This is where my latest work can be seen including step-by-step progress reports, news and merchandising as well as features on artists, living and dead who I would like to draw people's attention to. Please note all my images are covered by International Copyright laws. Copyright to other artists images resides with the artist or their estate, their inclusion on this blog a result of my missionary zeal and to no profit for myself!

Sunday 17 March 2024

The Outsider

 


This is the fifth in my new series that has a working title of "Point Of Light". 

A modest house on a well kept plot sits on a ridge amidst a poor neighborhood near a derelict petrol (gas) station, in the background is a distant brightly lit city skyline. The person/people that lives here seems comfortable to live away from the conventional norms of modern life represented by the glittering city and quietly get on with the way they want to live albeit in possibly reduced circumstances - a price they are happy to pay.

Each painting in this series is designed to make the most of the elongated panoramic format and I always saw this one in my mind as three horizontal strips, the night sky, the glittering city and the dark foreground. I think the next one will be connected to water, maybe a lake or the sea..... or maybe reflections in puddles.....

Oil on canvas 39" x 16". I always give the canvas three extra coats of gesso sanding down between coats to fill in the weave a bit so that it is nearer to my preferred painting support of linen.

There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

Thursday 14 March 2024

The Outsider - stage 7


 I think I have put in enough on the left side of the foreground and have made a start on the foreground road. With a bit of luck I should finish it tomorrow..... maybe I will tweak the broken paving on the abandoned gas station tomorrow too...

Wednesday 13 March 2024

The Outsider - stage 6


 When will I learn my lesson? I have struggled again with the foreground area left of centre because I hadn't really worked out what was going there. Now I like to wing it and make things up as I go along but I must remember to do that only after at least deciding the objects going in there... then I'm free to improvise. Anyway after a few hours of going nowhere I decided to put in a derelict petrol station as the line between the foreground and background needs to be broken up. Other assorted posts and buildings will go in tomorrow.

New colours used: Chromium Green and Manganese Violet.

Monday 11 March 2024

The Outsider - stage 5


 Leaving the sky alone and see if it looks alright later on. Have made a start on the distant city skyline but stopped before I finished the right side as I will look at it tomorrow morning over my breakfast coffee to evaluate if it is going OK.

New colours used: Brilliant Pink and Manganese Blue Hue.

Sunday 10 March 2024

The Outsoder - stage 4


 More work on the sky today trying to get it right and ready for the lights of the big city to go in with lots of subtle changes...let's hope it looks good enough tomorrow morning so that I can start on the city...eventually.

Saturday 9 March 2024

The Outsider - stage 3


 Actually it's really stage 4 as I forgot to post the first colour pass on the sky... so this is the second colour pass on the sky. I have some reference for the sky but I have largely ignored it and am making it up as I go along. I have mostly used a rag to paint the sky and am just starting to use a brush on it. I think it's on it's way but will need at least another colour pass tomorrow before the sky is finished. Then on to the city lights...

Colours used so far: Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Cobalt Teal, Permanent Orange, Naples Yellow Reddish Extra, Lead Tin Yellow Lemon and Warm White.

Wednesday 6 March 2024

The Outsider - stage 2


 Finished the initial tonal underpainting and hoping I have the scale of the distant city right - I can probably make the buildings bigger if I need to. I have a choice of colours of the sky, one based around pinks and oranges and the other with added desaturated blue/green. I will choose over tomorrow morning's breakfast coffee....