Winter Valley

Here is one of my latest works. It is the first time I have gone about doing a painting with no vision in mind. I just let the painting take me where it wanted to go. It ended up being a frozen winter valley. I quite like how it turned out. I think it captures mood and surrealism rather than realism.

You can purchase this painting at http://turningtide.bigcartel.com/product/winter-valley

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.

Piping Hot

As I was running around during my day job (as a courier), I was thinking about the next subject I could paint, and I kept on thinking about a bright sunset with a surfer silhouetted in the foreground.  Today I woke up and watched the World Championship Tour surfing event at Tavarau Fiji, with beautiful barreling waves and my inspiration was complete for this latest painting.

You can purchase this online at http://turningtide.bigcartel.com/product/piping-hot#

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.

project instagram

I have recently been doing quick and small paintings of my instagram photos I have taken on my iPhone.
I thought it would be a good way to practice painting and give a variety of challenges to myself, with the end result being that I would improve my artistic skills.
Here is what I have done so far.

If you want to follow me on instagram my user name is @lytesyde

Perfect Break

I have come to realise that the most abstract subject is reality itself.  I mean, throughout nature there is so much in the way of patterns and imagery that make fascinating subjects for an artist to be inspired from.
This latest art project I have been doing is a set of three canvases that when put together, reveal a scene of swell lines approaching a shoreline and breaking in an almost perfect pattern on the beach. I have used only black, grey and white to emphasise the patterns created by the waves.
This work is for sale at  http://turningtide.bigcartel.com/product/perfect-break

Wild Sunset - Wilson's Promontory

I recently got out of suburbia (finally) and made it to one of my favourite places in Victoria - Wilsons Promontory. I took the family on a few days vacation, staying in a cabin at Tidal River. What I love about Wilsons Prom is the rugged wilderness meeting beautiful pristine beaches and coastline.  Here is the first painting I have done inspired by this trip. I went for an evening stroll with my 5 year old daughter along the beach and watched the sun go down. It was beautiful and a special time.
You can purchase this painting at http://turningtide.bigcartel.com/product/wild-sunset-oil-painting

Kangaroo Sunset

So far my art has been a hobby, with a long term goal to one day retire from 9 to 5 work, and be able to make enough money selling paintings. However, with the economy doing badly in Victoria where I live, I have been made redundant at work. This means I have to find a new job by the 23rd of March.  So I am doing everything I can to find new employment, and at the same time, I am ramping up my attempts to market and sell my artwork, in case I need to fill in the gaps between jobs.

Here is the latest work, with a distinctly Australian flavour. It is priced to sell. You can purchase at http://turningtide.bigcartel.com/product/kangaroo-sunset 

Tarneit Rainbow

This oil painting completes my series on Suburbia. I am hoping that my work gets accepted in a local exhibition coming up in a few weeks.
This was an extremely challenging painting. I realised that it is so difficult to paint a rainbow without it looking cartoonish. I have attempted to show some of the glory and wonder of the colours that shine through as the sun reflects its rays of the rain clouds. This simple but amazing natural phenomenon always brings a smile to my face, and transforms normal 'suburbia' into a wonderful and miraculous place.

Urban City

In this latest oil painting I have just completed, I have tried to capture some of the variety and uniqueness found in the inner city. There are so many different types of buildings, old and new, so many shapes and styles that give cities a life and character of their own.  This painting is inspired from a photo I took looking outside the window at Myers in Melbourne.

Singapore Suburbs

I have been painting a series on the theme of Suburbia. My latest oil painting is of a view over the suburbs of  Singapore. Singapore is like a second home to me.  Why? Firstly because my wife was from Singapore, so I have family who live there. I also have many great friends who I got to know when I lived there for a while. This painting is inspired from I photo I took looking out from a flat when I lived in the suburb of Bishan.

Hollywood Sunset

I am still doing a series of paintings along the theme of 'suburbia'. This latest oil painting was inspired by a   photo taken by author Max Andrew Dubinsky.   I happen to follow him on 'Instagram', a photo sharing social network.
Max lives in the suburbs of Hollywood. One of the great things with services like 'Instagram', is that you can feel connected with people and places all over the world.
Something to bear in mind with paintings and photographs of sunsets, is that you can never duplicate the true glory of the real thing. We can only try!

Abstract Art

I have been working on a series of paintings with the theme of Suburbia. This painting I wanted to try and move away from the more realistic style I am familiar with, and try and experiment with a style of an abstract image. What do you think? Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

Get Sketched into the @pulpfacts Twitter Network

My latest project is sketching by freehand, using a 0.1 fineline black pen, the portraits on the avatars of people who follow me on twitter. It is a great way to improve my sketching techniques, and a way to try and connect with my followers . If you follow me on twitter, I will sketch you too!

Follow @pulpfacts

Spring in suburbia

I have been painting recently along the theme of suburbia.
My latest oil painting is inspired from a photo I took looking out the living room window where I grew up as a child.
I find it interesting when you drive round suburbs that the colour schemes are always a lot of browns, greys  and earthy colours. I often don't associate bright colours with suburbia, however this picture brings back memories of when I was growing up in suburbia. It is a bright and colourful picture that hopefully conveys the beauty of spring in the suburbs, and the sense of relief that the dreary cold, dark and windy days of winter have passed.
Let me know what you think.

Hanging by the bay

Here is my latest oil painting inspired by a photo I took back in the early 90's of a beachfront property in Kupang, which is in West Timor.  I find the building so interesting because of the way the foundation seems to be eroded by the water, leaving it hanging.  The whole building seemed to be in a bit of disrepair, which seems to give it a bit of character. The ocean view is hard to bet too.