Tig remembered

Tig was a handsome cat and very friendly. We loved him very dearly. I did this painting of him in about 2011. It’s just come up on my Facebook timeline.

We had Tig for a couple of years. He came and stole the other cat’s food and gradually moved in with us. The only thing he was scared of was The window cleaner, as soon as he heard him, he was out through the cat flap and away.

He was young and healthy and did mad things. I don’t have the pictures but I drew a series of cartoons of him on a website called Youdraw.com and called them the adventures of Tig.

One Wednesday he ran off as usual when the window cleaner arrived. But he did not come back that afternoon or night. I called and called but there was no sign of him. In the morning my partner went out looking for him while I got ready for work. He found Tigs body in the alleyway. We think he had drunk something, perhaps antifreeze that had poisoned him. There were garages nearby.

I couldn’t go to work that day. My grief was too much. I’m glad I painted him.

New Blue

 

I have finally got back in the studio and started a new painting. It’s called Jupiter in Blue and will be part of an exhibition at Spode called “an Exhibition of Blue” from 1st February 2019.

The painting will be for sale so if anyone is interested in it please drop me a line!

The price will be £300. Its 24×30 inches so its a decent size.

Better get on with it.

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1st layer done.

Portraits

Here are three portrait paintings I did a few years ago. They are all Acrylics on canvas.

I think I’m reasonably good at capturing a likeness, but there are other things like the proportions of a figure to get right. I painted my mother and sister in one painting. My sister was taller than my mum but their heads are level in the painting I did. That’s because my mom was standing on a step so their heads were at the same level. To be honest it looks odd, not because it’s wrong but because you don’t expect one set of legs to be so much longer!

When I was learning to draw and paint figures I would often draw the heads bigger and the legs shorter. That’s because I was not looking properly and not taking account of foreshortening, especially when the model was sitting on the ground.

I enjoy painting people but not many ask for portraits these days. I am also good at painting pets, and  I don’t need photoshop to put two figures together from two separate photos.

Anyway feel free to contact me if you ever want a portrait or a painting of an ancestor for instance

Cat portraits

Painting cats.
I like painting cats from photographs but sometimes they don’t stay still. These are paintings of Casey and Lucy. Both were painted before I got a digital camera and although they were painted from life the cats didn’t stick around to pose!
Casey could get tangled up in anything, he climbed up shelves and sat in the middle of the road waiting for me. I had been given this kite as a Christmas present and he was determined to play with it!

Lucy on the other hand was an old lady of 21 when I painted her. She didn’t do much as she got older but she loved a fuss.

I added the patterns for both of them to make them more interesting. I’m pleased to take commissions for pet portraits if you are interested.

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A small amount of progress

I thought I would post this progress picture even though I haven’t progressed that far since the last one. I do need to change some of the angles. I’m trying to give it a late afternoon glow to brighten the brickwork. I’m going to add some clouds to the sky to give it more depth.

The canvas is about 30 inches by 24 inches. I’m using acrylic again. I need to get some more blue and white for the sky.

Well that’s it for now. Christmas is coming and I’m getting busy, but I will try and post more over the next couple of weeks.

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Finished Owl

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He’s finished ! Took a while….

I have been a bit “off” lately, I’ve wanted to finish a couple of paintings but haven’t felt up to it. To do art you have to concentrate, work out what you are doing, then act on it. I could think what I wanted to do but could not do it. I think I had been working so hard towards the two craft fairs I did a couple of weeks ago that I had run out of steam. So it’s good to be able to paint again. I love this little owl, he’s only tiny but I think he’s a real character. He should be going to a new owner today.

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Little Owl

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I’m painting a Little owl for a friend. I started it on Saturday, and need to get it finished. 

I think these are the smallest owls found in Britain. 

I love the piercing eyes, the ruffled feathers. I’m adding Holly in the background to make it more seasonal. It’s another acrylic on canvas, which I find works best for me with this type of subject. 

It’s a commission and already sold so I had better get a move on and get it finished. 

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Small Little Owl

1544289754333-448696886this is another work in progress. Little owl, acrylic on canvas.

The smallest species of owl in the country I think. I’m adding holly branches to make it more seasonal.

The picture is about 6 inches by 4 inches. I want to work on the feathers and legs and feet.

Those eyes look like they  are about to blink at me, and I can imagine the soft but strong feathers fluffed up against a north wind…

As the nursery rhyme goes. .

The North Wind shall blow,

And we shall have snow,

And what shall poor Robin do then?

Poor thing!

He’ll sit in a barn,

And kerp himself warm,

And tuck his head under his wing

Poor thing!

Nebula

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The astronomy bug has truly bit, and painting pictures like this get my mind working. As I paint I feel happy and enthralled  It is like a drug to me. I get my fix out of painting. I can’t describe how I feel. Is it that thing called “flow”? The world goes on and I lose track of time.

Something pushes me to try harder to create or copy an image. The challenge of seeing it and trying to relay it on the canvas or computer. Some people can create photorealism. I’m not that good.. But I try.