The Orator Work In Progress

Chris what are you working on at the moment? Why haven't you be posting regularly? Do toads drink whiskey? All these questions can be answered by the image below.

Messing About

I have just finished this painting today and now I want to hire a boat and go rowing on the river Avon. In fact I've a mind to take a picnic basket, rug to sit on and maybe a sun hat too - anybody care to join me?

Messing About

Watercolour / Gouache 

24 x 31cm

As with every painting in this series of work I have worked on top of a sepia underpainting in watercolour and then added the odd speck of gouache as highlights such as the holes in the straw hat and pesky midges skimming above the water.

My most recent and best purchase...

is this stunning watercolour by top class illustrator Sam Weber.

This is the character Zoey from the cover of 'Fair Coin', a young adult novel by E.C. Myers. You can see how she appears on the book jacket here.

I always thought one day I would like to own a Sam Weber original, maybe a sketch that I could afford when I've started to collect my pension - if I was lucky. Now I have an original, for a superb price, direct from the artist and I still have my own teeth!

Mr Weber still has some work up for grabs on his website if you are interested.

Freddie's Patrol

Here we have a painting I finished today. 'Freddie's Patrol' is the final painting of a set of three pieces, 'King Louie' and 'Lovely Day For It'. I enjoyed painting the dog's slobbery mouth although I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy it if he licked my face.

Freddie's Patrol

Watercolour / Gouache

24 x 31cm

More Painting Ideas

Below are two ideas that I will be working up into paintings next month.

'Messing About'

'Quick Getaway'

Lovely Day For It

Just in case you ever wanted to know what a group of snails having a picnic in the rain looks like. I learnt a heck of a lot doing this one such as I've got to be really careful with the paper when wet. Suddenly out of nowhere marks started to appear as I painted which means I must have scratched it when I was stretching it or maybe let the paper get too wet and therefore vulnerable to the slightest indentation.

Lovely Day For It

Water Colour / Gouache

24 x 31cm

Number two of three for a private commission. The first was King Louie, the brief being the painting had to show lions and puffins. 'Lovely Day For It' was a barn owl and snails and the last painting will be depicting a basset hound and mice (see below).

 

Masterchef

I have just put the finishing touches to 'Masterchef' this morning. You can see the odd highlight on whiskers and fur with gouache but the vast majority of the painting is water colour.

Masterchef

Water Colour / Gouache 

 31 x 24cm

Hopefully the narrative in the painting is very clear. I wanted to bring across a nice homely feel to this image which be in a contrast to some of the other ideas I have down the line for this series of work.

More new paintings...

Below you can see two paintings I am working on right now, even as I type this my other hand is holding a paintbrush, one eye is on the screen and the other eye is overseeing my brushwork. I'm also playing 'The Entertainer' on an old upright piano I have in the corner of my studio, I really hope the wind doesn't change or I'm stuck like this forever.

In order of appearance, sepia underpainting and corresponding initial sketch below.

Frederic Lord Leighton Capri Paintings

I was in the Ashmolean in Oxford yesterday and I stumbled upon these absolute gems!

These are associated but not confirmed as a series of first oil sketches painted by Frederic Lord Leighton during an early summer 5 week stay on the Island of Capri in 1859. He was influenced by his friend Giovanni Costa.

The above painting and detail is my favourite, it stopped me dead in my tracks as I was trying to find a route back to the Egyptian and Nubian department. Going by size and style I'd like to think these are plein air paintings, according to the museum they were studies not intended to be seen by the public.

I hope to find out more on Leighton's Capri sketches.

King Louie

King Louie

24 x 31cm

Watercolour / Gouache

I put the final touches to my private commission 'King Louie' on Friday at the opening of the Guildhall Arts Centre in Bristol. I was one of the artists demonstrating their craft in the gallery spaces as visitors manoeuvred around us. Unfortunately the scan above was done just before I took the painting Bristol so their are a few things missing which can be seen in the original (which is not in my possession). The original has a slightly more detailed tapestry and the contrasts in the kings skirt (if that's what it's called) are heightened.

As usual with this type of piece I produced a sepia under-painting and then began glazing colours but maintaining the details underneath. As a finishing touch I added gouache on the smoke from the brazier and the odd highlight on the fur, throne, hats and silver egg.