Tag Archives: Etsy

All I can be is me — whoever that is

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Wild Clouds – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 610 mm, 2017. Available.

“All I can be is me — whoever that is.” Bob Dylan

Another painting; another journey. ‘Wild Clouds’ incorporates quite a few of my favourite things: mountains, clouds, light, texture, the familiar and the abstract. It won’t appeal to everyone. That’s okay. My husband diplomatically says “it’s not my taste” and that’s okay too. Hey, I’m not quite sure I like it. But then I leave the room and come back and think, mmmm, yes, it really is okay. It changes with the light. It shifts and doesn’t stay still. I love the colours and the shape of the clouds. It is playful. It is dramatic. And, at the end of the day, it is finished.

I used an almost identical palette to that of ‘The Heart of a Rose’ with the addition of a shimmery gold for the sunset. The red was mixed into the pinks, purples, and greys. I originally intended the sky to be quite golden and more like the reference photograph (see below) but it didn’t look right. It was too happy, too sunny for winter.The golden light looks wonderful in the photo… but then the snow in the photo isn’t blue. Changes were made, layers were added (a lot of lovely layers), and now it is done. It will be listed on Etsy next week.

Update: Wild Clouds is now available via Etsy or directly from me via my ‘Available Work’ page.

Wild Clouds – detail

Wild Clouds – side detail

Alpine Sunset, 2013, photo reference

Wild Clouds – in situ

Worry is a misuse of the imagination

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“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.

We have to start again

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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.

Everything you can imagine is real

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An Answer to Prayer, detail – mixed media on canvas

“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso

‘An Answer to Prayer’ is my latest painting: an abstract initially inspired by, of all things, fridge poetry.* But the words were just the starting point. This painting has taken me on quite a journey. I’ve ventured way outside my comfort zone. Way, way outside. I have painted abstracts before but this was an entirely different experience and I’ve ended up with something that doesn’t look like anything I’ve painted before. I guess that’s to be expected when you’re experimenting. I would call it an imagined landscape rather than an imaginary one. It’s surreal and personal and creating it has made me see Picasso’s words in a new light.

*Fridge poetry is made from magnetic word sets that can be arranged and rearranged on a fridge door, providing endless hours of fun and amusement. I posted photographs of some of my favourites on Facebook a few years ago. This painting was inspired by one of those poems and was transferred to the canvas using the same technique as ‘Time’.

An Answer to Prayer – mixed media on canvas, 305 x 610 mm, 2017. Available.

An Answer to Prayer, another view

Experiment time

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Time, detail – mixed media on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available.

Time has its own unique sound.
I’ve heard the talking hours.

I have been experimenting with transferring printed poetry on to canvas. I printed the poem on paper using a standard inkjet printer and transferred it to the canvas using acrylic gel medium. It’s a technique that works surprisingly well. Once dry, the paper is removed by dampening it with water and rubbing it off very carefully. This is the tricky part because there is always a danger of removing the printed image along with the paper. I then painted around the words to create a sort of arty version of the original blackout poem.

I added touches of yellow ochre and some light blue and gave it a slightly mad but subtle texture. It’s still mostly black though. In fact it’s so black that I had to take the canvas outside to get a decent photograph. I think the leafy autumn backdrop rather suits the poem (below).

My next experiment is going to be a ‘fridge poetry’ painting. And whatever image that sentence just conjured up for you… it’s not going to look anything like that.

Time – mixed media on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available.

Time – side view