There is hope

An appropriate title for these troubled times, and if the only problem I have is my painting then I am in a very fortunate place. This painting has been bullied into the direction I am trying to go in. I can see a style that is mine slowly emerging. And that has been one of the problems with this painting up to now, it was a little directionless. A more decorative sense of stylisation and colour is coming through and I think this will strengthen over time.

Anyway, there are encouraging signs.

Cherry blossom, day 3.

PROGRESS?

Looking at this painting I feel uninspired and disappointed. Its not finished yet, but I don’t think I will feel much better about it. I will have to work out why I feel this way then I can start to turn a corner. I will have to paint many more disappointing landscapes before things start to improve.

Cherry blossom, day 2.

CHERRY BLOSSOM

Wrong time of the year for it, given I took the photo in November, but it resembles it in some way. I am not sure where these landscapes are going, though this does not concern me. I will find out through making more of them. I have never had a concerted spell of landscape painting so it will be interesting to see what direction they go in.

Anyway, encouraging start.

Cherry blossom, first stage.

FIRST LANDSCAPE FINISHED

If this is the way I am going to paint landscapes then it is going to be an enjoyable if unpredictable wrestling match. It seems to me that I am looking for shapes and forms in the landscape that are simplified and decorative. This is probably the way I imagined my approach would be.

Anyway, this is finished, and I’m pleased with the way it turned out.

In the park. At the end of day 6, finished.

LEARNING CURVE

I am on the steep bit at the moment. I don’t expect to find a style that seems right for the subject for some time. However, I am pleased with the way things are progressing. I have a load of source material (photographs) to get me through the winter, and who knows, maybe I will start sketching. Though I don’t think I will do it unless I feel its a real benefit.

I think another decent day of painting and this will be finished.

In the park at the end of day 5.

NO RUSH

I can already tell that its going to take several months before I am painting the kind of landscape paintings I want to make. I think they will take longer than the bird paintings and be more challenging, but they will also be much better paintings, both in form and content. Still, there is no rush, and this painting is starting to show some promise so I am quite optimistic that its just a matter of time.

In the park. At the end of day 4.

FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION

I spent the morning painting without looking at any source material (photographs!). Its a search for a way of painting when you are starting out on a new subject. I think it has much more room for a personal approach, this is clear, there are abstract landscape painters and photorealist ones, I am somewhere in the middle.

Setting out to find suitable views for landscape, I had my doubts as to what to look for. It seems any view will probably do, its how you interpret it. I am enjoying this far more than expected!.

In the park. At the end of Day 3

NEW SUBJECTS

I say new, but I have painted plenty of landscapes. Still its been a couple of years and I am now searching for a ‘style’. I like the way this is going. I am not one of those English impressionists who insist on a palette of green and brown. I have nothing against this style, and in fact I like a lot of this ‘traditional’ tonal painting, but it is not me.

This painting is progressing, and I like the way it looks. It needs a lot more definition and detail and it will be interesting to see how I am painting these in a few months time.

In the park. Day 2.

FIRST LANDSCAPE

No more birds, they had a limited lifespan and limited appeal. I enjoyed painting them but maybe I should have switched to landscape sooner. Anyway, it was time to move on and I think there is a lot more scope in this subject.

This landscape is from a local park, an ‘ornamental’ area that is quite interesting. There is a different character in other areas of the park and I will explore these as well. Anyway, the image is starting to appear and I am pleased with the start.

In the park. At the end of day 1.

THE RIGHT SIDE OF GAUDY

This picture is practically finished now. I might do a few small adjustments to the branches, mostly toning down some of the bright colour contrasts. I think I am going to try a few landscape ideas I have had. I won’t abandon the bird paintings but I think it is time to try a few different subjects.

Two birds at the end of day 3.

WORTH REVISITING

I am glad I had another attempt at this painting, it is starting to look good. Not a long painting session today, but one where good progress has been made. Using oils now, something much more familiar. I don’t think acrylics are an unsubtle medium, its just that I would need more practice with them.

Two birds. At the end of day 2.

TRY AGAIN

Another attempt of the previous painting using the same photo. I felt I abandoned it too soon, so I am having another go. This time not splitting the painting in two vertically, I think that was the problem and it made the painting awkward to view. All in acrylic so far, so a little unsubtle, but this time I think the painting will work.

Two birds at the end of day 1

FRAGMENT

I am clearly struggling to paint at the moment. One half of this painting, I cannot get to work, so I am calling this finished and retaining just the left half. As a fragment of a painting it works, just a little disappointing that I had to do this.

Blue bird in the landscape

NO NEWS TODAY

No news today, meaning no pandemic news. I have been feeling myself sinking lower and lower in recent weeks and its time to turn the news off. The pandemic will run its course whether I know about it or not. The target is no more news for 2020, surely that can only be a good thing?.

Anyway, managed to drag myself to the easel for an afternoon. As my mood lifts hopefully my enthusiasm to paint will return. Painting is progressing.

Two birds. At the end of day 2.

THE LONG JOURNEY

Dramatic title but its true. I am still at the start of a ‘transformation’. What I know about art that interests me is not what is depicted but how it is depicted. So its not the subject that’s at fault if the paintings are dull. I am going through this ‘pain barrier’ at the moment. The easiest thing to do would be to throw in the towel and try some other subject matter, but you will just come up against the same problem.

So for this painting, firstly I have started it in acrylic, a first, and I have not used these seriously for about 30 years!. Also, its 2 birds, another first, and the dimensions have almost doubled in size. Also, I am not trying to create a naturalistic setting, its more abstracted.

Two birds. At the end of day 1.

HEAD STILL HURTS

Yesterdays late evening painting session left me a little exhausted and this morning I hadn’t properly recovered. Today however I had the determination to finish it, and I think it is now finished.

Yellow bird. At the end of Day 4.

I WAIT ALL DAY

Today was not meant to be a painting day. I had other things to do and tomorrow I was going to start again. So what happens? At 7.30pm I decide just to add a leaf to the painting and this turns into a 3 hour painting session finishing at 10.30!

It was a bit frantic but I think the painting has advanced. I think it will be a case of assessing the damage tomorrow before continuing again.

Yellow bird. At the end of Day 3.

DAY 2

The bird now has a tail, and looks a lot better for it. The body of the bird is clearly distorted, triangular, but this seems to fit the picture. The bird still needs work but is improving, and I am introducing more light into the picture.

Yellow bird at the end of Day 2.

KEEP PERSISTING

I know there is a way of painting these pictures, and I have come very close to making them in this way. If I was to describe it, its a Paul Klee but done in a more naturalistic style. Its a case of painting a lot and seeing which ones I think are successful and coming close. I think this is one of them. I also think that at some point these paintings will need to go much bigger in order to maximize a decorative style. For now though I need to crystalize the style I am searching for, and painting small makes more sense at the moment.

Yellow bird. At the end of Day 1.

LOST AT SEA

Another earlier painting