My Latest

 Here are my latest efforts .

"Whats he after?"

Another Hare

Assiniboine Man

Nasturtiums

Latest Paintings

Here are my latest works. All 16" x 12" unless otherwise stated.

"Sheep"

Nitram Liquid Charcoal and Daniel Smith Lunar Red Rock , Lunar Black. Love the Nitram.

"Mask"

"Mother and Child"




Blakistons Fish Owl



"The Pose"

Nitram Liquid Charcoal and Cadmium Red Light

Recent Work

Still hard at work during this lockdown! I'm still hoping to improve but probably left it too late. I wasted several years 'experimenting' with different styles when I first started. Still it's been very enjoyable all in all.  All 16" x 12"

Mountain Sheep - although it may actually be a goat!

"African Nuguni Bull"

"The Sadness of the American Indian"

"That Hat!"

"Goldfinches"

"Pampas cat"




"Chief Burning Face"

I feel this isn't quite right, especially compared with some previous similar works.




"Mother and Son"

This sounds like an excuse but  the reproductions on here tend to lose something compared to the originals. I am basically a point and shoot photographer, although I have some useful kit. I don't have Photoshop only fairly basic stuff like Snapseed  and the imaging apps that come with the iMac. I wouldn't want to make them look better than they actually are so face a slight dilemma. 

Latest Paintings

Here are my latest efforts warts and all. I stress I don't put them up as good paintings. Some are experimental. After 20 years I'm still experimenting! Says a lot about my painting. All 16" x 12"

Nubian Woman.



Nubian Woman. Corrected version.

I made the nose too long on the original so had a go at changing it. It can be done in watercolour as long as the colours used are not too staining. as are many of the modern synthetic pigments like the Quinacridones.  I also softened the too prominent outline. I hope readers can benefit from my mistakes, which is the reason for posting these corrections.

The eponymous Chef/Businessman Gordon Ramsey

Moderately Happy with this one, although only moderately. It is flawed.

Kiowa Brave

Hair not right too blue

Raptor

Got the shape wrong. The body is too long. This has already bitten the dust.




Nubian Girl

Although happy with certain parts of the painting I have made the top of her head the wrong shape. It should be slightly lower and more rounded. I may have another shot at this.

Corrected version. Here I reduced the head height and made it more rounded.



Amerindian Warrior

Facial colour not quite right - a bit too red,  although the camera seems to make them worse. I'm reverting to Charles Reids combination of colours (after straying from the path) but haven't quite got them right. To articulate he used basic combinations for facial colours of Cadmium Red, Raw Sienna and Cerulean Blue. He also used Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin crimson and even Green at times, and a few others. 

Metal Objects - This weeks AVA subject. Pretty awful I know but this is a warts- and all blog.



'Herbert" A work in progress.

I am at the point where it could go on to be a decent painting or go completely wrong. I'm baring my soul with these comments.

Another Amerindian - a work in progress.

Latest Paintings.

Here are my latest works. Mostly done for Avon Valley Artists weekly subjects. I do the drawings in my small home studio and  most of the painting at the AVA sessions, though some of the detail - eyes, noses etc - at home. I'm still  trying to follow Charles Reads teaching of 'small details, large generalities'. You'd think I'd  have it cracked after painting in watercolour for twenty years! This latest batch are closer to what I would like to achieve, although when I post stuff on Facebook in some of the watercolour groups I contribute too my 'likes' remain - mostly - very much on the low side.  All  16" x 12" unless otherwise stated.

 

What a Beak.!

Dad with son 10" x 12"

"Peeking out"!

"What am I missing?"




"Eagle No 2"






"Eagle No 3"

The above two were done in my small home studio.

Latest Paintings

Here are my latest efforts together with my thoughts on where I am with relevant soul searching!

"The Strand Wolf or Brown Hyena" 16" x 12"

"Big Boy" 16" x 12"

"Guess Who?' 16" x 12"

I'm very pleased with this.

"Alex" 16" x 12"

Pleased with this also

Red Cloud in later life. 16" x 12"

Increasingly unhappy about this. Will decide whether to try and rescue it or scrap and start again. A difficult one. I tend towards scrapping. The basic problem is the drawing of the face  isn't right. Two steps forward , one ( and a half)  steps back. This is painting ! Just don't give up! As the famous American teacher Edgar Whitney said "Draw, Draw. Draw!" At least I remain very self critical. Added 08/12/19. Have scrapped this. A second attempt is going much better, at least I think so,  and here is the finished painting. I still have doubts though.

"Red Cloud' Circa 1900

This is better but still not a great likeness. The above is from his last years when the Sioux had been crushed and were confined on reservations. While many Amerindians have assimilated with the general population over the years others, who have been unable or unwilling to adjust,  remain trapped on reservations

"Contemplation" 16" x 12"

Quite pleased with this. Went back over my Charles Reid stuff and tried to be more relaxed with "Pieces of Paint " approach. Not perfect but getting there. Never too old to learn.

"Big Boy" 16" x 12"

My approach here is the Charles Reid way of "small areas of detail, large areas of generality`" My feeling is that it does go a long way towards this goal. I've been viewing all my CR material, videos, books and notes from my workshops with him. I realise it's very late in the day, s source of great regret, but there it is. If I could go back ten years I would as I feel I've wasted a lot of time and my path to where I am has been  a very tortuous one. I'm still not there yet.

Latest Paintings

I'm completing three or four a week at the moment, admittedly fairly simple subjects.  Here they are.

"Sunflowers" 16" x 12"

"Avocet " 16" x 12"

"Butterfly" approx. 12" x 9"

Black-capped Chikadee" approx. 12" x 9"

Latest Paintings.

Here are my latest efforts. As usual I make the proviso that I don't post these as good just my work. All are 16" x 12" and mostly on the back of discarded paintings. You can do this if you use good quality paper in the first place. These are almost all on Waterford.

Mountain Sheep

The Apache Kid. He never surrendered and was still about in the early 20th century before vanishing for good.

A Squirrel

Maribou Stork - Nasty creatures and don't they look it!

The villain from the hit TV show 'Killing Eve'.

The eye has it!

One of my favourite birds the Goldfinch.