Irvine Harbour

Irvine Harbour

12″x12″ oil on board

Painted on a yellow ground. The yellow unifies the whole by peeking through the gaps in the picture. The enjoyment is in the challenge of where to place the thick or thin parts. It is something that I am looking for, in the process, these days. Why did I decide to put the palette knife blob in the sky over the brushed paint. I have no idea other than at the time I thought it would add an object to break the plain sweep from left to right. Also, as the painting depicts reflections, I had a blob on the water that needed a thing to reflect from.

Slightly more stylised than the last painting, which is based on realistic representation of nature. Which places it weaker in the “Top Trumps – paintings edition”

Carrick, still evening – fin

Carrick painting is finished. I didn’t achieve the wet brush flourish that I had hoped for over the whole. It is working in places but perhaps too much detail in the pic confused the issue. I can do the alla prima when the original is simple but still to learn what to leave out when I have a busy reference.

I like the light in the painting, so that’s a positive.

(Just noticed how bad that wee boat on the left is!. I will redo that toot sweet.)

City of Adelaide departs

 

The crowds were out to say cheerio to the City Of Adelaide/Carrick clipper today. After a few days delay due to weather, we were able to witness the big boat slowly making her way out to sea. Not something you see every day!

 

The City of Adelaide

This magnificent beast has been sitting waiting to leave Irvine for Adelaide, Australia. It’s the first time we have seen the boat so close since it arrived about eighteen years ago. We can enjoy the sight till it sails on Friday.

Some info from http://cityofadelaide.org.au/history/world-significance.html

the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship,

one of only two surviving composite clippers (the other is the Cutty Sark; built 1869),

one of only four surviving sailing ships to have taken emigrants from the British Isles to any destination in the world – the others are the Edwin Fox, Star of India and SS Great Britain (also a steamer),

the last survivor of the timber trade between North America and the United Kingdom,

part of the National Historic Fleet of the United Kingdom and listed in the prestigious Core Collection of the United Kingdom

Michelle paints Danny…Euan Uglow like

Michelle likes a challenge. This time, after the fine painting in the style of Klimt, she has painted her son Danny in the style of Euan Uglow. Uglow paints very methodically, slowly and with precision points mapping out the planes of surfaces. Whether those planes are the surfaces of the face, the nude or a toothbrush as still life, he didn’t change the technique from one subject to another.

Michelle has painted a wonderful portrait and has forced an unfamiliar, systematic approach against her natural inclination to blend and smooth out the tonal edges. It also was hard for her to use deeper tones than usual.

Great job!

 

 

Open Weekend

A great weekend at the Courtyard Studios. The weather was good despite the forecast and the place was busy both days. Most of the artists stayed back to present Margaret with a wee drink and a bunch of flowers to say thanks for being studio rep for seven years. That’s me with a dozy smile at the left hand side!

View of Irvine

One of my favourites from the exhibition was this one by Isabel Short.

This is a clipping from the local paper so quality isn’t great.