Graphite and Oil

  I haven't been doing allot in the way of painting lately, but I have been sketching and drawing.
This is a drawing of my sister when she was in school (she is 33 now). from what I guess is a school photo.

As you can see I have a while to go in my portraits, but I believe practise makes perfect and the more I do the better I'll get.

  Here is my first every oil painting which I did some months ago. It is still unfinished, maybe it always will be...

Sir Thomas Lawrence Paintings

The new exhibition opening of the works of Sir Thomas Lawrence and the subsequent blog reviews have introduced me to his paintings. I had heard of him before but never really investigated who he was. When I first looked at some of his paintings especially this detail of his portrait of Queen Charlotte I was captivated at once.

Just look at the hand, and I love the misty clouds of see through material of her dress!
I have recently become more interested in portrait painting and it is inspiring to see these paintings of one of the greatest portrait painters of the UK and certainly the greatest of his time.

Elisabeth Farren, Later Countess of Derby

From what I have just read of Sir Thomas Lawrence he was a child prodigy and his father exploited his talent and his family even lived off the profits of the 11 year old boy for a time. This child hood experience my be one of the reasons, indirectly, why the painter courted the patronage of the rich and wealthy and painted rich shows of power and money, even being called the chocolate box painter.

Lady Constance Carruthers

Thomas Lawrence was a self taught artist and used pastel allot and was an excellent draughtsman.

One of my favourite of his paintings is this one of the two young children, he has captured the perfect spirit of them. If the painting was any less well done and were the children's faces so expressive I would have disliked it for being overly dramatic, but as it is it's beautiful!

The Calmady Children 1824

 

Duke of Wellington

The Dun

The Dun, watercolour on A2 watercolour paper.

I love watercolour paintings, the transparency of the paint gives it life and interest. I have mostly painted in watercolours allot of people find then hard to use, but because I started painting with watercolours I am more used to them than oil and acrylic paints and I find oils more difficult. But I do want to do more oil paintings so I get used to the media. I want to give all different painting and drawing styles a chance before I settle down to my favorite.

Here is a charcoal sketch I did recently of a ship built in our harbour, Whangaroa harbour:

Quest and a Snowball Tree

Here are my latest two paintings.

Quest is a horse I have often ridden at Kate's Riding Center, my brother Peter took the photo which I used as reference.

And here's the result:

I think I could have added more of the body, and the background could do with a little more work.

Here's a quick sketch of our snowball bush I did the other day. I used oil pastels and oil paints: