“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” Dan Zadra
Painting this little canvas was a joy. I had some paint left over from a project and didn’t want it to go to waste. I’m so happy with the colours that I’m thinking of painting a much larger version. No varnish for this one. I don’t want to change a thing.
Patina – acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 mm, 2017. Available.
The Heart of a Rose – acrylic on canvas, 400 x 400 mm, 2017. Available.
“Everything’s already been said, but since nobody was listening, we have to start again.” André Gide
This bold red rose is freshly varnished and now available on Etsy. I borrowed the rose shape from my 2014 painting Gold Medal but instead of a golden yellow, I’ve painted it red and turquoise. It’s one of my favourite colour combinations — I don’t know why I don’t use it in my art more often.
In other news, I had a successful art show over the weekend with ‘Any Road Will Take You There’ finding a new home. I went along on Friday night and was impressed with the wonderful variety of work on display.
I’m now working on a small landscape using the same turquoise as ‘The Heart of a Rose’ …but more on that later in the week.
The Golden Hour — watercolour and gouache, 128 x 128 mm, 2017. Available.
“A piece of art is never a finished work. It answers a question which has been asked, and asks a new question.” Robert Engman
Summer Harvest – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 255 mm, 2017. Available.
“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.” Edgar Degas
I Lost Myself – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available on Etsy.
I Will Stay Here – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available on Etsy.
“Your ability to see is your tools of trade; nothing else matters. Beautiful seeing is the desideratum. Remember, when you hear people say they can see a thing but not do it that they cannot really see it. If they did, they could do it even if they put the paint on with their fingers.” Charles Hawthorne
I’ve posted this quote before. It’s one that stays with me. I often find myself thinking “if I could really see this, I could put the paint on with my fingers”. But what if the thing you want to paint is the abstract impression of a favourite song? What if the thing you are “seeing” is a feeling, an impression, something in your mind’s eye?
I had one of my favourite songs playing in my head when I painted these little abstracts. I imagined being in the mountains just before dawn as the birds were beginning to wake up. You may see something completely different. Make of them what you will. I see the colours of early morning and mountains in the clouds. And I hear music… Birds by Lisa Crawley.
