Fruit & Veg Stall, Whitechapel Market

6x8" acrylic on canvas, $45. Available here

Another I forgot to upload; this is painted from a photo I took at Whitechapel Market on an unusually hot April day. The market was bustling, full of colourful stalls; most seemed to be selling fruit and veg, or scarves. I've said before I love painting markets, and this was no exception. I was happy to catch this pair mid-transaction, a bit of human interaction makes for an interesting challenge. Though I must have re-painted that white shirt a dozen times!

It was a very challenging scene to paint generally, because of the sheer amount of stuff that's everywhere; stacks of boxes, the striped canopy folding and catching the light, the hanging blue bags... And the fact you can see through the back of the stall to the other side of the street! I hope I managed to create a cohesive painting out of it all.
 

Commuters at King's Cross

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

A little scene of commuters in King's Cross station in London, checking timetables and phone messages while they wait for the train to arrive. In the background, you can see the crowd gathered outside Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4.

I like this part of the station- there are always people to watch, but it's quiet and open enough that no one bumps into you as they pass. I spent a long time tweaking this painting- crowd scenes are tough! I learned a lot, though.... so I may have to do some more station scenes at some point in the future.

Cambridge Architecture II

5x7" oil on canvas board. On sale, $22! Available here

Another study of architectural detail from my trip to Cambridge! While walking along a street I looked up to see this stone carving underneath a window; I thought it was worth a painting all on its own. I believe it's part of Trinity College. Incredible to think how much time, effort and craftsmanship went into these great buildings... One of the best bits of being an artist is that you're naturally tuned in to your surroundings, looking for subjects, and you spot all these little details!

The Bonfire

5x7" acrylic on canvas board. SOLD

A study of a bonfire at a family get-together from early September. Night scenes are so much fun to paint! And I'm slowly growing more confident with adding figures in to my works as well.

Lost in Thought

21x15cm, Acrylic on Watercolour Paper. Available here 

This is painted from a photo I snapped in London back in June. I was struck by how the light was catching the young woman, illuminating her. I used a bit of artistic license to simplify the background and make sure she is the sole focus. This was a challenging painting to work on- the pose, the skin tones, and the angle of her head- but you don't learn unless you push yourself! And I definitely learned a lot through working on it.

Watching Over The Garden

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

 My uncle's garden is pretty amazing- full of statues and carvings he's created over the years, watching you from unexpected places. I couldn't resist taking some photos of a few spots and painting them. I really love the way the pale shells in the flowerbed are catching the light here!

Market Day, Cambridge

5x7" acrylic on watercolour paper- currently NFS.
View it in more detail on Daily Paintworks! 

For the weekly challenge, the theme of "people in motion." I have been trying to be more adventurous and do more figurative work lately, so this was a well-timed one! I had a few ideas I wanted to try painting, and hopefully I'll have time to work through them all. This is from the market in Cambridge, which was quite busy; funny enough, the hardest part was figuring out how to handle the background rather than the people!

(Aaaand Blogger is not loading the "add image" interface, so you'll have to click the link above to see the painting! *sigh* I'll add it in another day when the computer feels like cooperating...)

Hi Viz- Street Corner Gathering

15x21cm (A5) Acrylic on Watercolour Paper. $45. Available here

Following on from my previous painting, I gave green hi-viz a shot. I had a bit of a struggle with the background, but found working on the figures very satisfying- they more or less painted themselves.

Hi-Viz: A Quick Break

15x21cm (A5) Acrylic on Watercolour Paper. $45. Available here

Each time we go to London, I find my attention drawn to all the workers in Hi-Viz. The fluorescent oranges and greens are so striking. I've been putting off painting them because I kept thinking "will everyone else just think I'm crazy?" And then I realised I should be painting what I want, and not worrying so much about what others think. Sometimes it's hard, when a painting gets next to no views, or people ask you what the point of it is. After all, you find your own artistic voice by experimenting and following your own intuition, not by chasing the expectations of others.

That said, I do hope you don't think I'm crazy... I just like mixing bright colours haha

The Lunch Date

15x21cm (A5) Acrylic on watercolour paper. $45. Available here

Another for the "People Eating" challenge- my trips to London provide plenty of reference! Here's a couple sitting outside of a cafe, enjoying lunch in the sun. I fought with this piece a lot- it felt like there were a lot of elements to pull together, and I was quite surprised to finish it, let alone be satisfied with it. I'm really enjoying this foray into figurative work, a largely unexplored genre for me- I feel quite excited to get stuck into it and see where it leads me...

Lunch Break

21x15cm (A5) Acrylic on Watercolour Paper. $45. Available here

For the Weekly Challenge- "People Eating" and wow, was this a challenge! I'm still getting the hang of painting figures. I used a photo I took in London back in March- funny enough the hardest part of this was figuring out what to do with the background, which was a mess of intricate architectural detail and overlapping signs.