Finish it or ruin it: Gardenstown edition

Some paintings go from idea to finished work quickly and fluidly. Plenty of others get started and then cast aside, lingering around the studio in a half-finised state. Over time I manage to figure out some of these pieces, but there are always those that continue to stick around, not making their resolutions obvious to … Read more

Day 15: painting from a model

This month I’m taking a painting course where each week we work on a different genre popular with the Scottish Colourists. This week we had a live model dressed in floral prints and a big hat of the type often seen in Colourist paintings. In the class I work in acrylics on cardboard, a combination … Read more

Day 3: Painting like Peploe

I just started a short course at Edinburgh College of Art called Scottish Colourists Revisited, where each week we’ll be tackling a subject matter beloved by the Colourists. I love taking art classes – it gets me out of the house/studio, allows me to meet new people, and nudges me to make art I wouldn’t … Read more

Painting Edinburgh

I handed in my portfolio for my cityscape painting course this morning. I’m reasonably pleased with the work I produced for it – a series of eight acrylic paintings of Edinburgh (supported by dozens of studies, prints, and sketches). Edinburgh has proven to be an enchanting subject, reminding me constantly how lucky I am to … Read more

Medieval cities in paint

I love medieval cities, especially the parts where the buildings are chaotic mixes of construction and decay from various centuries. I am constantly in awe of how beautiful they manage to be. I mean, how is it that people 600 years ago could create buildings that could age into something this charming, while my culture’s … Read more

Landscapes, little and imaginary

Most of my work is subjective and painted from life, but every once in a while I create images purely from my imagination, such as these two. Usually I have a hard time choosing a direction when painting without reference material. I like to push myself to try it every once in a while. Both … Read more

Little daily paintings

For most of my art career, teachers and mentors have pushed me to paint larger. While I appreciate the advice in general, this month I’ve been feeling the urge to run in the opposite direction. I’ve been playing with tiny canvas sizes, anywhere from 15 x 15 cm to 30 x 30 cm, and producing … Read more

Self (portrait)

Inspired by this month’s Creative Every Day theme, self, I decided to start a new self portrait today. Can you tell what kind of mood I’m in? I’ve done tons of self portraits, my whole life long. I like making portraits, and I’m always the most available subject. I’m doing this one (like most of … Read more