WALKING THE TIGHTROPE

When I can write my own headlines why would I settle for something boring like ‘balancing the tones’. Essentially that’s the phase I am in now. I normally find I have to be at least half way into a painting before I can get a sense of where the tones are, or where I want them to be. I have decided to focus on giving the palm tree its strange blue aura whilst at the same time trying to push a high key colour range. I think its now going to work. I am also liking the bigger, bolder shapes that are simplifications of tones within the tree.

Blue palm tree, Mexico. Day 4

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

I am not just talking about my inevitable return to the UK, but about life. I have been ‘living’ in this holiday resort for almost 3 months and all the people here have the ‘ability’ to lie on their sun loungers day after day, all day for months. I can’t do it. Judging from my ‘sun tan’ you’d think I’d just got off the plane. I have never been able to relax. Its the creative curse and the endless journey with no point of arrival. I think on balance I am grateful for at least having the ambition to pursue something. Back to the painting, its going well.

Blue palm tree, Mexico. Day 3

A RESTRAINED APPROACH

Early indications are that I will stick closer to the subject in terms of colour and stylisation. I have no intention of illustrating every leaf, the boredom and tedium would be too much to bare. I think the initial drawing will be followed which leaves plenty of room for invention. This will be my only ‘blue period’ painting, from my modest output. Really liking the start of this.

Blue palm tree, Mexico. Day 2

ITS NOT BLUE

Its more a very light, almost white, chalky green. The intention is to start by sticking close to the trees colour but knowing me anything could happen and I may have to drop the reference to blue. I already think I will be introducing all sorts of shapes into the tree that don’t actually exist, that’s the way I seem to be going with these paintings.

Blue palm tree, Mexico. Day 1

WHAT DO I KNOW?

‘Not much to do’, as per the previous post was giving the egret a second leg, mostly. I couldn’t get away with just painting a one legged bird. However this morning included an additional 4 hours of painting. It has certainly improved, but that’s it, finished. The next painting is already lined up, number 11. Will it be the last one of this trip? possibly, they have to dry before going back into the suitcase. 10 paintings so far, all successful in my view, then its back to grey UK on the 25th. The horror.

White egret, Mexico.

NOT MUCH TO DO

Made such good progress in the previous day that there was just a bit of fiddling today. Its as good as finished, will check again tomorrow. I don’t know how significant this stylistic shift is, I do like the look of it but it seems like a bit of a curiosity, but only time will tell.

White egret, Mexico. Day 4

I WILL JUST DO

a little bit of painting. This was Sunday evening, 6pm. It was after 10 when I decided I should stop. You can never do just a little bit of painting when things are going well. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make this painting work, it was a bit of an experiment. I was going to make a patchwork picture, the mid ground was easy as most of the shapes existed, as rocks, the sky was going to be a little bit eccentric. However, I think I have managed to make it work. Most of the painting is in place now.

White egret, Mexico. Day 3

MAKING LIFE DIFFICULT

This wasn’t the plan for my retirement, I thought the doing the opposite would be more pleasurable. However what I have discovered is that the best things come out of a prolonged struggle, 40 years of painting should qualify me. Its seems to me that when the images are wrestled free of the paint that they have a richness that cannot be found through a more timid approach. I am trying to apply some logic to the way I am making this painting. The picture is coming through slowly despite the apparent chaos.

White egret, Mexico. Day 2

FISHING IN MEXICO

Is becoming a theme. This location is only 100 metres from the previous painting, but this time its a bird. This area is full of pelicans and egrets but I liked this single egret amongst the rocks. I also liked this particular spot because you can see the ocean between some of the rocks and then the sky above. I have put the bird in profile to avoid having to paint two tiny matchstick legs on it.

White egret, Mexico. Day 1

WHAT TO DO?

If I could extend my stay by another 2 months I would have no hesitation. That leads to bigger questions. Certainly my painting has leaped forward, something I was not expecting. There just seems to be a richness and vitality to this country that I cannot find in the UK. I am not sure how I am going to adapt to going back. Anyway, I don’t think I can do anymore with this painting. Very pleased with the way it has turned out, its finished.

Two fishermen, Mexico

A SIMPLE SOPHISTICATION

No prizes for guessing which is the easier of the two. One concern of mine when working on small pictures and painting figures was how was I going to paint the faces?, the figures will appear like manikins. This has turned out to be an irrelevant question. As long as they are in proportion and the pose gives the figure relevance and vitality then that is all they need. For some reason the pelican needed an eye! This was a one chance applied dot, but it works. I like the way you have to do a ‘double take’ to spot the pelican, just as I didn’t notice it when taking the photo. The picture is now working.

Two fishermen, Mexico. Day 3

CLOSE ENOUGH

Looking a bit brown and drab but its close enough. The previous sentence was my only comment earlier today due to an appalling mid day photo, now removed to spare my devoted followers. This night time photo is so much better. I was going to risk going all in on the browns knowing (hoping?) the highlights would rescue it. This is beginning to work.

Two fishermen, Mexico. Day 2

MY WILD MEXICO

Can I call it my wild Mexico?, if I am married to a Mexican and will be spending the next quarter (maybe more?) of my life here. No matter, this is the Mexico that I love. This area is about 10 minutes drive away and beyond the tourist zone. Once there, you can see for miles and miles of big empty beaches stretching along the coastline with the mountains behind. No sign of human habitation, apart from a few fishermen. The one on the left was sat in an inflatable car tire. I never saw the pelican in the photo until I started editing it back ‘home’.

Two fishermen, Mexico. Day 1

IT WORKED?

If something is not working, its not always obvious why, I just have a nagging feeling that ‘it doesn’t look right’. Somehow, I thought my treatment of the sea was right, even if it didn’t look anything like the sea. I think from the moment I took the photo, to compressing it, I knew this picture was ‘not normal’, and not anyone’s idea of what a sunset in Mexico should look like. Yes its not the sea, but it seems to work as an ‘idea’. The picture has turned out pretty much how I had hoped. It is finished.

Islands and sunset, Mexico

TIME ZONE TRICKERY

I have had 2 painting sessions today, one in the morning and one in the evening. Because my website is in UK time zone the morning will be dated 2nd March and the evening one the 3rd March. My laptop is also the same. This painting has not gone in exactly the direction I had planned, (when does it ever?). This has resulted in a curious treatment of the sea. However the overall effect has created a more interesting painting. I don’t intend to change this. Rapid progress today. The previous photo really shows the orange effect of taking it in the middle of the day.

Islands and sunset, Mexico. Day 3

LEONARDO IN MEXICO

The way I have painted these islands has a vague resemblance to Leonardo’s ‘Madonna of the Rocks’. Now I will have to take a look at it and my delusions will quickly evaporate. I will accept an odd combination of Leonardo and Modernism. Despite all of that I am liking the way it is starting to emerge. These black marks in the sea are not birds, they are the shadows within the waves, but its not working at the moment, the white ones are working better.

Islands and sunset, Mexico. Day 2

ISLANDS AND SUNSET

The reference to Kong Island yesterday, was because I am left with 4 square and 1 landscape boards to paint on. The original photo was landscape and in order to fit it onto a square board I simply compressed it horizontally. This has led to some dramatic needle peaks on the islands. This is not the kind of sunset you would put on a postcard. It is dark and brooding with some interesting very bright lines that mark the edges of the clouds and in some areas become completely detached and seem to float around the cloud.

Islands and sunset, Mexico. Day 1

A LEVEL OF CONFUSION

Exists within this painting that seems appropriate. When I look at the scene in reality, its hard to discover any real clarity within all the palm trees. They do not have a clear structure like a tree, plus they are always in motion on this coastline. The strong breeze here is as regular as clockwork, every day, still at 8am then around 9am every morning the breeze starts. For any one who was wandering what that pink triangle in the pool is, its a reflection from one of the umbrellas. I like the way it softly echoes the shape of the kite. One thing I have noticed is that my palm tree painting has improved over time, the three least interesting palms are the first ones at the top of the painting. This painting is finished. Next painting, Kong Island, I am looking forward to it.

Girl flying kite, Mexico

PAINT THE IDEA

The fundamental aim of most serious painters, the problem of getting that blurry, unresolved image from your head onto the canvas. Its this intention that causes the most frustration as the translation often disappoints. I started this painting following too closely to the rigid scene that was in front of me. Today was another leap of faith with the hope of painting my way out of the mess I was creating. Little by little this faith was repaid and now this is the painting I had as the idea. Especially with the intention of the kite having the most drama, I suppose the focal point, with the purest colour. Now the picture is going well.

Girl flying kite, Mexico. Day 3

THE STAGE IS SET

I have some rather theatrical lighting on the main character, the kite, but he is the star of the show, and I like the drama and artificiality of it. I also like the curving horizon and the way this is counterbalanced quite subtly by the girl who is curving the other way. This is all lit under a bright pacific ocean sky and I am trying to get that in the scene. I want to turn up this light more in the ocean and to get some more drama and space in it. A good start.

Girl flying kite, Mexico. Day 2