Finished Piha II

Series of Cups paintings

I think I finished this today - I'm calling it 'A cup of tea at Piha'. Quite like the various textures that happened as this painting changed and grew.

I'm starting a couple of paintings using cups as the theme. Might just leave the cute little oval with its china cups without any more 'meaning' but the larger painting below is going to form the base for a painting within a painting. I want to do another picture on the cups' surface.

Piha II

My friend John took a lovely photo of Piha beach - from further inland behind the estuary. I've been learning some more oil painting techniques, and thought I'd try my hand at putting them to practice on this image.
It is by no means finished yet, but coming along nicely. I particularly like the translucent effect, and oh, what a joy to work in oils again.

Super City

This is one of those paintings I just keep fiddling with. I've got to stop now. It was turning out too blue, and after staring at it for a week or so, and seeing it get bluer and bluer (in my view), I had to do something drastic. I think it looks better now.

Waitamata I

I've been fiddling with this painting for the last few days. REALLY enjoying getting back in to it, and the textures and lines in it. It's on wood with sides, and the deep ruts and groves behind the paint make my toes curl with happiness when I scrape paint across them.
Needed more colour, so I added it below. . .

Mmmmmm

There's more than meets the eye

And this one is called 'There's more than meets the Eye'.
It is an acrylic on canvas, and 460 x 460 x 40mm in size.

The Cycle of Life

This one is finished now - 760 x 380 x 40mm in size. Acrylic on canvas.

The Cycle of Life and Moonman

Working on a couple of paintings at the moment, not quite finished. This one shows the evolution of a cyclist through their life from babe to old woman in mobile scooter. Everything is spinning, including the pathway.
and this one is just growing quietly into its own message - I'm not sure what that is yet. But this is what it looks like now.

Take the Higher Way

Love this quote, and still feel I could paint it better. But here's the first attempt. This acrylic is 760 x 380 x 40mm in size and hopefully captures the idea that there's an easy path of low resistance in life, or there's a choice to make a difference or respond better, at more cost to oneself.

This painting has since been sold! (April 09)

Keep to the straight and narrow

This acrylic embodies all the I feel about diet restrictions and the terrible temptations that assault everyday life - Keep to the Straight and Narrow - IF ONLY!

Mt Ngauruhoe

600 x 600 x 40 acrylic painting on board of this wonderful mountain the centre of the North Island. Taken from the crater of Tongiriro. Great textures in the crater and surrounding hillside.

Bookworld

Finally, after all this time, another painting! This is an acrylic on wood - deep sides - with some collage work in the book, and varnished warmly in shellac, for that golden high gloss glow.
I wanted to convey the exciting and pleasurable experience gained recently through a pile of books I've found - like discovering a vein of silver in the mine at last. The different worlds that open up, the brilliance of the colour and life, and the juxtaposition against my own rather dull greyish existence (hah!).


JUST SOLD 7 Oct 08

Amended Carp pic

I've amended this painting - I just felt the background was getting in the way, and I like the toned down nature of the white in this now. And the play on words: Carpe Deum actually means 'God is a Fish', when I wanted in fact Carpe Diem, which means Seize the Day. Either way, it works!

Carp

And UNLIKE the painting of an EXTINCT creature below, this one we have in profusion - unfortunately introduced from Asia and filling many of our rivers. They are a real pest. But beautiful.
. . . and naturally, I'm using a thick layer of shellac again, which really brings out the dusky gold.
. . . it could all turn to custard if the varnish doesn't dry smoothly. Love the combination of gold and rich blue.

Moa

SOLD 7 Oct 08

This is my Moa painting - done about a month or so ago, the start of what was going to be 'extinct birds of New Zealand' series, but typically, maybe the only one. In case you don't know what a Moa was, check it out below - it was pretty exceptional, and was hunted to extinction a couple of centuries ago by the Maori.I wanted to do a friendly type painting which looked a bit like a child's early alphabet. . . and I wanted an excuse to use shellac for the first time. I really slathered it on the beak.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Just to commemorate the glorious life of Sir Edmund Hillary, who died last Friday, I have painted this acrylic - 380 x 770 x 40. Liked the way the rough nature of the painting reflects something of the man himself.
This one is still for sale!

Elsewhere

Here it is - a dream of far off places, when right there at the feet, is a world so many would give much to enjoy. This is a large acrylic on canvas, 910 x 610 x 40mm, and done for the first time, in a background of sienna brown, which gives it all such a rich look.

Get There In Your Own Good Time

This one is a fun look at the relentless force that TIME is, and how we all deal with it differently. We are all going in the same direction, but it's HOW we go, and in what STYLE. It is 760 x 380 x 40 in size, and is acrylic on canvas.

Each To His Own in Teapot Town

This acrylic on canvas is 760 x 380 x 40mm in size, and SO colourful and FUN. Took a while to do, but well, worth it I think. This is what comes of buying so many bone china teasets on Trademe.

Bethells Beach, West Coast

Here's another of the wild West Coast series. I did this for a friend's birthday - he took the photo and I did the painting. It's quite hard getting the play on water and the shadow of the rock in the smooth shiny black sand.