This was the first European painting I tried to do with only brushes instead of knives. I didn’t achieve what I wanted to with this. Have decided to stick with mainly knives when painting landscapes. My strokes stay fresh, my colours stay bold and there’s a better overall energy about them.
Liked the wee chicken though – you don’t get plump little chickens like that in Thailand. ;o)
Maurier Valley Chicken Coop
Since I’ve been back from Europe, I’ve had an endless pool of inspiration swishing about in my head. I started painting from some of the photos I took during the trip, experimenting with techniques and figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t.
I’ve never been one for painting landscapes of any kind (especially from a photograph), unless I abstract them, but I wanted to be true to my subject matter without boring myself to tears. So far I’ve limited myself to using only palette knives to enforce a looser and quicker process. Each painting is done in a couple of hours and I’m enjoying the change. I finish each painting in one sitting, as I know I may never come back to it if I let it span more than a day.
Jersey
The above painting I completed yesterday afternoon. This is a farmhouse in Jersey. Probably the first real turret I have ever seen.
The canvas is not very big – 40 x 50 cm. Palette knife and oil paint.
