Pat Elliott Paintings

Speed sketching

2012-01-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to improve how quickly and accurately I can sketch.
This is because when the spring and summer finally arrive, I want to go outdoors in public places and sketch more often.
So if I can get a reasonable likeness in under ten minutes, then I should feel more confident when doing the same outdoors. That's my thinking, fingers crossed it works.

So these sketches are all done in under 10 minutes, hence not perfect, but improving :)

German shepherd dog ornament

My distance spectacles

desk lamp

computer mouse

small glass

For my followers who paint and draw, do you ever do so outdoors?
What are the pros and cons for you?

Out of the Blue

2012-01-20T01:38:00.000-08:00

Its the Year of Painting time again on our Painting Friends Forum and this time we had to make our own creation, from beginning to end.

Number Ten, Your own Still Life creation

Challenge yourself to explain why you chose that particular set up.

I chose to paint one of my collection of gemstones.

This is the photo:

This particular gemstone is celestite, so named because of its celestial blue shades.
This photo is a close up under microscope, which shows the different value changes within the egg shaped specimen I own.

The lines of the crystal are entrancing to me, within the shapes and shades I find a calming harmony. Under the microscope we can see a good balance of light, mid and dark tones with the overall textural feel of crystalline formations.

Under the heat of the microscope, small particles rose into the air.
Despite my efforts at cleanliness, these are probably dust motes, but they give an interesting effect., hence their inclusion in the painting. They have a movement which adds life.

The set up has a triangular feel to it, with the main crystal point being bordered by an imaginary triangle.

So what really appealed to me the most in this set up?

The fact that this is real and yet it looks abstract.
It appeals to the artist in me who likes to “paint what is” and doubles as a joyous expression of colour, movement and meaning.
Joyous and yet soothing. I feel that one could get lost in the beauty of the creations of the earth and the heavens, if only we take the time to look and enjoy.

How I created this painting.

Firstly, the painting:

Out of the Blue

I printed a black and white copy of the photo, so I would not be tempted to be a slave to the blues of the photo, just to paint my own interpretation.

I masked a few highlights and then painted the whole page with a wash of cerulean blue. Then I added glazes of french ultramarine and glazes of indigo to achieve the desired effect. There were some glazes achieved by plain water first, then dropping in colour and letting it fizz wherever it wanted.
When all the glazes were complete, I lifted the mask and painted a fine line of shadow under each rising bubble and a little more definition around the whites that needed to be darker.
The resultant painting is not a copy of the photo, more an interpretation of it.

I hope you've enjoyed the painting and the explanation

Sketching and news

2012-01-19T01:13:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days have been hectic here!
I've managed to maintain the sketching though :)

I also have some good news!
For a while I have written stories to go with some of my paintings and after seeing a course which explains the techniques of story writing, I applied to join it.
Yesterday I had my interview and assessment and am delighted to tell you all I passed and am now enrolled on the course!
The interviewer also told me that because I have a way with words, both written and spoken, she'd like me to consider putting my name down for a teaching position at the college.
Complete surprise and great compliment !

Sketches - here they are :)

The Alphabet Paintings: S

2012-01-16T00:38:00.000-08:00

I'm back to my alphabet paintings and for S I chose "Still Life"
There were plenty of options around my house to choose from and this lucky plant got the vote :)

So here for you to enjoy:

Still Life

Summer in the City

2012-01-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our art club re-started after the Christmas break.
I took in two pieces of paper, knowing that one painting was going to use very wet washes, so whilst it was drying I worked on the second.

This abstract was finished last night, in watercolour and ink, I call it:

Summer in the City

More sketching

2012-01-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

Over in our Painting Friends forum, we're having a daily sketch challenge.
So far, I am enjoying the discipline of knowing I ought to pick up the sketchbook every day and do something!
Some will be whimsical and some more traditional, whatever takes my fancy on the day.

I am approaching this with the idea that it should be fun and not a chore.
Yes, we could all do with improving - me included- but I don't want to do that at the expense of losing the joy.
Surely joy was the reason we all came to painting and drawing anyway - wasn't it?

What brought me to drawing and painting? I can't remember if I told you. In a nutshell, I had started a new business, wasn't very busy and looked to drawing and painting to fill my time because I loved art at school. So I took a class and off I went. I'm still going :)
How about you? What made you decide to pick a brush or a pencil up?

The Alphabet Paintings: R

2012-01-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

The alphabet paintings continue with the letter R and a memory from childhood...

When I was growing up, I remember reading a whimsical tale of how God named all the flowers. When He was walking in the garden one day, he came across this pretty blue flower and asked for its name. The blue flower bashfully replied that he couldn't remember. So God whispered to the flower, "remember that I love you, forget-me-not"

Remember that I love you

The journey continues

2012-01-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

As my sub heading to the blog says, " a journey with watercolour and my dog"
I thought to show you a little more "journey" work today.

Yesterday was a foul day with storms and high winds, so we didn't go anywhere for fresh air and sketching possibilities, we stayed indoors!

These are my sketches, the first in my new journal book, a present from Beryl at Christmas - and the others are two painted sketches of the same subject.

What started me off on pears again was an informative technique post on Painting Friends, by Mollie Jones.
Mollie is very generous in sharing her knowledge.
She even does so on her blog!
So for those of you who haven't seen it, her blog is HERE
Scroll down from the first post - and there is the technique "smushing"
You're in for a treat :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T01:29:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone!

Hope this year gives you health and happiness .

These are a couple of painted sketches I did yesterday.

The painting bug rarely leaves me, though today is dedicated to clearing up the house, so that we can have a restful day tomorrow, before the return to work Tuesday.

Whatever you're starting off your new year with, I hope you have a great one!

a very happy Missy

2011-12-28T00:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Missy had an end of year check at the vet's surgery.
Everything was well, she's in fine physical shape, with only the beginning of slow growing cataracts. That's probably due to her age - she's 14 now!
But, they show no signs of stopping our darling girl enjoying life - as you can now see :)

Here's my Christmas goodies!

I particularly like that one - there!

How did mummy miss the hedgehog out?

wrapping paper's all mine too!

You're not tidying my hedgie away!

All that playing makes a girl hungry!

After a good lunch comes a snooze!

We're fortunate to be off work now until the New Year, when we'll be back and ready to resume normal blogging. Have a great time all, til then xx

Ding Dong, Merrily on High

2011-12-22T00:36:00.000-08:00

Ding Dong, Merrily on High

In Heaven the bells are ringing

Ding Dong, verily the sky

Is riven with angels singing

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis

A very Merry Christmas

to all our friends

much love

Pat and Missy

Year of Painting, Rose.

2011-12-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

On the Painting Friends forum, its time for the Year of Painting. This month we had a white rose as a reference to work from.
The idea of painting once a month is for you to analyse your work and grow from the experience.

Today, I thought I'd share the whole post with you, not just the final painting, as I did with V: The Other Side of the River.

Year of Painting (YOP)

Number Nine, Rose

Personal Goals for this Painting:

Firstly I set some goals for my thumbnail sketches.

These were :

do a thumbnail showing the scene as is.
on the other thumbs, show different crops and ideas
Paint all four thumbs.

I chose to paint all four thumbnails. Why I did this was to push myself to get more out from these YOPs. To try each technique and crop. To find something in each I could like and learn from.

So, here are the paintings:

Dark Rose

8 x 11 Arches 140 Rough

I changed the colour of the rose. Solely because I'd not long since painted a white rose in “The Shadow of Your Love.”

I like this rose in parts. I love the bud and the background and leaves. Also the outer petals of the rose, but I feel I made a mistake to paint all the petals because I feel I've lost it in the inner shadows. I've painted in glaze after glaze to give a richer colour, therefore I can't lift the shadow without ruining the petal. A lesson learned – plan more if you want to be that literal and paint your shadows first!

Christmas Rose

8 x 11 Arches 140 Rough

Love the richness of this impasto version, it feels like a oil. That's probably because for the first time, I've painted it completely with a palette knife.

Its taught me that although its ok as a small painting ( 8x11 ) it would be stunning as a large, full sheet version.

Rosebud

8 x 11 Arches 140 Rough

This , I love everything about it. Lesson learned, take an element of a photo, that really suits me better than using the whole!

Sweet Rose

8 x 11 Arches 140 Rough

I love pointillism, it feels like meditation to me when I work in this way. Love the way this came out, reminding me of a sugar frosted rose. I wouldn't change it at all, I even like the way the petals have different colour variations.

Challenges Faced

Painting all four thumbs and trying to be creative with them all. Hardest of all was to paint the “as is” thumbnail, when it was never a photo I'd have chosen for a reference.

Share Personal Goals and whether you felt you Met Them

My personal goals were to be creative in all four paintings and to learn something from each, which I have done in varying degrees.

How I created the Paintings.

Multiple glazes in Dark Rose on the rose. Some negative painting in the background.

All impasto using aquapasto as well as watercolour and a palette knife in Christmas Rose

Loose background wash for sky in Rosebud and merging wet in wet washes for the rose and shadows.

All pointillism in Sweet Rose. A dot at a time. It took the longest time of all.

Size of Painting, Medium, Palette and Brushes.

The paintings are on Arches 140 Rough and are 8” x 11”

The medium is pencil for the under drawing and watercolour for the painting. (addition of aquapasto for Christmas Rose only)

W&N artists quality paint.

Palette colours used : transparent yellow, cadmium red, french ultramarine, sap green, olive green, indigo.

Brushes: round 12, round 6, round 2. palette knife.

Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my thoughts and practices.

The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Did I ever tell you how fortunate I am to know some wonderful dogs and their owners?
Kendi is another jack russell who has beaten cancer, just like my Missy.
I have a very soft spot for her - even though her mom Michelle does dress her up!

Of course, if she hadn't, I could never have painted this picture :)
and between you and I, Kendi enjoys it! Soppy dog ...

The Night Before Christmas

Celebrating Kendi and Missy, the dogs who lived!
Merry Christmas, Michelle and Kendi
Love, Pat and Missy xx

Now we can relax!

2011-12-12T02:06:00.000-08:00

Here I am drawing in my sketchbook, with a very intent audience!

Was I drawing something so very fascinating to a dog? I don't think so.. just a negative drawing ( where you put graphite all over the paper and draw your shapes with the eraser)

and a Christmas bauble

ah yes, Christmas bauble.. now I know why so intent.. because I mustn't forget a certain stocking...

and now its hanging in the fireplace a certain little dog can relax! :)

The Alphabet Paintings: Q

2011-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Did some of you wonder what I would paint for Q?
It was never going to be hard for me. Tell you why, I have another little hobby. One I haven't spoken of much here, but I love gemstones, minerals and fossils.
Not a huge collection, but ones with patterns that fascinate me.
So all I did was pick out a piece from my collection, stand it on my glass computer table and paint away.

Q is for Quartz...

Sweetheart Quartz

This painting can be viewed along with all my others, at my gallery site, click HERE

Pudding winner

2011-12-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

Good morning friends.

I decided to get the winner picked this morning, because so many from different time zones joined in - and I wanted to make sure I had the address so that the pudding could be posted in the morning!

In the time honoured tradition in our house, Missy gets to pick the winner.
All the numbers put on a piece of paper, a treat placed on each one. Missy told to wait (hence why she looks away).

At the "go on" command, the first treat she eats is the number who wins.

The 10th comment on the pudding post was Dora, from New York, USA.
Congrats Dora, if you send me your address, I'll get the painting out to you, tomorrow. Fingers crossed you'll have it for Christmas. xxx

Mankind is my business

2011-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read a book which touched your life?

Touched it in such a way as to change it?
"A Christmas Carol" did that to me.
The part where Scrooge told Marley he was a good man of business, poor Marley wailed and cried "Mankind is my business". He lamented he had not taken care of that business in life.
Later, after all the spirits had visited Scrooge, he changed how he viewed life. The book closes with Scrooge being the man who kept the spirit of Christmas in his heart all year.

So, in keeping with the upcoming season, I should like to spread a little cheer.
To that effect, my dear readers, I am offering this painted sketch of a Christmas pudding to one of you. (6.5" square)
Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a random name on Saturday and get it in the mail the same day. Open to all, no matter your country :) Fingers crossed you will receive it in time for Christmas.

Blessings to you all xx

Miss Molly

2011-12-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

December is a busy month for us all.
There's preparations and present shopping for Christmas, extra work to be done before we're off for the holiday. For we artists too, I bet there are lots of paintings you can't show or hint at, because they are presents.

This painting is a present too. I have shown it to Nicola, in case there was anything she wanted changed because it wasn't sitting right, before I sent it to the other end of the country! Fortunately for me, she loved it.. so I can show it to you . For Nic its good too, she'll be able to have it framed for Christmas :)

Miss Molly

The Alphabet Paintings: P

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Time for another Alphabet Painting and if you've been paying attention, you know I'm up to P.
Thoroughly enjoyed painting this one - its on a quarter sheet - 15" x 11" - and the paper is Arches 140lb Rough

Where Poppies Grow

A birthday indulgence.

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday, so I thought I'd indulge myself and show you some of my favourite paintings from my recent painting journey.
You won't find any one particular style, because I do experiment !
Neither are they in any particular order of rank.

Come sit with me, have a slice of cake and a cuppa and enjoy the views.

Thanks to all of you, for accompanying me on this journey. You're the best!

Memories on Ice

2011-11-27T03:12:00.000-08:00

Remember the Memories of Auntie painting? The one with the steel colander and how I changed it to have some shadows?

Both Judy and Prabal suggested I could have some looser, more reflective shadows and my comment was that wouldn't suit the painting.
So then, I thought, lets paint those looser, reflective shadows - and make a painting they will suit.

So, for Judy and Prabal, here are those reflections you wanted to see - hope you enjoy them!

Memories on Ice

Missy and the Pink Piggy

2011-11-25T03:09:00.000-08:00

Its piggy time here !
Not only did we have Oscar who I painted, but we had a surprise gift in the mail of a little pink piggy for Missy.

It came with a card from the lovely Nicola and a photo of the diamond Roxy, who we met recently at Discover Dogs. See HERE

Missy was intrigued by the smells in the padded envelope

She was a good girl as I asked her to "Wait" after I placed the pig on the floor.
Oh but those eyes! She can certainly plead with them :)

Then I told her "go on then" and she got stuck straight in!

After ten minutes or so, she decided to it might be more relaxing to lie down and chew on piggy :)

and when she was done, what a self satisfied look!

Missy really enjoyed playing with Piggy -she has so far taken the label off, but left the stuffing intact! Which is quite something for a russell. Piggy could be the new favourite :) Thanks, Nic! xx

The Alphabet Paintings: O

2011-11-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

After all the emotion invested in V: The Other Side of the River, I decided to do a painting that made me laugh.
Also, having neglected the Alphabet paintings, decided it was time to start again and not lose them.

What on earth could make me laugh in a painting that began with O?
I have just the thing at home.
He's a lovely little animal, all shades of green and he's always cheerful.
When I first saw him many years ago, it was love at first sight.

Here he is, in watercolour, hope he makes you smile too :)

Oscar, the Ornamental Pig

V: The Other Side of the River

2011-11-21T00:45:00.000-08:00

Its the Year of Painting (YOP) time over at Painting Friends.
This time instead of showing you all the thought processes and thumbnails, I'm just going to show you the final painting.
You can make your own story up for it this way. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting it.

V: The Other Side of the River

Shadows!

2011-11-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

Shadows - they make or break a painting.
After I posted yesterday's Auntie painting, my good friends over at Painting Friends suggested I increase the shadow from the small amount under the carrot I had, to a more "anchoring" shadow as some felt the colander was floating.

So I have and here's the updated version.Would love to know what you think .

Memories of Auntie

2011-11-18T03:01:00.000-08:00

Sunday dinner at my much loved auntie's house.
Irish stew.
The marvels of cooking to a youngster.
Warmth and comfort.
Such seemingly simple things.
Such wonderful memories.

Memories of Auntie

The Edge of Heaven.

2011-11-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

Its painting time again...

recently I came up with a little challenge for my Painting Friends.. I gave them a title and they had to paint a picture to fit it.
The title was " Edge of Heaven"

Here is what I came up with, because you know, heaven would not be heaven to me, if there was no chocolate and raspberry ice cream, topped with sauce, nuts and a cherry!

The Edge of Heaven

A grand day out !

2011-11-13T03:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a wonderful day, down at Earl's Court in London, for the Discover Dogs Show.

I had two friends in the Scruffts Crossbreed of the Year show.
They have heats all round the country and approx 1200 dogs entered overall.
My friends had one dog in the Prettiest Bitch category and one in the Golden Oldie category.

Roxy was in the Golden Oldie and she won that class !
She's a Pets as Therapy Dog also - and she's about 9 years old. What a girl!

Here she is, with her mum, Nicola :)

Gerri and her dog Tilly were in the Prettiest Bitch class, and Tilly came 2nd !
What a girl she is!

Tilly has such a gorgeous face ..

Well done to both girls.. they were complete superstars!

Talking of superstars, those of you in England may recognise this little chappie "Harvey" from the TV advert, and the star of Midsomer Murders

and in the booth next to him was Ripley - the dog you've all been taking for a walk! Sadly just as I lined the camera up , they were called to go into a ring for showing, so no picture.

I also had the privilege of meeting Nicola's grandmother, who took a moment to tell me that the painting I did of Roxy HERE made her cry when she saw it on the computer and then again in real life, once it was delivered. She said it was so much better than on the comp - and was SO Roxy, it took her breath away. That was lovely for me to hear, I'll treasure that always .

Where was Missy in all this? I wasn't allowed to take her, because she wasn't in a show, so she stayed at home, all nicely curled up, waiting for me to return.

and that look?.............. "Where's my treats, mummy?"

She knows me too well, here's her stash from my day out :)

Tea With Mollie

2011-11-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe its been almost a week since my last post!
Hope this painting makes up for it - my version of a Mollie Jones demo on Painting Friends ( you can see Mollie's version HERE)
Mollie is a wonderful artist and person, always ready to help. I've named this painting for her, as a homage.

Tea with Mollie

Paint and play, stretch and learn!

2011-11-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

I showed my husband the jam tarts when he returned from work yesterday and he said, "hmm. ok. not up to your usual standard. Have you posted that?"

To which the answer was yes, as you know. This is a journey after all.
You will see a variation of works from me - I am no longer plugged in to the "must create a masterpiece each time"

That's a good thing that came out of my C&G Creative Watercolour course. The fact we learned to take paint and play with it and by doing so we stretched our imaginations and we learned.

Sometimes you learn things that you love and adopt, sometimes you learn that certain styles are to be admired, but they're not for you to paint.

So for me, every time I pick up a brush, learning is my main object. Masterpieces, when they happen, are a delightful outcome :)

Here's another I painted yesterday, dedicated to a friend Wyna, who is on this painting journey too - and happy to go her own way, as I am :)
Watercolour and aquapasto medium, Arches 140 Rough, 11" x 8"

Wild as Wyna

Breakfast with Friends

2011-11-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

I was doing some baking - jam tarts to be precise and thought, what pretty colours - lets make a quick painted sketch.. :)

and who better to share them with than all my friends.. but I had a bite from one - to make the painting more interesting, you understand!

Breakfast with Friends

The Shadow of your Love

2011-10-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

Shadows.. I always think they make a painting.
So when I started this one, I decided to paint the shadows first.
When they were done, I loved it so much, its staying that way.
Here it is, painted on Arches 140 Rough , 15" x 11"

The Shadow of your Love

Just another day.

2011-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

The weather was fine for the end of October, so Missy had maybe her last game of the season :)

When we came in, I finished a quarter sheet painting, the last in the current loose style. This was from David Webb's book, Animal Painting Workbook. I wanted to compare what I'd learned from him against one of his own pictures. I only painted half the cat, not all that he did. I'm happy I have the technique, so this lovely cat will be the last "after" someone else's picture. If you'd like to buy David's book, or view his website, GO HERE

Lazy Sunday Afternoon ( after David Webb)

and finally, we curled up on the sofa in the evening and watched The King's Speech on dvd. What a fabulous film. I know, we're behind the times, but I so prefer my own home to the cinema environment. Nobody can kick the back of my seat!

Wish you all a blessed Sunday. xx

PS: for those who walked Ripley, the total was over £80,000 when I last looked on Saturday! Thank you all xx

painted sketches

2011-10-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

morning all !

today I'm showing you some of my recent painted sketches.
I picked up a book that shows loose style painting and gave some of the exercises a go. The technique was from the book, the photos from Morguefile.

First is 8" x 11" and the second is a quarter sheet 15" x 11"

The surprising thing for me was just how much work is involved in these looser styles! The patience you have to have to leave them alone so you can overlay a wet on top of dry wash. Not sure if I'm cut out for that amount of patience :lol:

Back to Nature

2011-10-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm playing with crystal again :)

One of my crystal ornaments, backed by some poppies in my garden..

Back to Nature

We're for Dogs

2011-10-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I never put adverts on my blog - but this one is an exception.

Because dogs are exceptional .

Pedigree Adoption Drive will donate money - real money - to help homeless dogs - if you will take this virtual dog for a walk.

The dog walks across a page, you wait until it sits, scroll down and click "continue with your virtual walk"
It will do this across 4 websites and when you have completed it, Pedigree will donate £1 to help homeless dogs.

Doesn't take much time - and so far, there's just over £40,000 been donated.

My Missy is a rescue whose home would have benefitted.
I'm all for dogs.

This is easy and could mean so much. Please do it. Thank you.

If you have a blog, please consider sharing this.

Card Exchange

2011-10-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

We've recently had a card exchange over at Painting Friends.
We have two, Autumn (Fall) and Christmas.

We all paint a card and then are given a Friend to exchange with.
This year, I was fortunate to receive two cards: Bonnie when she was given my name, decided a big pot of soup (and the recipe inside the card) was just right for me. It was! I love to cook from scratch, so this was perfect. I'm buying the ingredients this weekend.

Then, because she was on holiday in New England at the time, she painted a scene of the colour changes in that area. Simply beautiful.

Wasn't I the fortunate one? :)

For my part of the Exchange, I painted a scene from the Serpentine in Hyde Park and included a little history about the area too.
I'm not too good at painting small, so this picture (card) was approx 8" x 10" :)

Autumn at the Serpentine

Autumn - one of my favourite times of year. I love the colour changes and the crisp, ideal walking weather. I've been out and away from the computer lots, because before long winter will be here, when the weather will no doubt conspire to keep us all indoors more!

Enjoy your autumn (fall) as much as I do. xx

Reflecting on Bygone Times, Year of Painting

2011-10-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Over on Painting Friends, its Year of Painting time again, so I thought I'd share the whole post with you, so that you can gain an insight into the workings behind this painting :)

Number Seven, Auto Reflections

Personal Goals for this Painting:

Firstly I set some goals for my thumbnail sketches.

These were :

do a thumbnail showing the scene as is
on the other thumbs, show different crops and ideas
Choose which one of these thumbnails to paint.

Choosing (4) Rusty Wreck, the goals for the painting were: try to show a vehicle in a stage of decomposition and by doing so describe the impermanence of life and material objects.

To this aim, I also wanted to incorporate the acrylic technique of painting a ground onto watercolour paper. This means adding a tint of colour and texture before you start painting proper.

So, here's the painting: Reflecting on Bygone Times

What works and what could be improved.

I'm pleased with the overall feel of the painting. By the grasses I should have left more lights, as I did with the sky.

Challenges Faced

The challenge faced for me was incorporating tinting and texture onto the paper before I painted the car.

Share Personal Goals and whether you felt you Met Them

My goals were to make the four thumbs again, pick one to paint, namely Rusty. I wanted to use the acrylic ground technique to see what difference it would make to the overall feel.

Did I manage that? I think so, though I can see that completely tinting paper wouldn't have suited this subject, but it does tie car and shrubs in so they feel at home together. I don't think I should have extended it to where I painted the grasses. I think it dulls the grasses too much.

How I created the Painting.

I created the painting by painting the sky first. When dry, I scumbled a mix of burnt sienna, raw sienna and light red over the rest of the paper. Then I pressed cling film into that so that when dry there would be some texture. After that the shrubs were painted in a loose random style, made of shades of raw sienna, burnt sienna and cadmium yellow pale. The car was painted in cad red and cad yellow pale, with the rust and bullet holes being painted in various strengths of a shadow mix ( ultra and crimson) Grasses were painted in a loose style using a large flat brush, using the same colours as used throughout, with the addition of a making a green from ultra and cad yellow pale.

Size of Painting, Medium, Palette and Brushes.

The painting is on Arches 140 Rough and is 15” x 11”

The medium is pencil for the under drawing and watercolour for the painting.

W&N artists quality paint.

Palette colours used : Raw sienna, burnt sienna, Cad Red., Cad yellow pale, French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, light red.

Brushes: Flat 1”, round 12, rigger 2

Busy weekend!

2011-10-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Friday night I went with fellow blogger Sharon to see an art demonstration.
We saw Heather Jolliffe paint a scene of deer in woodlands.
Missy wagged hopefully at Sharon and then came to me, but she wasn't allowed to go!

I don't paint in acrylic, but was hoping to learn something that I could carry over to watercolour. The most likely thing that would migrate well was putting a ground on the paper. This translates to tinting a watercolour page (with texture too) before you start to paint proper. I'm going to try that on a painting sometime soon.

No photos at the demo, but I was on the end of the row, so managed to not only jot down notes, but make a small sketch too. In pen, here it is :)

Yesterday and today, I've been playing Florence Nightingale to a poorly hubby.
Hope to get round to all your blogs and catch up soon!

and now, something completely different!

2011-10-14T01:44:00.000-07:00

So glad you all enjoyed the crystal peacock.
No sooner had I finished it than I started this fast and loose painting of a tiger.

I had learned from our Painting Like the Masters challenge on Painting Friends how to paint a Monet style oil in watercolour - and I so loved it I do not want to lose the skill. So I employed that technique again on this tiger.

I find repetition is the best way for me to retain a skill - how about you?

Anyway, here's the tiger painitng, I do hope you enjoy this too.

Time for Tea

Don't forget, he and all your favourite paintings of mine, can be found HERE in my permanent gallery site.

The Magic of Rainbows (crystal painting)

2011-10-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here's the finished crystal painting. I hope you enjoyed the stages as much as I enjoyed showing you.

The Magic of Rainbows

Permanently on display at my gallery site, HERE

A Crystal painting - further steps

2011-10-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

we have some more steps on the way to the crystal painting.

Firstly some washes of cobalt blue

then a second glaze of cobalt blue, in selected areas only. That will deepen the glass and help to make the crystal more 3-D

Adding in some cadmium yellow on certain segments

And a wash of gamboge overlaid with red (makes the reds sing) in selected spots

adding some dark tone in, to tie in the shadows to the peacock. French ultramarine+alizarin crimson mix

All I have to do now is remove the masking and tidy up any areas I feel need a little more zing - and the painting will be ready. I'll post it tomorrow.

A Crystal painting step by step

2011-10-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have a crystal ornament or two :)
The one that I wanted to paint is a peacock.
It casts some beautiful rainbows, but you have to look very very closely to see the colour in it.
So I took a photo and blew it up and from there I started to draw, mask and paint.

Here's the drawing on a quarter sheet, with all the facets and shapes of the colours drawn in

and here is the masking laid down to preserve the whites

the sky through the window is french ultramarine and the door a gold ochre. The shadows on the window and sill a a very weak wash of winsor green and alizarin crimson.

The deeper shadows are french ultramarine and alizarin crimson

and the tips of the feathers and body of the bird are gold ochre.
The base of the mirrored stand is a weak mix of the winsor green and alizarin crimson.

more to follow another day...

Love, Actually

2011-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I made a pencil portrait called Manifestly, Love.
It was a portrait of my friend, Lynne and her dog, Ben.

Today I show you the other half of the portrait, which features Stuart and Ben.

I'm going to frame these two pencil drawings and give them to Lynne and Stuart as their wedding present.

Eminently fitting for Manifestly, Love and Love, Actually.

Love, Actually

Dancing with Deb

2011-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Morning all,

The photo for this painting came from Deb over at Painting Friends. Mollie kindly gave a stage by stage of her version, with lots of helpful tips. Mollie is the crystal painting Queen!

So I made an attempt - and here it is:

Dancing with Deb

Country Fayre

2011-10-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

We went out to a local fayre today at a country park which had been seconded as an air field in WWII

The weather was very hot for England in October - 85F !

We stopped for an hour or so then came home to have a respite from the heat.
We didn't take Missy, it would have been far too hot for her when there was hardly any shade. It was really a touch too hot for me!

I took some photos for you to enjoy.
If you would like to use any in this post for the basis of a painting, you may do so, freely :)

Cowgirl VIII: Her new Beau

2011-09-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Our cowgirl who was back in the saddle for the rodeo in the last painting, has found herself a new beau!

Here's the painting:

Cowgirl VIII: Her new Beau

Hope you are enjoying viewing this series as much as I'm enjoying painting them :) xx

Keeping a Sketchbook

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I keep two sketchbooks.
One is for ideas for painting.
The second is one I use to write poetry and doodle a related picture.

I write the haiku and then draw.
These coloured pencil drawings are not meant for me to make paintings from, but do serve to help me meditate.

This is a very special bistro set bought for me by a dear friend in Texas, so its the ideal place to sit back and meditate.

The coloured pencil wrap was also a present from the same friend, beautifully hand crafted by Tonya at Hillbilly Handiworks, HERE

When the haiku is written and the drawing complete, I sit back and ponder..

Here are a couple of snippets for you to see:

the front page

and the haiku :

Silent as the stone
Sit with me in peacefulness
Drinking in the sun.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my meditative sketchbook.

Patience and Flowers.

2011-09-26T00:58:00.000-07:00

Good morning all.

A new week and a new chapter starts today!

This morning I deleted my Facebook account. They made a couple of changes too far, compromised my privacy - and really made it less fun!

I haven't the patience for it. Which is odd, because as artists we have to have patience, to see our creations grow, to learn new techniques and to develop.
As a gardener, I need to have patience, for plants don't rush.

Perhaps my patience is selective. I wonder if yours is too?

Talking of gardening and plants, the bed in front of the garage was planted up. It will take a year or two for these plants to spread and fill the bed.
If you would like to use the photos in this post as a basis for a painting, please do so.

Geranium

Japanese Anemone

Phlox

Butterfly - with hairs up to catch the warm air in the sun

and this one, I loved the shadow!

I hope you all have a wonderful week. With patience in all the right places :)

love and hugs
Pat .

Painted, Plastered and again, Painted

2011-09-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

What's been going on here recently?

I painted this little sketch as a birthday present for someone :)

Whose birthday? The man who was plastering our hallway and up the staircase.
He did a wonderful job, the plaster is so smooth - its wonderful to see a craftsman at work. It was his birthday while he was here working, he owns four jack russells, so I painted this for him. Needless to say, he loved it :)

Here's a photo of his plaster work up the staircase. It will take a week to dry and then we can paint it white. Its going to be stunning.

On the good days, I've been outside painting the finished garage, which he'd rendered for us also.

The journey with working on the house is coming to an end.
Time to stand and stare, as a famous poet once said :)

Wintry Day - the year of painting.

2011-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning all.

Over on Painting Friends we've recently done another in our year of painting set.
Each month we have a photo reference set for us and we interpret it in our own fashion.

This month was a lady cardinal, a bird not native to the UK. I was a trifle concerned how I would cope with painting something others were very familiar with and me not at all !

The original photo had the bird sitting on a branch and lots of other branches and the tree trunk visible. I decided to remove all of those and just paint the bird with one snowy branch and a very wintry background.

I hope you enjoy the painting and if you have any questions on how I did it, fire away! I will do my best to answer :)

Wintry Day

This and all my other paintings are together on my permanent gallery site HERE Do go over and have a browse - and enjoy :)

Missy takes over !

2011-09-20T01:23:00.000-07:00

No, its not a dominance thing with Missy, we don't subscribe to that theory. Instead today's blog post is all about having fun with our dog.
We believe that kindness and fun are the way to train dogs, so we can enjoy life together!
We bought darling Missy some new agility equipment for use in the garden .

Here she is, ready for the off

Going through the hoop

Trying out the weave poles and thoroughly enjoying it

and having a go at flyball. She has to put paws on the board to make it release the ball.

and once she had the ball, she had to do a " lap of honour" :)

The joy in Missy's life spills over to ours. Its great to have such a fun companion.

Cowgirl VII: Back in the Saddle

2011-09-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our Cowgirl who recovered from the broken heart and began looking to the future is now back in the saddle. Please enjoy the latest in my Cowgirl Series

Cowgirl VII: Back in the Saddle

In case you missed the others in the Series, you can find them HERE

At Sanctuary's Gate

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished painting!
I've deepened the shadows, to make it feel more three dimensional.
I do hope you have enjoyed seeing it develop.
It will also take its place on my permanent gallery site HERE

At Sanctuary's Gate

Another stage of At Sanctuary's Gate

2011-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I worked some more on this painting that I showed the early stages of yesterday.

I'm pleased with how the layers are progressing, but I do need to add some more shadows, to make it really sing - and then I'll be done.

In the meantime, stage 3...

Early stages of At Sanctuary's Gate

2011-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Enamoured of this three colour background, I wanted to try one more very strong set of colours before I mute them somewhat.

I decided to move away from Ultramarine, Alizarin and Aureolin and use Ultra Violet, Winsor Orange and Green Gold.

The door knocker is derived from the old medieval knocker which used to stand on the North Door of Durham Cathedral. In medieval times, one only had to knock and ask, and Sanctuary was granted to anyone fleeing from the brutal justice of the time. The Law of Sanctuary was abolished in England in the 1600s.

So my sanctuary knocker is set floating in the sky, representational of knocking at the Ultimate Sanctuary gate.

Drawing on the paper first, before putting the background washes in. They were very wet, because I wanted to press some cling film into them to create those interesting textural marks. When the cling film was in place, I weighted it with a couple of books to keep the film pressed in the washes. If you click to make the picture large, you will see that more clearly.

Next I start to paint the knocker, building up the colour in layers.
For this, you have to be patient. Each layer has to dry thoroughly. I'm hoping it will be worth it in the end.

The Three Sisters

2011-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent some more time on the step by step, and I think its finished. But I will wait a few days before I make that final call, because something else might pop out at me, or someone may come up with a suggestion that makes me think - oh yes, that would make it better!
That does happen, and I am not above taking suggestion to improve my paintings.

Sometimes when I visit other blogs, I am mindful not to say how or what I would change, because that would make it my painting - and we should allow each their own style! But at times, I can see how the addition of a darker shadow, or continuity in light source could improve what is there.
I'm happy for anyone to make constructive comments in the same vein.

Anyway, here's the first photo from yesterday.

Using a sap green and ultramarine mix, with varying degrees of stickiness, I painted some vague foliage and then some more defined foliage.
I did this because I wanted to express that the three flowers could be on a vine, or could be three flowers standing independently. I like that kind of ambiguity. Not always do I want my paintings to be clear cut, so that what you first see is all there is.
I then added some splatter , in dark green mix, and alizarin on its own.
To do this, load one brush with paint and then tap it against a second one, held at an angle that makes a cross - an upright one, like Jesus' cross - not an X cross. Make sure you cover the flowers with a piece of paper, if you don't want them splattered too :)

I looked at the painting for a while and the flowers seemed a little bland to me, so I deepened some shadows and added some veins. I made them stronger on the right most flower, to give one flower that stood out more than the others.
I think its finished now, unless of course, you'd like to come up with a suggestion to improve it. I hope you've enjoyed how this painting has progressed.

One last hint someone else gave me. Click the picture to get the larger version, then squint as you view it. Apparently that gives you a rough impression of how you would see it on a wall, when you're seated!

The Three Sisters

Building some interest

2011-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning, friends.

This post is not about increasing your savings, but building interest in the floral painting :)

Underneath the flowers, brush in some clean wet water. Have your board at a tilt, so the water will run down a little.
With a light mix of ultramarine and sap green, dab the brush just under the flower, so the wash blends into the clean water.

Also - make a couple of stems and swirls with the blue/green mix and add some aureolin dashes of paint with your rigger, to make some interesting flower spikes and vine type clingers.

With any luck, it should come out, something like this.

I am working at the day job this morning, but will be painting again this afternoon, so hopefully should have some more to show you tomorrow.
It will be building up some greens underneath the flowers. So don't wash your mix off your palette!

Time for a watch along experiment.

2011-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the Famous Cactus? It had the swirly swishy background.

I was wondering what to paint, so thought to try an experiment.. the swirly background and a floral painting.

I have drawn the flowers from my imagination. Not sure if that's a good idea, but time will tell.

So here are the first few steps. If anyone wants to try this out for themselves - be my guest!

firstly, the drawing

Wet the paper completely, then add the background washes. A lazy S shaped swish of french ultramarine, alizarin crimson and aureolin.

after that has dried completely ( which takes a while as it was very wet) I add a second wash of aureolin to the flowers alone

that's it for today, will be back soon with some more stages.
Hope you've enjoyed and even feel inspired :)

Manifestly, Love

2011-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

I don't think this pencil drawing needs any explanation .. it is....

Manifestly, Love

This picture will have a permanent place in my Gallery Site,

Pat Elliott Paintings (click to visit)

A TV Star came to visit

2011-09-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

Its been very exciting here - Missy had a TV star come to visit.

The star in question? Bubble the dalmatian.

Bubble was on The One Show ( see HERE at 38 mins in) and she was joint winner in the Waggiest Tail section.

Missy was completely unimpressed by the shows hosts, Chris Evans and Alex Jones - who obviously weren't the stars on this episode. Clever doggy! :)

We had the very great pleasure of Lottie and Bubble staying with us overnight on Friday / Sat morning.

Lottie is the owner of Pawsitively Pets - and she's the very kind lady who posts Missy's favourite treats to us - she provides all manner of pet supplies, all you need to do is request them and Lottie will do her best to supply them for you!
She posts to us in Essex, so distance is no problem :)

See HERE for Lottie's website and HERE for Lottie's blog

If you're in Sheffield and looking for a dog trainer, you couldn't do better than to go see Lottie. I had the pleasure of walking Bubble on my own whilst Lottie got ready, and she walked like a dream, no bouncing or pulling - and she watched me and obeyed all the commands I gave. When you think Bubble is a deaf dog, Lottie has done an amazing job!

I'd also like to tell you about Rain Rescue. Here, Lottie volunteers her time and helps with the training of the rescue dogs, improving their chances of being rehomed . You can see Rain Rescue's site HERE.
I think you can also see why Lottie and Bubble are truly stars, not just celebrities! Three cheers for you girls :)

Missy was a good girl, she learned that if she looked at me straight after looking at Bubble, she got a treat. That was great fun and very easy to do!

Then when Bubble was upstairs asleep, she made friends with Auntie Lottie

and now, when Lottie and Bubble are on their way home to Sheffield, where's our darling Missy? Asleep, exhausted by entertaining the famous :)

My Crystal Bowl

2011-09-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

A Crystal Bowl and Strawberries was one of the projects my Painting Friends were creating on their painting holiday, Splash!

Although I couldn't make it to Florida, Mollie kindly provided me with a photo of the drawing to copy; from there I have painted this version of the crystal bowl with strawberries.

I have to thank Mollie Jones - she's an absolute star. If you'd like to visit her blog, go HERE

and here is my painting:

My Crystal Bowl

The Famous Cactus

2011-08-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

You all know I belong to a painting group called Painting Friends?
Its like a little family - and the last week the majority have been on holiday together in Indian Rocks beach, Florida.

It was a painting holiday and the projects were kindly shared and video-ed for those of us who weren't there.
Thanks to Deb for taking the videos, and to Mollie for this particular project.

If you'd like to join the Painting Friends forum, please do go have a look HERE and tell them Pat sent you.

This is my version of Mollie's cactus.

The Famous Cactus

Failte, Cara

2011-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm half Irish; so when I painted some Waterford crystal filled with fruit, it seemed natural to give it an Irish title.

The title is Failte Cara, which means, "Welcome Friend"

This little painting depicts a welcome to any friend who visits, and a refreshing treat.

Failte Cara

Drawings, table and connection

2011-08-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends!

Shall we go in reverse order?
We will, so I'll start with connection. I reported a fault with my internet service on Saturday - and because it was the weekend, had to wait for Monday until an engineer could come.

What a wonderful man he was. My connection was having an intermittent fault, holding then dropping the service. It was so irritating, because you guessed it - it dropped when I was part way through something. Each and every time!

This man was like a dog with a bone - he wouldn't leave until he had it fixed good and proper! The equipment got changed, the lines were tested, the microfilters, the junction box, the telephone exchange. He found the reason why and fixed it, though he was here between 8am and 4pm!
He's my hero :)

So what did we do with no proper service?

Hubby refurbished an old table to fit in with our colour scheme; it will live in the porch.

I completed a few drawings ready to paint:

and Missy was just grateful when all the works were done and she could rest!

Hypnotised - the year of painting .

2011-08-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are into month five on the Painting Friends Year of Painting.

This is where you get to see all the thoughts, hopes and execution of a painting.
Enjoy :)

Number Five : Ocean

Personal Goals for this Painting

Firstly I set some goals for my thumbnails
These were:

Do a thumbnail showing the scene as is 1
On two thumbs eliminate different elements 2,3
On one thumb, be off the wall. 4
Choose which one of these thumbs to paint

Choosing 3 , I decided to paint the scene as an oil, using watercolour and aquapasto medium, and using impasto techniques.

So here's the finished painting

Hypnotised

What works and what could be improved.

I'm pleased with the feeling of oil, but because I still reserve white, I think the white of the breaking wave could have been improved. I need to go watch some waves break to improve my observation.

Challenges Faced

Painting a wave from a photo – without lots of real life observation. I need a sea trip!

Share Personal Goals and whether you felt you Met Them

My goals were to make the four thumbs again, pick a technique for painting, namely impasto.
Did I manage that? I think so, though I can see room for improvement.

How I created the Painting.

I created the painting by painting the wave first. A few different colours and strokes, then scumbling along the crest of the wave to give a foam effect. Dry brush for the foam on the shore and simplified figures, with just shadow and light. Sand was yellow ochre and a little sepia too.

Size of Painting, Medium, Palette and Brushes.

The painting is on Bockingford 140 Not and is 15” x 5”
The medium is pencil for the under drawing and watercolour and aquapasto for the painting.
W&N artists quality paint.
Palette colours used : French Ultramarine, Indigo, Yellow Ochre., Sepia.
Brush: Kolinsky numbers 12 and 7

A thing of Beauty

2011-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is finished! And very beautiful it is too.

I have watched it grow from the bare bones of stripped back walls, to the room where I can create a culinary masterpiece.How creative my builders are.

Whilst I've watched the building, I in turn have been watched.
The workmen have been the first to see my new paintings and have marvelled at how I created them.

Seeing them work reminds me of art.
We start with the bare bones of a blank sheet of paper - and from there something beautiful grows. Whether we draw or go straight in with paint, whether we paint loose or tight, abstract or realistic... we create. It will be a thing of beauty. Even the paintings we may think - oh, that's nothing - others will see the beauty we sometimes miss.

Just like my kitchen.

Happy creating, whatever you create. Never lose the wonder.

If you want to see all the kitchen photos in one place, go HERE

Cuthbert leaves Lindisfarne

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I photographed all the stages of this painting, because I thought you might like to see it.
If you don't, skip to the last photo :)

Saint Cuthbert was the Bishop of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and he was buried there when he died. Sadly, we had some naughty marauding Vikings sail across the water, who just loved to turn up and pillage, loot and all manner of unspeakables.

So when the monks had gist of another invasion, they exhumed the body of the Saint and carried him across the water to England, where his final resting place is Durham Cathedral.

There is a brass sculpture (first photo) to commemorate this voyage - but I tried to imagine how it would be when the real monks were carrying Cuthbert across the sea. And I had to include some fog, for my painting friend , Peg..

the sculpture.. thanks to Lynne for the use of her photo. xx

my pencil drawing

first washes where there will be no fog

adding more washes to the visible parts

first swishing over the fog area in sweeping strokes with a wet brush, then dropping in the fog colour mix..

Adding in a touch more colour to the vestments beneath the fog and some shadow on the faces - and we have the finished painting:

Cuthbert leaves Lindisfarne

Belhus Woods - Missy's day out.

2011-08-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

We went to a fun doggy day at Belhus Woods today.
It was a day in aid of bull terrier rescue, but all dogs were welcome.
Missy thoroughly enjoyed herself - and given when we first adopted her she wasn't too keen on other dogs she did really well, with confining herself to a bout or two of yapping. That quickly ceased when daddy sat on the floor with her, and fed her cheese biscuits :)

Belhus Woods is local to us, its a beautiful place for a walk, with or without a dog. We met two friends there, who came back to ours afterwards for coffee and cake. And to pick up a couple of paintings - "Gently Down the Stream" and "after Kahlo's Love Embrace" They had four dogs between them, so we really had a doggy fun filled day.

I took a few pics, so you can enjoy the day with us:

Belhus Woods, the field section

Open field, grass very dry, due to heat.

The fun day stalls with Woods beyond

Go that-a-way, mummy!

We even saw an old fashioned plane fly by!

Missy being a good quiet girl :)

Missy and Paul in the woods

Home, please - I'm getting hot!

Safely belted in for the journey home.

Heat and being good are so tiring!

I hope you enjoyed our little journey through the wood and field .
No doubt some of those tree shots will be making it onto my easel - and I'm seriously tempted by the one of Paul and Missy too :)

Creature comforts!

2011-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Whilst all the planning of the kitchen was going on, Missy wrapped the builder and tiler round her little paw!

The builder made her a little present - her very own pet tray made from the same worktop as our units. That was a complete surprise to us, but not to Missy! She's used to adoration :)

and then, the tiler laid a beautiful, natural slate floor. When he'd gone, Missy was delighted to find that this floor was wonderfully cool on a hot day. What bliss to cool your tummy !

She showed the tiler some of her tricks - and he found it unbelievable that a rescued doggy could learn so much and would do the tricks for him too!
His staffy, Dylan , is in for some training now :)
Hope you do as well as Missy, Dylan!

I'm for dogs !

2011-08-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

The builders are doing the fiddly bits to the kitchen to make it beautiful and the electrician is fitting sockets and lights!

Somewhere in the melee, I found time to paint these three, which I have donated to a local dog rescue (South East Dog Rescue) for their online auction to raise funds for building some new kennels.
Auction is HERE if you'd like to bid :)

The paintings:

and, in other news, for all my blogger friends who have been concerned for us, we are not near the areas in London where the riots have been taking place, we have only watched it on the news, as you have.
Thank you for thinking of us. xx

For Claire and Sarah

2011-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Claire is a friend of mine, and Sarah is her sister.
Sarah passed away recently and was laid to rest yesterday.

I was thinking about them both and a couple of songs kept running round my mind. Firstly was the old nursery rhyme:

"Row, row , row your boat
Gently down the Stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream"

secondly were some lines from a Stevie Wonder song:
"You are the Sunshine of my Life, forever you'll be in my heart"

I liked the idea of flowers being placed on the water and travelling gently down the stream. So my flowers are the colour of Sunshine...

For Claire and Sarah, in memory of a life shared, in memory of happier times.
Until the sun shines on your reunion..

Gently Down the Stream

Exploding Into Life

2011-08-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

Morning all - the kitchen is progressing really well.
If you would like to see the progress in photos, go to the Kitchen Specialists blog HERE

I managed to do a painting also!

Exploding Into Life

Its one of those paintings, that if you look very closely, you will see all manner of things within. Already I can see a dog and a face! Happy hunting should you care to join in :)

For Sandra and Prabal

2011-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

For Sandra and Prabal, who very kindly tagged me in a post.
Usually I don't do tag posts or awards, as you may have noticed.
But this one was relating to art and my personal feelings, so I'm having a go!

The questions:

– Your most beautiful post
– Your most popular post
– Your most controversial post
– Your most helpful post
– A post whose success surprised you
– A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
– The post that you are most proud of

My most beautiful post is also the one I am most proud of.
In Immolatum I see the beauty of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. His face, though in pain, is beautiful to me.
I am most proud of it, because I wanted to paint Him since first I put brush to paper, some 14 years ago. Only with this post, did I feel ready. Its an achievement and a milestone for me.

My most popular post is the one where I talked of The Great Scheme of Things and Artistic Ambition
How we progress as artists and yet keep our feet on the ground. And my own artistic ambition. Not letters after my name, nor prize winning paintings... you'll have to read it to see what!

Most controversial is tricky. I don't aim to be controversial. I paint with love and feeling.
Perhaps I shall give the title of this to The Diamond Roxy
Not because of any great controversy, but from the comments. Some of my arty friends showed how I could possibly improve and the owner of the dog leapt to the painting's defense saying she wouldn't change a thing. That's about as controversial as I get :)

My most helpful post

was a recent one, Its All About Art . I had been to an art event in London and one of the artists there that I was talking to had free online lessons. I posted the link so that all my blogging friends who may not have access to classes could get some tuition online.

a post who success surprised me was Jellyfish: Black and White
Its had more views in the last month than it had when I posted it!

a post that didn't get the attention it deserved has to be one from when I first started blogging and I only had a few followers.
Inspiration.. how Sowing the Seeds came to be

The original posts that Sandra and Prabal tagged me in were posted last week when we were in the throes of the first week of the kitchen rebuild. I'm late, so I'm not tagging anyone. If you haven't participated and you'd like to look back over your own blog, please do copy the questions and post on your own blog. Kind regards, Pat xx

Anniversary Waltz

2011-07-30T03:26:00.000-07:00

Every summer I like to buy a new book or dvd on watercolour and use it to inspire me to create in a different style.

At the art event I bought Ann Blockley's Experimental flowers in Watercolour - and its inspired me to be loose and wild in my flower paintings.

The Anniversary Waltz was named for our anniversary, but also for the two elements in the picture of the flower and the twig. They reminded me of a married couple. One bright and happy, the public face and the other muted and sturdy, like a backbone.

So here, for your delight,

Anniversary Waltz

and here it is with a mount around it, so you can see what its like when its hanging.

AW on easel.

Pair and Pears

2011-07-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

We have a three day break in the building works whilst we wait for the newly plastered kitchen to dry. So I though I'd come say hello :)

Today is our wedding anniversary - 22 years.
We're off out in a little while for a celebratory lunch.

I have managed to do a couple of little studies of pears - hope you enjoy them.
Tomorrow and the day after I'm going to visit all your blogs. I just know there'll be some interesting posts I've missed.

Both of these pears were made in four colours - French Ultramarine, Transparent Yellow, Permanent Rose and Sap Green.

Both made on sample papers I picked up at the art show.
The first allowed to bleed wet-in-wet, and the second painted layer over layer, wet on dry.

Belle

Helene

and now a little something for you, in celebration...

If anyone would like to own one of these pears, please leave a comment saying which one you'd like. If there are many who'd like to own one, I'll draw a name from the hat on Sunday. This is open to all, no matter where you live.
have a great day ! xx

Its All about Art - and a Kitchen !

2011-07-24T03:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to an art event in London, run by the Society for All Artists - called Its All about Art. Held at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

There were demonstrations by professional artists, workshops in which you could try your hand at various techniques. They all lasted about three quarters of an hour each.
Spread over two floors, there were also a multitude of trade stands, selling all sorts of product, from paint to mediums, to mount cutters and framing kits.

It was a fun day. I was there from 10am - 4 pm and enjoyed it thoroughly. Sat in on a few demos and workshops and bought some dvds and books - and a Longridge mount cutter. Seriously impressed with that.

Got a few pics for you.

Missy, wanting to go too ...

Me, ready for the off.

a workshop in progress

a finished demo painting

and some artists with their demo pics.

oh - and something for all of you to try, should you so wish!
A very warm and caring artist, Dee Cowell, gave me a leaflet about her website, which has over 50 FREE lessons in watercolour, drawing, acrylic and oils.
Free written notes too -and free support and critiques from the tutor.
She understands not all regions of the world have easy access to painting classes or clubs - so she made this website. For those of you who have kids, there is a section for them too :)
Free Art lessons HERE
Dee Cowell's own site HERE

Now for the Kitchen tale.

For the next two weeks, we are having a kitchen re-fit.
The old is being stripped out completely and the new will be in and finished, I am promised by the 8th August.
So I shan't be around very much in that time.
I am already looking forward to seeing your blogs after its all done.
Take care - - and see you soon.

Surprise!

2011-07-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

Paul and I got a surprise in the mail yesterday!

It was a gift from Sharon, who came to the Hashim Akib portrait demo with me.

She painted an acrylic portrait of our darling Missy.

If you'd like to see more of Sharon's work, go HERE

This Old House

2011-07-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

This is my painting from the Painting Friends "Year of Painting" challenge, where once a month we have to paint from a provided photo and share our process.

Number Four, Crooked Houses

Personal Goals for this Painting:

Firstly I set some goals for my thumbnail sketches.

These were :

do a thumbnail showing the scene as is
on two thumbs, eliminate different elements
on one thumb be off the wall
Choose which one of these thumbnails to paint.

Choosing (3), the choices for the painting were to try to

a) try to make the crooked houses believable - and to add some crumbling plasterwork!

So, here's the painting: This Old House

What works and what could be improved.

I think the houses look believable. I think perhaps the crumbling plaster is too uniform.. I should have made more ragged shapes, perhaps.

Challenges Faced

Oh the challenge for me! I hate things that look crooked, so somehow I had to make these look real, without tinkering too much and making them perfectly level!

Share Personal Goals and whether you felt you Met Them

My goals were to make the four thumbs again, pick a technique for crumbling plaster and to create a feeling of older crooked houses.

Did I manage that? I think so, though I can see room for improvement. (Without re-building the houses to suit !)

How I created the Painting.

I created the painting by painting the sky first. When that was dry, first pale coat on each building, then when dry, a second coat leaving small areas unpainted. Then I created an edge around those small areas to mimic crumbling plaster. Window and doors were painted, mindful of shadows. The painted borders to the original windows were reduced, because I thought they detracted from the building. Dry brush on the pavement and then big shadow washes!

Size of Painting, Medium, Palette and Brushes.

The painting is on Arches Aquarelle Rough 140lb and is 11” x 7”

The medium is pencil for the under drawing and watercolour for the painting. W&N artists quality .

Palette colours used : French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre., Burnt Sienna.

Brush: Kolinsky numbers 12 and 7

PS: The title comes from a song that Shakin' Stevens once sang, and I saw him perform at Shepherd's Bush, London. (yes, in my youth!)
The lyrics included " ain't got time to fix the shingles, ain't got time to fix the floor" which suited this crooked house and my feelings on it, down to the ground!

Cowgirl VI: Looking to the Future

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good Sunday morning to you all !

We had such a wet day yesterday, that I sat at the dining table and painted in the afternoon.
I thought it would be a treat to have another in the Cowgirl Series.
If you'd like to see I-V, click Here and scroll down a little.

So, after Masking the Pain (V), our girl is getting over the break up and the pain has faded. She is looking forward to the future again.

Cowgirl VI: Looking to the Future

And in other news, Missy has had her annual check. The vet has said she's in fabulous shape for 13.5, with everything in tip top condition. There is no sign of any cancer regrowth, either. And when the vet gave her a piece of duck as a treat, darling Missy was so delighted, she made a huge fuss of the man :)

Here she is, once we were home :

Thanks for visiting my blog - and have a blessed Sunday all xx

Through thick and thin

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with the aquapasto again!

Two smaller paintings, both 11 x7 . Arches 140 Rough.

Trying out the two ends of the medium - applying it very thickly and then very thinly on the second.
First painting up is the thick aquapasto

Raw Perry

and the second is the thinly applied aquapasto

The Sea Dog

As always, I appreciate your comments and observations and critiques.

I've enjoyed using the aquapasto, stretching its limits. I have found I can't blend it too well. But then it is for impasto work, so I will enjoy it for what it can do.

I am going to return now to watercolour, pure and simple. I'm missing some aspects, like the fizzing of the colours on paper. There'll be some of each in my future - I love them both! Take care and enjoy the week xx

Two of us.

2011-07-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

When there is no time to paint, sometimes I draw. Sometimes I put my feet up on the sofa too :lol:

Last night, whilst Paul was cooking supper (angel hair pasta and pesto sauce for those who like to know) I picked up a HB pencil and drew some fruit .

They remind me of my hubby and I - oddly shaped, but we're a pair too :)

Picnic Sets - the range.

2011-07-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

You remember I had some picnic sets made, using the photos of Spotty and Missy?

I also had some others made, but couldn't show you because they were presents!
Now they have all been delivered and enjoyed, I'd like you to see the others.

Hillbilly Handiworks - who made the picnic sets has made a blog about them all - so I am going to direct you there to see all of the photos . Go HERE to view.

and I shall just show you one of the presents :)

How did she do it?
I sent her a photo of my painting via email and somehow she transferred it on to fabric and made this picnic keepsake. Such a unique gift!

You can have any photo you like transformed in this way. A favourite holiday snap, a meaningful painting, a child - or like I did too, this one of my darling dog, Missy!

I hope you enjoy your visit to Hillbilly's blog - its well worth the trip :)
love
Pat xx

Almost Home

2011-07-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm still having fun with this aquapasto medium. I want to push it and watercolour to its limits.
That way I will know what it is capable of and how best to utilise it.

So for this painting, the method employed was sweeping impressionistic brush strokes and leaving them visible. As the yellow flower was bright, I wanted this to feel dark and moody.

Painted on Arches aquarelle rough paper, 140 lb and size - 15 x 11

Almost Home

and here is the same painting on the easel

I'd be very interested to hear your views, suggestions and questions .

My next painting with this medium will see me trying to blend the strokes in the manner of the oil painting masters.. so that no stroke is visible. That should be interesting too!

I would also love to know if any of my artist friends here are going to give this medium a try - or whether its not your cup of tea?

And now... for something completely different!

2011-07-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning, friends!

I have subtitled my blog as a journey... and today's post is all about a learning part of this journey.

Here's the flower painting close up

and here it is on the easel at a distance of about four-five feet away.

Looks quite dramatic for a watercolour, doesn't it?
That's because some of this - Winsor and Newton Aquapasto - has been added to the wash before the paint hit the paper.

This was given to me by my art tutor, Steve Cook last Wednesday, as he thought I was "on the brink of creativity" :)
I have had great fun playing with it - it turns your watercolour washes into a buttery consistency, like oils. I took this painting back to the art class this week and Steve thought it had great impact, and did indeed look like an oil.

I love it!
I painted the picture vertically and I was standing! Made a lovely change from sitting down to work - and helped me free up immensely. It also made a difference in being able to stand back and assess the picture. Not something I do enough when I'm sitting!

I can see me using this a great deal. I don't think my workbox will ever be without it. :)
Next for me to try is a moody sky over a lake in Scotland.. watch this space!

The Alphabet Paintings: N

2011-07-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this photo, I thought the Native American would make a lovely painting for the Alphabet Series.
But the more I looked, the more it seemed to me, the portrait would be more powerful in pencil.

So I present to you.. N is for Native American Indian... called Nantan, which is Apache for Spokesman

Nantan

Beloved of Zeus

2011-07-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

Morning Friends.

Just before I start work this morning, I thought to show you my latest painting, of a paeony in my garden. I've made it a little stylised, but I like it all the more for that :)

Why the title? In Greek Mythology Paeon was assistant to the physician of the Gods, Asclepius, who became jealous of his student. Zeus turned him into a flower to save him.

Beloved of Zeus

Pencil Portrait

2011-06-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

Sharon, who I went to the portrait demo with, posted a picture of her sister on the Painting Friends forum. I liked the look of the photo and fancied making a portrait.
Every now and then, I feel the need to flex my fingers with pencils - so a pencil portrait it is:

Sisterly Smile

Its not perfect, I can see a couple of improvements I could make, but they're minor and I'm reasonably happy with the overall effect :)

Art in everyday life

2011-06-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I have a real treat of a post today and some beautiful pictures.
I have a friend in blog land called Tonya from Hillbilly Handiworks.
You can see her blog HERE

I approached her to make some picnic sets for myself and my husband.
I knew she could make photo quilts, so I asked her if she could somehow make a photo picnic set, with a picture of each of our darling dogs in it.

She did it - and they arrived today!
My word, but they are beautiful. I love art that I can use as well as admire!

Tonya makes these from your own photo and she can make them any colour you want! They cost $20 each. (That's about £12 in sterling)
You aren't limited to dogs - you could have a photo of anything!

here they are

I should have waited to take pictures, so you could see them nice and flat, but I was too keen to show you all :)

And further in my parcel, was a surprise gift from my friend, Marie!
She had asked Tonya to make an arty gift for me.
This is a dual purpose roll - it holds my delicate brushes for doing fine work, to save them getting battered by the big brushes - and it also doubles up as a watercolour pencil holder! How neat is that! I can't tell you what this cost, because it was a gift, but I'm sure if you contact Tonya, she'll quote you.
Here's my newest piece of art kit :)

The Persistence of Dreams

2011-06-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

One of the two paintings I was working on in tandem is finished - and here it is for your enjoyment.
Painted in a surreal fashion, with hidden meaning, which I love!

The Persistence of Dreams

Where did that week go?

2011-06-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of a week which seems to have flown by!
Yesterday I went to Thurrock Art Society. I'm hoping to join and had a chat with a few of the members and watched them work. They are such a friendly bunch, so I am hoping they accept my application.

I've also done something I don't usually do - started a second painting whilst I still had one on the go. The first had a massive wet in wet background - so I drew and started a second when I was waiting for it to dry :)

Darling Missy watched from the comfort of her own chair in the summerhouse.
Did someone say spoiled?

Next week I hope to have the two paintings finished and ready to show you :)

Big Pond

2011-06-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

In the monthly challenge on the Painting Friends forum, we had to paint koi this month.

Year of Painting (YOP)
Number Three, Koi.

Personal Goals for this Painting:

Firstly I set some goals for my thumbnail sketches.
These were :

do a thumbnail showing the scene as is
on the next two thumbs, change up the techniques
on the last thumbnail, keep the focal point, but be completely off the wall in the scenery
Choose which one of these thumbnails to paint.

Choosing (3), the choices for the painting were to try to
a) use sea salt for an interesting effect

So, here's the painting: Big Pond

What works and what could be improved.

I love the effect and the fish. I honestly don't think I'd change anything.

Challenges Faced

The challenge in painting this was to leave it alone and just sit back and let the salt work.

Share Personal Goals and whether you felt you Met Them

My goals were to make the four thumbs again, pick a technique and run with it., to create a loose interpretation of koi.

How I created the Painting.

I created the painting by painting the fish first. When they were dry, I put water over the whole , touching in a few colours to make the water interesting. Then I sprinkled sea salt over the wash. Walked away and let it dry completely.
When dry, I brushed the salt off – and there was the finished painting.

Size of Painting, Medium, Palette and Brushes.

The painting is on Arches Aquarelle Rough 140lb and is quarter sheet. 15”x 11”
The medium is pencil for the under drawing and watercolour for the painting. W&N artists quality .
Palette colours used : French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow
Brush: Squirrel Mop. Kolinsky number 12

Hope you've enjoyed this look into the process of making a painting :) xx
This- and all my paintings - can be viewed on my gallery site HERE

Hashim Akib's demo and my self portrait!

2011-06-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

Friday night, I met up with fellow blogger Sharon, and we went to watch professional artist Hashim Akib demonstrate how to make portraits in acrylic.

It was a fascinating night, He painted a portrait from a male model who was sitting in front of him, in under two hours!
All through the demo, Hash ( as he likes to be called) talked to us and told us some snippets from his artistic career. How he used to paint in a very realistic fashion, but was turned down flat by galleries who wanted more "gutsy" paintings.

He told us not to make a drawing - it encourages you to be logical and realistic - and then you fiddle. Look for interesting tones and shapes instead.
He told us to use flat brushes, and be bold in our strokes, so we would not fiddle.
He told us that photos flatten colour, so try to paint from life - it adds passion!

His acrylics were laid down thick - impasto. I did wonder if I could utilise his technique in watercolour - and I determined to give it a go!

So this morning, while all else were abed and couldn't laugh at me, I attempted a self portrait. Like Hash - no drawing *eek* that bit is scary!
Here it is:

For a first attempt, I'm pretty happy with this. Yes, there are bits that could be improved - but I'm not going back in to fiddle. No, its not spot on to how I look, but its reasonable. This was done to try out the technique and see if I could use it on watercolour. I reckon I could - and even take more risks yet.

Never Grows Old.

2011-06-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

It never grows old - what on earth could I be talking about?

Well, you all know how much I love dogs.
There's one special dog who is very dear to my heart, though I've never met him.
He is called Ben, and he lives with Lynne, Stuart and Toots.

Back in 2009, Ben's back legs stopped working - he suffered from Sudden Onset Spinal Injury.
He couldn't have had better owners - Lynne and Stuart went through hell and high water to get him better.
I have painted him once before, here.. "Still Standing"

- recently though, I saw Lynne post a picture of Ben running through some fields - and I had to paint this one. :) It never grows old watching this dog run and play. It could have been so different, you see. Now he's grinning and happy and all that a dog should be. God bless you, Ben. And Lynne, Stuart and Toots, too :)

About the painting: W&N artist watercolour, Arches Aquarelle Rough 140g, size 15x11. Style - Impressionistic.

Never Grows Old

The Dragon up the Hill

2011-06-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had some time this afternoon, and I was in the garden, enjoying the sunshine and the greenery. Looking back at the house, there was Norbert the dragon, sitting on top of the house.
It reminded me of the times when we believed as kiddies that the old dear in the house on the hill was a dragon. ( not literally of course)
I made a quick line drawing straight on the watercolour paper and then I wet the page, leaving the house and dragon dry.
I fizzed in some cadmium red and an ultra/crimson mix on the top of the house - and then I made a sap green and a paynes grey blend and applied it to suggest the house was sitting on a hill.

I could have called it "enter the dragon" but that's too twee so its been called:

The Dragon up the Hill

Time to loosen up!

2011-06-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

That's what my mummy said.. time to loosen up!

I'm trying to think what she means...

when suddenly she starts flicking paint all over the show!

What's that about, hey?

Mummy says she was very tight in the last painting, so she needs an exercise to loosen up - and this is it.

What do I think? I think mummy needs to learn how to loosen up the way we dogs do :)

Don't you agree ? :)

The Density of Science

2011-06-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

Today, no reading reams about what I'm up to in a painting, just the work to view and enjoy :)

The Density of Science

My attempt at Surreal Art

2011-06-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

The challenge on our Painting Friends forum this month was to paint in a surrealist style.

This is my effort at surreal art - and what have I learned?
1) its great fun
2) always use a ruler to measure floor tiles!

The Permanence of Breakfast

Swamp Heaven

2011-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

I've had such fun today!

Letting my imagination run wild and trying to paint Kermit in a realistic abstract kind of way.

I borrowed an idea from another Painting Friend, Sharon - who had used cling film and then inked around the design it made. I used watercolour pencil in my work to highlight the design - and I'm really happy with it. Its such FUN :)

If you've never seen Sharon's blog, go HERE for a real treat.

and here is my painting... Arches Rough 15x11

Swamp Heaven

A Different Curtain

2011-05-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the finished painting:

A Different Curtain

I hope you've enjoyed the process and the finished painting. :)

Tomorrow I'll be visiting all your blogs, for tonight, its time to water the garden.

Have a wonderful evening, all xx