New Adventures in Painting

Although lockdown was not easy, it gave me the chance to spend some more time painting, and try out some projects I had been thinking about.
I started with an oil portrait of my daughter Miriam, painted outside on a hot day whilst the children played in the sunshine (see main article image below). It's always a delight to get the oil paints out and revel in their viscous buttery loveliness, and this time was no exception. I was a bit frustrated by the way the colours came out in the print of the photo I used, and though I tried not to be too reliant on them, I kept finding myself trying to work them into the painting. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the result, and so was my daughter! I managed to film the initial stages which you can watch using this link.
But after this I wanted to try something a bit more edgy, using the collage and printing techniques I often encourage my pupils to use, and with acrylics. My source photo, a picture of my oldest son, provided me with a subject I felt ready to experiment with, and I really enjoyed using the newspaper and corrugated card printing for the background. It was tricky to get the contours of the face - and eyes - as you can see in the video I made of this process, and once I'd finished I felt quite frustrated that the piece hadn't turned out as I'd hoped. But once I got some distance from the frustrations I experienced, I actually find I'm really pleased with it!
Whilst I was doing both these paintings, I often found myself longing for the qualities of watercolour, which I use often for illustration. So I decided to have another go at an image of Miriam using this media. It was a challenge, as are all faces, but I enjoyed applying my experience in watercolour illustration. I filmed the process, and commentated along the way - check out the video.
You can view these paintings properly in the Fine Art gallery.