I did this landscape study for a commission arranged through Berkley Gallery. I often feel the need to do small studies such as this one both for the client's peace of mind, and for my own! They also help to bring together all the ideas (and hopes) that I have for the final painting. Although I seldom make an exact copy of any of these studies, they work well as a starting point. Size is 5 x 7 inches, oil on canvas.
One of my favorite pastimes is exploring old places and discovering something new. I have spent many hours walking through ruins and other old buildings trying to absorb the atmosphere of times gone by. I came across this scene inside an abandoned house many years ago while hiking in Hong Kong - the old basket had seen years of use and was now falling apart. In the dim light of the interior, it somehow took on a different meaning for me as I thought about the people who must have lived there. Size of this painting is 14 x 11 inches, acrylic on board.
This Royal Tern was resting and preening in amongst other birds seen at the beach mentioned in my last post. My sketches and studies of it were looser than the Forster's Terns but one of my studies managed to capture a more interesting view so when I got home, I started this watercolor. I wanted the bird standing in very shallow water just on the edge of the sand with wavelets forming as the tide slowly came in. I worked hard to capture this idea putting down many washes and building up the tones until I was happy with the result. A few bits of sea foam completed the painting. Size is 12 x 9 inches.
I noticed a flock of birds on the beach just above the waterline so slowly made my way towards them. Eventually I managed to get close enough that I was almost surrounded by birds then settled down so that I could study them. I chose Forster's Terns for my first watercolor paintings doing these in my sketchbook.
Heavy snow has fallen in the reserve and turned each bush into a snow sculpture. I love times like this when I can explore the landscape - everything seems fresh and new. Size of this study is 7 x 5 inches, oil on canvas.
The third in the window series and the one that I spent to most time on. I moved in a little closer for this painting choosing an upper-story window in direct sunlight which allowed me to see a little of the interior. The bricks are a little darker than in the Library Window painting that I did earlier and using the same technique, I loosely indicated the brickwork then began working on the interior. Most of what I could see indicated that this was a storeroom of sorts as there was quite a bit of piled up stuff inside. The half-opened blind took longer than expected (actually the whole painting did) but eventually after many washes of color building up the tones and textures over the whole work, the painting was finished. Size is 15 x 11 inches, acrylic on Strathmore paper.
This painted brick building stood out from all the rest having been done in a light green paint that had become textured and faded over the years. There was also a lot of cracked and peeling paint on the ornate cornice as well so once again I picked up my acrylics and after a detailed drawing, set to work! I had a lot of fun with this one trying to capture the overall feel of the place without adding too many details. As in the first of this window series, I tried giving an impression of all the brickwork without painting each one, then adding some texture here and there until I was happy with the result. Size is 15 x 11 inches, acrylic on Strathmore paper.
