Sophie Ploeg

This painting is currently on the easel (and has been for some time now). It is quite a challenge but I will get there! Still more refining to do and also work on the foreground and background. Oil, 45x35cm

My new business cards are like a yummy treat, that's how nice they are! (Just need to find some important people to hand them out to...;))

This has nothing to do with my paintings, but I just could not resist, I absolutely love this. Click on the youtube link to watch it in HD. A stunning dance/animation performance, choreographed and designed by David Middendorp. just some of the stuff that inspires me.

Roses has been selected for the Portrait Prize 2012, an exhibition of portraits at the Holburne Museum in Bath. "Our portrait competition for artists in the south west runs every other year and each time we receive entrants’ work we are delighted with the quality of the paintings and variety of style within this flourishing tradition. A prize panel of judges will award the £5,000 commission, but as always we would like you to vote for your favourite work in the competition for the title of The People’s Prize. The Bath Chronicle will also offer the opportunity to vote for your favourite portrait online." Roses, oil on linen, 50x40cm. Available. 22 September - 14 October 2012 Opening hours: 10-5 daily Sundays and Bank Holidays 11-5 Admission £5 / conc  Great Pulteney Street  Bath,  BA2 4AD  tel: +44 (0)1225 388569  holburne@bath.ac.uk  www.holburne.org

My tiny blue painting is done, it is small, it is blue, it was fun and a challenge. Just how I like it. 5x7" / 13x18cm, oil on panel Just to show the small size of it I am holding it next to frame.

The summer break is nearly over and the kids will head back to school. Although I have been painting a little during the summer months it is hard to find the time. So soon I am diving right back into it. I'm doing a little warm up with a small (tiny!) painting, enjoying some rich colours, painting deep blue velvet. I think I am nearly using all of my blues (which is probably a mad thing to do, so much for a limited palette) but it is really letting me get re-aquainted with my blues. For a lot of my work bright high-chroma colours are of little use and I either spent time toning them down or I use ready-mixed greyed tints, but sometimes it is so much fun to indulge in sheer colour! I am trying out my newly purchased Cerulean blue, which is a lovely greenish colour. I finally found use for my Vasari Video Blue, which in most situations is way too strong for me. The same goes for Cobalt Blue - it only rarely sees its cap taking off. I definitely want to try Vasari's or Mussini...