Day 28 of 30

Medieval Bridge, Sommieres 

  I had an earlier start today and decided to head for the bridge. I set up with my easel half on the wall so as not to block the pavement and got cracking. I had intended a free, loose painting but it kind of tightened up. 

Lunch was a delightful interlude with Tom and Felicity 

Yes, there is a carafe of wine, well we are in France.

In the afternoon I went off and found a quiet square and painted a pretty cafe. 

It turns out that it was the Italian restaurant that we ate in that evening.  

Day 27 of 30

Morning sun, Sommieres

Felicity and I arrived at our hotel Last night. We are knocked out by the place. It is very bohemian and quirky. We spent the morning exploring Sommieres, an old medieval town. There are paintings to be done everywhere you look. I settled on this view first and then went down by the river

Autumn Leaves on the River

Day 25 of 30

Lemon and Yellowish Green 

I should have been packing for my trip to France but couldn't help but paint this as I knew I'd not have a chance whilst traveling. I posted it on social media the morning I left.

Day 24 0f 30

Lemon and Lime 8" x 8" oil on canvas covered board

I have fallen behind with my painting a day. I am not going to beat myself up about it because sometimes other things are more important like, having three granddaughters for the day. To be honest I did have time when they left but I was exhausted.
This painting was started yesterday morning but had to be abandoned to take the dog for a long walk as we were visiting friends for the day. I finished it when we came home at 7.30. It has a certain looseness about it which is probably explained by the fact that I was not the driver yesterday!±!!

Day 21 of 30

Going Out 5" x 3"  oil on canvas covered card

Playing catch up here as I have been rather busy. I managed this little subject just before going out last night. A simple but fun painting to paint.

Day 19 of 30

Norfolk Sunset 16" x 20" oil on canvas £690

This is bigger than I am used to recently. It was painted over two days in the studio from an earlier painting that I wasn't entirely pleased with. I'm much happier with this and have asked for it to replace the earlier image in my book. Hopefully the book goes to press tomorrow so not sure when release date is yet - I expect I will let you know 😉

Days 15 - 18 of 30

I have been painting every day - honest, but have slightly neglected to post here.

Day 16

Day 15

Two versions of the same subject. I felt the first one was too hard and wanted to try a different palette and softer edges

Day 17

It had got to the end of day and I hadn't done my painting as I'd been wiped out with some weird virus. This was hastily painted in fading light. Not sure cup shape is right but I like the looseness and colours.

Day 18

 A friend gave me a bag of mixed chillies. I used a couple in the evening  meal and did this quick study while it was cooking. Amazing shapes and colours.

Day 14 0f 30

'Gourd Company' 8' x 8"  oil

These little gourds are quite complex in colours . The dips are naturally darker and a different colour, the problem is to convey this while at the same time changing to tones to represent shadows to give the whole thing form, they also have little splodges of colour on them, difficult not to make them look spotty - eggs are easier!!

Day 13 of 30

Gourd 8" x 8" oil

• couldn't resist buying some gourds when I saw them on Spalding market yesterday. This is the first one, I started with the simplest one to ease myself in. The shapes are really interesting.
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Day 12 of 30 Three Sunflowers

Three Sunflowers. 8" x 8" oil

I couldn't resist having another go at the sunflowers. Having painted just the one yesterday, I painted three today and feel that the flowers are a little looser . 

I think I am generally happier with this but it maybe a tad on the small side. Perhaps a larger board would loosen me up even more?

Day 11 of 30

Sunflower 8" x 8" oil

I loved painting this beauty. As I finished the sun came out and shone through the petals. Wow, what an amazing sight. Hoping for sun tomorrow 😊

Day 10 of 30

Peaches on an Indian Dish  8" x 8" Oil

This was a hastily painted subject as we had our two lively (but lovely) grandsons staying with us. I snatched 1/2 an hour with they were allowed to play on an IPad.
I liked the perspective of looking down on the  subject. I felt that the fabric added a complimentary interest to the picture. This is something that I would like to explore more.

Day 9 of 30 or even more lemons

Lemons on Blue background 3" x 5"

Still exploring different colours for painting lemons. Would have liked to do a larger painting today but we have two lively grandsons on a sleepover.

Day 8 of 30 or More Lemons

Lemon halves 3" x 5" oil

                                     

In spite of my first impression looking at the lemons I didn't use any lemon yellow paint in the lemon painting.

Gold Green and Cadmium Yellow were the main colours. Mixed with white and sometimes a touch of Cad Red I was able the mix the colours I wanted.

Day 7 of Thirty, Playing with Yellow

Lemons 3" x 5" oil

Today I decided to try out some different yellows I had lurking in my box of paint tubes.
I found that Green Gold by W & N makes for an interesting colour in the shaded part of the lemon. I also used Cadmium yellow deep, Old Holland Golden green Deep, Michael Harding Yellow Lake, a touch of Cadmium Red and Flake White

Day 6 of 30 or why you should paint eggs

Eggs 8" x 6"

I put a couple of eggs in yesterday's painting and it made me think what a perfect thing they are to paint.

If you have never painted an egg before then, you should.

Here are some of the pros

1. you won't spend ages drawing it

2. It's a gentle curve so you can practice blending tones

3. You can paint several in a short space of time

4. You will have to look carefully for subtle colour changes and reflected light

5. Because it's not a big subject it's easier to experiment with edges, try blending and smudging 

6. Try using minimal brush strokes 

7. Play with different colours in background 

And then there are the possibilities of the cracked egg - I think I could go on but I won't because it time to paint eggs !

Day 5 of 30

Pancakes for tea. 12" x 12" oil

Decided to take a break from painting flowers today. I had these lemons in a bowl which were the inspiration for this picture 

Day 4 of 30 in 30

 

                                              Cosmos flowers 8"x 8" oil 

I had to rush this one this morning as I was taking some paintings to London today. Because I was in a rush I had to look extra hard to get the shapes and spaces right. It maybe a bit rough but I quite like it.

I now am playing the waiting game to see if any of my paintings are accepted for the Discerning Eye exhibition. Eek!!

Day 3 30 in 30

Cosmos 8' x 8' oil

Well, I thought I enjoyed painting the Marigolds but these are even more fun. They are self sets in my garden from last year. I will definitely be spreading a few more seeds around in Spring.

30 in 30 Day 2

Marigolds in Quimper jug 8" x 8" oil

These little marigolds are a delight to paint and a perfect companion to the little French jug.

30 in 30 Day 1

Leslie Saeta has once again invited artist to join her in the challenge '30 in 30' where artists paint and post their paintings on her blog for 30 days. I have joined in a couple of times before and find that not only is it a good discipline and motivation but it is also fun to see the work of the other artists around the world. This year there are over 1000 artists taking part.
To see their work go to Leslie's blog 

This is the first one for me

Imari Bowl with Grapes & Satsumas 8" x 8" oil

I love painting this Imari bowl . It isn't just the colour but I love the shape too. It goes so well with various fruit.