Art Trip

I have just returned from a trip to the east coast for a family wedding and was able to see some wonderful artworks in some of the great museums there.

I have dreamed of seeing this Cezanne Bathers for many years. I was wonderful to finally see it in person. I had this experience with several other paintings but photographs were not allowed in those situations.

I confess that I am not a fan of cubist works of art however, I enjoyed this little exercise. Perhaps it will inspire me in my art playtime.

Sketchy Work

Sometimes I get focused on one medium and forget to work in the other areas that I also enjoy. In an effort not to do this, I have written little notes telling myself to work on all kinds of projects concurrently. 

One such project is to work in one of my sketchbooks in watercolour. To help me along I am also taking a short creative course with summer as its inspiration.

This particular sketchbook started life as a novel. I bought the book for $1 at a local library and use it for drawings, collage projects, and watercolour sketches such as this. To provide an interesting and plain base for painting, I covered the pages first in gesso (although white acrylic paint would also work). The gesso doesn't allow the watercolour to absorb into the paper so the finished effect is different.

There is Beauty all Around

I recently returned from a road trip to another State to attend a friend's wedding. Although I took my seagull drawing to work on while away, I had a problem that meant I didn't get to spend much time on it and what I did was a bit of a mess. I'll be posting about that very soon.

I love to find beauty and art (or artfulness) in all the various situations I am in. Here I found it in the food tables at my friend's reception.

Fields of Dreams

This is from a photograph I took when I was last in England. It is of rapeseed fields which are in full bloom in May.

'Springtime Fields' 8" x 8" acrylic on board.

Cast of Colours

This is painted from a photograph I took in Hawaii two years ago. I lived in Hawaii many years ago and I love to travel there, when I can, to visit friends and enjoy the scenery. It was quite overcast during our trip last time which changes the depth of the colours without changing its beauty.

'Kona Clouds' 8" x 10" Oil on Canvas.

Covert Action

'Sunny Cove' 6" x 8" Oil on Canvas. This is taken from a photograph by one of my cousins of a beach in Cornwall, England. Cornwall has beautiful, rugged coastline as well as some quaint harbours and towns. I always visit Cornwall when I visit England as I have friends and family there.

I wanted to keep the painting's complexity to a minimum to stress the simple forms of the cliffs and a sense of depth.