All that glitters....

When I'm designing a large piece, I sometimes paint a little watercolour study first, to play with colours and proportions. I'm working on a large canvas at the moment, and wanted to add a little bit of shimmer. This watercolour is my 'first draft' so to speak, so I added a bit of drama with the slash of gold through the centre:

'All that Glitters'
watercolour and gouache on paper
210mm x 297mm

I then added a few more gold accents here and there, just to pull the design together.

(sorry about the terrible pics - my poor old camera is on its last legs, and my new SLR is on order - can't wait!)

I took a leaf (pardon the pun) out of Shannon Fricke's very stylish book, and picked some pretty weeds, in the perfect shade of yellow, to pop into my pink dotty jug. A little bright spot in a rather grey, winters' day!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Ours will be jam-packed full of sport tomorrow, so I'm planning a nice relaxing Sunday.

See you soon,

Inspired

Sometimes, inspiration can be hard to come by. I've had times in the past when painting has been a torturous process, and I've come to learn that often, it's other stuff going on in our lives that blocks creativity. Stress, upheaval...you name it, it can wreak havoc. Of course, these things can act as a catalyst for some artists, but for me, it's rarely the case. Lately, it's been the opposite - I have so many ideas, there's just not enough time to paint everything I'd like to. But that's quite a nice problem to have, so I'm not complaining. Here's an abstract I've just finished...a little departure from the detailed watercolour pieces.

'In Motion'

mixed media on canvas

500mm x 400mm (20" x 16")

(this will be listed on Etsy as soon as I sort out shipping costs - in the meantime, if you're interested please drop me a line and I'll give you a quote)

Not sure how well you can see the detail in this pic, but the circular patterning is in metallic gold. This is a smaller piece, and the first in a new series. In an upcoming post, I'll show you how to combine different works - abstracts on canvas, framed prints, watercolours etc to create a really unique and personal gallery. It's always nice to see rooms that have been put together over time, and it's also perfect if you can't afford to splash out on large artworks - a collection can be added to when time and money allow.

So, back to painting. I'd no sooner put the finishing touches to this piece when I saw this pic over on Jessie Lauren's gorgeous blog:

via Apartment Therapy

...which reminded me of this....

.

 

via Elle Decoration

...which led to this - a large diptych in moody blues. It's not quite finished yet, but here's a teaser:

'Glacial I & II'

mixed media on canvas

Diptych - each canvas 700mm x 700mm (28" x 28")

So, for those of you who've wondered about the process of creating art, I'm sure I'm not your usual case study! I'm terribly fickle at times, and probably a little scattered in my approach, but hey, that's just how it is. And it never gets boring, so that makes it fun too - there's always something new catching my eye. 

Hope you've all had a great day, and I'll see you tomorrow with the reveal of this latest piece.

Into the blue...and jogging my memory

It's no secret that I love me a bit of blue. Indigo, cobalt, azure, turquoise, aqua......love 'em all. So when I saw this month's issue of Veranda magazine, it was enough to whet my appetite.

via kirstenkelli.com

I know I'm not alone here. I saw this pic on the lovely Judy's blog, Verandah House today:

...not only did I fall in love with all the gorgeous blues, it also reminded me of a commission I did some time ago. I thought I'd lost these photos when my old desktop computer died, but after some sleuthing I managed to find them. Thanks Judy!

'Into the Blue I'

'Into the Blue II and III'

Lends a whole new meaning to 'feeling blue', doesn't it?