Friday, December 29, 2006

Frantic flurry of painting time. . .

Okay, now that I run my own business, and it's holidays, and I have nothing better to do, I've been bitten badly by the oil painting bug. I've found a large long panel of wood (three in fact) quite heavy, but fun to paint on because it is so smooth. Problem is, I'll need a lot more oil paint than I presently have. Gulp.
Anyway, here's the progress on this panel, which I think I've finished. NOW I have ideas tumbling around for more paintings, nothing like this one, but using same black background and rich jewel colours. Watch this space. Of course, any comments greatly appreciated.


Friday, December 08, 2006

Lakeside Residence

The start of a new series of paintings over summer. Hopefully to sell . . .

Friday, November 03, 2006

More recent paintings. . .

Oh well, I have been working - I'm now in my Wild Line Design studio, and as part of that work I'm looking at cards for Christmas, and just in general. These were a few ideas.

This is my next entry for the white pages phone book cover - IT's called 'Latte landscape' and pretty much describes what it is to be an Aucklander to me.

And these two are the Christmas card ideas I had for two local large organisations - I'm hoping they want them. They are Auckland, and done in my inimitable ink and gouache style.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Some cartoons for my dissertation


Thought I'd better keep working on some 'wild line' cartoons, in keeping with the theme of my dissertation. This is just an example of hand rendered linework, with PhotoShop filling in the textures and background. The top cartoon will go in my dissertation and is more specifically about the Wild Line, and that's what the hunters are hiding from. Need to more on this theme. The one below is just an example of filling in in Photoshop.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

New illustrations

This is a practice of the gesso and varnish technique. I just wanted to see what delightful wee textures I could get out of the quartet playing.









And this is the roof picture I have to do for an assignment at AUT. Just wanted to show two techniques together. The woodcutty look and the gesso and varnish.





This is a gesso and varnish style I particularly like: it gives a nice texture and you can rub back the colour or blend it on the paper. This one is based on a picture received recently from Dublin.
Ah, to be there among the craick again!

Monday, February 27, 2006

Some of the illustrative stuff

I've done a few children's book illustrations in my last decade or so. . . not with any PUBLISHED success, but maybe one day soon. Here is a range of different styles, some more ME than others, but just to give you an idea.
This was done for a telephone book cover competition before the tree got chopped down. THAT dates it, huh?? But being winner of this year's competition I can without shame put this picture up here.
This was actually received warmly by a book publisher but in the end didn't go ahead. It is in near finished form. "What's a Weta? wondered Wendy"
Friend Cathy and I did a bike tour around bits of England, and this was a painting that came out of that. What fun to do it all again.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

More gouache paintings

This is a painting I did of Auckland, from Remuera, with Rangitoto in the background.
This is one of the building on the corner of Ponsonby ROad, and the other is in the same genre as the Last of the Mohicans painting. None of these are framed, and would all look good in a black frame. . .

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

More of the gouache paintings

This is a painting of the old Kestrel ferry that used to go between Devonport and Auckland, often with a jazz band on board, until a few years ago.
This was my first gouache and ink resist painting, which thrilled me so much, I kept up the technique. It is of a group of buildings in Prague.

Ah, 'Last of the Mohicans' really affected me. Still love the style of inky woodcut look that so suits this subject.

This was done with another, for a friend, from photos in Indonesia. He has the first, and best of the two.

Some of the oils

This is called 'the ladies at Pink Cafe' and is a palette knife oil of Lorna, Helen, Jem and I who were with some others at this cafe a year or so ago. I love the rough effect of the palette knife and the lively line and colour.
On a different theme and feeling entirely, this is the church in Atlanta meeting in Sweetwater Park for a change. Sarah, Jim and Luke Degier, Mike Broadie, and Cherie are the folks with their backs to you. Love the chain of arms shining through. . .
Another palette knife painting of a chocolate shop in Belgium. It is quite big and gives a nice soft golden glow through the choc shop window.
My personal favourite, one of the first I did, and of Gene and the church in Lithia Springs meeting in the evening, with a soft light shining from above.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

The start of putting my art 'out there'




These I did today on brown paper, just for the fun of it. Join me in a cuppa, won't you?