New for 2008

Following on from 'Underwater Jewels' and the water theme. The collection will mainly feature blue and purple tones, with the addition of pinks/reds and green to accentuate the shapes and overall design. Although fiddly to work with I love metal leaf, my favourite being gold leaf. The metals add an element of life and light to the artwork, whilst the majority of time is taken laying the foundations, it's not until I get to the final stages adding the gold leaf that it's the most satisfying. I've too many ideas buzzing around my head, like with all new projects I undertake, it tends to take over.

'Surface' has a much darker feeling, it's the influence of the dark and gloomy weather at the moment no doubt. Featuring more purple tones and much darker blues, with a more distinct design. What I love about abstract work is the painting takes over with a life of it's own, you start out with an idea in mind but many times the painting takes over and it's not until it's finished that I really know how it's going to look.

The gold leaf has a tendency to contrast too much with the darker tones, which is why I prefer that it's muted slightly, to achieve the perfect balance.

'Atmosphere' is an aptly named painting in vibrant and moody tones of indigo and violet. Influences for this piece come from my vision of outer space as well as the underwater theme I'm currently working with. The stlye of painting gives gentle texture to the artwork and areas of light compliment the deep dark tones. The use of my favoured gold leaf for emblishment add to the vibrancy and striking design.

Abstracts

2008 will see a return to abstract work, a break from seascape paintings which took over in 2007. The latest painting 'Underwater Jewels' is an indication of the kind of work for the near future.

The artwork is painted on a tabletop, forming part of 2 designs that turn an ordinary dining table into a unique work of art. Following a return to Lake Garda again in 2007 the floor of an ice-cream parlour inspired these works. Looking through the glass floor at the water, shells and jewels below was an inspired design, that I want to capture in the collection. I was able to achive a 'wet' look and the give the artwork a feeling of looking into water.

Fish Paintings

It's been a while since my last post, but picking up where I left off... the departure from my usual work is a collection of fish inspired paintings. I've always enjoyed admiring fish, the beautiful shapes and colours fascinate me.

I decided to try something different and choose Koi Carp, the unique markings and colours work perfectly with the background colours of blue, blue/green, turquoise and purple.

An original watercolour of Koi Carp type fish we own sparked my interest in painting fish, I decided to paint 2 small size paintings to display in the same room. I wanted a simple style, almost abstract in design, with a single colour

for the background allowing the fish themselves to 'jump out' of the artwork. The two with turquoise background are the paintings I have kept and the third is for sale. I intend to continue this collection during 2008.