Last Day Painting for a Bit

So I made the most of it (between experimenting with some quick coloured portrait sketches, more of which later) . . .
The three views of Betty have turned into 5 now, and one of someone else:

Also had some fun with them at feeding time:

And I think, but am not sure, I've finished this one too . . .

Another one that I might do a little bit more to the clouds (it's harder to get a sense of tonal stuff working with electric light)

squeezed one more in yesterday . . .

Seems I can get over my 'I can't paint landscapes' thing if I pretend the trees are clouds.

more skies

Painting in the Week

The joys of lighter evenings . . . painted another quick one after school one day:

Worked with a brand new imitation mongoose (really) filbert by Art Spectrum, and really enjoyed the smooth marks it makes.  This is Betty again.

Loving Small Boards

Messed around with the small boards again this afternoon . . . and loving it.  Not sure if its the texture of the gesso on the board, the lack of 'give' that you get with canvas, the little size, the squareness, but these little boards are just doing it for me.  Results below, from shots taken flying to and from Darwin earlier this week.  Can see another series happening.  Cloud Number . . . Location . . . might be fun to do on the flight to the UK if its not all in the dark . . .

 

Painting for the Exhibition

I'm still somewhere between 'way hey' and 'uh oh' about being offered an exhibition at Araluen in February (yes this Februrary, yes the month after next, yes not many painting days . . . ), but I'm getting somewhere now.  I finihsed a portrait I've been working on for the last few weeks (more on that one in the new year) so have now been able to take a run at the 'recent works' which the exhibition blurb talks about . . . (thanks to the supportive exhibitons officer who wrote a lovely blurb that managed not to describe any of the works, because I've not yet painted them . . . )  Titling the exhib. was problematic for the same reasons (plus trying to tread that fine line between pretentiousness and disingenuity). I'm calling it 'Dappled Things', alluding to a poem by my fav. poet Hopkins.  So I'm off in different directions with the work (quicker and less finished pieces are the go).  All very exciting in a slightly nauseous way.

This one is a start (to pair with Frames 1, this is Frames 2 . . .)

These ones are in fact finished . . . the painting equivalent of drawings I guess.  Series is currently called '3 Views of Betty' but may become '16 views of Betty' (I have that number of the gesso'd 30cm square boards)