IMPERCEPTABLE DIFFERENCES

Painting small pictures will not save you any mental effort, its just as energy sapping as painting big. I find myself almost questioning every dab of paint I put on, I can only admire the mental strength of someone like Seurat. Often the changes I make to the picture are the smallest of tonal changes or the slightest of changes to the shape of a tree or field, and yet it does make a difference. I think it is squeezing out that tiniest amount of progress from painting to painting I am looking for. Its a snails pace of improvement, but that’s just how things work. Not sure the land area is all finished but the sky will be no less challenging.

Leminton Bank, Northumberland. Day 4

NO DRAB LANDSCAPES HERE

My concern about returning to the UK to a palette of greys and greens has proven to be unfounded, mostly because its not the direction I want to go in. At the same time I don’t want to go all Fauvist with pure blue trees and purple hills, it appears all to artificial to me and can not convey a particular atmosphere. In short, there is not enough subtlety. Pleased with the way this painting is going.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 3

A GRABBED HOUR

It was looking like my ‘Consistency is everything’ headline from yesterday was going to get cancelled today with a no show. A disrupted day that could have got away from me was rescued by a quick hour of painting. Thankfully it was progress and tomorrow will be a more painting concentrated day. This painting is looking a little like a Burra watercolour but without the brilliance. I think I am going to leave the sky till last, for me it will be the crowning triumph (I hope).

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 3

CONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING

Hardly a revelation, but since mid January I have painted most days. A few things I have noticed, the colour has been ramped up, a desire to get away from green and brown landscapes. Also a lot of detail has been simplified and there is more focus on the design and patterns in a painting rather than following what is actually in the landscape. Back to this painting, the foreground oranges are actually pretty close to the reality, its heather in autumn, mixed with patches of strong green vegetation.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 2

HIGH ALTITUDE

Lemington Bank again but this whole area contains some of the best views in Northumberland. You are looking north towards the Scottish border, if I was a real nerd I would know which hills are in England and which in Scotland, but I don’t. I like this perspective of looking down as you can appreciate the patterns in the landscape. Busy composition, again, it has a distinct oval which I like and the sky is packed with clouds which I want to make a feature of.

Lemington Bank. Day 1

A SERENE AFTERNOON

Its afternoons like this when painting becomes a serene contemplative experience that I can’t think of many substitutes, maybe an afternoon walking around the Uffizi when nearly all the crowds have gone. It just goes to show that the solutions to an unfinished painting can’t be arrived at by thinking about it, you need to paint through it until everything seems to fit. This painting has advanced and may be finished, I will review it tomorrow.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 6

A BIT MORE WORK

Can be better, not entirely sure how at the moment but tomorrow should be the last painting session.

MY TRUE CALLING

I have a potential portrait commission from one of the plumbers who is currently installing a new bathroom. Thankfully its of his dog, and not of his wife, I think expectations are not as high?. I was wondering to include it on this website, initially I thought this isn’t a ‘serious’ subject, but then , Goya, Titian and Velazquez painted dogs but I would not describe Las Meninas as a pet portrait. An interesting diversion and one that requires some consideration and application. This could be the beginning of the end in terms of my aspirations, at least I will have an income.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 3

TRYING TO FIND MORE COLOUR

The above is an ongoing process that most painters follow as it is an expressive force all by itself. In the photo, the large cloud dominating this sky is grey to black but there is a good tonal range within it. I have boosted the warmth as I don’t want it looking like a Lowry. I am liking how this painting is developing, the idea is to keep the emphasis on the strange mid ground hills, which are highlighted in the sunset so this shouldn’t be too difficult.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 2

DOUBLE BUBBLE

As Boris Johnson, or any public clown would say. My intention since retiring and moving out to the countryside was to paint everyday. However, I had wildly underestimated how much this ‘new’ 250 year old cottage would need. Well that’s pretty much behind me now thanks to working almost everyday for the last 2 years. Now the way ahead is clear, a very dull social life is now a positive giving me plenty of time to paint. Never a workaholic though, just constant plodding, this prevents burn out.

Lemington Bank. Day 1

A STRANGE LANDSCAPE

I don’t know what has happened to create these odd shaped triangular hills on the left mid ground of the picture. They almost look man made but are far too big for that? There is also this large dark circular cloud hovering, its a sunset so the light is low, catching the tops of these odd shaped hills.

Lemington Bank, Northumberland. Day 1

A SUNDAY ROAST EARNED

A mornings cycling sacrificed on a sunny dry Spring day deserves a final entry for this painting although it was a morning spent fiddling and deleting. Mostly in the foreground, subtle differences, but its always interesting when you think your source material is totally suitable but it doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the painting. This painting is now finished. No more thinking how this fits in with the Mexico legacy, just paint.

Cartington, Northumberland.

ALMOST FINISHED

A few areas I think need a bit more but it will be hardly noticeable. Will probably finish off tomorrow and just update the photo. I don’t think I need to worry about the landscapes in the UK being a bit too familiar (English), there is nothing I can do about that, there are no native cacti or palm trees around here. By just continuing to paint these landscapes the power of the imagery will come through in the painting process.

Cartington, Northumberland. Day 5

NO SKY REQUIRED

Up until this morning I was planning to put in a bright blue sky because I thought the painting needed it. By the end of today I had decided it would be better as it is. The painting is so busy that some empty space allows the eye to rest a little. I like the bottom left area with its illuminated buildings, it now sits better in the space, it was looking a bit like a stage set yesterday. Its feels a bit harder back in the UK to get that dramatic impact of some of the Mexican scenes, that’s the challenge.

Cartington, Northumberland. Day 4

GOODBYE GREYS AND BROWNS

I have cheated a little by starting with a high summer photo from last year, just to cushion my return to the UK from Mexico. However, one of my primary intentions of returning to the UK was not to drop the stronger colour palette that is more at home in much hotter climates. I am liking the look of this painting, the colours are saturated but subtle, and I think the space is working well. Its a Byzantine trick of just stacking one object in front of another, I like the effect that has.

Cartington, Norhtumberland. Day 3

ITS DIFFERENT

Something did happen with my painting whilst out in Mexico, this landscape looks different to previous ones I have done in the UK. Its more an evolution of a style that was forming. I certainly have an interest in shape, significantly flat shape, decorative colour and contours. Happily, I don’t think anything has been lost from my experience in Mexico, I think the momentum will continue. I also think I will be doing more drawing, besides just the design of each painting.

Cartington, Northumberland. Day 2

BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE

Back in the UK and this is the best weather we have had returning in March, is this a signal to keep the momentum going?. Painting every day? I may have set the bar too high, lets see. The Mexican legacy on my painting going forward, paintings have halved in size, I have cut my palette in half, I am no longer using drying mediums (semi-varnish) which used to destroy my brushes. Back with linseed oil. In terms of painting style, more emphasis on drawing and design, shape and stronger colour. I am going to use the same approach for this painting as i did for the last painting in Mexico, ‘Tree and Condo’, the technical term is ‘winging it’.

Cartington, Northumberland. Day 1

AGAINST ALL THE ODDS

An achievement comparable with Michaelangel’s Sistine Chapel in terms of defying the odds. 13 boards taken to Mexico and 13 paintings finished. This current one could be improved but it is mostly all there. One option I had not considered, which I am taking, is leaving this painting in Mexico as it is still wet and would only damage in transit. Tomorrow Mexico City, then back to the UK to consider how to tackle the drab countryside, a return to mud green, browns and greys?

Tree and condo, Mexico

A FOR EFFORT

That’s the beauty of self assessment, normally I am less generous with myself. Despite the effort I am not sure the painting will be finished. Tomorrow is the final day on the pacific coast before we head to Mexico City for a few days. Tomorrow, packing, clearing the apartment and hopefully grabbing 2 or 3 hours for more painting. Happy with the way it is looking. The intention is to get the tree working as well as the foreground, although this is not finished either, and thinking about integrating the condo more into the painting so it has a similar decorative effect.

Tree and condo, Mexico. Day 3

TOO MANY LEAVES

Even though I have increased the size and reduced the numbers of leaves, the fact that I am insisting on painting each individually means it is a slow and ponderous process. I also insisting on not following the rather dull process and painting in a range of greens. I hope I am making the right decision on each one as I am not going to repaint them all.

Tree and condo, Mexico. Day 2