Updates

Well, summer seems to have finally moved on and today we have gale force winds and impending rain from Hurricane Jaoquin. I've been trying to tie up some loose ends such as FINALLY finishing a commission that I'm embarrassed to say has taken me a very very long time. Anyway, it's done now and I'm happy to say I'm pleased with it. Below are the two paintings that will be making their way to London on Saturday night and eventually to their new home in Myanmar! 

"Corbiere from St Ouen's" acrylic on linen, 20x20"

"La Rocco" acrylic on linen, 20x20"

And here is also the finished sketch that I last posted. It needed a little more work to tighten it up:

"In Coming Tide at Corbiere" acrylic on board, 12x12"

Back to Work

After a busy few weeks preparing the RAW show, the event came and went last Thursday night and was great fun. It was good to learn how to put a show like that together and now I'm looking forward to hopefully doing more events like it in the future. It was nerve wrecking putting my work out there for scrutiny but great to make new contacts and hopefully gain some more fans, plus I sold a few things as well so that's a bonus! You can see some images from the show here on my Facebook page. 

Now I'm  back in the studio working on finishing a commission before I leave for an extended break in the UK and Jersey next week. This commission is for a duo of Jersey based paintings. Here was a sketch I did yesterday but we have decided to actually paint this lighthouse from a different angle for the final piece…

"Corbiere Lighthouse Study #2" acrylic on board, 12x12"

One Week To Go

With one week left until the RAW show, I have to-do lists coming out of my ears. It's tricky timing having recently been away on a long trip and this week my husband has been travelling for work so I have been relying on our amazing babysitter a little more than normal. I've also been putting in some midnight hours once the little guy is asleep and it's amazing how productive I am in the small hours! Luckily, it does seem to be coming together slowly and now I just have lots of little loose ends to tie up. I have nearly finished painting and am busy making prints and trying to figure out labelling and packaging. Yesterday, I sorted out a folding table and drape to cover it and I bought a letter sorter stand to display my prints in. This weekend I have to finish up the last of the painting, photograph and varnish all the work and attach hanging hardware - the countdown begins! Here is another from the California road trip.

"Glimpses from Highway 1" acrylic on board, 8x8"

California Road Trip

We recently got back from a very inspiring vacation on the coast of California. A new type of vacation for us with a lot less lounging about than normal being that we have an 8 month old and this was a road trip! However, it's a trip which we've been wanting to make for years but various events have prevented until now and I am pleased to say the wait was worth it. Big Sur in particular surpassed all our expectations, it is just a staggeringly beautiful part of the world. Needless to say, I am full of inspiration, which is lucky as I'm still short of a few paintings for my show at the end of the month. Today I worked on this which is from a photo I took on the road between Big Sur and San Simeon.

"Driving Big Sur" acrylic on panel, 12x12"

Moody Sea

Another acrylic on linen. I am working on building up a small body of work for a show in July - more details to follow soon I promise! I finished this painting today and am pleased with my departure from so much blue into more moody purples. 

Untitled, acrylic on linen, 20x30"

The New Normal

I've realised that (at the risk of stating the obvious) trying to work when one has a new baby is somewhat different to the days when I had endless uninterrupted hours of painting bliss. My new normal is one day of painting a week if I'm lucky and a few hours squeezed in here and there around naps. Now if my son could just oblige me with a regular nap schedule we'll really be rolling but at the moment, when I put him down he might grant me 2 blissful hours of peace, or maybe just 30 minutes - it certainly keeps it interesting! Anyway, I've realised that a few changes to the way I work can make a big difference in terms of productivity. First and foremost I've ditched the oils (just for now) as its just too much mess and time consuming clean up not to mention the toxic chemicals which I can do without being exposed to right now. I've set myself up in a corner of our home office and am working off disposable palettes which I hate because of the waste but it certainly makes clean up quick and is much easier with acrylics as the paint dries so fast its a nightmare to scrape off of a glass or wood palette. I'm also, on the whole, working on a much smaller scale which is fun for a change and makes me feel more productive.

Here's a little study I just completed for a commission I'm doing. The commission is for several Jersey based paintings and this one is of La Rocco Tower on St Ouen's bay, a personal favourite spot of mine.

"La Rocco Tower" acrylic on board, 8x8"

Grouville Bay

So, we are up to our necks in the middle of renovating our apartment. The demolition phase which has been very exciting and completely eye opening is nearly over and we are looking forward to seeing all the dust and rubble cleared out and the new walls go up. I decided it would be great to have a record of the weekly developments to look back on so I have been recording these on another blog which you can see here. It's pretty all consuming at the moment but am still trying to squeeze in some painting here and there.

Here is a small piece I did a couple of weeks ago inspired by a photo my cousin posted on her facebook page, taken on a beach we grew up near and spent hours digging in the sand and paddling in the waves. She was out walking her dog and about to get soaked by the fast approaching rain but still took the time to snap a quick shot of the beautiful light and reflections.

"Raining in the East" oil on board, 6x6"

Uist House

I forgot to share a picture of this final piece that I did recently as a gift for some lovely friends who recently got married. I had previously posted the small sketch painting that I did on location and this is the resulting final piece that emerged in the studio. As usual it turned out much "tighter" than I had been planning but c'est la vie! The photos I was working from were really dark with the sun behind and the house in shadow as I just didn't get the weather to take a decent shot. So, back in the studio, I applied some artistic license to the light and colour situation but I'm pretty happy with the result.

"Uist House" oil on canvas, 24x24"

Corbiere Lighthouse

"Changing Tide at Corbiere" acrylic and oil on board, 8x8"

I waited perched on a rock, for absolutely ages until the sun emerged from behind the clouds long enough to get a photo of this that I could work from. It was one of those windy days when the sun teases you with a 2 second glimpse before hiding again. The tide was just changing and there were strong currents forming which created interesting patterns on the water surface.

Today, I have had one of those days where everything I try to work on turns out terribly and you start to question if you were ever any good at all. Maybe it's because I'm full of a cold and feeling groggy, but most likely its because I'm working to a deadline and things never go to plan under pressure! Better day tomorrow I hope.

Jersey Paintings

Well, I've once again been travelling all over the place for the last couple of weeks, more fun at two beautiful and completely different weddings, one in Bermuda and one in Lincolnshire then a quick stop in London and now Jersey for a week of painting and family time. I tried to get some painting done in Bermuda last week but without great success so I'm very pleased that things are going better this week in Jersey. We've had a few rainy days but this morning was fine and I spent a few hours driving around photographing and sketching at different spots. When I returned to the house I set up studio and got on with a few different compositions. Heres a progress shot.

New Large Seascape

Here's a shot of a large painting I recently finished from my oceanscape series. I am a little in love with this one and might have to keep it (is that not something I should be admitting?!)

"Float Out", oil on canvas, 36x36"

Lobster Pot Drop

This painting I did from a photograph I took whilst we were out dropping the lobster pots.  The sun broke through the cloud for a few minutes and I really loved the colours on the small island in contrast to the cloud dappled sky and deep sea around it.

acrylic on canvas paper, 16x12"

I have been having a bit of a break from painting as I've been fully immersed in researching things for our upcoming renovation project which is somewhat taking over my every waking hour! However, today I locked myself in the studio to work on a larger painting from the North Uist series and I will post it here shortly once it is finished.

Loch Maddy, North Uist

This painting sketch was done from a photo I took whilst out on the boat dropping off the lobster pots and fishing for mackerel. A bit of a departure from my usual style, but I think it works nevertheless. I really like how the rocks turned out, all it took was a few simple brushstrokes in a lighter tone to show the light shining on the right hand side and it just  worked - if only it was always that easy! 

This was the day we pulled up 2 big lobsters and something like 15 crabs for dinner!

"Loch Maddy" acrylic on canvas paper, 16x12" 

The House on North Uist

I have to admit, although we had a wonderful holiday, it is nice to be home. Particularly, as its much hotter at home than it was on our holiday! I am quite enjoying the heat and humidity of NYC after chilly Scotland.

acrylic on board, 6x6"

Here is another picture from North Uist, this is done from the beach in front of the house we stayed at. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out and I've already ordered a couple of greeting cards of this painting to use as a thank you to the owners of the house, hopefully they'll like it too! You can see the byre at the bottom of the garden where I set up a little studio in the painting on the left. I could paint those views over and over.

North Uist

We will shortly be on our way back to New York but have had a really wonderful week up here on North Uist. I have learnt a lot about how to catch and prepare various fish and shellfish and don't think I have never eaten so much! 

Here is the first little sketch I did of the view from the house we stayed at.

acrylic on board, 6x4"

A Long Time Coming

This little diptych, though very small, has been an awfully long time in the making. It has been through many "I think it's finished" followed a couple of days/weeks/months by, "I'll just change a bit here" or more recently, "this is awful, drastic intervention needed". I'm a little nervous to even whisper the words "it's finally finished" but I think I just have to leave it alone and put it aside once and for all! (apologies for the image quality, it's an iPhone pic).

"Sandy Banks" oil on gesso board, each 8x8"

Light Space & Time Online Seascapes Exhibition

I completely forgot to post about this a few weeks ago but I recently entered this piece into an online exhibition at Light Space & Time Gallery and was awarded a "special merit" award! You can see more information on the exhibition as well as all of the work by me and my fellow artists by clicking HERE.

This painting was another mini sketch so I was suprised to have it accepted but I have to admit this is one of my favourites, I just love the colours and the way they overlap. 

"The Layers Below" 6x6" oil on board

Layering it up

This one was another experiment with layers and layers of paint using different mediums like galkyd mixed in with the oil and applied over many months. It has been through a number of transformations as a result and although it doesn't really come across when photographed, some of the layers are really translucent. I especially like the section at the bottom right.

Now it needs a name - any ideas?!

8x8" Oil on board

Back To Routine

"Sand Bar, Les Minquiers" oil on canvas,  36x36

I think I've finally found my groove, about time too, I was starting to think I'd lost it completely. This week I've been working on finishing this large seascape which is inspired by an amazing day trip I took last summer to Les Minquiers or "The Minkies" off the coast of Jersey. I am pretty pleased with it, I am just not sure if the sky needs some more work so I have resolved to let it dry and come back to it in a week or so.

Next up is some small florals to replace sold work at Jane Packer Florist, New York. It will be nice to be forced to paint a completely different subject for a little while.

Another Mini

This is my husbands favourite of the mini series so far. I love all the colours in this one and I can't wait to get more completed, they are so happy and cute!

6x6" seascape,  acrylic on canvas