Memories Series - Seaside Underpainting

Beside The Seaside

Underpainting

oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

As with the other paintings in this series, this still life is based around family photos from the 1950s. The underpainting was completed using a mixture of very diluted oil paint and almost looks like a watercolour painting. I'll add more colour (although still quite muted) and thicker paint in the next layer.

Memories Series - Daisy Chain

Daisy Chain
16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

Another in the Memories Series, this one is based on an old photo of myself as a child. I wanted to make the daisies stand out against the photo so tried to keep the tones in the photograph quite subdued and avoid strong contrasts. I had fun making the daisy chain, but must admit it used to seem much easier with smaller fingers! I have quite a few more paintings planned for this series and have been busy sorting through lots of old photographs for ideas. More to come .......

Memories Series - New Painting

Anemone
12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

One of the things I'm interested in suggesting in this series is the way our memory creates links between the past and the present. Just like certain smells can instantly transport you back to the past, objects have the same power to evoke another time and place.

Detail of Finished work

Finished Painting

Almost Finished

Untitled

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

I just have to work on bits of detail but other than that the painting is finished.

Detail

More Progress

A little more progess today. I've done more work on the photos, finished all the envelopes and paper in the background and have started to work on the dried flowers - the colour of these may change a little as I continue working.

An Update

Today's Progress

New Still Life Painting

Possibly A New Series

Hydrangeas are still included in this new still life painting but are no longer the main focus. I liked the idea of combining the faded flowers with old photographs and letters in order to create a feeling of nostalgia. I'm intending to paint the majority of the still life in sepia tones and only add a touch more colour in the hydrangeas. I'm not happy with the blue area underneath the bottom right photograph as the colour is too strong, so I will be toning that area down. I can see this painting becoming the first in a new series, there seem to be many possibilities for some interesting compositions using this subject.

Hydrangea Series - mostly leaves

Hydrangea IX

oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

As I've worked through this series I've found myself drawn more and more to the twisted, dried up leaves so decided to devote at least one of the series to a study of the leaves (although a couple of flower bracts crept in). As the series has progressed I've moved increasingly towards a subdued palette and this one is possibly the most muted of all the paintings.

Hydrangea Series

Hydrangea VIII

oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

Another small painting in the series. With this one I chose to use a very restricted colour scheme in order to create quite a sombre, subdued mood.

Hydrangea VII

Hydrangea VII - finished painting

oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Detail

Hydrangea VII - Stage One

Hydrangea VII - Finished Underpainting

Just an update on the underpainting stage. Once this is dry I'll start to add colour, which I'm intending to keep quite subtle. I'm not sure whether to keep the skeleton flower in the foreground, I think maybe the composition is stronger without it, so that may change in the final painting.

Hydrangea VII

Hydrangea VII - Work in Progress

This will be my second large (24 x 36 inches) painting in my Hydrangea series. I'm enjoying the change of scale having just completed three small paintings. I want this one to really capture the faded flowers with their bent stems and twisted leaves. I'm trying to include a little bit of the flower that has so deteriorated that all that remains is a skeleton of the flower, with only the supporting structure of the veins left behind. If I can manage to get that right, I think it will really add to the fragile feeling I'm trying create.

I started with a simple outline drawing then mixed ultramarine and burt sienna with varying quantities of white paint to produce a range of tones. I'm quite a way on with the tonal underpainting and will post the finished underpainting once it's completed.

Hydrangea Series

Hydrangea Series - Small Painting Number Three

Another small painting, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches.

The subjects for this painting are a few very dried up and largely faded hydrangeas which I cut and saved from last winter. I made an attempt in this painting to recreate the faded, almost dusty look and I changed my colour scheme as I progressed in order to achieve this. I also decided to include a flowerhead in the background and try to suggest depth by blurring this background image. The underpainting was produced using a mixture of ultramarine and burnt umber with the addition of varying quantities of white paint.

A Couple of Small Hydrangea Paintings

Both paintings are 16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas. I started each painting with my usual underpainting focusing on the main shadows and tonal relationships. I've included photos of the stages in each painting and a couple of detail shots for painting one. I'm particularly interested in the subtle colours evident in the dried flowers but I don't feel I've yet captured the faded fragile look I'm aiming at which no doubt means there will be more to come in this series

Painting One

I struggled to get an accurate photo of this one, the actual painting has more depth than is evident from the photo

Finished Painting

Details

Painting Two

Finished Painting

The final stage consisted of adding glazes here and there to indicate the red tinges.

Both Paintings Together