The Frame Game

Posted on by

I’ve been having a sort out in the studio.  This is always dangerous to my bank account, as I clear out brushes that need replacing, dried up tubes of paint that need replacing and creased paper or damaged canvases…that need replacing!

It didn’t stop there, I started looking at paintings that I haven’t got round to framing and decided that one or two, or three would look more presentable if they were.  This is always a tricky decision for artists. Should you leave them frameless so that the buyer can choose a suitable frame according to their tastes or interiors.  Or do you bite the bullet and invest in a frame to give the artwork a finished feel and ‘ready to hang’ option?

Well, after biting the bullet, here are some before and afters to let you see the difference.

 

Chimpanzee Part 2

Posted on by

This oil painting is a more ‘formal’ version of an earlier study of one of Edinburgh Zoo’s chimps called Louis who lives amongst the group in the Budongo Trail at the zoo.  I added the wooden platform Louis was perusing the world from and a sky blue background to give a bit of interest, but hopefully the viewer is taken in by the gaze of this wonderful primate.  What’s he thinking?

‘Louis’ – Oil on canvas, 30x24cm.

fullsizeoutput_891

Chimpanzee

Posted on by

Been a wee while since my last blog so thought I’d share the latest little oil study of a Chimpanzee at Edinburgh Zoo, who I couldn’t walk past without taking a few photos.

I posted this pic on social media and was delighted to be messaged by the Chimp’s keeper – his name is King Louis….the chimp, not the keeper!

I’m now working on a larger canvas version of Louis – hope you like him.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

Posted on by

Sometimes, a rubbish day turns into a nice day.

Our village woke up to house alarms battling with the dawn chorus this morning, signalling a power cut which lasted until late afternoon.

This resulted in a mad dash with a friend to the nearest ‘powered up’ café for a caffeine hit and then leaving housework aside (no hoover, washing machine or steam iron in use, yay!) and settling down to paint (no electricity needed, double yay!!).

This little seascape study was the result. As the saying goes ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’!

Em’s Bengal

Posted on by

This cat is not exactly my niece’s cat but she spotted it in the garden of her London flat and sent me the pic. Bengals are a fabulous breed, quite exotic and regal looking. They also make great subjects to paint, all those markings!

Dylan

Posted on by

This is Dylan, a commission recently completed for a friend’s birthday of her beloved Springer Spaniel.  He was great fun to do as he has an amazing rock star hairdo!

Oil on canvas to give a soft, hazy effect.

IMG_1695

 

 

Magnus Has Landed

Posted on by

Well the big old fella has touched down in Vienna and is now safely hanging on his new wall.  Lovely to receive feedback and a photo.  Happy New Home Magnus 🐮

Farewell Magnus, you big hunk…

Posted on by

That’s ‘Magnus’ sold and heading off to his new home – delighted to have a sale, but I’ll sort of miss him!

image

I’m hoping to start a new avenue of marketing soon, just getting things in place, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, and then I can launch it.

 

Choosing a title

Posted on by

One of the tricky parts to creating and selling paintings is probably the simplest….choosing a title on completing the work.   This latest one, an oil painting on canvas of a Highland Bull, caused a bit of a brain freeze so I asked for help via social media. This resulted in clever and well thought out suggestions.

The winning title I chose is ‘Magnus’ – a Scottish name meaning ‘Greatness’ – well suited for this big beefcake I think!image