Sunlight on Water

10x12" oil on canvas board. $75 Available here
(There's an extra picture of the painting on location at the link!)

Another recent plein air! This was painted in a slightly new spot for me, looking at the river from a new angle. I really enjoyed it, very peaceful- though as I worked, the sun started to move right into my eyeline which was a bit inconvenient- so I'll have to pick a different time of day in future! The strong light really made the river shine, though, and I had great fun trying to capture the reflections.

Ducks on the River

10x12" oil on canvas board. $75. Available here
(There's an extra image at that link too, of the painting on location!)

We've been having some lovely sunny weather recently and I've been rushing out to paint a lot. As I was sitting down to capture this view of the river, a couple of ducks swam into sight. They kept disappearing from view, and then returning just when I thought they'd moved on for good- but in the end I managed to work them into the painting. An experience that makes me feel spring has finally arrived!

Submitted to the Daily Paintworks "Spring" challenge.

Morrisons

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

Almost all the buildings in our town are quite interesting architecturally. This is our local supermarket. It was a real challenge trying to get the perspective right here!

Sunlit Alley

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

I've been doing a few little architectural paintings lately! I was considering painting a building, but then spotted this little alley next to it, and liked the way the sunlight was hitting it, so I focused on that instead.

After Strong Winds

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

A small plein air painting from a few days ago- I came across a tree which had blown down and was blocking the path. The one next to it had several broken branches. I'm guessing it happened fairly recently as the only people who really walk through this little area of woodland are locals, and quite a few of them seemed surprised to see it.

The Dimple Glass

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

One last entry for the Thru Glass challenge- though I'll probably paint more glass still life compositions in the near future because I'm having so much fun with them... This glass really challenged me- fractured bits of colour everywhere! And on top of that, I had the window open and the whole scene was bathed in flickering sunlight, which threw me a bit as the spots of light kept changing places. But I'm really pleased with the result!

Captured

7x5" oil on canvas board. $40  Available here

Another entry for the Thru Glass challenge, something a little more complex this time. I wonder what the lemon did to deserve its imprisonment?

Quill and Glass

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

A little study made for the "Thru Glass" Challenge- just a warm up, I'll hopefully have time for something a little more ambitious later in the week! It's one of my favourite materials to paint.

The River, March

10x12" oil on canvas board. $75. Available here

Here's another plein air from earlier this week- the first sunny day we've had in ages! It was so lovely to feel the warmth on my shoulders as I sat painting. I had been heading to a spot further along the path, but when I crossed the bridge and glanced over at the river I knew I'd found my subject! I loved how the light was hitting the water, and bringing out the uneven shapes of the riverbanks. This is almost entirely done on location- I've included a pic of it in my pochade box on Daily Paintworks- just a few stray brushstrokes touched up when I got home.

Longmead From The Woods

10x12" oil on canvas board. $75. Available here

Here's a recent plein air painting- I was testing out my new, larger pochade box! I love it, it's still light to carry and easy to use. I've painted in this location before, last summer, with all the trees full and green. It looks very different in late winter- you can see through them to the meadow and the houses on the other side of it. I'm really looking forward to recording the way it changes through the seasons this year!

Watermelon Slice

5x7" oil on canvas board, $40. Available here

I found this chunk of watermelon in the fridge, just the perfect shape for painting! I love the strong colours as well.

Fading II

6x6" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

A second painting of my daffodils!

My Desktop

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

This one is from a while back- an arrangement of stuff that had gathered on my desktop. I used to use the same desk for everything- computer, eating dinner, painting still lifes. It would get horrendously cluttered, and it was hard to do anything properly. Thankfully I now have a separate art table for painting, so there is less chaos.

March Sunset

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here 

As I was painting a still life, I glanced up at my window and saw the sun setting spectacularly beyond the trees. I quickly grabbed a spare board and painted my impression of it, trying to capture the light before it disappeared.

Finally, Fennel

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

We've had a hard time finding fennel in the stores lately- bad weather has been affecting the crops. Luckily we picked some up the other day and I was quick to paint it! Is it just me, or does it look like it's waiting for someone to high-five it?

Fading

6x6" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

Daffodils are just as interesting and beautiful to me when they start to dry and crinkle up as when they're fresh. They form such interesting shapes! And I particularly liked the shadows they cast on the wall behind them here.

Balancing Act

5x7" acrylic on canvas board. $40. Available here

I've been working on larger paintings a fair bit recently, hence my lack of posting, but I'm trying to get some more small works completed. Here's a little study of a pile of boxes just about balancing on a palette outside a Chinese restaraunt in London. I couldn't resist the way they looked, as though they're about to collapse in several directions at once!