Eve Art: Mother Bird, Baby and Nest

It appears we have a talented 4 year old daughter... On the weekend, Evie and I decided we would paint... ie: She would paint and dad would clean up the mess she made.  This was one of her works that I really like.. She tells us that its a mummy bird, with a baby bird in its pouch (yes this bird has a pouch !!!!), and a birds nest.  Kinda cute don't you think

Portrait: Debbie-Lee No 2

I have been working on this one for quite a while, and it just never seemed to come together..  I am still not happy with the final result, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and call it finished.

Still Life: Green Vase with Pears

Another still life.  After finishing off  "The Gardening Is Done" last month, I decided that I would do another still life, using palette knives.  I am really starting to get back into the knives.
I thought I wouldn't be able to work with knives on a smaller format after the massive 6 foot canvases that I was able to put up in the studio.  Hope you like it.

Green Vase with Pears
March, 2011
Oil on Canson Paper, 59cm x 42cm (23in x 16.5in)

Portrait: Bad Girls Rock

Well, I finally finished the portrait of Evie.. It took a while, and has been sitting on my easel for the last 2 months, but its done.  I am pretty happy with it overall.. I can be picky, but generally I'm satisfied with the result.

Bad Girls Rock
April, 2011
Oil On Canvas, 102cm x 102cm (40in x 40in)

WOTE February 2011

I wanted to paint another portrait, so I picked a great shot of my daughter Eve and decided to use it as a reference. It was taken in the bedroom while she was mucking around on mum and dad's bed. It started off life as another palette knife painting, but quickly morphed into something entirely different.. This one has taken me a while. I do a little every second night or so.. maybe no more than an hour or two at a time.. and I want to get it right. its not finished yet.. I don't expect to have it done til somewhere mid March anyway.. here it is to date... I'm calling it "Bad Girls Rock". Its on Canvas and its 40inch by 40inch so its a pretty large painting for a portrait. I'll post it up when I'm done. take care all Pete

New Years resolution.

Last year was a disaster for me... I finished 3 paintings all year..  between work taking my time for most of the first half of the year, and my battle with the big "C" for the last 6 months, I just disn't get time to do anything with a brush, palette knife or any other applicator.. I hate to admit it but painting was the last thing on my mind.

Well... I think I won the first battle, and hopefully the war.  I finished Radiotherapy in October.. man was that a pain in the rear end.  I still felt like shite right through Christmas, then a wonderful thing happened.... I started to think about my art again.

So my new years resolution is to do much, much more art than I did last year.. I have already completed 4 pieces, with means that even if I quit now I would have reached my goal.... But.. I'm still going to work on... redesign my web site, maybe do something for the Moran art prize.. who knows.

So, for those few people that haven't given up on me, here is what I have so far;

No. 1 for the year was a portrait of my beautiful wife Debbie-Lee

Next I completed the Claudia work I have had unfinished for the last 2 years

Then, I decided to do a palette knife portrait of my beautiful 3 year old daughter Evie.  I am really liking palette knives... they are easy to clean up :), and I like the final result.  I think I am going to focus a lot of time on Palette knife paintings this year.

That's it for now.... It's late on a Sat night, and I am going to bed.

Still Life: The gardening Is Done

Finished this last night......

Enjoy !!!

Portrait: Edna

This was my effort for this weekend.  I have had a number of portraits sitting round ready to be finished, so now I am trying to get to them, one by one.

Oil on board...

Portrait works in progress

Back again.. twice in one day. Has to be a record I promised to post some WIPs of the portraits I am working on. enuff said. here they are; 1) Claudia No. 1 2) Claudia No. 2 3) Ania 4) Zoe 5) Me Mum.... I'll post the final paintings when I get them finished Bye for now Pete

Its been such a long time

Wow.. I had a look at my blog today and realised its nearly 6 months since I wrote anything.. Isn't that crap.. whats worse is that I haven't lifted a brush since beginning of January. You see, I took a real job.. and the problem with real jobs is they take a lot of your time.. the upside of course is that they pay real money :) Now, i'm being told by my landlord that they are renovating the top floor of the shops where I have my studio space... and that I am going to lose my studio. I don't know what I am going to do now... the combination of no studio and a real job is making it difficult to paint, so it looks like 2009 is going to be one of those years.. bleak on the painting front.. I will let you all know what I decide. Also.. I have a bunch of paintings that are partially completed.. will post the WIP I promide to come back more often Pete