Knots

Knots
Graphite And Acrylic On Paper
16.5 x 23.4"

     A diptych abstract representation of tree texture. I liked the Japan picture I made using this technique and wanted to use it again. I might try to use it in some figurative work later.

Morning Coffee

Morning Coffee
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I went back to a more abstract way of working for this one, but still making it recognisable and representative. I wanted to show a lot of light in this drawing and how it bounces around to illuminate and create a silhouette. 

Pyramids

Pyramids
Acrylic On Canvas Board
16 x 20"

     I found this painting in a folder from a few years ago. This was when I was experimenting with abstraction around 2012. I still like it so thought I would share it with you. Painting on a white Gesso background with thin layers of paint I was able to make it glow and keep some of the white space. I think it helps create a hazy desert feel.

Cracked Jug

Cracked Jug
Graphite On Paper
16.5 x 11.75"

     I haven't done that much drawing in a while so thought I should get back into the swing of things. Here's a drawing of a jug I made using water-soluble graphite. I love this stuff as its a mixture of drawing and painting that gives such expressive results

Castle In The Distance

Castle In The Distance
Graphite On Paper
11.75 x 16.5"

     I’m not doing much drawing at the moment as all my focus is on painting, especially with the Ferens open art exhibition coming up so this may be the last one for a while or until another idea comes up.

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.

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.