Sophie Ploeg

This is the final piece Sometimes something simple says more Brabant Lace Oil on linen 24x30cm available. price on request

I am happy to report that my painting 'Folded Lace' has won the 'Best Picture on an Art Blog' in the category 'Still Life' on the Making a Mark Blog . Thank you to all who voted for me. Folded Lace, 40x30cm Winner of the Best Picture of the Year (Still Life) on an Art Blog 2012 The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year on an Art Blog 2012 Heartbreak Morning, by Barbara Benedetti Newton Pastel, 25x25" ©  Barbara Benedetti Newton  There are some great paintings amongst the winners this year. The overall winner was Barbara Benedetti Newton with her lovely painting 'Heartbreak Morning'.

VOTE for the Best Artwork on an Art Blog in 2012  You are invited to VOTE for the Making A Mark Award for the Best Picture on an Art Blog in 2012  I am pleased to tell you Making a Mark blog has nominated me again this year for the 'Best Artwork on an Art Blog' in the category of Still Life. Chosen was my painting 'Folded Lace'. You can vote in various categories and also for the 'Best Artwork' in general. Please go and have a look on how to vote, the other nominees etc etc. Thank you Making a Mark for nominating my painting!

For some reason I never tried drawing lace in graphite before. After a little bit of trying I decided I had to draw the 'negative space: the space around the white lace. So I 'drew the holes', thereby leaving the white lace. This is the result. I hope you like it. Petals & Lace, graphite, 38x28cm/15x11"

I think I am really nearing the end of this painting..... Black Lace, oil on canvas, 45x35cm this will be its frame...

I am about to submit some paintings to open exhibitions so everything had to be framed and labelled, polished and dusted. Some of my frames come from Frinton , who makes the frames by hand, finished off to a very high standard. At other times I ask my local framer, Claire , to make a frame for me, which she always chooses and finishes perfectly. Fingers crossed now that these will get accepted into these open exhibitions! Small Blue, framed in black/gold frame. The painting itself is only 13x18cm Silk & Lace, framed in black/pewter. The painting is 40x50cm excl. frame,  55x65cm incl. frame.

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 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.

New work: Lace & Silk, oil, 40x50cm Feel free to leave a comment below!

My red silk/black lace painting is progressing. Still plenty more work to do. It is a bit of a learning curve for me as this black lace is very dense and so I cannot paint the pattern of the threads very well. Other methods are required! Plenty more work to be done on all areas!

Currently on the easel; red silk and black lace....

Folded Lace has gained a frame The two lace ‘piles’ work nicely together.

A new painting, still on the easel, as good as finished. I might tweak it here an there still but for now I am calling it done. Folded Lace , oil on canvas, 40x30cm

Fixed a few issues, repainted some bits, this is probably going to be its frame.... Other blog posts involving painted lace: The Shawl Brabant Lace New works involving lace (2015 new blog!) An interview with me about how lace inspires me in my paintings. My current blog can be found on my website! See you there

Delicates Oil on canvas, 60x40cm

After a long break I took out my pastels again. The last pastel painting I did was ‘In the Rainbow Underpass’ (the one that got in the Royal Society of Portrait Painters!) which was a while ago, back in the early part of the year. Now we’re already rushing towards Christmas! High time to get ‘dusty’ again. I wasn’t planning on doing such a big painting, but here we go: Flower Bed, pastel, 65x45 / 25x18” As good as finished, just a few tweaks here and there. 15 Nov: I have updated the image with the finished piece.