Proper paints!

I got real paints! As in, I bought proper artists oils. So far I have been using student stuff (Winsor and Newton Winton range) which I have to say, I have really enjoyed using. For some reason, I figured having the real thing would be much better.

 

What I didn't at all expect, was for it all to be harder! The paints were so different to use, thicker and stickier, and therefore I had to add medium, and dip into things, and have to think about a whole heap of new stuff like consistency.  I had envisioned buttery beautifulness, paint swirling on sublimly, masterpieces miraculously appearing effortlessly from the brush. ( Okay, I exagerate). I feel I have a whole new learning experience to go through! Bummer.

 

This set up was entirely to try out the colours and see if they were okay. The Yellow I bought is too orange... and at this price!!! .

Crab Apples.

The only problem about being out in the garage is the lack of decent subject matter. I can't seem to get excited about rusty saws, bits of wire, or dead cans of paint. After frustratingly wasting heaps of time trying to arrange bits, I ended up rather desperatly running around the  garden looking for something that looked nice and wouldn't wilt under the spotlight. Crab apples seemed to fit the bill.

After wasting so much time I rushed this, not really expecting anything to happen, and definitely expecting to mess up the scissors. Funnily enough, I quite like the result. It's looser and therefore a bit more alive. The moral must be to carelessly dash things off in a hurry!

Compositionally it could be stronger, the is a lot of blue in the top that I didn't quite know what to do with.

 

Bowl for nuts

I bought this odd bowl/stand in Cork when we were home, I'm a sucker for white china. I don't really know what it's for, it's like a little stand for displaying your favourite apple that day. I think it may have been labelled as a nut bowl, which may well refer to the purchaser rather than the purpose.

Oh where to start: Elipse thing proved tricky. Cherries have too much reflection and not enough cherryness. And it's hard to make shadows on a bowl without going into murkiness. Ah well, live and learn etc.

Peppers in Dorset

The only other thing I painted while on hols were some peppers I bought at Bridport market, fab market, and fab fruit and veg. With all that choice I should have bought something else as I don't find peppers easy for some reason.

Peppers day one: I was very cross at this pic, the bowl is wonky and the colours are a bit murky.

Peppers day two: better.

Peppers day three: I have no idea why on earth I chose this angle, as it left a big bit of nothing on one side of the pic, but painting the glass bits etc was very enjoyable.

Pic of kitchen set up which I think convincingly demonstrates that painting wasn't easy and that therefore sitting on the deck in the sun with a book was by far the most sensible thing to do.

Pears in Dorset

We went off to Dorset for the last two weeks, and even though I very diligently brought my paints etc with me, it was hard to find space, or time, or nice things to paint.  The kitchen ledge was the only place to set up, and then the house there seemed to have no nice glasses or bowls. Actually, I'm probably only making excuses, I was having too nice a time sitting around lazily reading and tootling off on picnics when the weather allowed.
I did buy three pears simply because they looked nice and bumpy and paintable.

Pears day one: I quite like some of the blueish brushstrokes on the pears.

Pears day two: it all went a little more subtle.

 

 

 

 

 Pears day three: some very odd colours found there way in there.

 

 

 

 

Pears day four: we ate the subject matter.



Honeysuckle

I thought I could do a better job on the Crocosmia then I did yesterday,but on the way to pick some , I thought that the honeysuckle on the gate was looking nice and garish, so I picked that instead.

That was the fiddliest thing I ever painted. I nearly fell over from concentrating.

I love love love going out to the garage and everything being there all ready to go.

New state of the art studio

I'm all excited, we're back from Ireland ( wet) and I have a new studio! Well, when I say studio, Paul cleared a corner of the garage and set up some tables etc. It's so cool. I've been painting in the kitchen which involves a half hour set up of finding the easel/paints/rags/jars/lamp/box/painting shirt/etc/etc, and then, when all is done, it takes an age to tidy up again, especially as I seem to manage to make oily paw prints on most the kitchen surfaces ( and wierdly, on my face).

I brought all the stuff out today and have space to leave all the bits there - how fab is that. I can just go out and voila! ready to go. And also, I can do it when people are at home, something I cant bring myself to do in the kitchen. ( all that nosyness!)

I only meant to set up , not to paint today, as I have to chauffeur love sick teen son about, but as I was there I attempted a quickie. It's not great, flaws too numerous to mention, but it was fast and fun.