Notes from the Easel

2012-01-01T06:23:00.001-08:00

'Wind from the East' - New print released for the New Year! Apologies to those who have waited so long for this one, but hope that it is worth the wait.

It is very decorative even if I do say so myself and has made up into a lovely print on the thick German Hahnemuhle paper with archival pigment inks to last a lifetime. (Those of you who already have my prints know the quality.)

This print is not yet on my website (large size £25 small £15) so if you are interested in reserving one please contact me for further details.

2011-12-29T09:49:00.001-08:00

Here is the finished portrait of 'Keane' It was a pleasure to paint a tribute to such a handsome dog and one who served the public for many years.

'Keane' Detail of eyes.

2011-12-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is detail from his eyes. I needed to capture nobility, character, strength and also devotion as he was listening to his owner at this moment.

2011-12-29T09:42:00.001-08:00

More work on 'Keane' On the day this photo was taken it was raining so light was not good, hence the colours are a bit off. At this stage I was still being careful of proportions and the positioning of his major features. Eyes have been worked more but will not be finalized until he is nearly finished.

'Keane' Pastel of retired Police Dog. Work in Progress.

2011-12-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

Start of a large pastel of 'Keane' a retired Police Dog. As this pastel was to be a surprise for his owner I have had to delay posting it on here. The above sketch was worked lightly with pencil and then vandyke brown pastel pencil on top so that it showed up on the photo. Proportions had to be exact at the first stage as corrections are not easy to do in pastel.

2011-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

'Young Bengal Tiger' - Graphite on Mellotex

Time to work has been in very short supply these last months due to urgent family commitments but here is an 8" x 6" study done for a late Christmas present. Snow on both sides of the ocean held up delivery so much I feared it was lost in transit but it finally arrived just in time for the New Year. Hopefully this Tiger will soon join the others already on the recipient's wall.

This was the first experiment with Mellotex and I found it very good to use, it accepted the graphite readily for a great depth of black in places and a soft kneaded putty rubber lifted it off for the lighter hairs without damaging the surface. I am looking forward to working with it again.

'Spirit of the Desert'

2010-06-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

'Spirit of the Desert' Another black Arabian stallion. I just love painting blacks with all their shine and deep colours in the coat. This was a pastel portrait of 'Ali Bey' a beautiful stallion owned at one time by a friend in Cornwall.

At the moment work is progressing on the large commission for a private client and it is killing me not being able to post new stuff... but hopefully in the future :)

Desert Born - Oil on canvas

2010-04-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

An Arabian, at last! Well not a really new one but I thought folks would think I never paint them as it has been a while since one of this beautiful breed has appeared on the blog. (I am still working on the large private project so work to post here has been thin on the ground for some time.) I have a soft spot for this painting as he was here on the wall for a while before he was sold to a client in Staffordshire in the UK.

With two poorly menfolk at home it is difficult to fit everything in, an elderly Father and my husband who appears to be having gallbladder colic - ouch! Yet another scan due soon and maybe then we will see what is going to be done to relieve his pain.

Meanwhile I am working on as much as possible and would like to send thanks to my very patient followers.

Magnolia Stellata

2010-04-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived, despite the cold easterly wind. The pink Magnolia Stellata is blooming at the front of the house to welcome all that arrive. Difficult to get a good photo with that wind blowing the delicate petals around. If the wind drops I will try again. This is one of my favourite shrubs, it holds on to its buds all through the snow and ice of winter and then unfolds them when milder weather arrives. Every spring I make a resolution to paint it, if only there were more hours in the day.

Clause 43 of the Digital Economy Bill Removed

2010-04-08T01:31:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, during the committee stage and third reading of the Digital Economy Bill in the House of Commons yesterday Clause 43 was removed from the Bill. There had been a lot of opposition to this clause and on this occasion common sense prevailed.

For further details go to this site

Digital Economy Bill- removing the rights of creators.

2010-04-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

Alarm bell are ringing amongst Artists and Photographers regarding the above Bill.

Clause 43 of this Bill is undefined and unclear, and appears to be based on consultation (which the Government can ignore.)

Extended Collective Licensing is also introduced by Clause 43. This means that someone finding an image, even if they can trace it back to you, does not have to contact you for permission to use it! They can go to a Government appointed 'collecting society' who will charge them a fee so they can do whatever they like with YOUR image.

This exploitation of creative works must be stopped now. Use this link to identify your MP (if you do not know him/her) and register your disagreement. Many thanks to Tracy Hall a fellow artist and blogger for the 'heads up' on this.

'Pretty Please' Miniature

2010-02-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Not sure if this graphite miniature is finished as it seems rather light on screen. This piece needs to sit and be looked at again after a couple of days :) Maybe by then I can also get a better scan of it... the mini measures 2" x 1.5" with the girl's face being around 1" high. I admit that this piece was a bit of a struggle as I am out of practise with teeny studies after working much larger lately. But they are very absorbing and great to relax with in between commission work.

The Hidden Garden

2010-02-18T02:10:00.001-08:00

One of lifes' surprises, an old hidden garden. Follow the path from a darker area in the trees, through the old doorway and out into the sun and light. I wish all my followers some sun and light this week. :) Folks here in the UK are fed up with the cold February snow and sleet, summer cannot come soon enough.

Faces in the Windowbox

2010-02-13T04:24:00.001-08:00

This image was sold to a cat lover at a local Exhibition a couple of years back. Kittens are always popular although they are hard to paint without ending up too 'cute'. I was looking through some reference photographs yesterday and came across some pictures of a seven week ginger kitten belonging to a friend (He is a grown up boy now!) which brought this image to mind. The above image always makes me smile, they look as if they are hunting bugs in the pansies and have been surprised in the act.

Desert Horse

2010-02-04T03:48:00.001-08:00

Another pastel from some time ago. The model for this study was a small bay Arabian stallion who lived locally. He used to do well in ridden classes at local shows as he was a typical Arabian, very showy and obliging for his young lady rider. I put a costume onto him (artistic license) as I thought it would suit him for this study.

Break for the Line

2010-02-02T02:56:00.000-08:00

This sepia study was done many years ago in Vandyke Brown 8. At the time I was not aware of the full range of colours available and so did this racing picture with just one colour. This turned out to be a valuable experience and helped to teach me the different hand pressures needed to achieve this study in tones. It is always good to go back to early adventures with art to see how you have progressed - or not :) There are many things I would change in these early studies but that is what keeps you keen to get onto the next painting.

Even when you are not happy with what you have done learn to have patience and see where you went wrong last time and build on the good bits. Even failures that go into the bin are learning experiences as you can approach the subject a different way next time and above all try to keep working. Hope this helps the lady who emailed last week - you know who you are :)

Dressage Horse.

2010-01-25T04:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a pastel portrait of a dressage horse from a local stable. I was fortunate enough to have horses at this very successful stable some years ago. It is owned and run by lovely people who studied with a well known Olympic Dressage Rider, so everyone who has liveries at this yard are able to take advantage of wonderful tuition. Whatever discipline they follow with their horses, showjumping, cross country, long distance riding or pure dressage - like the lovely chap above - it is obvious that good basic training in self carriage for the horses and a balanced seat for the rider does nothing but good. It is also very informative and fun to watch progress of friends and their horses through the years.

This dark brown gelding was very enjoyable to paint and I used Daler Rowney soft pastels. Colours were: vandyke brown 8, black (for the shadows) burnt sienna 4, blue grey 2 and 4 with a touch of madder brown and prussian blue on his muzzle and in his coat, white and a teeny amount of gold for the reflection in his eye. Leather work on the halter was also vandyke brown, touches of black and blue grey for the highlights and stitching. Using a limited palette is a good idea if at all possible.

I am still working on the large oils, but will get back to pastel and more miniatures (hopefully) when time permits. Pastel is such a lovely and immediate medium to work with that I feel it calling me :)

Eyes of the Wolf

2010-01-04T04:05:00.000-08:00

'Eyes of the Wolf' was done some years ago but continues to get attention from my visitors so I thought it was worth another showing. This pastel was worked on suedeboard, which gives 'fur' a lovely texture. Pastel colours used were Vandyke Brown 8, Burnt Sienna 4, Yellow Ochre, some Black and touches of Cerulean Blue. Finishing pastel pencils were pale blue and the extremely useful Faber Castell 270. This is a light grey but picks up the colours you use it over and makes blending fur easier.

This study was done after visiting some European wolves near Bedford in the UK. One of the male wolves reared up and looked into my eyes - a most unexpected happening! He had his paws on my shoulders and this made me realize just how huge wolves are and what a lovely subject his eyes would be in a pastel. (The original of this study is now with collectors in New Mexico.)

There are many photos from the wolf encounter and I hope to do more studies in the future. They certainly are beautiful animals so it is understandable that they have inspired artists for so many years.

Season's Greetings

2009-12-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings to my followers and all those who take the time to email me! Many thanks to you all for making this an interesting year. Here's hoping for a very peaceful and productive 2010. Have a wonderful holiday.

Detail from 'The Bedouin Tent'

2009-12-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a small detail from a large painting in oil entitled 'The Bedouin Tent' The front Saluki was done from photos taken in Kentucky at the Saluki Show which was being held at the same time as the Egyptian Event (Egyptian Arabian Horses) So I guess he is an American Saluki :) I don't know his name so if anyone recognizes him please let me know.

Posts have been sporadic lately as my Father is in Hospital with a broken hip. So trying to fit in visiting him with painting and all the holiday preparations is a bit of a stretch. I am going through a 'desperate to paint' phase - fellow painters out there will know how hard it is when things conspire against you but hopefully things will settle down again soon.

Summer Daisies Pastel

2009-11-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Summer Daisies was an experiment done some time ago. For those who work with pastel it is fun to try to loosen up and work with only fingers and sticks of soft pastel. Giving yourself a time limit is also good once in a while especially for artists like me who work tight and get into lots of detail. I used Daler-Rowney green grays and blue grays, plus some white, yellow for the centers of the daisies and a touch of cadmium orange. In the dark and dismal days we are having this November a study like this on the wall brings back memories of sunnier warmer weather.

Miniature of Mother as Queen Elizabeth I

2009-10-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a miniature graphite on film study of my Mother as Queen Elizabeth I. The original sepia photo was taken around 1944 and sadly is very blurry. Mum had a lovely soprano voice and I remember being taken many times by my Father to see her on stage. I think if she had not devoted so much time to my upbringing she would have gone on to greater things.

Doing this as a miniature has been an ambition for some time and even though it was a difficult study I am reasonably happy with it and will frame it for our walls. (I know Mum would have been pleased to have this image of her drawn this way.) Size is 4" x 3.5" - Mum's face is around 1" and the image shows a 'ghost penny' for scale.

Miniatures are really addictive and once the larger paintings are done I will be devoting more time to them.

Sybil

2009-09-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

This pastel was fitted in recently, while waiting for some photos to come in on the large project. Sybil was a much loved black cat and it was a privilege to immortalize her in pastel. Her reference photos were rather difficult to work from as is often the case with black animals. But luckily her owner helped out where the photos were obscure.

For any interested pastel artists out there this work was done with black pastel and a darker black (intense black) for the shadows... it is wonderful to have access to more than one shade of black :) The colours in Sybil's coat were added with a mid tone prussian blue and some purple brown. Highlights are a warm light grey with white added here and there.

Sybil's pastel is being framed right now and I hope she will bring happy memories when the picture is hung on the wall close to 'Poppy' whose pastel I also did last year.

Back to the canvases :)

Snow Leopards in Oil (sold)

2009-08-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Here is an oil done from photos taken at Santago some years ago and called 'The Lookout'. Looks as though this is the same female Snow Leopard that we photographed recently. (She was the only one waiting to go to her new home.) A beautiful and gentle cat.

Santago Leopards

2009-08-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful day out on Monday at the private Santago Rare Leopard Breeding Project. Unfortunately it is closing shortly due to the sad death of the founder Peter James. Santago has had a good record over the years with breeding these endangered rare cats and was a place where you could get really close to them in a quiet and beautiful setting. The animals are all going to new homes very soon (some abroad) so it was with a heavy heart that we said farewell at the end of the day.

Photos are of a beautifully marked Clouded Leopard - we felt really lucky to get some lovely photos of them as they are usually so reclusive. Then a Black Leopard relaxing whilst waiting for his lunch. The African Leopard was photographed above us on her tree platform and lastly the gorgeous Snow Leopard who as usual posed beautifully. When there is time I hope to do some studies of them.

Dressage horse in oil and Green Woodpecker

2009-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

As I am still busy painting all hours of the day, and into the evenings at present, I have posted a dressage horse painted in oil some years ago. Black animals are really fascinating to paint, whether in pastel or oil. I just love the shine on their coats and usually paint this in blue grey. I think you can just see the details in this old photo and the touches of purple brown around this horse's muzzle. This 16" x 12" oil was painted from the photo supplied and sadly I never got to see this horse as he lived some way away from us.

This week we have been visited again by a Green Woodpecker and as the bird was still long enough for me to run and get the camera (and change lenses) here is a photo of him. It is great to see this bird in our gardens but sadly he is here because all the local woodland is gradually being destroyed. As the 'powers that be' seem to be happy to chop all the trees down all we can do is plant as many as we can in our gardens. Hopefully we can give the local birds an alternative habitat.

I have taken some recent photos of the cabin/studio but still have them on a memory card somewhere. It really looks as though it has been there for ages now that the plants have grown up around it and I will post them ASAP. Meanwhile, back to painting :)

West Highland White Terrier

2009-06-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Life is pretty busy right now with the large canvases underway. Just to keep in touch with everyone I am posting an old pastel of 'Bob' a dear little West Highland White Terrier. He was done as a surprise present some years ago. Always fun to do this breed as their fur is great to do in pastel. Students of pastel can see (I hope - as this is an old photo) that the colour of the ground you choose to work on is pretty important and can become part of the picture. Try not to choose a contrasting colour as this will make your work much more difficult. If in doubt lay a photo of the subject up against several papers until you find one that matches.

Also here is a bee's eye view of a Foxglove - which are at their best now in the garden (thank you Pat for letting me play with your Macro Lens!)

May update and flowers

2009-05-20T01:49:00.000-07:00

Just to prove I am still around - here are some flowers from our garden in the South East of the UK. There has been great growing weather with sunshine and showers so everything is doing well, even the daisies in the grass :) The peach Iris is my favourite, although sadly I do not know the variety. The sundial is down in the wilder part of the garden with pink aquilegias, grasses and foxgloves waiting to come out and the Clematis is a beautiful new compact variety found recently in a local garden centre and now growing in a tub.

On the work front, I am now commencing to put paint to canvas with the large commissions. Hopefully they will be shown here if the client gives his permission. If time permits I will fit in a pastel or two and some miniatures also - lots of ideas for them. Back to work! Please feel free to contact me as I love to hear from my visitors.

Lesley

Cat Study in pastel

2009-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

As I am busy with some large commissions - hopefully the client will grant permission to show them on the web in due course - I am posting a 2007 pastel of a dear 'old style' Persian cat. He is a dear soul, very sweet and affectionate and it was a joy to paint his beautiful fur. As I took many photos of this lovely cat hopefully there will be more studies of him in the future. (For those who are experimenting with pastel the shadows in this study were browns and blues.)

Spring Blossoms

2009-03-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

After a cold snowy winter a very welcome spring has arrived. Last week's mild temperatures and sun brought out the blossom on some of the trees and some spring flowering plants. As I am working - but nothing ready to post yet I thought I would share some photos of the garden. I hope you enjoy seeing them :)

Miniature - Graphite Study of Jenny

2009-03-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Still enjoying experimenting with the dura-lar film in the evenings, here is a new graphite study of a very pretty young girl called Jenny. I could not resist transferring her serenity from a photograph (she lives a long way from us) into a portrait. People are more of a challenge to draw/paint but very well worth the effort. This image is much enlarged - the original is 3" x 2.5".

Miniature - 'Aragorn' Graphite study

2009-03-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of Tolkein and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films so when I was looking for a small study to try out some Dura-Lar film this one of Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn seemed a challenge - because of the look in his eyes. The original is 2.75" x 2.5". O.K. I know it is not my copyright but I have no intention of using this experimental image anywhere but here.

By the way I thoroughly recommend Dura-Lar Acetate alternative, it is archival quality and a pleasure to work with. Just a shame that I had to ask a friend in the US to send me some as it could not be found here in the UK. There will be more graphite studies - I will be going back to Arabians and other animals very soon. These studies are a useful change in the evenings when taking a break from larger commissioned oil work.

Blacklord Caesaro - building up colour.

2009-01-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the late stallion Blacklord Caesaro, a wonderful character and ambassador for the Arabian breed. I have been asked how to build up soft pastel on a black horse (the same principle applies to any black animal) and am using this study to show some of the under colours, blue greys and purple browns amongst others that are laid in before any blacks are used. Blue greys will give the hightlight areas and purple browns give a warmth to the whole pastel. Care must be taken with the purple brown however, otherwise you can end up with a 'sun burned' brown/black. Use the black pastel lightly over other colours and on its own only in the shadow areas. (I like Rembrandt's deep rich black.) Try to stay away from the pastel pencils as much as possible and use them only to finish the fine detail. Note to self: I must remember to take more photos when working as I am good at asking other artists to do this!

Graphite study of an Arabian horse.

2008-12-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

I have been down with a nasty bug for some time hence the lack of new work updates on the blog, but here is something I was able to do in the evenings without risking the pastel dust making this darned cough worse. Working with graphite is interesting and you can get quite dramatic effects. I may use this 7" x 6.5 study for a larger pastel image in the future.

Many thanks to Geoff Rigby, a good friend, who gave me permission to use one of his beautiful photos as inspiration for this study. If you like Arabian horse photos be sure to check his site out.

It seems a little difficult to get a good representation of graphite work on screen. The images do not seem to 'zing' the way they should. Anyone got any advice on this subject? Meanwhile I shall go and ask the experts...

Graphite Study of a Goeldi's Marmoset

2008-11-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

'Morning Light', (8" x 5")

The Goeldi's Marmoset (or Goeldi's monkey) graphite study is finished (I think.) Dreadful light here today, so may have to re-photograph tomorrow.

After looking at Colchester Zoo's website I was able to identify this species from the reference photos taken some time ago. It is a Goeldi's Marmoset, a South American New World Monkey from the Upper Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is a tree dwelling (arboreal) primate about the same size as other Marmosets and is listed as vulnerable.

Working in graphite again has been very enjoyable and I am going to try to fit one or two in around my regular work.

Work in Progress - Graphite study of a monkey.

2008-10-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

The work of Terry Miller has inspired me to go back to graphite again. I had forgotten how interesting it can be. This study is of a small black monkey seen at Colchester Zoo, very stupidly I did not make a note of the species at the time, so if anyone knows the name please feel free to get in touch. This study is on Bristol Board done with a range of Faber-Castell pencils. I will post another picture in a day or so when this study is completed.

Mall Gallery Exhibition

2008-10-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Fellow artists and I had a wonderful day out on Monday at the preview of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers (RMS) held in the Mall Gallery in London. (Glad I tried painting one a couple of weeks ago so I could really appreciate the skill that goes into creating these beautiful little 'jewels'.) Lovely friendly people and wonderful work, I thoroughly recommend this Exhibition. Tracy Hall a friend from the Scottish Islands won the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Award ('The Sentry' Meercat) and also the premier prize for Best in Show ('Red Admiral and Rook'). Here is Tracy with the president of the show Elizabeth R Meek PRMS PPSWA HS FRSA and the Earl of Glasgow who officially opened the Exhibition. Well done Tracy!

Coat Colours

2008-10-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

In the absence of progress on the cabin (still raining) and no work actually completed here is a study of 'Leo' a young horse painted in pastel some time ago. He was in a relaxed pose and I wanted to show the lovely softness and sheen of his coat. In the brown/bay coat are many shades of umber and various browns, blues, greys and a lovely purple brown. If you study the coat of a horse, or any animal, you will see many subtle shades which make up the overall colour. It takes some years to train your eye to see all of them - artists learn all their lives! We look at things differently and that is part of the fun and challenge of painting.

Cabin taking shape...

2008-09-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

With many delays for bad weather and also a wait for a warped piece of wood to be replaced by the suppliers we are finally getting there with the cabin. We chose one with lots of windows as light is so important for us artists! Still have to put on the roof and veranda and also waterproof the whole thing. (As you can see it is raining again this morning.) While waiting for photos for a Middle Eastern project I am sketching Arabian horse ideas for paintings and also playing with another miniature. Photos to follow soon, hopefully.

'A Kind Eye' - Arabian horse miniature

2008-09-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

This little Arabian horse miniature (shown with a UK penny for scale) is my first and has left me with an immense admiration for those who paint 'in the little'. He was fun to do and I learned a LOT in the course of this 3" x 2" painting, so I hope that he will not be the last miniature that I paint. He was done in oils using (at first) liquin to thin the paint. Zest-It was used instead when I realised that the liquin was too thick for fine detail! Zest-it is a wonderful non toxic turpentine substitute that has a citrus smell. (Great if you hate - or are allergic to - the strong smell of turps or white spirit.)

As I am waiting on some photos to come in for the next large project it might be fun to try another miniature to fill in some time. Another image will be posted once this tiny painting has been framed. It is not raining here today - what a change - so we will be working on the studio/log cabin again.

Poppy

2008-09-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

'Poppy' is a pastel study completed recently from photos. Luckily her owner had taken many close up photos of her over the nineteen years that she was alive. She looked a sweet cat and I enjoyed doing this pastel. (Once again it was mostly Daler Rowney with some Unison - my favourite soft pastels.)

I have also been trying to complete my first miniature in oil - watch this space for a picture soon - in between working at building the studio with my other half. We have not had much good weather to be outside but are dodging the showers.

New Studio/Building Site

2008-08-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the layout of the log cabin which is intended as a new studio. (Just not enough room inside the house.) The porch foundations are not measured out yet so it will extend about a metre and a half further out into the garden. Standing in front is Casey our much loved ten year old Labrador Retriever. She hates her photo being taken and is trying to look nonchalant. :-) Concrete is being laid this week and then we just have to erect the building - which will provide so much more working space - I can't wait.

Dalmatian Portrait just completed.

2008-08-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is Monty, a handsome character living in the South West of the UK with his adoring owner. It was a lot of fun completing his portrait in soft pastel (mostly Daler Rowney with some Unison.)