Return

Return, 2018, oil on linen, 61 x 61 cm

Sometimes I like to deviate within my usual moonlight paintings and create a realistic situation that could be read as a metaphor as well. This painting took awhile to do, and as I mentioned in the previous post about adding a brushstroke or two over a long period of time, this is an example of such an occurrence. There is a deliberate curve in the horizon, which I did because it felt right to do this, but the world is full of curves and if we stood back far enough, the horizon would not be a straight line.

Pale Moon

Pale Moon, 2018, oil on linen, 30.75 x 46 cm

One of the main aims in this painting is to capture a sense of repose, primarily through a soft glow and the lazy movement of the lake. You often hear people comment about viewing static paintings on walls, but paintings can have an interior motion, which is a quality that separates them from the inert quality of a photograph. This interior motion is different from the movement of things we see in the physical world, it's more like the motion of the imagination or the soul.

Some of the moonlight paintings can take a while to do, sometimes months, and even a year or two can go by before I might add a few brushstrokes of colour here and there. It might not seem much, but every small addition to a painting can make a big difference. That's why I like to live with the work for awhile before exhibiting them. 

Graeme in Profile

 Graeme Drendel, 2018, red and brown conte, charcoal pencil and white pastel

It's good to draw with different mediums as it can keep the brain fresh. Of course I've been influenced by the red chalk drawings from the Renaissance. Sometimes I wish I could do a painting from a drawing, but whenever I've attempted it, the results are never to my satisfaction.

As usual, this drawing took just over 3 hours, and at the end I asked Graeme to re-pose for a photograph of his sitting, which is why his hands are in a different position to the drawing.

Drawing Andi

Andi Simpkin, 2018, red and brown conte, black charcoal pencil, white pastel on fawn paper, 

Andi sat for about three hours for this drawing. I wanted to include hands but not resting on the lap. Sometimes the most interesting hand positions are hard to hold for extendedperiods of time, so for this pose Andi rested her elbow on the side of the chair. It was done in the sunroom, so the light was diffuse and bright, a bit different to what I usually do, but sometimes it's a challenge to try something you haven't done before.