Blackberries and Rosehips 2017

 

 Autumn Hedgerow

 Today has been the best painting day for such a long time. I have painted from my heart ,whatever subject I felt like and when I felt like it. No pressure from preparing for exhibitions. No pressure form having to write magazine features or my new book.

Just fun.

So you could say today was my day off and I could paint whatever I liked and oh boy, I did!

I started the day with washes, then painted the soft rose I shared on my blog earlier. But it was the simplicity of the last blog post that really turned on my artistic "buttons".I loved creating it so immediately grabbed my uncompleted blackberry paintings and added to them. Putting in more branches and an overall wash to give the feeling of another dimension to each piece. I should add that I now paint with my fingers so much and I am literally covered in paint at the moment but I feel great.

My easel looks like the image below and I will walk into my studio tomorrow and love seeing these two works in progress.

 

 

 Autumnal hedgerow complete with blackberries and rose hips.

My favourite painting is the one below as it has a gorgeous 3D effect. The upper berries seem to be leaping off the paper which is terrific. I love it so far. In fact it might be finished but I am in that painting zone where I am so happy that I don't want to leave either of the paintings.

"Hips and Berries"

The painting below has drama. It is exciting and so vibrant in colour. I am using many Daniel Smith shades with a few new techniques in building up colour that I have loved discovering over the summer months whilst I have worked diligently on my new book.

 "Autumn Drama"

I now cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring in my next painting session.

Who knows?

Not me!

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Artists tip for the weekend?

1) Get out. 

2) Go for a walk. Not only will the exercise do you good but you will discover so much new inspiration that you can bring back to paint at your leisure. 

3)Look for treasure in subjects to paint that will be really fantastic to work on. 

4)Remember not all paintings have to be complicated. Some of the simplest paintings are the best.

Have fun and happy painting

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Blackberry Way : Blackberries in Watercolour 2016

 "Blackberry Way"

What a fantastic week I have had in my studio. All the exciting washes I created using my Paint Yourself Calm exercises led me to some really wonderful paintings that were so enjoyable to work on. I haven't had time to share them all but I thought it would be a nice idea to show how those scraps of paper, I play with colour on each morning, can turn into something quite beautiful.

Firstly I had three washes that were similar in colour as I had been playing with texture effects. I started by painting one blackberry on the smallest scrap of paper but I find I can't really get " into" a painting when it is so small. This size piece of paper can be great for giving me ideas but once I have them I need to loosen up freely on a very large piece of paper to fully express myself and let my feelings out.

Below you can see the fruits of my labour from yesterdays painting session. 

Excuse the pun!

 Three blackberry paintings in my easel

 I love the small scrap of paper with a single blackberry on it below. What a nice composition. Because I had a large piece to work on I wasn't tempted to overwork this smaller painting.

 "Out Of Reach"

The one berry that is always out of my grasp! High up on a branch that almost laughs at you because you can't pick the fruit on it.

 Below is the second painting of blackberries. Here I placed focus on twigs in the shadows rather than the leaves or fruits.

 

 

"Blackberry Way"

Of course now I am addicted to painting Autumnal scenes so its' going to be hard to leap into a new subject session today. Or will it be? No, because if I paint new wash exercises in different colour combinations they will lead me into a completely new painting zone full of ideas!

Do enjoy reading my latest book " Paint Yourself Calm" but don't throw those colourful exercise washes away. They can lead you to gorgeous and unexpected paintings.

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Artist Tips:

 1) Paint in three paper sizes, small , medium and large and play with composition ideas. 

2) Don't always paint small! 

3) Try standing when you paint and use your whole arm, moving it freely to gain movement in your work.

Have fun!

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Blackberry Tumble : Blackberries in Watercolour 2016

"Blackberry Tumble"

Blackberries growing in the hedgerow nearby give inspiration for this new painting from nature.

Having created such glowing autumnal washes this morning my imagination turned to Autumn scenes and my favourite fruits to pick. Blackberries. Here is  my first blackberry painting this year and creating it made me feel so happy.

I am working on new ideas for creating atmopheric washes and they were perfect for this scene.

I initially created a loose first wash and then literally added berries where I felt they worked within the composition. Next I added foliage. I have chosen vibrant Daniel Smith shades to give life and energy to this piece and as always in life there will always be one perfect berry that you want to pick that is totally out of yoru reach. Like the perfect painting that is always just out of your grasp but you know you want to reach it so very badly.

Playing with washes daily is definitely improving my own art skills and making me want to paint more, even better paintings with more life in my results.

I loved painting this piece. And as always I want to paint another. If you are on my workshops this year , be warned. I am all fired up and raring to go with completely new ideas.

All fired up would make a great title for a painting. That could be my next piece!

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Hard To Reach

Blackberries on a Bramble Branch

Study

Why is it that the sweetest berries are always out of reach? I can guarantee that when I am walking through countryside alone I always, without fail, see the very best berries either high up on top of a hedgerow or far from my arms' length. This evening I saw a branch that had grown way above a bramble bush with juicy, ripe blackberries just begging to be picked. Of course, I couldn't reach them. To make matters worse, leaves had fallen so the length of the bramble was fully exposed making the fruit look even more tempting!

I stood and looked at the composition and then came home to my studio to paint what I had seen. Reluctantly, leaving the fruit where it was.  I used a small study I had already started which meant all I had to do was add the detail which was the annoying  out of reach branch.

While I worked, this little painting gave me much food for thought.  Many things in life are not easy and I tend to think this is somtimes a good thing. For example, going to a supermarket and simply buying a punnet of blackberries wouldn't have given me the same sense of satisfaction as finding them myself. It is exactly the same when learning new painting techniques. Anything that is easy to achive doesn't appeal to me so much these days. I look for art challenges daily. If I can't find any I make  some up!

I just don't believe that picking up a brush and doing what I know I can do is enough. I want to continually learn, grow and improve my skill as a watercolourist.

So in a way, I am placing a very high branch of "treasure" just out of my reach and I will continually strive to reach it. And when I do, there will always be another branch to aim for!

Artists Tip of the Day: Don't settle for what you can reach, aim even higher ad set yourself exciting new goals continually!

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Blackberry Inspiration

Blackberry paintings on My Easel

I noticed blackberries are ripe for picking while I was walking Bailey, my Bearded Collie,  this week. Many are so juicy and very tempting to eat. But for me they make fantastic subjects to paint and I fall in love with them at this time of year without fail , all over again.

In my book "Atmospheric Watercolours" I  have paintings of  blackberries on pages 166 - 169, where I describe  squeezing the juice of a berry on to a white plate to give you an idea of their true colour. I also paint with this staining  liquid at times too, It adds another dimension to my results. And its' fun. Admittedly messy, but whats' the point of being an artist if you stay clean all the time!.

"Atmospheric Watercolours"

Available on Amazon.com

This is a great time for looking at early autumnal berries and fruits so don't forget to bring some "treasure" home to paint if you are out on country walks. 

Inspiration surrounds us everywhere!