Cuckmere Gold - stages 1 and 2

Trying to get on with this painting but interrupted by various plein air activities! I want a very soft and dreamy look to this picture so I am again painting on canvas. It is of course one of my favourite landscapes, the meanders of the Cuckmere river as it reaches Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex.

Pintar Rapido

Underpainting finished

I took part in the Pintar Rapido (Painting Quickly in Spanish) event in London at the weekend. Nearly 400 artists painted en plein air all over the borough of Kensington and Chelsea on the Saturday, everybody having to get their painting back to Chelsea Old Town Hall on King's Road by 8.00 pm ready to hang. The exhibition was put up overnight and opened on Sunday at midday with Ken Howard judging the £1000 prize. The exhibition ran to 6.00 that evening with all unsold work taken away by the artists at the end. I reckon they sold 35-40% of all the work, I sold mine 20 minutes before the end.

Poppies Near Denton - plein air

Four friends and myself finally got out plein air painting in the countryside today after a gap of nine months. We found a huge poppy field near Denton, East Sussex although I elected to paint the very edge of it as it met the chalky soil of the South Downs. I thought that I would try canvas again, the first time en plein air, and enjoyed using it. 16" x 16" oil on canvas.

Pelinggih

A two (and a bit)-day painting of a shrine found in all rice padi's in Bali called Pelinggih, which are dedicated to the rice goddess, Dewi Sri. This is another picture on canvas which I am enjoying painting on as it is quite different to board and I will continue to try this new surface on most of my upcoming paintings. This is the result of seeing Mucha's The Slav Epic in Prague last month which turned me on to the possibilities of canvas. It is of course yet another learning curve, this time to learn about paint on canvas (will they ever level out?) but I'm hoping this might address certain concerns I have about the look of my work as far as wanting it to look more like a painting and less "photographic". 16" x 16" oil on canvas.

Pelinggih - stage 3

Was hoping to finish this today but have been distracted by the fine weather! Still liking how the paint goes on the canvas and as before, I am using no mediums, just the paint as it comes out the tube.

Pelinggih - stages 1 and 2

Pelinggih is the name for this type of shrine found in the padi fields of Bali and are dedicated to the rice goddess Dewi Shri. I am trying out working on canvas again, this one I want to look quite soft, the lighting being influenced by the work of Bernie Fuchs. As you can see, it starts off with a "drawing" in Burnt Sienna oil and then I have filled in everything in bright but tonal transparent colours ready for the opaque colours tomorrow.

Seafront Twilight

It only took me a day to finish this, whether it's because of working on canvas I don't know. Like the last painting I have used no medium (Liquin of course used on the first day block-in in this case), just the paint's consistency out of the tube and enjoyed the way it went onto the surface. As ever (when does the learning curve of oil painting level out?) I have realised that I have a lot to learn about painting on canvas but will persevere as I like the way it forces me away from being too finicky and overly tight due to the surface being so broken up compared to board. Oil on canvas 16" x 16".