Yet More Studio Time

Tuesday August 21 2016, 1pm

I finished these paintings off over the last couple of  weeks. Three from Acland and one from Rocky Creek, near Bingara. The main challenge I seem to be dealing with lately is balancing the unifying harmonies with the fragmentation of the contrasts. The contrasts seem to be winning.

This nocturne started off as an ink painting at our last Acland gathering, which all present agreed I was not allowed to pollute with paint, and if I wished to do so I should simply make another. This is the result – one coat of India ink, one of acrylic and four of oils. Luna, Mars and Antares together over Acland. Scorpio again.

" New Red Conjunction”

900x600          21/7/2016

I was going to leave the next two from Acland in a relatively rough and unfinished state, but a chat with Ali convinced me that a bit more tonal and colour contrast would be good. They were a bit flat. I managed to preserve most of the roughness in spite of the extra working. Also preserving even more of the gesso ground.

“White Picket Fence”

900x600          26/7/2016

“Depeopled”

900x600          28/7/2016

This last one started as a charcoal drawing from my Bingara trip over a year ago.

“Cypress at 6am”

600x450          28/7/2016

More Studio Time

Friday July 15 2016, 4pm

Three more finished off in the studio. Two from Acland, the first showing the camp where the refugee houses had been banished to keep them out of public view –

“Acland Parking Lot”

900x600          14/7/2016

And a landscape dominated by the radar for Oakey Army Base, yet another source of local underground degradation –

“Under the Radar”

900x600          12/7/2016

And finally, a bent and fanciful portrait of my sister’s log cabin. Doesn’t bear much resemblance to the original underpainting, which was, quite frankly, uninteresting.

“Roons”

600x450          14/7/2016

Studio Time

Monday 11 July 2016, 5.30pm

Making some inroads into the unfinished artworks accumulating in my studio, completing three Acland paintings and two from last Xmas at Roon’s near Lawrence.

Dawn in Allen St, Acland –

“Acland Pole Dance”

900x600          7/7/16

“Tree Pear Trees”

600x450          5/7/16

“Food Bowl”

450x600          6/7/16

And from Lawrence –

“Digger’s Camp”

600x450          9/7/16

“Spotties”

600x450          5/7/16

Two Oils

Sunday 26 June 2016, 3pm

A few days in the studio last week and a few layers of oil. Think I’m starting to get the hang of this photo-realism thing.

“Fractured Dry Horizontal”

900x600          23/6/2016

“The Dark Side”

900x600          23/6/2016

Piano Mill Paintings

Tuesday 24 May 2016, 10am

I finished the Piano Mill paintings off last week. Rephotographed the Mill painting several times, this was the closest I could get to capturing the depth of the glazes.

“The Christening”

900x600          16/5/2017        acrylic, oil and charcoal

“Talisker”

600x450          16/5/2016        acrylic, oil and charcoal

A Gathering in Acland

Tuesday 24 May 2016, 9am

David LeMay, Chris Fletcher and I spent last weekend in Acland with our curator Beth Jackson, doing some work for our Tainted Landscapes exhibition next January. Much fun was had by all.

Beth, Glen Beutel, Dave, Chris and I.

I’m taking a photo of Fletcher drawing me painting.

Halo around the full moon probably caused by mine dust. Glen complained about the noise on Friday night and things were a lot quieter on Saturday.

One of Dave’s paintings from the weekend –

Most of my work from the weekend is preliminary underpainting and drawing. I was taken by the proximity of the moon to Mars and Antares (‘Rival of Mars’ – so called because it’s the second reddest object in the night sky) on Friday night. Might leave this one as is. An ant’s eye view of Acland.

“Red Conjunction”

900x600          20/5/2016        India Ink

“Dry Horizontal”

900x600          21/5/2016        acrylic underpainting

“Abandoned”

900x600          21/5/2016        charcoal

Another inky nocturne. The shop next to the phone booth was gone –

“Stop”

600x450          21/5/2016        India Ink

“Tree Pear Trees”

600x450          22/5/2016        acrylic underpainting

“Nap”

450x600          22/5/2016        charcoal

“Jim’s”

900x600          22/5/2016        charcoal

“Glen’s Memories”

450x600          22/5/2016        India ink

Brooke

Tuesday 10 May 2016, 10am

Finished off another life drawing of Brooke last week, after an involved process. Charcoal, ink, two layers of acrylic and five layers of oil. Went for the chiaroscuro treatment in the end.