprise as I didn't have any idea where it was going. I just took my time and let the painting speak to me and evolve.