Grandchildren's art

I've spent what time I have had to paint this week experimenting with the block printing/painting techique as desccribed last week. Rather than post more of the same I am posting two paintings done by my grand children this week. I think painting is a wonderful way for children to express themselves. I look back to when I was at school and feel sad that art was regarded as something students did when they were not thought capable of doing more academic subjects. 

Dogger by Sophie Palmer (aged 9)

This is a lovely painting of her favourite toy/

Elephant (we decided) by  Hayden Palmer (aged nearly 2)

The Hotest Day of the Year at Cambo!

As I mentioned in my recent post, last week I was lucky enough to be on an art course based at Cambo. Tuesday must have been the hotest day of the year here in Fife. I found some lovely sheltered spots to sit whilst I sketched but I think that the heat of the day shines through in this painting. This is an acrylic painting using brush, palette knife and sponge to achieve a varied finish and a mainly cool palette with a few hints of warmer colours. I am especially pleased with the finish of the tree.

Summer at Cambo House

Acrylic

Cambo and the Edinburgh Drawing School

I have spent most of the last week at Cambo House, near to where I live, on an art course, run by the Edinburgh Drawing School, with the artist Paul Mowat. It was an intense few days which certainly got me out of my comfort zone as far as painting and drawng is concerned.

On one of the hotest days of the year it was pleasant to wander through Cambo woods and select a couple of places to do some sketching. Unfortunately, we had to work in charcoal and chalk pastels - a couple of media I never feel confident with. But, I found a couple of lovely spots in the woods:

These drawings were used as the basis for a selection of mixed media works - block printing on a randomly painted ground followed by a little more carefully targetted painting. The results, which are mirror images due to the printing process, are very different from my usual work:

 More to follow............

New Beginnings

I have neglected this blog for a few month so I am going to start it afresh. I am going to begin with some of the paintings I am hoping to sell at the East Neuk Art Club Exhibition at Pittenweem New Town Hall, Session Street, during the Pittenweem Festival (6th to 14th August 2016).

Several paintings are of local scenes. The harbour scenes, the Autumn Day in Saint Andrews and the Flower Meadow have been made using a scraffito technique with acrylic paint over oil pastels of complementary colours. I have tried to get a balance of warm and cool colours.
  

Crail Harbour

Mixed Media

This will be on sale, mounted and framed, for £75

Pittenweem Harbour

Mixed Media

This will be on sale, mounted and framed, for £60

Anstruther Harbour Festival

Mixed Media

This will be on sale, mounted and framed, for £75

Autumn Day in Saint Andrews

Mixed Media

This will be on sale, mounted, for £15

Several are of one of my favourite subjects for painting, flowers:

Flower Meadow - based on the wild flowers in Bankie Park, Anstruther

Mixed Media

This will be for sale, framed, for £30

Red Poppies

Acrylic

This will be for sale, framed and mounted, for £60

Pink Poppies

Mixed Media

This will be for sale, framed and mounted, £50

 Himalayan Poppies - as seen in the grounds of Cawdor Castle

Acrylic

This will be for sale, mounted, for £20

A rare subject for me, a still life:

Still Life with Bastet

Acrylic

This will be for sale, mounted, for £15

And an Italian scene:

A View of Siena

Acryli

This will be for sale, mounted, for £15