Years in the making

I try to paint quickly, well in truth what I really do is try to give the illusion and feeling of quick painting. In reality a hug amount of time, thought, and planning goes into each painting.  Most take between one to two weeks to complete; even then I'll sometimes adjust a painting in some minor way weeks later. It may be a complete re-toning of a major element within the painting, but more often than not it's a tiny blob of paint here or there with a small brush. Tiny changes that in truth only the artist notices but yet seem crucial to the completion of the painting.

 Rhododendron and fruit on dragon fish cloth
24X36           Acrylic on panel

You may have seen this before? It's been a while in the making. Even though it was 'finished' a number of years ago, I found myself making little adjustments every 10 months or so, and finishing it all over again. It's hard to remember all these changes, I know at one time the vase was a different color, as was the table/box the arrangement sits on. There has also been a myriad of minor adjustments to flower and foliage, each with sizable breaks in-between... Sometimes a painting just takes time to grow.

First of the 2016 paintings using 'the golden ration'

Finished the first few paintings of 2016. It's always nice to get a few under the belt.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going back to this one; but the other few I may have a few small adjustments to make. So thought I'd just post this up for now.... More later I promise.

Pears, Plums & Watermelon with Cyclamen
24X18            Acrylic on panel

I always enjoy working to this circular design, you can create a little bit of the golden ration about it with a spiral like circular edge of the table, really leading the eye around the composition. It's not overly emphasized, but there subtly. Visuals below to show what I mean. I'm not going to spend time here explaining the benefits and pitfalls of composition with 'the golden ratio'. (It would just take too long). I simply wanted to illustrate that in this case, I'd used it a little.

The golden ratio

The 'ratio' placed over artwork.

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Painting Plums and changing cloths

Fun to be painting big again; just finished this last week. I like the tried and tested relationship of the greens with the reds and the fantastic colors in the striped tablecloth!

Plum and Tulips on striped tablecloth
36 X36     Acrylic on wood

Often times I find the trick to painting, is to keep the energetic loose feel of a painting 'alive' despite the fact that the painting may have had to undergo some redesign.  In the case of this painting I struggled with the tablecloth design. This I feel is a common struggle within still life painting, the question of how best to convey the pattern, whether to leave the design in, or omit it? Sometimes as the journey of a painting unfolds a new direction is needed, the end result should hide all of that struggle.

 in-progress

Within this painting I attempted to keep  the original material design; in the end I came to realize a simpler approach was needed. You'll notice the detail image above, on the right shows the transition between the two designs. I realized I had designed strong horizontals and verticals, so the idea came to me that using another tablecloth that included stripes could be very effective. I'm glad I did, this design leads the eye up into the subject and reinforces the edge of the table beautifully.

detail

I like the placement and perspective of this jug.

detail of final tablecloth

Compare this detail to the image further up, to illustrate how the right design element can make all the difference.

A well travelled painting!

Finished up the painting that I began in my studio, and then took to Santa Fe to paint on location for a couple of days at my gallery (Ventana Fine Art), during the Paint Out festival. I then returned once more to my studio, to put the final touches to it.  It's a well travelled painting!



When working on a painting over a long period of time it can be tough to keep the energy up, and not give the painting an over worked aesthetic.  This painting has a loose energy to it, giving the impression it was painted quickly, with passion, and in the moment. The reality, of course, is it took considerably longer. I try to keep strokes confident and carefully placed, keeping it's frenetic energetic feel; careful planning, I find is also an important factor to maintain.

Tangerines & Peonies on Poets desk
24X32                   Acrylic on panel

Returning from Santa Fe's 'Paint Out'

Here are a few images of me working away during the event. The painting I worked on isn't quite finished, but as soon as it is I'll post it up. The festival was as fun as ever, at one point I was filmed for the internet by some nice guys for something called 'Alla Prima Live'.  It went out live, so I'm not sure if it's discover-able on the internet? I looked but couldn't find it.

Stupidly, I was so busy painting. I neglected to photograph the show, crowds or even the parade - what was I thinking!

 in progress.

I need to fix my shade umbrella!

in amongst the sculptures

Santa Fe Paint Out Festival

This Saturday (17th Oct) the town of Santa Fe (NM), holds it's 'Paint Out' festival. Many of the galleries throughout the town encourage their artists to paint in or around the gallery. It's a huge event and a great opportunity to meet artists and see them at work.

My gallery (Ventana Fine Art) will be holding a group show and the opening night is on the Friday (16th). If you're in the area this weekend it's a must for art lovers and the curious...

Call the gallery for more info. 1-800-746-8815 ‪#‎Santa_fe‬ ‪#‎Ventana_fine_art‬
Check out more of the pieces featured, -http://ventanafineart.com/angus/

Here's a few of pictures of previous years, none of the inside, or the crowds.  Perhaps this year I'll rectify that?

New Masters Gallery, Carmel Reopening

 This Friday, if you're in the Carmel (CA) area, stop on by for a ribbon cutting ceremony, at New Masters Galleries new location.

The fire is a distant memory and the gallery has opened it's doors just down the street!   October 16th from 4pm-7pm. Dolores between 5th & 6th,
 tel (831) 625-1511 for more info. ‪#‎Carmel‬ ‪#‎New_Masters_Gallery‬

Draped across the table 

34X34         Acrylic on wood