Each year I do a whistle-stop-tour of my entire creative oeuvre. This is for my records really, but blogging it files it neatly and gives me a chance to share. Part 1 is devoted to my ‘daily paintings’ which ended up being more like 3-day paintings.
Here are the big vases that I started out with, lost my way on No.4 and came back to in December with something quite different. Looking at them now I can see what happened. I had an idea that I wanted to express – a concept of a large beautiful vessel on its own. However I wasn’t sure of my style or technique. So while each painting works well on its own, they don’t make up a ‘cohesive’ collection. I think I made the right decision in the end and that is just to let go and revisit later.
Stillness of a Chinese vase has a carved background and aluminium in the detail at the top.
I am a fabric junkie and after a lace painting course with Sophie Ploeg, I painted this one and I think it will always be an artwork that satisfied me on many levels.
I got caught up in the UCARE project and had to paint tulips, so although the vases were meant to be minimalist and simple, this one became a vase of flowers. Loved doing the glass reflections and painterliness and I felt the rubber stamped aluminium background worked well.
This one remains to be resolved because after painting the vase I hated what I’d done (not photographed). It will happen in due course, but you can see what I mean about a (non)cohesive collection – with the different colour schemes and styles. Individually, I am happy with them.
I started one of an olive bottle and this needs total reworking and has not been photographed either. Then I did two massive tulip paintings – again part of the UCARE project and these now grace a home in Henley. I loved doing the tulip paintings and the way I had to interpret the subject, but they don’t really feel like my true style. You’ll see the small ones in the daily paintings.
After a 5 month break on large paintings, I have just completed Enamel jug with duck eggs, and I feel that this painting has an integrity that connects with the small jugs and berries. It is smaller and I hope to do a couple more with my enamel jugs for Artweeks. What pleased me the most was that my painting and brushstrokes took on a life of their own. It is painted on linen canvas (a first for me) and I loved the surface.
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