Steps into the garden, oil on board, 24x34cm
Steps into the garden
Poppies in a provencal garden
Three different views at different times of the day on the same corner in the garden. All in oil on board.
Poppies 1. Oil on board, 25x20cm
Poppies 2. Oil on board, 24x34cm
Poppies 3. Oil on board, 15x15cm
Kniphofia in watercolour.
Also known as torch lily or red poker, I grew up in south Africa knowing them as ‘vuurpyle’. We had them in the garden and every summer they flowered in abundance. I have them in my garden now as well, a little reminder of my South African roots.
Kniphofia, watercolour on Arches HP watercolour paper
Oxalis in a pot plein air.
I did a plein air of a garden corner this morning when the rain came spitting down. I had time to hastily finish, but it was good to be out painting plein air again.
Oxalis in a pot
oil on board, 35x24cm
A still life and a plein air in oil;
Yesterday was cold and grey and it was unpleasant being outside, so a still life was my choice of duty. I felt much better after completion of the still life; Not sure whether it is was the fact that I painted, ot the bright yellow of the suflowers. Probably a good mix of both.
Two sunflowers
oil on board, 20X15cm
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Two chairs
oil on board, 35X24cm
Today was sunny and warm and pleasant. No question. A plein air was on the the to-do-list. The garden is in a state of neglect with us working on the house and the cottage the last few months. I think the painting perfectly reflects the charotic character of my unkempt garden of late.
à bientôt
Ronell
Roses in the garden.
Painting flowers doesn’t come natural to me. But I never realized how much I will enjoy it. Especially when I can do it outside. Painting outside just has some magic to it, which only a plein air artist will understand. My plein air work is always much better than my atelier work, more intuitive, more spontaneous. My biggest problem is leaving the painting as it is AFTER I have returned to the atelier. I forget that I am an artist and I turn into a plastic surgeon. I see a little something that needs “lifting” and so I begin to I nip and tuck this beautiful plein air work up to a point here it becomes totally unrecognizable. I lose that fresh plein air touch and I end up with tired and overbotoxed painting. Sigh…
Generosa carmeline
oil on linen, 33x47cm
This is the completed painting I carried from the garden to the atelier. I was happy.
Roses 1: The first steps – getting in the shapes and the darks for shadows. A white canvas always threatens me, paralyzes me. This is a perfect way for me to lose that fear of the white surface I have to fill.
Roses 2: Almost done
Roses 3: Painting completed.
Roses 4: Back in the studio, the artist got kidnapped by the plastic surgeon and the painting transformed completely. All my hard work in the garden, my lovely strokes, the depth in my blooms…all gone.
And so another painting had been a lesson learnt the hard way. Studio painting is studio painting and plein air painting is plein air painting, basta.
à bientôt.
Ronell
Africantapestry 