My Latest Blog Challenge! No. 5.

In the spirit of adventure I have entered another blog challenge. Recently I discovered another super blog Follow the Masters which challenges artists to respond to various images of the Master Painters. This last challenge was to take any Maxfield Parrish work and interpret it. I have visited art galleries in the USA but confess, that I have never lingered in front of any of his work. This therefore was a double challenge because I only had a web image to work from. Interestingly, the images of his work on Google Images vary so dramatically that it is impossible to work out how far they are removed from the original but I would assume, very far indeed, especially the one I chose which is "The Tempest". I loved the web image I chose because it had huge drama and it looked as if it was one of those over-printed images that was many generations away from the original register. I loved the rock formations and I think they were the real hook to get me started on this work because, on close inspection, they reminded me so much of the abstract expressionist work I used to do at University. However, it was great to get it finished, even though it took me far longer than I anticipated, but that is what these blog challenges are all about; learning.

After Maxfield Parrish's "The Tempest"
Oil on Gesso Board - 12" x 12"

Detail that reminded me of my University days!

The Original Maxfield Parrish "Tempest"

Challenge 3. - Madison Avenue, New York City

After not having submitted a painting to the previous 'Diana' challenge on Different Strokes for Different Folks, I was ultra-determined to get this one in by the deadline. I am learning constantly through these challenges as it has been years and years since I have painted seriously and this one gave me a couple of surprises to say the least. I should not have laid down the first colour in acrylics (just to speed things up a little) as it spoiled the surface for the oils. In addition, the surface of the gesso was too rough in the first place, so I couldn't render the fine lines I wanted to, and, most frustratingly of all, the format was far too small for the effects I intended to create. However, this is my first cityscape and even though I didn't have much fun with the skyscrapers, I loved the adventure I had with the cars. What's next?

Madison Avenue -New York

Oil & Acrylic on Gesso Board - 9.25" x 12.5"

Whacky Close-up

Challenge 2. - Beach Family

I just wish I had more time to take this challenge to the level of detail I was looking for. I just didn't 'get there' because I can only paint on weekends at the moment. I loved the scene in the photograph Karin Jurick gave us for this challenge; excellent light, crisp, clear with a magnificent stretch of sea and I felt there was something of a processional and solemn feel to the figures; a stillness even though they were in fact 'doing' something. For some reason or another it felt ancient to me and I wanted to create a feeling of the long-distant past, with a nod to illustrations in children's books, but again, if only I had more time I could have pumped up this allusion. I am also not going to paint on canvas again for something this detailed. The edges bevel downwards and for the photograph I have had to crop of about 2mm on either side which is a nuisance. This whole painting would have been much easier on board - we learn as we go along. So here is my second submission to Karin Jurick's 'Different Strokes From Different Folks' blog.

Beach Family - Hastings, 1066

Oil on Canvas - 10" x 12"

Challenge 1. - Sushi

This is my first submission to Karin Jurick's blog "Different Strokes from Different Folks". It was one heck of a challenge and a really unusual subject. I don't like sushi so intuition really wanted to de-food the objects and take the situation as far away from eating as possible; a sundrenched beach somewhere, just a hint of it. Here it is:

Sushi

Oil on Canvas - 8"x 10"