Hi everyone, I thought I’d share some of the works I created on the weekend during a workshop that I was running. The group was a small one (2 adults and 2 juniors) which meant I could guide them while comfortably getting my own works done at the same time. The thing I tried to push home with them was to simplify the scene into the most basic forms and study the tones. While I didn’t want them rushing I did limit the time at each location to 1 hour so that they were more aware of the changes in light as they worked. Each of my scenes was done in roughly 10 minutes, allowing me to concentrate on helping the participants along the way.
All pieces were done on 9″ x 5″ Rustygrit plein air boards. Here are the ones I did for the day.
The first location was the Mornington foreshore, one of my favourite painting spots over the years. Setting up just before 8am everything looked great until dark foreboding clouds came in and sapped the light. My piece still retains some of the light while hinting at the leaden sky in the background.
After wrapping up the first scene we packed all the gear in our cars and made the 10 minute drive to Mount Martha. As we crested the hill and started toward the town I got really excited. The sun had bathed the beach in fantastic summer light and there were crowds of people preparing to sail out on the bay. The bright coloured sails gave me plenty to work with and the scene below is what resulted.
Following on we moved to the south beach where the crowds were building and split up. One of the juniors chose to paint the brightly coloured bathing boxes, another looked at the view of the headland with the crowded beach in the foreground. I chose to look out to the bay and really simplify. I wantes to capture the shifting colours in the water and the people talking on the beach. While I was working on the scene a boat sailed straight past so I decided to use it to give the water some interest.
With the first three locations done myself and one of the students took the trek to the distant headland and set up at the rockpools. I feel it was worth the trip.
Upon reviewing all the works we could all see marked improvements as the day’s scenes developed. I was very pleased – I had converted another group to the thrill of working en plein air!
As 2009 came to an end I went out on site to the Beaumaris cliffs, one of my favourite locales, to do a study in preparation for my outdoor pastel workshops. I was working on a 9″ x 5″ Rustygrit plein air board (Red black) in the warm afternoon light. My focus was one increasing the contrast and losing all rendering – only the information to tell the story.
BEAUMARIS CLIFFS
Yesterday Iwent to Mount Martha where I’ll be running my workshop on January 24th and set up at this spot to create a study. The focus for this study was to capture the textures of the rocky surface and the beautiful glow in the water. I was working on a Rustygrit studio board in raspberry, approximately 7″ x 10″.
THE POINT, MOUNT MARTHA
This piece of the point will be used as a basis for a major piece in the next couple of weeks. I’ve got a few works on the go at the moment and hope to have some new ones to show you shortly!
These instensive all day workshops promise to challenge the pastellist who has grown comfortable in their studio. I aim to show you the benefits of working on site and how it can bring your studio works up to another level. You’ll learn how to break a scene down to it’s basic elements, capturing the essence without worrying about the details as we aim to create 4 scenes in the morning sessions.
The afternoon sessions are where we will put all the elements together, using our studies and reference photos to create a completed work that has a sense of light that is generally lost when we rely purely on photographic reference. (As an aside I’ll also show you how to manipulate your photos to better represent what you see)
The Inverloch workshop will offer a stunning array of big waves and impressive headlands while the Mount Martha workshop will look at the calmer waters of Port Phillip Bay and plenty of activity typical of this popular summer holiday spot.
To reserve your space at either workshop please email me. I promise they will be a lot of fun!
That’s right, with summer upon us I’m returning to Original Oz in Mount Martha to demonstrate in pastel. This time around I’m going to tackle a busy beach scene to capture the summer atmosphere. The demo will start from 12 noon so if you’re interested make sure you drop in to have a look. I’m always happy to answer any questions and may even have a spare easel with me for those of you who would like to try your hand at my techniques.
Regarding classes in the area I’m hoping to have some news on a venue in the next week so please let me know if you’d like to join in. All skill levels and age groups are welcome! My aim is to have every student leave my class having learned something each week.
Hi all, I just wanted to let you know about my showcase exhibition currently running on the originaloz.com.au website. We have a selection of my scenes and wildlife works on show. The site is worth bookmarking for those of you who love your realist art. There will be rotating 1 month showcases featuring many of the gallery’s artists so check back regularly.
If you’re on the Mornington peninsula take the time to visit the real gallery to see a breathtaking array of works on the walls.
Sunday was the Mornington food and wine festival and I was lucky enough to have a marquee showing my originals and demonstrating for the crowds throughout the day. To everyone who dropped in and said hello I thank you for taking the time and sincerely hope you enjoyed my work. Many people enquired about my pastel masterclass and also junior classes. I’m now looking into venues to get those classes up and running in the area shortly.
Over the course of the day I completed 3 works and started a new major piece based upon one of my tassie 9 x 5’s.
The first piece was demonstrating the primary colour exercise that every student who comes to me starts with. I think this piece surprised many as it didn’t look too pretty at the start but exuded a great amount of light and energy by the time it was completed.
From there I moved onto a local scene depicting the Mornington headland. This piece was a half sheet of Rusty grit, keeping the proportions similar to the 9 x 5 format I’ve been using. Given that his was a local work many people took interest in seeing it develop. I was really pleased with the sweeping lines in the design of this piece.
Upon completing this piece I did a couple of kids classes before getting to work on this small 9 x 5 of Cape Paterson.
Finally I started working up a large piece based upon my study of Pyengana from our Tassie trip which I will share with you over the next few days. All in all it was a very productive day!
I’d like to say thanks to Original Oz, Mount Martha who had enough faith in my abilities to set me up for the day. It’s an honour to have you representing me. If anyone is looking for a range of amazing realist artwork please drop in and have a look at what’s on offer. I feel privileged to be hanging on their walls
Hey everyone, it seems like it’s been way too long since my last post. Things have been chaotic in the studio with classes taking off and some commissions keeping me busy. On top of that I’ve been building easels and displays for upcoming events so there are never enough hours to get online lately.
I’ve also been prepping for my upc0ming trip to the Apple isle (Tasmania) where I’ll get to see and paint some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve seen yet. The trip to Cradle Mountain while it’s snowing next week has me shivering in anticipation!
Now back to what has been coming through the studio of late. In addition to some more 9 x 5’s I’ve been reworking and rejuvenating one of my older works. Here is the original version
and here is the new reworked version
I feel the differences really show how far I’ve come in the past couple of years since I originally did the scene. The techniques I use are completely different now and I feel my confidence with colour is much better, allowing me to get that extra zing.
Another work I’ve just started is this new pastel of an Asian Elephant in the water. It’ll be a half sheet on colourfix and I’ll be using my Rustytones for most of the work this time around. The client who commissioned this piece is one of my oldest collectors. She’s always loved my Bathtime piece and wanted a smaller pastel capturing the carefree nature of the elephant as it plays in the water.
The demo will start at 11am. I’ll be showing my method of working on a beach scene in pastel.
All enquiries please contact myself via email or call the gallery.
