Painting with friends

After four hours painting - unfinished 24" x 26"

I'm happy with my own company, but also I'm very sociable and love a chance to paint with friends. Yesterday I drove to London to meet with two of my favourite artist friends and two lovely young models to paint together by the canal. It was a perfect day!
I worked on a large white oil primed canvas, 24" x 26" which was a lot of ground to cover! After around four hours I got to this stage. I love the composition and I wanted to get the main colours on and the white covered. The swan kept coming back and forth so I really had to include it in the painting.

The light was challenging. We started with heavy cloud cover but by the end of the session it was full sun. I couldn't start to introduce strong shadows at that point. If we can arrange another day together I'd really love to finish the painting from life. Otherwise I will do my best with it in the studio.

With Michele del Campo and Adebanji Alade and a chocolate brownie thief

Channelling Olympia

I had a long and tiring day yesterday in London but it was great to have the opportunity to paint in the Winsor & Newton studio with members and friends of the Royal Institute of Oil painters. We had a lovely model called Jess, who posed for two sessions for us. I toned my panel and paper (this one is on Arches huile paper) the day before with a thin greenish grey, which worked really well underneath the skin tones. In fact it worked really well as the skin tones in a lot of places which I've exploited here.
This pose was very interesting for it's foreshortening on the legs, her feet coming out towards me. The model was lit by a lamp for this one as well as the natural daylight from the window. Notice the cool daylight on places such as her left hand and the warm light closest to the lamp on her face and left arm. Also there was some reflected light bouncing off the white wall behind her. I wish I had more opportunity to paint from the life model but there isn't anywhere locally where I can join in with a group. I'm just so grateful for all the years I was able to have weekly and twice weekly life sessions for four years while studying and several years more at the Nottingham Society of Artists studio.
This pose reminded us of Manet's Olympia!
I've barely had time to look at my Staithes paintings yet.

Rose Desire with white feathers

Rose Desire with white feathers
Oil on canvas 27 & 1/2" x 23 & 1/2"

I'm really pleased with this one from yesterday's session. It was fantastic to paint large again and be able to use my whole arm! There's a little bit more I want to do to it, but not very much at all. I love the sketchiness, the gestural marks, the subject, the pose, the white feathers, the colours in her hair and skin. Love it! Reminds me of a Toulouse-Lautrec!

You can imagine what's been on my mind today! I am so excited, and we are catching the train to London first thing in the morning. I will try to blog from my phone tomorrow evening and may even get a preparatory painting done! I'm looking forward to seeing the large boats with sails that are already lining the banks of the Thames, where they will stay because they are too tall to pass under the bridges.
I'm also looking forward to seeing flags and bunting - fourteen miles of bunting!

I've been prepping my canvasses and boards today and I've been over to the SAA to collect nine brand spanking new paintbrushes and a posh brush holder and a dozen tubes of paint especially for the Big Event, and better still all have been paid for with my prize money! :-)

Wanted to show you my souvenir 'Jubilee bunting' necklace - and ridiculously excited face!

And now I really must go and pack...

Rose Desire - black feathers

Rose Desire - black feathers
Oil on canvas 18" x 14"

I've had a happy, happy day today. Firstly, my Artist of the Year prizes and certificate all arrived in the post - unexpected! Here's a photo of my beautiful crystal goblet!

Secondly, I had this gorgeous burlesque performer to pose for me! It was fantastic, and I can't wait until she can come back again!
This is the second of two paintings that I managed to complete during our sitting! In case you are wondering, her arm has a tattoo 'sleeve', which is much more intricate than I have painted it - all pinks and turquoise.

I didn't blog yesterday because I was out shopping for a special outfit for the Jubilee Pageant - red, white and blue!
The weather doesn't seem to be playing ball though... latest reports are predicting 12 degrees, rain, and lots of wind on the bridge! I may have to rethink the dress....

Only three more sleeps...