Glen Eira Artists Society Annual Exhibition

I have two Still Life paintings in this exhibition that is on NOW.

Football, Flowers, Oranges and the Melbourne Light

Mid season in the studio....

Winter has reawakened the muse in the form of footy, flowers and still life.

I am not sure if it is the nature of the June Melbourne light, or if it is the specific way in which the light falls in the kitchen, upon the footy field or in studio; whichever, it seems to inspire me each year to paint in a way that focus's on the brilliance of the colors within my immediate space.

Winter enhances color. It deepens and cools the shadows, allowing the bright colours to stand out.

A stroke of pure cadmium yellow pigment leaps high against a backdrop saturated with ivory black.

Jonquils, oranges, lemons sit atop on old table waiting to be arranged.

The orange tree in our backyard is prolific at the moment. Eighteen years ago when we bought our Californian Bungalow it produced barely a handful of fruit each season.

As well as being unproductive, the orange tree was spindly and miserly in shape.

With a modicum of care, the tree has seen some lush new growth in recent years and the number of oranges it produces continues to increase each season.....an oddity given the soil to touch, seems sandy and bereft of nutrients.

Whatever the reason, the oranges today are stacking increasingly higher in the fruit bowl each week. 

I am not long back from a week away. I have noticed a clarity of light and a sharpness to the edges to things.

Bali, with its warmth and sunshine, seemed to have a muted light, creating hazier, blurred structural forms. Colours seem to mutate. Deep navy blues become cloudy greys, purples faded, bright reds and oranges becoming softer and dirtier in their tone.

I've decided it must be the Melbourne light, with its cold air and crisp mornings, that have some influence on the way I see and paint.

Meanwhile, it is school holidays, so it's impossible to get anything much done.

I get around this by filling up my sketchbook when and where possible; practising on my footballers in motion, either at the game or from the lounge suite and on occasions, writing and contributing to the The Footy Almanac.

My most recent piece, Sketchbook Review; Buddy's Fizz, is here

April Tulips

Another busy month flying by too quickly. Painting is slotting itself in where possible, between the odd gaps that pad the school holidays, cirriculum days, sports days, parent teacher interview days, public holidays, sick days and staff reflection days !@!

 If I had a real job, I don't know when I would fit it in.

As a break from paingting people, I decided to  go back to a still life, where I can focus on colour, movement and shape. 

Humming away in the background I've been working on another idea with my small watercolors on paper. More to come later.

I'll add images to this post as the tulip painting progresses.

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The studio is clean and tidy, which means I can think. My framer has passed on to me another plaster window display/partition thingy which I picked up yesterday and popped in the window. I like it.

I have moved my shelf unit. I have some cards in stock and a small number of 2014 Footy Almanacs left. Let me know if you'd like one. They make great presents and a brilliant record for seasons past, with genuine voices and stories written by the fans. They're $35 each.