Poinciana update

I have been working on the poinciana for a while and am happy with the way its coming along. I have blocked in the background with dark green shadows and placed a few of the fern-like leaves interspaced between the flower area. The similarity between the poinciana and the jacaranda is that the tree shows either all leaves or nearly all flower at the right point in the season. This is why I chose to complete them in the same format. This is not the best of photos as the green of the leaves is not clear but gives an idea of how the painting is progressing.

Jacaranda completed

Having just completed the jacaranda, it has now been processed and I am just waiting for the filt to update my website. I have started it's 'sister' painting of the poinsiana tree in flower. It is the same sizr and shape. I am still trying to make the composition similar but the paintings will stand alone and not necessarily be shown together. I also added a small painting of the lacewing butterfly which was done some time ago and has been languishing in my portfolio.
The final rose painting has also been added to the rose collection. The two yellow rose originals belong to my wife, given as an anniversary present and also to replace a larger yellow rose painting that she owned and was sold a few years ago.
 A couple who saw my work in 'Framed, The \Darwin Gallery, discovered my address and visited me to discuss a commission. When they came to the house they saw the rose painting on the wall and asked to buy it instead of my doing a commission. I believe that it now lives overseas. Look out for an update on the poinciana soon.

Jacaranda update

The jackaranda painting is nearing completion and the composition is taking shape. The colour of jacaranda flowers can be tricky as, in prints and photographs, it tends to be on the warm side of the spectrum but, in life, I find it on the cool side which is the spectrum area I am using. Of course in the Australian light the early morning light assists the blue area of the spectrum and the afternoon light the warm areas of the spectrum.

New work

I have started the jaccranda painting in a long, horizontal, narrow format and have created a triangular composition but , because of the narrow shape I included a number of secondary triangles to keep it interesting. I have decided to make the left hand side of the painting darker to keep the eye moving across the subject. Watch this space for a photographic image soon.
If you visit the gallery page of my website at http://www.rigmarole.com.au/  you will find two paintings of Pudgee, who used to live on the next block. I have completed a number of sketches of her and, with my wife, will be preparing a children's picture book about her move to a new home. The project is expected to take some time but we are looking forward to visiting Pudgee in her new home to gather more inspiration and experience her mischievious but lovable personality. If the sketches photograph well, I shall post them in a few days.

painting completed

I have just completed the white gum flower painting and will include it on my web page as soon as it can be processed. Art House Reproduction have been delayed because of the terrible floods in Brisbane so will not be able to process it for a few days.
I am happy with the completed painting and hope that the composition leads the viewers eye to the flowered area. There is some contrast between the rather busy flowered area and the group of leaves on the left of the painting which are less cluttered, but this section is also placed to guide the viewers eye to the flowers.
One tip for users of the masking fluid - make sure that your solution is fresh and don't leave it on the painting too long as it makes it difficult to remove.

I have photographed it on the easel which gives an indication of the size of the image.
Onward now to my next project. I am toying with the idea of making the jacaranda a long, horizontal image but we shall see once I have sketched the images.

next works

When the white gum painting is complete, I will explore the Jacaranda and Poinsettia. The trees are interesting in that, most of the leaves drop during flowering creating the familiar 'sea' of colour..

Work in progress

Hi,
I'm working on a white gum painting at the moment. I have sketched the subject in the frame on the paper that I use, which is 640gm Archers watercolour board. The background is 'out of focus' abstract shapes which reflects the essence of this particular eucalypt with pale cerulean blue, predominately at the top, to suggest that there is a sky peeping through the background.
I started by painting dark colours between the shapes and applying light coloured washes between them. This creates the abstract, out of focus, background.
The effect of this brings the true subject of the painting to the attention of the viewer.
In the composition, I try to create a triangle with a base at the bottom of the painting to give the painting 'stability' and keep the eye of the viewer on the subject.

The flower areas have been given some streaks of masking fluid which will be the last parts to be painted. Although the flowere are white, the majority of the flower colour will be cream to ochre and pale blue in the shadows because the flowers discolour as they die. I like to paint the inperfections because, even with inperfections, nature is perfect.