A Pair of Pears

I've got a really busy week at work coming up, so am happy I managed to squeeze this one in before it starts. I'm pleased too because it was warm enough to be able to paint in my fair weather studio (or shed).

I'm continuing to learn a lot from these little still life paintings, I found the subtle greens and rusty browns particularly hard to mix, at first.



Oil on canvas board, 6x6

More still life

Apples are two-for-one at the local supermarket, so I painted two instead of one.

I painted this in just over a hour, before starting work this morning. I learned a lot both in terms of studying the subject and starting to really get a feel for how oil paint behaves.



Oil on canvas board, 8x6

Pepper in a box

I'm still experimenting with my new oils. I've seen a lot of still life paintings of fruit and veg on blogs that I follow and so thought I'd give it a try. I struggled a bit as the light isn't always very good at this time of year, but it was a useful exercise nonetheless - one which I shall definitely be repeating. Despite all the usual grumbles.. too much detail, too small brush, etc. I'm pleased with my first attempt and am posting it mainly so I can look back on it, to measure my improvement in months to come.

Another plus. I don't get to use much red paint with concentrating mostly on landscapes, so it was a nice chance to mix some different colours!



Oil on canvas board, 8x6

View from Houndkirk Moor

Another month means another pay day! This month as a treat I bought myself some oil paints. I decided to go for the Winsor and Newton, Griffin Alkyd, fast drying range and I've got to say I'm impressed. Having never used oils before I did a couple of small tests before deciding I needed paint something more substantial. It's going to take me a while to get used to how the paints behave and react, but already I'm loving the fact that colours I've mixed on the palette don't dry out, like they do with acrylics.



Oil on canvas board, 8x6