Author: Anna Cull

Both sides of the line

| Anna Cull
Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows) – acrylic on canvas, 510 x 760 mm, 2015. For sale at The Christchurch Art Show, June 2015.
Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows) – acrylic on canvas, 510 x 760 mm, 2015. Sold.

“Draw on both sides of the line, not just what you’re enclosing. The shape you’re making on the outside is as important as the one you’re making on the inside.” Leon Polk Smith

My latest painting, the one that began last week with this photo and sketch: a combination of brilliant sunlight and playful cloud shapes. And who doesn’t love finding things in the clouds?

I’m reminded of the Joni Mitchell song Both Sides, Now: “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow it’s cloud illusions I recall ― I really don’t know clouds at all.”

Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows), landscape detail
Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows), landscape detail
Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows), cloud detail
Landscape in the late afternoon (with cows), cloud detail

The last autumn

| Anna Cull

This commission was a bit special, both for the client and for me. The Press Building was the home of The Press newspaper from 1909 until February 2011. A beautiful building situated in Cathedral Square, it was one of the casualties of the Christchurch 2010–2011 earthquakes. Even though the painting shows its last autumn (in 2010), we wanted it to represent happier times and evoke fond memories.

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The painting is a combination of two of my In the Style of… paintings: the building and tree from The Press and the leaves from Tram. The red geraniums originally appeared in Press Lane, an experimental sketch I did in 2013. I photographed the final painting on a dull day — the tree is actually very dark brown, not black. And at 40″ x 54″ (1015mm x 1370mm), it’s my largest ever painting.

It’s Thursday again

| Anna Cull

I’m in the middle of working on the large painting I mentioned last week ― a very exciting and all-consuming commission ― so until I have something else to show you, here are a few WIPs of ‘Thursday (Avon River)’…

WIP underpainting the basic composition
WIP underpainting the basic composition
WIP adding colour
WIP adding colour
WIP adding more colour
WIP adding more colour…
WIP getting bolder...
WIP getting bolder…
Thursday (Avon River) – acrylic on canvas, 510 x 760 mm, 2015. For sale at The Christchurch Art Show, June 2015.
until… Thursday (Avon River) – acrylic on canvas, 510 x 760 mm, 2015. SOLD

I had something quite different in mind when I started this ― yes, I wanted bold, but I hadn’t counted on there being an explosion in the paint factory. I’ve thought about tweaking it here and there, taming some of the bright colours and lightening the water, but my husband really likes it and won’t let me touch it again ; )