The Prom

Here is what I have been working on. Earlier in the year, I took the family on a getaway to Wilson's Promontory where we enjoyed the beaches and bushwalking for  a few wonderful days.
This painting was inspired by  a photo I took during one of the hikes I took the kids on. The painting doesn't really do justice to the true beauty of the wilderness.

An evening on the Prom

My latest oil painting is inspired by an evening walk with my daughter along the beautiful beach at Tidal River at Wilsons Promontary in Victoria.
I have included photos of the painting process to give some insight into how the painting progressed.
I seem to be drawn to sunsets, and I love to try and capture even a few percent of the true beauty and majesty of the real thing.

Blue Eyes or Brown?

As I have continued working on my portrait/landscape in between taking the kids to the beach for a surf and keeping them amused on the holidays, it occurred to me that Kelly Slater's eyes are blue. But when I look at the photo I am using as a reference, there is no blue there, only a brownish greenish type of mix. So I am faced with a dilemma. Do I stay true to the photo, or true to real life. Maybe a golden yellow sun was shining in his eyes and blue and yellow make green right? Maybe he put a filter on his photo that made his eyes that colour. I don't know. What to do? I will continue to ponder as I try and make this painting begin to take shape.

A New Project Begins

I have settled in to my new home nicely. I've set aside some space in the garage as a painting area that has a big glass window letting in a lot of natural light.
So then I got thinking of what my next project could be. Since I enjoy doing landscape paintings, and I've also started doing portraits, (so far just sketching with an ink pen), I came with the idea of doing a half landscape, half portrait.
I happen to follow Kelly Slater on Instagram, and he uploaded this photo, which was taken just after he won his 11th world title at San Francisco.  I love this picture because Kelly has such striking eyes, and also the Golden Gate is so iconic.

So here is my start on a largeish 40 x 40 inch canvas using oils.  Hoping to get most of this finished in the last week of my holidays!

Finished Art found a home in my new home.

After the stress of packing and moving and unpacking etc it is great to finally settle in and hang up my recently finished paintings, and enjoy them and the way they compliment the living space.

I have some  new projects underway, so watch this space !

Finish line is in sight

Here is all 7 canvases placed together to see the bigger picture of what the picture is about. Hopefully, each canvas is considered a complete work of art, each taking on the theme of  'deep calls to deep', and that each piece can be appreciated for its individual appeal.
There is still some rendering to do, and some final touches, but I am very happy with what I have so far.

Deep Calls to Deep

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me. Psalm 42:7

Another Canvas

The project is progressing at a good pace. Now with the end in sight, I am considering how to present the finished product. Should I get each canvas framed or keep them unframed. One of the canvases is out of square, so I need to work out a way to fix this.

Daylight saving :)

With the recent clock changes for daylight saving, I am able to find some time to do some painting during the week which is a bonus ! Also, the weather is getting milder which makes it a little more pleasant. At this rate, I will be finished sooner than I thought.

Labouring at it

Sometimes painting can be hard work. Not physically, but just the discipline of keeping things together as you and your brushes and paint go on the journey of transformation. While it is hard work, the joy and sense of accomplishment at the end of a completed work, makes all the hard work worth it. Still a long way to go with this project.

Project begins

In the past, I have painted realistic oil paintings of landscapes.

But I decided it is time to take my artwork to the next level. The inspiration is to  paint a series of paintings that will together reveal a grand scene, but individually, they will be more abstract pieces of Art. This 'masterpiece' would be perfect for someone who wanted art around their home that matches thematically. 

So here is the start of 'Project Masterpiece'.  As always when painting, I just start off trying to get paint on the canvas in the most basic way.