RITTER ART

Haircut

2012-01-24T16:17:00.000+10:30

Haircut - watercolour on Fabriano 300gsm rough - approx 38cm x 28cm
We can all sympathise with the trauma of a young boy at the barbershop - everything is daunting and frightening and if you dare to make any move not only will you ruin your haircut but you could lose a piece of your ear as well.

I will be conducting a one day workshop in watercolour portrait painting on the 31 Mar 2012 at the Framer.

Contact Karen for details.

Little Miss Perfect

2011-12-15T17:22:00.000+10:30

Little Miss Perfect - oil on canvas - 60cm x 90cm

As the Christmas season rushes relentlessly upon us I find myself focussing more and more on my family.
It is truly a time to be thankful and to count our blessings.
Try as I may in my paintings I can never get close to the the beauty of the real thing - hence my title for the picture - it refers to my grand daughter not to my painting of her.

Please have a very merry festive season and a truly happy new year.

(On display at the Port Adelaide Rotary Art Show just after Christmas)

Wimbledon - C'mon

2011-12-09T13:09:00.000+10:30

Wimbledon - C'mon oil on canvas 90cm x 90cm

It's been a while since my last post and I have no excuses.

This painting is one of three showing the grandchildren that will be on display at the Victor Harbor Rotary Art Show in early January 2012. The others are both watercolours, "Independent" and "Because of the wind", posted previously on this blog.

In my next post I'll include work that will be on display at the Port Adelaide Rotary Art Show over the New Year.

First Prize St Peters Cathedral Art Show 2011

2011-10-09T17:56:00.003+10:30

I am delighted to report that my small oil portrait,

"Holding On", was awarded 1st Prize Overall at

the 2011 Adelaide St Peters Cathedral Art Show

Rosie Hamilton, Art Show organiser, Poh Ling Yeow, celebrity chef and official opener,

Jeff Neale, major sponsor Paradise Motors and yours truly at the announcement.

Here I am with a permanent grin in front of the winning entry (now SOLD)

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Rosie and the Cathedral as well as

Jeff at Paradise Motors.

Kapunda Workshop 17th Sept

2011-09-21T22:44:00.000+09:30

Pictured here are most of the members of last Saturday's workshop at Kapunda. Thank you to all who attended I had a great time and I really appreciate the effort you all took in your work. This workshop was the first time many had tried oils and even more had tried portrait painting - but looking at the results you really wouldn't know - you can all be justly proud of the results.

A short 45 minute drive from my home, Kapunda is a small town in the mid north with a long history of copper mining and farming. It is also the home of the Kidman Art Prize - in honour of a rather canny agricultural business man who established a very profitable means of bringing stock from up north to southern saleyards in the late 1800's.

Kapunda Exhibition - FLASHBACK

2011-08-16T21:18:00.000+09:30

1967 - 2010 - oil on canvas 100cm x 100cm
First Prize Overall

My entry, above, a painting of my brother, came about as a response to the Kapunda Community Gallery nominating a theme of FLASHBACK for their winter exhibition. I chose to paint him with his first home made surfboard from 1967 in the background and as he is now, still happy to be messing about with matters relating to the sea.
Thank you to the organisers at Kapunda for presenting us with the challenge of this theme and with the opportunity to participate. Of course I'm thrilled to have won!!

Pictures at an exhibition

2011-08-10T14:06:00.001+09:30

Just a few pictures from a delightful evening:

Part of the crowd - early on.

David and Meredith Parker and I.

Sheila Boyle and I

Deirdre Boyd, Alan Ramachandran, Mike Barr and I.

More of the guests.

Mike Stoakes, Julia Mannix and Ken Richardson. Helen Turvey in the background.

Mike after the very kind things he said during his opening address.

What a fabulous opening it was. My sincere thanks to all those brave souls who came to the opening on a cold and wet evening. Inside the room was warmed with the wood fire and the the presence of more than sixty people jostling, chatting and checking out the artworks.

A special thank you to Mike for the opening, to Helen and Hans who assisted in hanging and setting up and to Eliza for the venue and the opportunity.

The exhibition will remain on display until the 4th September.

Exhibition

2011-07-27T17:04:00.007+09:30

This is my invitation to anyone who would like to come along to my opening.

As you can imagine, I'm quite excited to finally have my first solo exhibition and I do hope it turns out well.

If you'd like to meet me I'll be there on Monday 8th August from about 6pm.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Animal Fun

2011-06-20T21:48:00.001+09:30

Wet Cheetah - oil on canvas board 20cm x 25cm

Ostrich - oil on canvas board 20cm x 25cm

Sea Eagle - oil on canvas board 20cm x 25cm

When I want a break from looking at people's faces it can be a real pleasure to paint some of our animal friends.

The challenge of bringing life into a two dimensional image using oils and brushes has a reward that non artists cannot appreciate.

SORRY for taking so long between posts -

2011-05-11T00:18:00.000+09:30

Russell - oil on canvas approx 45cm x 60cm

Russell was the model for the last class at Port Adelaide. My thanks to Russel for everything. This painting is on show at the Clare Rotary Art show from 14th May to the 20th May. The Clare Valley at this time of year is a marvellous mixture of autumn colours and smoke haze as farmers take the last opportunity to burn stubble before the winter rains.

...from little things... oil on canvas - approx 60cm x 80cm

This painting is on show until 4th June at the Port Community Gallery in Port Adelaide as part of History Week Commemoration. The title comes from a line from Paul Kelly's tribute song on Aboriginal Land Rights.

I think the sentiment is equally appropriate as a metaphor for life in general.

Independent

2011-04-01T00:28:00.000+10:30

Independent - watercolour 47cm x 78cm Saunders medium 300gsm

When you're two years old the world is a wonderous challenging place and you need to assert your independence in any way possible. This was my grandson's response and I was happy to record it for him.

This painting is part of my submission to the Campbelltown Rotary Art Exhibition (details right).

Sleep of the innocent

2011-03-14T14:42:00.021+10:30

(Click and drag on image to view from different angles)
If you don't see the animation get your Flash player HERE .It's Free.

Sleep of the innocent - patinated terra cotta - 18cm x18cm x 13cm NOW SOLD

This little platypus will be on show at the Campbelltown Rotary Art Exhibition from the 9th - 17th April at which Alan, Hans, Mike and I will be doing a joint demonstration.

(See details at right.)

My sincere thanks to Tyson for getting this animation up and running.

Wise Eyes

2011-03-11T18:31:00.004+10:30

Wise Eyes - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

This is one of the exercises that current class members are working on. Note in particular how there are very few hard/sharp edges in this painting. The softness of lost edges allows the subject to seemingly occupy his own 3D space (with space between him and the background as well) rather than be a flat 2D image.

Red T Shirt Sequence

2011-03-01T21:03:00.004+10:30

The sequence below illustrates how I got from charcoal sketch to finished oil.
I don't usually sketch in to anywhere near this level but I was enjoying it and got a little carried away.

Producing art sometimes provides an opportunity to escape the travails of life.

The sequence is pretty self explanatory. Finished size is 30cmH x 40cmW.

Russell #1

2011-02-26T18:12:00.004+10:30

Russell - oil on canvas - 40cm x 30cm

Russell has kindly consented to lend his very picturesque features as the model for the current portrait class at Port Adelaide. This quick study illustrates some of the generally accepted principles of portraiture. The principle of light against dark and dark against light throughout the work - the lit side of the face against the dark side of the background and vice versa for instance. The body is turned slightly away from the viewer and the head faces us over the sitter's left shoulder which is raised ever so slightly higher than the trailing shoulder. The pose is relaxed, semi serious and the sitter engages with the viewer.

Here too are opportunities to produce lost and found edges, flat shadows and thick highlights and also
changes in texture of the clothing, the skin and the beard and many other opportunities for painterly brushwork.

Adelaide Cup & 3colour exercise

2011-02-24T08:38:00.003+10:30

Adelaide Cup - oil on canvas - 40cm x 50cm

This little still life is a departure from my comfort zone and was done to be used on the invitation
to the official opening of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts Spring Member's Exhibition entitled "Up and running". The exhibition will be opening at 2pm on Sunday 6 March and will also include my monochrome study of a thouroughbred (see below). Venue : RSASA Gallery, Institute Building, Cnr Kintore Ave and North Tce, Adelaide.

Woman in a dark shawl - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

This 3 colour exercise is the first painting in the current portrait course I'm conducting at
Port Adelaide. The aim was to introduce students to the potential inherent in a limited palette and to ease everyone into the systematic approach I suggest they adopt to bring about predictable/repeatable results in their paintings. (More about the classes next time)

Looking forward to a good harvest

2011-02-04T23:48:00.005+10:30

Looking forward to a good harvest - watercolour on Fabriano rough 300gsm - 40cm x 26cm

In this Chinese new year I thought I would like to present an optimistic picture
with some nodding reference to China.

To me this rice farmer is the embodiment of rural China.

The structure of the straw hat combined with its translucency made it a challenge to paint.

Elizabeth Blackburn - Nobel Laureate

2011-02-03T22:37:00.003+10:30

Elizabeth Blackburn - Oil on canvas - 40cm x 28cm

I know that I featured Professor Blackburn in an earlier post - in a different portrayal.
The work of this eminent scientist could well lead to the slowing down of the human aging process as well as discoveries relating to age related afflictions.
She is truly a woman of vision and I felt that this pose would reflect more of her outlook and the optimistic view she has of the world than the earlier version.

Racehorse Study

2011-01-27T17:13:00.003+10:30

Racehorse Study - oil on canvas - 120cm x 100cm

This monochrome study is a complete departure for me in a number of ways.

The size is much larger than I commonly paint and the use of a single colour was a profound experience. Despite the difficulties in getting sufficient tonal variations to render this splendid animal I enjoyed the challenges that this work presented.

More Watercolours

2011-01-05T10:31:00.002+10:30

Mayan Warrior - watercolour 40cm x 25cm on Fabriano rough 300

I'm still trying to find a paper I really enjoy - Fabriano is getting close.
This image came from a frame of Mel Gibson's film Apocalypto
- about as gruesome a movie as you'd ever care to see
and not a line of english - all subtitles.
But what wonderful cinematography.

The next two are on Saunders 300 rough
- a paper that I find much more difficult to get used to.

Both are about 26cm x 17cm

Springbok

2011-01-02T23:19:00.004+10:30

Springbok - watercolour 36cm x 26cm on Saunders 300gsm rough

It's been a while since I painted a watercolour of an animal
and this springbok appealed to me
for a number of reasons.
The colours in the shadows and the
transitions from the light underbody
to the upperbody allowed me to
practice some wet in wet -
and then there was all that high grass -
veld I think it's called in South Africa.
A serene way to ease into
the art challenges that 2011 promises to bring.

End of Year Roundup

2010-12-31T11:15:00.006+10:30

This is my last post for 2010 and I'm happy to end on a high note.

Last night this watercolour took out the second prize at the 24th Port Adelaide Rotary Art Show.

Study in Blue (Roots) - 2nd Prize Overall

24th Port Adelaide Rotary Art Show December 2010

All the pics on this post are watercolours and done on a variety of papers -
they are all approximately 35cm x 25cm or slightly larger.

Memories

Green Eyes

Dappled Light

Facing It

I wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Homeless

2010-12-05T20:29:00.003+10:30

Homeless - watercolour 20cm x 30cm Fabriano rough 300gsm

Much like the character in this little study - I have felt somewhat displaced of late and slow to adjust to changing circumstances - but I feel I'm back now.

Life can be like that sometimes - you go from day to day trying your best to stay ahead but without any real plan. I prefer at least some direction.

Demonstration Portraits

2010-10-17T18:57:00.005+10:30

The Hon John Hill, Minister for Health - oil on canvas 40cm x 50cm

This portrait was started as part of the demonstration sessions during the Royal South Australian Society of Arts hosting of the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Finalists' Exhibition.
I started the painting with sketches in watercolour from life and then changed to oil on canvas later.

James Raggatt, President Royal South Australian Society of Arts - oil on canvas 40cm x 50cm

James was the model for the third of four demonstrations at the RSASA and sat patiently, as did the other three sitters, while four artists began their renderings. I began the work in my more usual manner with a charcoal sketch and thin oil wash underpainting.

The four demonstration sessions with fourteen different artists and four different sitters were enthusiastically received and well attended.

The event proved especially poignant for me as it represents the final exhibition I have organised for the Society.
At the AGM on Sunday 24 October I shall be standing down from my role as Director and not seeking re-election to any official role in the near future. May I express my sincere gratitude to all members who have assisted me and wish everyone in the RSASA all the best as the Society continues to expand its activities.

Neil at the 2010 Heysen Festival

2010-10-07T19:08:00.003+10:30

Neil at the 2010 Heysen Festival - Oil on canvas 60cm x 50cm

This work was prepared as part of the Hahndorf Streetscape Art Competition. The competition was to present Hahndorf and/or "everyday life on the Hahndorf main street". Neil is the tuba player in the Eisenbahn Spieler Brass Band that was playing on Monday and what a delight to have such a fine subject. The painting was started on Monday 4th Oct and completed on Wednesday 6th Oct. While I was at it I also produced a smaller canvas that will also be on display in the same exhibition. (see below) It will be on display with all the other entries until Sunday 17th Oct at Eve's Classic Coffees 54 Main St Hahndorf.

Last Class of 2010

2010-10-07T18:53:00.005+10:30

After a gruelling 7 weeks members of the last class of 2010 can still manage a smile.
You all made tremendous progress and I trust everyone enjoyed the process despite
my constant interference.
L to R : Yours truly, Grantley, Tahira, Alan, Sandra, Don, Deirdre, Calandra.

Grantley

2010-09-21T08:07:00.003+09:30

Grantley - oil on canvas 21cm x 30cm

When you have such wonderful faces to paint from who would'nt want to be a portaitist?

Grantley is one of the members of my current class and was kind enough to allow me to paint him.

Although almost monochromatic this painting is all about expression and character and allowed for a lot of loose brushwork.

Because of the wind

2010-09-02T22:50:00.003+09:30

Because of the wind - watercolour 54cm x 42cm - Fabriano medium 300

Young children can be relied upon to surprise you when you least expect it. Fortunately I had my camera ready this time and was able capture his spontaneous solution to the wind problem.

This painting of my grandson will be on show at the St Peters Cathedral in North Adelaide in the upcoming exhibition. I'll also display "Wintersun" which was posted previously.

Charles

2010-08-30T22:55:00.003+09:30

Charles - Oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

Charles is the model for my current round of lessons.
This is his first time and he is proving to be a very patient and steady model. His complexion allows me to illustrate the versatility of my palette as I tell my students that it is the same colours I always use just in different combinations.

Wintersun

2010-08-16T17:37:00.004+09:30

Wintersun- watercolour 40cm x 26cm on Arches 300 rough

A short pause during a hard days work - back turned toward the setting sun.
A lull before the journey home - a time to reflect.

Stephen Fry -"The apple of Apple's i."

2010-08-14T23:39:00.004+09:30

Stephen Fry - "The apple of Apple's i."- oil on canvas 40cm x 30cm

Stephen is a favourite British character actor, TV presenter , mega brain and techno freak.
He has a wonderfully plastic face and an unashamed shabbiness about him - simply lovely grist for people like me.

Young Boy in Shadow

2010-08-14T00:22:00.003+09:30

Young Boy in Shadow - oil on canvas - 40cm x 30cm

Another version of an earlier post. This time it was started in the new course today and finished at home. I've left the image larger than usual to give you more detail. The conditions under which I took the pic were not ideal but I felt it was more important to post it than to fuss with it. I prefer to start class participants with a profile painting as I believe it eases everyone into the painting process more gently.
Also, the background is totally neutral and the focus is on the child.

Gawler Class

2010-07-28T16:47:00.003+09:30

Members of the most recent class - at Gawler. We had a wonderful time - hosted in very comfortable and comodious surroundings by Brian and Bev. Thanks so much. Above are Ellen, Janine, Judy, Brian and yours truly. Below is a pic of the demo I did today - left untouched with lots more to do.
(You all made amazing progress - with at least one a complete newcomer to oils. Well done.)

P.S. Thanks for the coffee and cake - I loved it.

Bright Eyes

2010-07-22T08:39:00.001+09:30

Bright Eyes - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

Painting children is both a joy and a challenge. I'm so glad when I can do so without tightening up.

MARTU - IN THE PRESS

2010-07-15T23:51:00.002+09:30

Martu - watercolour (See earlier post)

I'm very honoured to have my painting chosen as the Editor's Choice in the prestigious
United Kingdom art magazine The Artist.
The image and accompanying text appear on Page 11 of the July 2010 issue.

Here to serve

2010-07-03T22:58:00.005+09:30

Here to serve - 35cm x 49cm watercolour on magnani 300 rough

I know it's been a while since my last post - but I've been a bit crook and now on the mend.

This painting is a little larger than my usual - I'm trying to move slightly out of my comfort zone.
It presented numerous challenges and hence learning opportunities. I got to wondering if the amount of high tech equipment and sophisticated fire proof clothing sometimes present a hinderance to these men?

Still Working

2010-06-14T00:53:00.002+09:30

Watercolour - 16.5cm x 25.5cm - magnani 300 rough

I really enjoy the expression of personality possible in portraits of mature people. Despite the appearance I promise I haven't used any black - in fact I don't have black on my palette.

Bin There

2010-06-13T00:22:00.004+09:30

Watercolour - 18cm x 27cm - l'Ana aquarelle 300 rough

The paper has a nice softness to it that complements the feminine subject. The surface texture has an almost hammer beaten patterning which should enable the odd dry brush stroke to work well.

Ready

2010-06-11T23:01:00.002+09:30

Ready - watercolour - 26cm x 36cm - Saunders 300 rough

Saunders paper again - this time the pic is a little larger. I found it difficult to find a true transparent cool blue - most of mine are almost opaque. Any suggestions?

Young boy on grey

2010-06-08T22:48:00.003+09:30

Young boy on grey - oil on board- 15cm x 15cm

Still experimenting with backgrounds and quick sketches. Some artist friends say they can not paint small - I love the challenge and, as in this case, enjoy the outcome.

Blue Eyes

2010-06-07T21:34:00.005+09:30

Blue Eyes - watercolour - 18cm x 26cm - magnani 300 rough

There was something about the look of innocence in this young lady's eyes that pulled me in and said "Paint me". I liked the light on the left side of the face. It's my first go at this italian paper and while the texture is a bit mechanical and regular I did enjoy the ability to lift off without damage to the surface.

Off to market

2010-06-05T01:38:00.004+09:30

Off to market - oil on canvas - 26cm x 16cm - Oil

Not a a portrait - but then it shows I'm not in a rut. Sometimes you have to do something slightly out of your comfort zone to get back renewed enthusiasm.

Waiting for a message

2010-06-05T01:16:00.004+09:30

Watercolour on L'anaquarelle 300 rough - 19cm x 28cm

A real fun portrait previously painted in oil for a demonstration this time in watercolour. Nice paper - but I need to play with it a bit more - "gotta loosen up."

LOL (Laughing out loud)

2010-06-02T08:50:00.003+09:30

LOL - watercolour - 18cm x 25cm - Arches 140 medium

The laughter of children is infectious - one "rule" of conventional portraiture is not to paint people smiling, laughing or showing their teeth - it would distort the face too much. Some rules are made to be broken.

Summertime

2010-05-31T22:37:00.004+09:30

Summertime - watercolour - 23cm x 30cm Fabriano 300 rough

I can resist anything except a lovely lady to paint - oh and cream puffs, I just love cream puffs.

Smooth skin and back lighting are always a challenge and sometimes you have to cheat a little bit
by adjusting the lighting yourself.

Tough

2010-05-24T23:14:00.001+09:30

Tough - watercolour on bond 110gsm - 20cm 26cm

I'm still experimenting with papers - this stuff is so absorbent and unforgiving that it makes the task difficult. There's little chance of using waterbeads to mingle and blend so I had to apply lots of layers - not my favourite way to go.

Monday Morning

2010-05-24T16:42:00.004+09:30

Monday Morning - oil on canvas - 30cm x 42cm

Painted on gesso tinted with black acrylic - this one reminds me of the zombie like state I sometimes experience on first rising.
I like the strong contrast between foreground and background and the fact that it accomodates looser brushwork.

Young Girl

2010-05-13T00:07:00.003+09:30

Young Girl - watercolour - 16.5cm x 25cm - unknown paper - approx 300gsm

This was painted on a sheet of inherited old paper. The texture is extremely rough (almost twice as rough as any of the modern papers I've used). I'm still very hesitant to use it as I have only a few sheets and I want to ensure that I do this precious resource justice. Never the less I enjoyed painting this and I like the many white patches left behind by the coarseness of the paper.

Fashion Plate

2010-05-11T00:27:00.009+09:30

Fashion Plate - watercolour - 18cm x 25cm - Fabriano rough 300gsm

I'm slowly (one painting a day) working my way through a Fabriano block trying to get used to the paper before I try out a couple of sheets of hand made spanish paper.
This chap made an appearance on a local TV station and I was impressed by his retro looks.

Charles Reid - watercolourist

2010-05-10T00:55:00.003+09:30

Charles Reid - watercolour on Fabriano rough 300gsm - 18cm x 25cm

I was watching a video of Charles demonstrating his watercolour technique. I've long admired him for his portrait and figure work and less so for his landscapes. I thought I'd try his restricted palette of cad red, yellow ochre and cerulean (plus a couple of other minor ones).

This little sketch came after a day of oil portraiture and was a real relief for me.

Congratulations Hans

2010-04-29T23:39:00.003+09:30

Hans Koppan (centre), surrounded by principal sponsor and one of the judges.

Hans tonight was awarded First Prize in Salisbury Council's Watershed Exhibition. His winning work of black swans landing in a flurry of waterspray took out the aquisitive major award from more than 70 high standard competing works. Congratulations, Hans.

I'm sure if you follow the link on the right you'll see a copy of the work on his blog.

Anxious Times

2010-04-22T23:14:00.006+09:30

Anxious Times - oil on canvas - 12" x 16"

Sometimes I find it difficult to come up with a name for a painting - I know how Carol Marine must feel. This one was relatively straight forward.

Alan Louis Ramachandran

2010-04-18T15:08:00.003+09:30

Alan Louis Ramachandran - oil on canvas - 30cm x 42cm

Alan will be doing the demonstration I mentioned in my last post. I painted this portrait of Alan from a photo by Hans Koppan (also demonstrating next week at Campbelltown) taken while they were out and about pretending to gather material for painting - sure guys - I believe you. Mike, on the other hand, has been busy writing and his article will be in the UK magazine The Artist in May.

BTW my watercolour of "Martu" (see previous post) was picked up by the editor of the same magazine from their on line gallery http://www.painters-online.co.uk/ and will be featured as the Editor's choice in either the June or July issue of The Artist.

"Harry" wins First Prize

2010-04-18T01:32:00.003+09:30

"Harry" posted on 5 Oct 2009 was awarded First Prize Overall at the Campbelltown Rotary Art Show on Friday 16 April.
Hans Koppan took out first prize in the oil and acrylic category.
The painting of Harry has been aquired by the Campbelltown City Council and joins its permanent collection.
I grew up at Athelstone, in the Campbelltown Council area, and attended Campbelltown High School (then they tore it down - broke the mold maybe).
I was particularly chuffed by the award since my late father also regularly submitted watercolours to this show and won a category award on at least one occasion.

BTW - don't forget the demonstration we are doing on Sat 24 April from 2pm on - its FREE and you'll see Hans, who won the oil and acrylic category in this year's show, doing an oil palette knife painting, Mike painting an acrylic on canvas, Alan doing a watercolour and I , doing an oil portrait - all in the space of a couple of hours. Venue Campbelltown Civic Centre , Montacute Rd.

Old time themed watercolours

2010-04-12T23:10:00.004+09:30

"Sugar 'n spice" - watercolour - 27cm x 38cm - on Arches cold medium 180gsm

"Red" - watercolour - 26cm x 30cm - hot pressed textured old paper about 200gsm

I've been enjoying doing a few portrait watercolours and here are a couple of them. The one of the lady reminds me of the subjects that Anders Zorn was so enamoured of.

Animal Fun

2010-04-04T23:55:00.004+09:30

Terrier - oil on board - 15cm x 15cm

Pig - oil on board - 15cm x 15cm

I was going through some older photos on my files and found these two (among others) that I felt could use an airing. You know, as I paint more human portraits it seems that animal portraits also become easier to do. They are certainly very enjoyable to paint and the subjects are less critical of the result.

Looking towards the future

2010-04-01T20:58:00.003+10:30

Looking towards the future - watercolour - 27cm x 37cm

The lot of the Australian aboriginal people hasn't always been a happy one. However, I believe and sincerely hope that the future will be much brighter for them. (At least the Federal Government is now a much more understanding and tolerant one.)
This painting allowed me to explore shadows and tonings to bring out the facial features.
It's always better to try to pose your subject outdoors if you can, that is, if you wish to exploit the contrast provided by strong natural illumination.

Bluey

2010-04-01T08:54:00.004+10:30

Bluey - Oil on canvas - 30cm x 42cm

Aussies have a way of allocating nicknames that's probably derived from walking upside down on the bottom half of the world - we tend to focus on opposites. Hence I've called this sketch Bluey because of his red hair. When it came to painting the hair in this case I used a very rarely employed brush from my collection - a ratty old fan - and it was just perfect to do the sweeps and suggest the delicate beard hair. A fun portrait with a touch of the devil to it.

BTW - I've decided the next course will be in August and if you're interested drop me a line.

Also I'll be doing a joint demonstration with some of my mates - Alan Ramachandran, Mike Barr and Hans Koppan - at the Campbelltown Rotary Art Show, 2pm Saturday 24 April. Everyone is welcome, it should be "interesting/entertaining".

Elderly Lady

2010-03-24T17:22:00.005+10:30

Elderly Lady - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

This lady featured as our main subject for the all day workshop we held at Artsnorth (Elizabeth) today.
Thankyou to the participating ladies and especially Colleen for doing the organising. I was my usual tyrannical self - insisting on how to hold brushes and how to make marks and how thin to mix paints - I know it can all be a bit much at times - but hey - I enjoyed it. Everyone did their best to put up with me and their paintings were a credit to their hard work.

In one of my last posts I mentioned the Pre Raphealites - the show was actually Desperate Romantics - and except for the personal lives of the artists - it is my belief that the art establishment was very accurately portrayed. (Perhaps things haven't changed all that much since then.)

Elderly Gent

2010-03-21T21:19:00.002+10:30

Elderly Gent - watercolour - 21.5cm x 21.5cm

Yes another watercolour. However I haven't shunned oils altogether -
I've been working on a couple of larger paintings and getting ready for some exhibtions.
This week I'll also be conducting an all day oil portrait workshop at ArtsNorth.

BTW I've also been watching a fine series on ABC TV called the Pre-Raphelites -
bawdy it may be - but it also includes a few scenes of the Royal Academy and,
oh yes , the occasional scene involving painting. I highly recommend it.

Ian Kiernan - Clean Up Australia

2010-03-10T23:21:00.004+10:30

Ian Kiernan - oil on canvas - 3ocm x 42cm

Ian Kiernan was the subject of our workshop at the Gawler Art Society yesterday. The enthusastic band of artists joined in the challenge and produced a remarkable series of portraits in the limited time. I promised to post my own version of the portrait - and here it is. (just click on it to get a better picture.)
By way of background information, Ian Kiernan was the originator and still remains the driving force behind the Clean Up Australia campaign and the annual Clean Up Days each year.
He is an example of the power of one and his efforts are to be applauded and supported.

Getting back to the workshop - I must thank everyone for the reception and I loved the hospitality - thank you all.

Martu

2010-03-06T12:31:00.003+10:30

Martu - watercolour - 34cm x 24.5cm

The Martu are a people of the western desert area of central Australia. They number approximately 2000 and are among the last people to have lived completely traditional tribal aboriginal lives. This painting uses the contre jour lighting that is so popular with landscape watercolourists. I found it to be a challenge to get sufficient dark tones and to simulate the pipeclay and ashes on the face.

Class of 2010

2010-03-01T15:28:00.004+10:30

These are some of the members of the last class in front of the romantic little studio chalet where we shared the premises with some less than welcome wildlife in the last two weeks.
From left to right we have John B, Ken, Colleen, Dierdre, Val(our long suffering model), Irene, Colin, John D. and you know who. Absent from the pic are Chris and Bernadette.
I must say that I really enjoyed having everyone there and that I learn a lot when taking these classes. It's all I can do to keep up with everyone. Thanks guys.

Young Lady 1 - oil on board - 20.5cm x 28cm

Painting young people is always a challenge - their smooth skin and lack of wrinkles is really annoying.
and then there's the problem of jewellery - but what fun as well.
Just for a change I decided to put some thick gesso on a masonite board - quite roughly applied using a small trowel - and painted directly on that without primer. I'll varnish it when it dries just to return some lustre to it.

Study in watercolour

2010-02-25T08:53:00.002+10:30

Study in watercolour - approx 15cm x 15 cm - after Robert Liberace

I was trolling through some art sites when I came accross Rob Liberace - what an amazing talent.
I was inspired to use one of his oil studies but I wanted to render it in watercolour and I chose to change some of the proportions to suit the mood. The result is a colourful little study that was a real pleasure to dash off.

Young Boy

2010-02-25T08:44:00.003+10:30

Young Boy - Oil on canvas board - 20cm x 25cm

When you've got splendid models like this who needs anything else. Painting children this size is a joy and results in an intimate little study perfectly aligned to their little personalities.
If you develop your painting skills to the stage where you can record their development from baby to toddler to child to teenager etc - what a marvellous record you'll have. Beats happy snaps hands down.

Val in the sun

2010-02-16T21:53:00.004+10:30

Val in the sun - oil on canvas - 40cm x 40cm approx

Val is the current model in my painting class and she was featured in a previous post when I painted her with only three colors. This time I used my usual full palette to get a feeling of the strong Australian sunshine. I was able to keep my brush strokes loose and unlaboured - just the way I like it. This painting was done very quickly - one sitting- and again sheer joy. Interestingly, as I was painting Val the portrait took on a strong regal resemblance to
Queen Elizabeth II, must be the bone structure and the bearing. It was only a fleeting resemblance and soon passed but it gave me an eerie sort of feeling at the time.

Study on toned background

2010-02-13T21:15:00.002+10:30

Study on toned background - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

Not the way I usually work - but I had wiped out a previous attempt
and decided to work on the toned backround that resulted
from the wipeout.
There's nothing too laboured about this little work
and it was a joy to do it this morning before facing the duties of the day.

Young Art Connoisseur

2010-02-10T23:49:00.003+10:30

Young Art Connoisseur - Oil on canvas - 27cm x 28cm

This little painting was done tonight at my regular Wednesday night stint.
The image was from a photo I took at an opening last Sunday.
At the time I was intrigued by the light and shade
falling accross this young lady's face and I thought
then it would make a lovely study.
Was I right?

BALD ARCHY COMPETITION FINALIST

2010-02-07T22:51:00.004+10:30

Tony Avatar (Abbott) – Acrylic on stretched canvas – 960mm x 620mm - $ 1,200

Blue has become the new green on the island continent of Pandora.

With his hero’s cap cocked and his poison tipped arrow poised to fire Tony Avatar, in his new role as leader of the defenceless right, takes aim at the forces of evil prevailing in the land.

In his sights Tony includes all migrants and boat people, laborites, students, women, illegitimates, indigenes, Ruddites and dole bludgers. His is a non-discriminating fight against multiculturalism, globalisation and immigration. “Tony Avatar he’s our man – hero of our nation….”

Over the last six years I have been fortunate to have each of my entries in the annual
Bald Archy Contest selected for inclusion in the finalist exhibition.

This is the entry for 2010 and the accompanying text -it makes a change from my regular paintings each year.

Bill Truslove

2010-01-29T13:18:00.004+10:30

Bill Truslove - oil on canvas - 30 cm x 35 cm

Bill makes an ideal subject for a portrait sketch. He is an accomplished pastellist; founding member of the South Australian Pastellists Association and internationally published writer on pastel painting. He dropped by at the Royal South Australian Society of Art while I was doing my Director thing and happened to have a camera in my pocket.
Few are safe when I have a camera with me.

Val

2010-01-26T09:07:00.003+10:30

Val - oil on canvas - approx 25cm x 38cm

Val has kindly consented to be the model for the current portrait painting classes I'm conducting at Port Adelaide. This sketch portrait was started on Sunday using just three colours plus white.
When you limit your palette to ultramarine blue, cadmium red deep and yellow ochre plus titanium white to paint an entire painting it certainly concentrates the mind. It forces you to be careful about colour selection and mixing and is a good excercise to provide mixing experience. I finally got some time last night to finish it.

Purple Boy

2010-01-14T21:56:00.000+10:30

Purple Boy - watercolour - 16.6cm x 23.7cm

Children make the most marvellous subjects. I'd painted this child in oil on
a couple of occasions but I wanted to try watercolour.
The innocence of childhood is somehow combined with a look of sad
resolution as though he is growing old before his time.

Gavin Hood

2010-01-10T23:35:00.000+10:30

Gavin Hood - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm

I often find more fascination with the supporting actors in the movies than with the stars. I guess it has something to do with the fact that, when casting a movie, you need to contrast the supporting characters with the hero and since supporting actors get less screen time they often seem to put more effort into their roles.
Anyway the Bruce McNabb character in King Solomon's Mines has a degree of nastiness that was quite appealing to me. The lighting, with the reflected light of the desert dunes, and the costuming just screamed "Paint me".... so I did.

Les Carlson

2010-01-08T00:23:00.000+10:30

Les Carlson - 30cm x 40cm - oil on canvas

I was watching one of my favourite movies - A Christmas Story - again: it's kind of a tradition for me around Christmas time and I was impressed by some of the characters in it. Les Carlson has a lovely bit part as a Christmas tree seller and this is my rendition from Wednesday night.
I tell students to try to complete their paintings with a minimum of blending - well this is an example of just that.
A quick study - totally alla prima - hardly any blending just tones next to tones in simple bold strokes - without fussing too much about the outcome.
By the way, the next class starts Sunday the 17th January, so to all those who are booked in, I'll be sending email details shortly.

The Blue Hat

2010-01-04T20:53:00.000+10:30

The Blue Hat - watercolour - 16.5cm x 24.5cm

Children really are a joy to paint - they grow so fast I can hardly keep up.
Because children have so few wrinkles or other outstanding features it helps
if you pose them in strong sunlight. The cast shadows define the form and
the presence of a hat gives additional contrast to their smooth faces.

Mike Bossley - Watercolour

2009-12-28T01:04:00.000+10:30

Mike Bossley - watercolour - 26.5cm x 16cm

Mike was featured in oil on an earlier blog. Each year as the temperature rises during the Christmas/summer season I find some time to do a few watercolours. This little painting utilises complementary colours for contrast and, I think, conveys something of Mike's thoughtful nature. Here's to a less troublesome New Year for everyone.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

2009-12-22T08:56:00.000+10:30

Vadim - 26cm x 38cm - Oil on canvas

Festive Greetings everyone. After reading that Anders Zorn used a restricted range of colours for most of his work I thought I'd give it a go. Here's the result of three colours plus white. A lot of fun as well as a challenge.
To stop you guessing - these are the colours I used - yellow ochre, ulramarine blue and cadmium red (medium) - plus titanium white.
Even if you ever ran out of subjects to paint there are always variations you can try. Happy painting.

.... no more teacher's dirty looks.....

2009-11-20T17:24:00.001+10:30

Pictured (clockwise from bottom right); yours truly, Carmel, Marillyn, Chris P., Harvey, Richard, John, Maureen, Don, (AWOL Chris B.)(Just kidding about the AWOL)

This group helped me pass my Fridays at warp speed over the last seven weeks - it's been a pleasure - thankyou one and all.

(For anyone interested, the next course is a Sunday course starting Jan17 at 10am to 1pm and going on for the following six weeks after that. IT'S FULL.)

Despite what I said about taking a break I look like doing another Friday course starting around 23 April 2010 so if you're interested drop me a line. Just click here.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy new year.

John from life - Fri 6th November 2009

2009-11-10T00:20:00.000+10:30

This set of sequential pics was started at the class on Friday and completed at home yesterday.
As usual I have begun with a very thin sketching in (this time without charcoal at the beginning).
This was followed by searching out the darks and gradually working towards the lights.
John's white hair catches a lot of the reflected light in the classroom and in order to bring it out more strongly I chose to paint in a very dark contrasting background. In keeping with the appearance of an oil sketch I deliberately left the clothing unfinished and used only bold strokes - it contrasts nicely with the level of detail in the head.

Size approx 40cm x 50cm - time taken approx 3 hrs

John Burns

2009-10-18T16:34:00.001+10:30

John Burns - oil on canvas - 40cm x 30cm

John was a member of my last portrait class at Port Adelaide and I thank him for agreeing to sit for the current class.
This little work was started during the first lesson as a demo and completed today after another hour of work.

The current class is well under way and a further class is planned for seven weeks from mid January to end of February 2010. (Places are limited and I have six names already.)
This will be a Sunday morning class for those who find difficulty in attending during the week. After this class I will be taking some time to attend to other matters, so if you wish to do a course next year it may be wise to get in early. You can contact me through the link on my website at right.

St Peters Cathedral Demonstration

2009-10-10T23:09:00.000+10:30

Harold Anderson - oil on canvas - 30cm x 36cm

Harold is the Mayor of Charles Sturt Council
I took a quick photo from the TV last night and printed it out
on A4 bond paper just before coming into Adelaide
to do the demonstration.

Mike Barr, Alan Ramachandran and I enjoyed an afternoon
of relaxed painting and chatting.
As you can see from the pictures below,
the Cathedral is a wonderful space in which to hold
and art exhibition and to give a painting demonstration.

The dignity and solemnity of the venue may have suffered
under our "performance"
but it lost none of its delightful ambience.
A big thankyou to Rosie and John Hamilton for organising things
and to everyone who helped and who came along to watch.

As usual click on the pic to enlarge.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn - Nobel Laureate

2009-10-07T23:48:00.001+10:30

Elizabeth H. Blackburn - Nobel Laureate -30cm x 40cm - oil on canvas

Quoting from the Nobel prize website

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 is jointly awarded to

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak

for the discovery of

"how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

How wonderful that an Australian scientist has again shared in the Nobel prize for medicine.
I can only add my congratulations to those of countless others and hope that my little portrait
sketch honours her achievement.

Dr. Mike Bossley

2009-10-07T17:37:00.000+10:30

Dr. Mike Bossley - 36" x 48" - oil on streched canvas

For the last few months I've been involved with the Faces of the Port project which paired ten artists with ten subjects to produce a set of portraits for display during the 2009 Port Adelaide Festival. My subject was noted dolphin researcher, Dr. Mike Bossley, and the result of our collaboration is this portrait.
The project was co-ordinated by the Port Adelaide Council and the exhibition of finished works will be on display during the festival at the Port Dock Railway Museum from Saturday 10 October.
I enjoyed the project and was delighted to meet Mike. In a world that's so preoccupied with profit and self agrandisment it is always a pleasure to find individuals who are motivated by higher ideals.

Here's a link to a little video of me talking about Mike and the painting.

Harry Finished

2009-10-05T19:43:00.001+10:30

Harry Leach - 60cm x 75cm - oil on stretched canvas

This is the final result of the work started a few weeks ago as part of the first set of Portait Classes at Port Adelaide. The image isn't the clearest but I'll swap it out when I get a better one.
The work will be (hopefully) available to view during the Spring exhibition of members' work
at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts from Sun 11 Oct.

Incidentally this Saturday at 2pm 10 Oct I will be joining friends Mike Barr,
Alan Ramachandran and John Hamilton in a quadratic display of artists demonstrating
their peculiar approaches to art at the Adelaide Cathedral Art Show
in St Peters Cathedral in North Adelaide.
The session is free to view and everyone is welcome. Seating in the pews.

Young Footballer

2009-10-05T00:39:00.000+10:30

Young Footballer - 28cm x 16cm approx - watercolour on 140lb medium paper

Just for a change I thought I'd post a watercolour.
This one was done a little while ago and the subject is
a young Aussie Rules player from a local team.
After the discipline and application that oils require
I enjoy the looseness and freedom that watercolours
can provide and I especially like the fact
that I can do a lot of them quite quickly.

Let me know if you want to see more watercolours - or if you'd prefer to see oils.

Young lady

2009-09-28T23:23:00.000+09:30

Young Lady - 40cm x 30cm - oil on canvas

I'm sure that sometimes it does us all a lot of good todo something that
is outside of our usual comfort zone.
This is not the usual sort of portrait for me - lots of soft edges
and gentle transitions from light to shade.
Still I enjoyed the challenge and you can be the judge as to how it turned out.

End of days

2009-09-26T09:25:00.000+09:30

The last day of the course –

standing left to right -Marilou, Marillyn, Mignon, Heather, Colleen, Jan, John B, Glenda

seated – yours truly, Meg, Harry and John D.

with just a sample of their works –

Well done guys, it was a real pleasure. Please stay in touch.

ArtsNorth Workshop

2009-09-23T16:00:00.000+09:30

The picture at the top was produced at this morning's workshop at ArtsNorth. As you can see from the other photos we had a nice turnout and an even nicer "nosh up" afterwards. I'm a fraid I made the subject a somewhat challenging one (forgive me) but I was thrilled with the effort everyone put in. Give yourselves all a pat on the back!
It may not have seemed like it at all times but it was fun - thanks everyone.

Loreto "Star Portraits"

2009-09-22T23:18:00.000+09:30

Megan LLoyd - oil on canvas -75cm x 75cm

This portrait was produced as part of the, now, annual Loreto School "Star Portraits" scheme conducted in association with their annual Art Sale. The subject was Megan LLoyd, current editor of Adelaide's weekend paper "The Sunday Mail" and former editor of Messenger Newspapers. Megan was a gracious subject during our only photo/sketch sitting. I enjoyed the process and felt that my rendering was both sensitive and realistic.
Thank you Loreto organisers for the opportunity to participate.

St.Peters Cathedral Art Show

2009-09-16T13:00:00.001+09:30

Smoking Ceremony - Major Sumner - oil on canvas - approx 600mm x 1400mm - $5000

Last year I was fortunate enough to win the coveted "Best in Show" award at the annual St. Peters Cathedral Art Show with my painting "Love on the Rails". This year's entry is of Major Sumner, a Ngarrindjeri elder, performing a Smoking Ceremony to summon the ancestors of the tribe. The ceremony is a ritual cleansing and I was moved to paint him after witnessing this religious ceremony earlier this year.

Harry developed

2009-09-12T00:19:00.001+09:30

Well as you can see quite a lot has changed in the portrait since the last stage. I decided to really push the contrast and to try to gain the maximum impact from the portrait. I revisited a lot of the edges and tones/shapes and colours as well as making some tentative strokes in the jacket area. I'll try to work on that and some other elements in the next few days with a view to finishing the painting by the time the current class sessions finish on the 25th September.

Class photos

2009-09-12T00:13:00.001+09:30

These photos are from today's session - it looks so bright and airy you wouldn't believe the gale that was blowing outside. Everyone is busy working or showing off their efforts with our model enjoying himself in good company.

Harry Reworked

2009-09-12T00:09:00.000+09:30

This is the fourth stage of this portrait. At this stage it is still a little difficult to see where I'm heading but I've taken the opportunity to define the face a little more before making some decisions about the background and the clothing.

Bev

2009-09-06T22:40:00.000+09:30

Bev - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm NFS
This study was started as part of a demonstration at the Handspinners and Weavers Guild some time ago and later developed to its current state. Painting female friends can be fraught with danger however in this case I was delighted to undertake the sketch and enjoyed the challenges inherent in it. The level of finish is typical of my oil sketches and reveals an immediacy often lost in the finished works, don't you think?

John Ford, President Port Adelaide Community Arts Centre

2009-09-01T23:20:00.000+09:30

John Ford - oil on canvas - 40cm x 30cm

At the AGM for the Port Community Arts Centre last Sunday I had the pleasure of giving a brief demonstration on oil portrait painting. I may have got a bit carried away with some of the talking but my hosts were gracious enough not to pull me up. Thank you to all in attendance; I really enjoyed the experience and the level of interaction.

Harry Blocked in

2009-09-01T23:07:00.001+09:30

This is the third stage in the painting of Harry. The figure and background have now been blocked in a bit more heavily with mixes of Paynes Grey and Ultramarine and Titanium White as well as Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna. A bit rough at this stage but all good fun.
I haven't got much time this week as we are setting up for the next exhibition at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts where we will be hosting the finalists in the 2009 Bald Archy Prize. The opening on Sunday 6th of September at 2.30pm, with Peter Goers from ABC radio, promises to be a lot of fun. Everyone's invited.

Harry - miniature

2009-08-28T23:49:00.000+09:30

Harry - oil on canvas panel - 10cm x 15 cm

This little painting was produced to explore the contrast between light and shade in a small panel. Using mainly a no.10 flat it was a real pleasure to explore the potential of the brush and subject on such a small scale.

Portrit Course at Port Adelaide

2009-08-28T20:49:00.000+09:30

Members of my portrait course currently on at Port Adelaide busily engaged upon achieving a likeness of Harry.
This is the second of six sessions and some of the class members are well advanced on achieving a likeness.
Today's lesson also involved painting from the live model - a real challenge to get familiar with a broad brush, a limited palette and an even more restictive timeframe. Everyone rose to the challenge and I hope had some fun along the way. (More pics next week)

Harry

2009-08-24T14:08:00.000+09:30

As part of the lessons I'm conducting at Port Adelaide some of the class members are taking on a larger portrait of Harry. I felt it would be appropriate for me to join in - so here are two progress pics of my painting. It's on stretched canvas, 60cm x 75cm. I squared up the canvas with a charcoal grid of 10cm x 10 cm and sketched in the outline, first with charcoal, wiped it of with a rag and then with highly diluted yellow ochre mixed with cadmium red and paynes gray.
In the second pic I completed the underpainting with various tones of the same colours mixed with odourless solvent. Note: I've still got the masking tape along the edges - I used that to mark my grid lines with ballpoint - I will remove it for the next stage.

Keep tuned for progress.

Harry

2009-08-20T08:37:00.000+09:30

Harry - oil on canvas - 25cm x 36cm

Well my latest class has started and members are going to be challenged to produce portraits based on Harry as the model. To get them on the way I decided I can't ask others to do what I haven't done so last night I painted Harry from one of the reference photos I took at our first session. I won't expect everyone to do the same but I do wish to show what can be done.
Good luck guys and let's have fun painting.