Republic

Republic
Acrylic On Canvas Paper

Evolved Reliance

Evolved Reliance
Acrylic On Canvas
24 x 18"

Learn Good Luck

Learn Good Luck
Acrylic On Canvas
20 x 30"

     I really feel like this year has been my best in terms of finding my own style. I don't consciously try for a specific style but I see what is working and what isn't. So with every painting I come closer to my own vision.

Self Portrait

Self Portrait
Artbar On Paper

     So this is me or at least close to me. I have often avoided the subject of a self portrait because I lacked the confidence that I would capture a good likeness. However my confidence has grown so much over the last year I thought I would make an attempt at it. It turned out pretty well and I got some good use out of Derwent's Artbar too.

At Sea

At Sea
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"
 

      We all feel lost and out of place sometimes. It can be hard to focus our thoughts and find a way out of it all. I find drawing and painting to be an island of calm which is why I spend a lot of time doing it. I think its important to have a place you can go to escape for a while.

Comatose

Comatose
Acrylic On Canvas
20 x 24"

     The last painting I have done a line drawing for. I'm currently working on a picture of an old school that will really put my painting skills to the test. No safety of the line anymore.

Like Oxygen

Like Oxygen
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Anyone who creates anything will know what I mean by the title of this drawing. I could go without a lot of things and indeed I do, but to be without art would be no life at all.

Maw

Maw
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I wanted to see what I could do with large expanses of darkness and how it could be balanced out. Using a low perspective angle gave me the perfect opportunity to do this.

Ambition

Ambition
Acrylic On Paper
10.7 x 15.6"

     It is interesting to watch my work evolve from my own perspective and how it has changed over time. I have been wondering for a while now if my line work was holding me back from creating more spontaneous work. This is the first painting I have tried to create without a line drawing first. It certainly was a lot faster to do it this way and I wasn't so worried about messing up the lines. Sure the perspective is wonky but it was quite a liberating experience. So my experiment was a success and I will banish line to my drawings in the future.

Time Does Not Forget

Time Does Not Forget
Acrylic On Canvas
16 x 20"

     I wanted this up in time for remembrance Sunday. We should all be eternally grateful for the sacrifice these men made on land, sea and in the air. I cannot imagine the horrors of war and never want to experience it outside of a videogame but I am thankful for what these brave people did. Never forget but also never again I hope.

Now All We Make Are Memories

Now All We Make Are Memories
Acrylic On Canvas
24 x 30"

     As discussed in a previous post I am trying to make the abstract and figurative one. part of the problem is my reliance on line and I plan to rectify this in the future by working straight onto the canvas with paint. Here I really pushed the abstraction. You can see from the photo below it how much of the figurative was destroyed in the process. Very much a heart in mouth type of situation but you have to be brave if you want to see results.

Rain Over The Peak District Series

Rain Over The Peak District I
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"
 

Rain Over The Peak District II
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Rain Over The Peak District III
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Another series of landscapes base on the Peak District. A lovely part of the country that I may try to paint one day.

When It's Not Working

Guilt Engine
Acrylic On Canvas
24 x 30"

Guilt Engines
Acrylic On Canvas
24 x 30"

     That painting above is now the one below. I have been unhappy with my way of painting for a while now and realised I had strayed too far away from what I originally intended. I wanted to mix the abstract and the figurative together but my last several efforts have left me frustrated with what I had accomplished. The problem really was that I was treating the abstract and figurative elements as separate parts of the image. This proved unnatural and jarring so I resolved to blend the two together in a more natural way. With this image and "All We Make Now Are Memories" I hope to correct the problem.
     I think its important to identify problems with your work and be honest if its not working. I hope to keep learning and evolving in this way and never become complacent with what I create. We really do learn more from our failures than our successes.

Some experimental work.

Winter
Ink On Paper

Union Jack
Acrylic On Paper
111.75 x 16.5"

Communication
Acrylic On Canvas Board
7.9 x 11.8"

     Some fun little experiments. I think its important to try new things and throw paint around. Often new techniques can be discovered by just playing around and this makes experimentation very important.

Precipice Series

Precipice I
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

Precipice II
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Precipice III
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Another series. This time landscapes. I enjoy the challenge of a series as you are trying to take a similar scene or theme and make it interesting several time over. This is particularly challenging when its a landscape but I always enjoy a challenge.

Remembering Summer

Waiting For The Sun To Shine
Acrylic On Canvas
18 x 14"

Shade
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     Its cold outside so here's something to remember the warmer days. A drawing and a painting that go together. Even a year ago I never thought I would be confident in my drawing. All I had to do was find my own way of doing things. I still continue to grow everyday.

Perspectives On Time

Perspectives On Time
Acrylic On Canvas
23.6 x 23.6"

     Something a little further from home this time.It's Clifford's Tower in York. I went there in the summer and thought it would make a good painting. Also it gave me a chance to work on a square format.

Go Home

Go Home
Acrylic On Canvas
18 x 24"

     A more personal picture. They say you can't go home again but sometimes maybe you don't want to.

A Walk In The Woods

chromosome
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

Fallen King
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

So Release Me
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Surface
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I went for a walk in the woods to clear my head. Made some interesting finds and nearly got run over by a cyclist. Don't worry though he managed to crash in front of me. He was ok and only came away with a bruised ego.

Jobseeker

Jobseeker
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Anyone who has applied for a job knowing how many other candidates there are for that one position will get this.

Doncaster Museum Open Art Exhibition 2013

Keep Swimming
Acrylic On Canvas
20 x 30"

 

Remnant
Acrylic On Canvas
24 x 20"

     Once again I have entered the Doncaster Museum Open Art Exhibition. I entered three paintings including the two above and 'Bone Collector'. These were the two that were accepted. As always the work I thought was best got rejected but at least I got two in.
      I have been working on larger pictures recently so they have more presence when exhibited but they still seem quite small next to other peoples. This year I especially noticed the larger works present but I am not sure I want to go any larger just yet.
   

Pigeons Are Fun To Draw

Regal I
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

Regal II
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Regal III
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Regal IV
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     I had a lot of fun making these drawings. I have wanted to do a series for a while and this provided the perfect opportunity to work on a particular theme. Well this pigeon looked particularly majestic sitting on the bird table and made a great subject. It also allowed me to flex myself and work on something living for a change. This has given me the confidence to tackle people again.

Back Again

Above The Pandemonium
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

Deluge
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

What They Left Us
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Again I have been neglecting this block and I am taking steps to rectify this. So here's a few drawings to kick things back off again

Minster

Minster
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I wanted to create this drawing with a strong silhouette rather than relying on a line to explain the forms. A lot of the picture was improvised with only the minster itself being planned in any way. I think it turned out pretty good though.

Gateway

Gateway
Acrylic And Graphite On Paper

     A little experiment of mine combining drawing and painting. I liked it so much I decided to share it with you. The colours are not an exact reproduction but I tried my best with the scanner. It is definitely easier to get truer colours from a photograph.

Here You're Just A Memory

Here You're Just A Memory
Acrylic On Canvas
20 x 16"

     A painting I have wanted to do for a while now and that has been sitting in a corner waiting for paint. I was quite happy with the way it turned out but once again I struggled with the greens. They are such a pain to get right but its all part of the learning process, after all I cant avoid using it.

Pushing yourself

Breath
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

To Places Unknown
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     Trees are such a joy to draw and paint. They are full of life and character just like people, except you don't have to pay them to draw them. I really want to push myself with my drawing work and I always look out for challenging things to test myself with.

Portal

Portal
Acrylic On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     Decaying Industrial Relics are not hard to find around Doncaster. Beautiful and sad reminders of the past.

More Of The Local Lansdcape

Here is Where We Hid Our Fears
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Stay Together
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

With The Flow
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

Binary 2
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     More drawings of the local landscape.