Limited Colour: Red

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

How about this for a splash of colour! Red is one of my favourites, but I don't actually use it lots in painting - mostly in little accents here and there. So I was a bit uncertain about how a big swathe of it would work out... But I love it! It's so powerful and bold; the small size of the canvas board stops it from being too completely overwhelming, I think. I was planning to add small touch of a contrasting colour, but once I'd settled on the arrangement, I actually felt it would look better without.Please note that at the time of posting (6th April) this painting is still wet; I would not be comfortable shipping it for a week or two, until I'm happy it's completely dry. However I'm putting it up early so I can submit it to the Weekly Challenge page.

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!

The Meadow, June

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

Another view of the meadow- I really enjoy this spot! Here, some of the grasses looked almost purple against the bright yellow buttercups, and the sun brought out the intense greens of the trees. It was a really hot day, and I ended up wishing I'd chosen a shady spot to sit in, but I'm pretty happy with how the painting came out so I'm glad I stayed where I did.

The Red Shed, June

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

I painted this view in August last year, and loved it, so of course I had to go back and do another plein air painting of it at some point! It's fun to return to the same location and see the way it changes through the seasons. At the moment this spot is full of colour- purple (comfrey) yellow (buttercups) and white (chervil) as well as the vibrant green grass.

Dog Walking In The Meadow

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

Finally posting this plein air from a week or two ago- I walked to the meadow down the road and found a mass of buttercups growing there. Plenty of people were out enjoying the good weather and walking their dogs as I painted, so I decided to add one in. It was really enjoyable watching the pups bouncing through the flowers. Dog-watching is always a highlight of working in this spot!

Daisies and Buttercups

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

The taller daisies that I collected were the perfect height to sit in my favourite little tapered glass. I'd also found some little buttercups, which were too short to sit in any vase I could find. Instead I laid them in a saucer with some water. I'd like to collect a few more for painting- a trip to the meadow down the road may be in order... Their rich yellow colour is fantastic to mix.

Daisies

4x4" acrylic on canvas board. $25. Available here

Another for the DPW Weekly Challenge. Hundreds of these little daisies grow on the verges all the way up our street, and I've always thought they were pretty. Today on the way home from the shops I picked a handful to paint. I arranged the shoter ones in this little dark green glass that I picked up in a charity shop last year- finally, a chance to use it again! My favourite part is the soft blue-purple of the shadows under my slightly yellow lighting.

In Bloom

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

In response to this week's Daily Paintworks challenge, I took a look around my garden and found this little flower- some type of rose? At the time it was the only one that was open. I didn't want to pick it, so I just took some photos (it was too hot to be sitting outside, by my standards at least!) I checked again today and there are a whole bunch more in bloom now. It feels like it's been a while since I did a floral painting, and this was a really nice change of pace from some other projects I've been working on!

Bluebells and Branches

21x15cm, oil on paper. $40. Available here

It's bluebell season! I spotted this cluster beneath a tree and had to do a little painting. Trying out oils on paper, which is something I don't often do. I'll probably try a few types of paper and see what I like best- it's always fun to experiment with new surfaces and techniques!

Cherry Trees, The Wynd

8x10" acrylic on canvas board. $65. Available here

 Another painting of the cherry trees in The Wynd, looking the opposite way from yesterday's work. I'm really grateful to the person who left their bicycle in this spot! It helps capture something of the relaxed atmosphere of this street, I think- away from the traffic and bustle of the centre of town. A nice place to sit and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Out of the Dark

8x10" oil on stretched canvas. $80. Available here

I have this mug which I have painted once before- it's so dark, and not particularly reflective, and can become a bit of a "black hole" in compositions, so I don't use it a lot. But here, I found some lighter subjects to surround it with- some dried flowers, and clementines, which actually bounced some light and colour off it! Here, everyone gathers around a fallen leaf, speculating on its fate...

Fading II

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

A second painting of my daffodils!

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.

Pointsettia

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

Pointsettia plants make such fun subjects- but the bold reds can be challenging. Trying to lighten and darken the colours without losing vibrancy teaches you a lot about colour mixing!

Carnations in Autumn

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

This is the little flower arrangement that's currently sitting on our piano- a bunch of fiery carnations. The colours seem so appropriate for the season!

Three Daffodils

8x8” acrylic on canvas board. $55
Available on Daily Paintworks here

​ I had some fresh tubes of yellow paint so I decided to do a study of some daffodils. Trying to capture their shape, and all the different shades of yellow, was a real challenge.

Chrysanthemums on Black

6x6 inches, acrylic on canvas board. $40
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Here’s another view of my little chrysanthemum arrangement against a dark background. The hot pink really pops in this one.

Chrysanthemums in Glass Jar

7x5 inches, acrylic on canvas board. SOLD

Here's another painting of my chrysanthemums in their little jar. It makes a great vase for small flowers, perfect desk size. I'm really enjoying these flower studies- very delicate shapes, and lots of complex patterns of light and dark. I think this is my favourite so far.

Pink Chrysanthemum Study

5x7 inches, acrylic on canvas board. $40

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Here's a loose study of one of the flowers from yesterday's painting. I wanted to try sketchier brushstrokes this time. I quite like how the leaves have become an important feature of the composition.

Sunflower Fields

5x7 inches, oil on canvas board.$40

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Here's a view of sunflowers growing in fields. These fields are really striking, with their thick bands of yellow and green. This is a bit of an experiment in style and composition.

On a side note, I did a couple of plein air paintings today- I was absolutely frozen by the time I got home! I finished them up at my desk once I'd got the feeling back in my fingers. They'll be posted on Daily Paintworks once they've dried- probably about two weeks from now. I promised myself I'd do more plein air work in 2016. I'm off to a good start!