Mother & Daughter

Mother & Daughter. Conté, Charcoal, Pastel. 29x22cm. Commissioned.

Ryan

Ryan. Graphite on Paper. 15x20cm. Commissioned.

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And baby-brother of this cute little guy that I drew back in 2005.

Making a Mark: Review: David Hockney - A Bigger Picture

Thanks to this post on Katherine Tyrrell's Blog I watched this great documentary on David Hockney on BBC i-player. A very worthwile watch.

Making a Mark: Review: David Hockney - A Bigger Picture

One of the things that interests me was his 'battle' with the photo camera as a camera provides so much ease for artists looking for references, but then again, working from life provides opportunities that simply cannot be provided by the camera. Its an ongoing battle and one that I want to explore more in my own work (meaning: use less of the camera and more 'real life')

Its a Scary Process

Commissioning a portrait is a scary process, but for whom? For the artist or for the client? I found this today on Tony Moffit's Blog:

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Perhaps it's a particular scene... or more likely it's a portrait of a friend, pet or loved one.Commissioning artwork has always had its challenges. Once you give the artist instructions, you're often left wondering (and worrying!) through the process. Then one day you receive the call you have been waiting on; the portrait is ready.It's a scary time. You don't know what to expect. Have your instructions been followed by the artist? did they understand your instructions? Did they do a great job?

Tony Moffit's Blog

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And I wonder if that is somewhat how my clients feel.....For most of them it is very special to commission a portrait and they are very excited (scared? LOL) about it. If they are happy with the final result it really makes my day and makes it all worthwile. Some portraits are a struggle for me, others go easy. Whenever it is a struggle I vouch never to do a commission again, but when it all ends up alright (I keep persevering!) it was worth it in the end.

My Reading list this Month

My reading list this month: Cannot get round to starting putting the top book into practice...;-)
Daphne Todd is major-inspiring. If only I could get to London more often to go and see her work. The use of light is amazing in her work.
Currently I am reading Verrall about his style, technique and tips. His work is so colourful and you can see that (like me) he (used to) work in pastel. The light and colour is very inspiring and I am looking at my garden with new (painting subject searching) eyes.

More...

I am still working on this little girl. I like the general feel of the painting, but now I need to nail the likeness better. Endless tweaking, looking at it from all angles, putting it away and looking afresh.

Progress

I spent some time this morning painting my son 'from life' while he was watching television but the results are rubbish (time pressure as the kids won't sit still for long) so I'll only show you a bit of progress on the little girl:

New Commission - Little Girl

This is a commission I just started. I got a beautiful reference photo from the client. The client seems to like plenty of realism and detail so I will be busy for a while. This is what I did today inbetween schoolruns:

Oil on canvas, 30x24 cm

Oh, and here is me painting a bit...photo taken by my son...not sure if I should post this....do I look naff....

My youngest likes helping....thankfully this was only the first 'tinting' of the canvas; just getting rid of the white.

The End & The Beginning

New work is sitting on the easel already, but it will have take a back seat as commissions are coming in. Again, this painting is about sunlit hair, one of the old-time favourite subjects for me and many other artists.

This commission is now mounted, framed and on its way to the - hopfully happy- client.

Portrait Commission & Garden Bunch

This Portrait Commission is finished and approved! The frame is on order and then it is ready to be send to the North-West. Those happy faces were a pleasure to paint.

Beryl & Bob, Pastel on paper, 40x30 cm.

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This is an oil painting I have been working on. Not sure its finished yet. I took some flowers from the garden, not realising how complicated those Aquilegia flowers are to paint! Anyway the flowers have faded and the garden has been hidden by a curtain of heavy rain recently so this reminds of better weather:

Garden Bunch, Oil on canvas, 45x35 cm, £350 framed

Image updated 29 May with finished painting.