Grapes and cream jug

I enjoyed painting the grapes yesterday so thought I'd have another go

Cream Jug with Grapes & Lime  8" x 8" oil on board

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Because of the shape of the jug I felt as if I'd painted a bit tightly. Will have to give it another go.

Brushes

This is a painting I did a couple of days a go. I grabbed the nearest thing to hand as I wanted to just loosen up my still life a bit after painting landscapes for two weeks. I used the Zorn pallet, Black, Cadmium Red and Yellow Ochre with white. The subject lent itself to that pallet.

Brushes in the Studio 8" x 8"  £75

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Milk Jug with Grapes

I've never painted grapes before so thought I'd have a go before they all got eaten. A simple subject, I loved the way the light caught them

Milk Jug and Grapes 8"x 8"  £75

                   I have put this painting up for auction in Daily Paintworks click here to bid

China Cup

Rainy today so set up in the studio. I struggle with ovals so decided to do a tea cup challenge, challenge it was but thoroughly enjoyed it.

China Tea  8" x 8"  £75

Wapping Trip

I was delighted that I was able to join the Wappers this year on their annual painting trip tp France.
The Wapping Group of Artists was formally founded in 1946 and is still going strong.

We departed with our coach from Portsmouth on the overnight ferry. First call on board is the very splendid restaurant where we all get to chat and catch up with what everyone has been up to.
Early next morning we arrived to paint in St Malo, unfortunately it was overcast and the tide was in so, no beach painting, I opted for a view of the carousel outside the walls

St Malo 10" x 12" oil on board

 By the time I'd finished the weather had brightened up so I went to the sea front and did a quick pic of the sea and the island. Very cold though.
We arrived in Le Croisic late afternoon the real enthusiasts went straight off painting, Felicity and I decided to settle into our room and went for a walk to get the lie of the land.

6.30am next day, I was on the beach trying to capture the sunrise

Sunrise, Le Croisic 6" x6" oil on board

After breakfast I walked into the town, a bit of a hike in the heat with all the art gear, it took 20 mins.
The light was lovely over the calm sea and I did a couple of quickies

Calm Sea, Le Croisic 6" x 6" Oil

this was the first one and then I turned to paint behind me, I preferred the second painting but as it is in my 'misplaced' suitcase I can't show you.
We had a couple of days painting in the town

On The Bridge 10" x 12"

By the Flower Shop 6" x 6"

Market Day 12" x 12"

View from our balcony 10" x 12"

 

 

On to Honfleur, our Hotel Ibis was ideally situated near the basin which I have to say was incredibly busy but it was a weekend. I took myself off to a quiet corner and painted the entrance to the harbour

Honfleur 12" x 12"

 I enjoyed painting this but tried a second one in a looser style which I prefer in some ways

The Lighthouse 7" x 10"

Time went very quickly and I was also in danger of running out of boards as I'd only taken 20 but fortunately I'd brought some canvas I started to paint on that, taped onto board.
I decided to try and find the beach - wow what a long walk especially in as the temperature was in the high 20's, it took nearly an hour but was worth it

Honfleur Beach 7" x 10"

 I'd planned on going back the next day but my tummy had different ideas so stayed close to Hotel and painted the Nougat seller

Nougat Seller 10" x 10"

As I was in a good spot I turned round and painted the little boat in the harbour

Green Boat 6" x 6"

I liked the reflections of the water on the hull

On the final day we weren't leaving until 1pm so managed to nip down to the Basin while it was quiet and painted this

Honfleur 12" x 10"

All in all it was an excellent trip and I have met some really lovely people and made lots of new friends. A bonus was meeting the talented Jose Salvaggio who came to join us for a couple of days. I have long admired his work.

Now all I need to do is sell a couple of the paintings so I can start saving up for next year

Demos at Caster & Nettleham

I seem to have had a run of demos and workshops of late. The latest two this week were at Nettleham just outside Lincoln and at Caster just outside Peterborough.
Both were very well attended with enthusiastic artists.
I chose to work from a pencil sketch in my sketch book

Pencil sketch - Barnack

I prefer to work from a tonal drawing rather than a photograph. I helps me to concentrate on tone rather than colour.

Using Atelier Interactive Acrylics I worked with a fairly limited palette of
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Yellow
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Quinacridone Magenta
Crimson
Burnt Umber
White

 My main objective was to paint a landscape without using greens and at the same time create a harmonious picture.

Demo - Nettleham

I worked on it for an hour and a half which was probably too long as it started to tighten up. When it was finished and framed I felt the overall painting didn't hang together well enough.

The next day at Caster I decided to try the same painting again but this time I dropped the use of the Cadmium yellow.

Demo - Caster

This I felt worked a lot better also, I didn't spend as long on it. My main crit of this one is that I used too strong a dark for the bare tree on the left and maybe I could have got more light in the water but rather than fiddle I did a second painting after the coffee break .

Thanks to Robert Paskin for the photo

I don't like to repeat the same painting but for me, this time it was a valuable exercise. Maybe it's something I should ask my students to do. Paint the same picture twice using different colours.

Plein Aire is for Everyone

Many people are put off the idea of painting outside because of all the kit they might have to take with them and the handling of wet oil paints. Over the years of painting en plein aire with other artists I have picked up numerous tips and have now reduced the essentials down to one small bag.
Yes, it is possible. The SAA canvas bag is an ideal size. It holds my pallet, brushes, turps pot, pallet knives, rags and up to six wet canvas boards.

Preferring to stand, I use a lightweight camera tripod, which my pochade clips on to.
I have an Open M box which I bought from the US.
If you already have a pochade there is a nifty bit of kit available from the SAA that screws onto the back of your pallet or drawing board. This then screws onto the tripod. For more versatility, I advise investing in a quick release fixing which stays on thus enabling me to set up quickly and to adjust the angle I am working at.

Paints
I use a mixture of artists' quality paints mostly Mussini, Old Holland and Michael Harding
I keep to a fairly limited palett to avoid carrying too much weight around

These are the colours I use:
Cadmium Red
Permanent Rose
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt
Cadmium Yellow
Lemon Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Umber
Alkyd Titanium White (it dries fast)

Brushes
A selection of bristle filberts, flats and a rigger. I find the Rosemary & Co Ivory range very good quality and value
The brush washer is essential. It hangs on the side of my box, has a sieve for the sludge to fall through and seals up tightly. Tip: hammer a small Toly hook on the side to hang pot on.

Canvases
I use mainly canvas board and keep to 10” – 12” and under for two reasons. I can complete a picture quicker and they are easier to transport. In the studio I prepare the board firstly by applying a coloured ground, this can be the scrapings off the pallet from the days painting to prevent waste. The next thing is to glue four matchsticks to the back. This is how I transport wet paintings, they stack on top of each other. Top one clean and taped together with masking tape.
The boards I use are Loxley or Jacksons linen oil primed, usually 10" x 12" or 10" x 10"

Travelling abroad,
I buy a roll of linen canvas which I cut into sizes 12" x 14" & 12" x 12"
I take just a few 3mm MDF boards and tape canvas onto them. Still separated by matchsticks.
At the end of the day they are then taped to the wall of my accommodation to dry. And the next day’s canvases prepared.
All I have to take home is a neat pile of canvas, which can be dry mounted on to board at home.
I use Griffin Alkyd fast drying white to ensure the pictures are dry

Now you have your kit sorted the next thing to do is to get out there.
Here are some of my top tips

Stay Warm
My best buy was some skiing trousers. Charity shops have plenty at this time of year. Also fingerless gloves and a hat are essential. Extra socks and try standing on a piece of insulation board. That stops the cold creeping up.

Location & Subject
Decide where you are going beforehand otherwise you’ll waste time driving around looking. When you arrive, spend time looking round, the first subject you saw may not be the best. Learn to be selective and don’t be afraid to leave things out. Remember you are making your picture and not copying a photograph. Try to capture the essence of the scene in front of you.

Work Small and Quickly
Speed will come with experience, working on a smaller scale will enable you to complete a painting in less time. Use larger brushes, don’t put in much detail too soon and rely on your observational skills. I hardly ever spend more than hour and a half on a painting as light and shadows can change so fast

Avoid Onlookers
This can be a major concern for the not so confident but you must remember that they are mostly genuinely interested and will admire what you are doing. Try to position yourself against a wall or object that will prevent people coming up and looking over your shoulder. Earphones whether connected or not will put people off trying to talk to you. Also, avoid eye contact. If all this fails just smile politely and say ”Sorry, I can’t talk right now as I only have a short time to get this done”

Above all, don’t get despondent. I have learnt a lot from my failures, and there have been many. It’s what keeps me painting knowing that the next one is going to be brilliant!  And just think of all that lovely fresh air that you’re getting

Join Mo on a Plein Aire painting holiday at
Dedham Hall July 25^th – 1^st August 2015