Painting in the city

If you've been following my misadventures, you'll know I'm on  a quest to improve my art skills. I have decided that the best way to do this is to focus in on one subject or theme. I don't  have many options for portraiture and life drawing, I can't bubble up the enthusiasm for a still life every day and landscapes are not me right now. So I've decided to focus in on buildings and architecture, cityscapes if you will.

My aim is to build skill in using water colours as well as oil paint. I've already got a number of works painted. But they have been completed from photographs I have taken.  My aim is to do more observational paintings. 

Here's the gallery I've completed so far. ('Of the city' and 'From the city' are older works)

In sickness and wasps

I've not been here as often, as I would like recently, but here's what's new.  My kids have been ill which has really sucked. I know looking after one ill child is tiring, but two feck me.  I seemed to spend all of my energy on them and have none left over for art making.

I eventually got back in my cave of paint yesterday. My enthusiasm was quickly squashed by a swarm of wasps, that launched an attack on me mid painting. Well... when I say swarm and attacked,  I mean one, solitary winter  drowsy wasp, who so happened to take a rest on my jumper. I responded by bravely panicking and yelling words that would make a sailor cry. I courageously removed my jumper, encasing the wasp within and placed the jumper securely in a bin bag. The bin bag was placed within a bin and later removed and safely squashed by the  binmen.  Hooray! 

Further investigation of the cave of paint has revealed a burgeoning wasps nest which is to be dealt with.
 

I had started this before I was rudely interrupted. I have dedicated my study of Sheffield city to that ill fated wasp. It is destined to be a study for a larger more abstract piece based on Sheffield city.  

Dodging the swarm, Oil on Oil painting  paper, 10" x 7" - Sheffield city study for a larger piece.

Dodging the swarm, Oil on Oil painting  paper, 10" x 7" - Sheffield city study for a larger piece.

I hope your day remains waspless and warm. 

Spelunking in the cave of paint

I finally got to clamber back in to my paint cave today. Two weeks off from painting and I was going feral. I mean it. I love my kids but two weeks of constant child care and no painting was too much. I had a blast painting. I was manically happy by the end.  

Selfie OverWritten by circles, (WIP) oil on board, x cm x xcm 

Selfie OverWritten by circles, (WIP) oil on board, x cm x xcm 

I the reason I have so many works in progress is because I like to work on a LOT of ideas at once. These are a few of the works I've been daubing today.  

Curling Union, Oil on canvas paper. 14" x 10"

Curling Union, Oil on canvas paper. 14" x 10"

The title Curling Union will change maybe. I've got more layers to add and more details like lines. 

Conway's Loose Life,  (WIP) Oil on canvas, 80 cm x 60 cm

Conway's Loose Life,  (WIP) Oil on canvas, 80 cm x 60 cm

The image below is part of my Pattern Recognition series. The binary background in is from the hexadecimal information from a photograph of my lovely visage. I've used the binary to seed for a very loose version of Conway's Game of life