Tuesday 12 June 2012

Cows in Herefordshire

It has been a month since my last post and since I've picked up a painting brush. Sometimes life gets a little bit in the way... I was almost scared to paint again, as if I would have forgotten everything! No chance to go out and paint outside as the weather has been (and still is) terrible here in England, so I decided to look in my photographs references "treasure box" hoping to find something inspiring to paint in the studio and slowly get me back into "painting mode". 

I found a lovely photograph of cows in a field I took during a trip in Herefordshire last year and decided to do a small study of it:


Cows in Herefordshire   10"x8"   oil on board

As usual, I kept it simple and wanted to capture the essence of the scene.

Detail

As you can see below, I didn't copy exactly the picture and decided to take it as a starting point
to play with colours and shapes.

The reference photograph

Click here to view a painting made a few months ago inspired by the same trip in Herefordshire.

I really enjoyed painting this little study and cannot wait to get back to the easel for more. Hopefully the rain will stop at some point and I will be able to paint some cows for real...

10 comments:

  1. Well worth waiting for, it's a beauty! Glad you're back! :-)

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  2. I am really glad you are painting again, I have missed seeing your work. Great job on the cows.

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    1. Thanks Douglas! I have been busy selling/looking for a new home and preparing our forthcoming show. It is still a bit too hectic to properly paint but I really want to get back in the rhythm now as I've missed it too much!

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  3. The weather has been mucky down here hasn't it! I really like the softness of the palette, it gives a lovely restful atmosphere.

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    1. Thanks Lisa! Glad you find it restful as this is exactly the result I'm trying to achieve.

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  4. Lovely! Has the feel of a 'Pirlot plein air' but done in the comfort of the home studio :) Perfect! I'm impressed the way you can use the reference and make it your own, not being a slave to the photo and keeping things fresh and painterly. Glad you're back at the easel again.

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    1. Thanks David! It's funny indeed how sometimes you can't tell my studio and plein air work apart. I tend to use the same technique and still have this urgency. I suppose the main difference is usually with studio I have more in mind the concept of the final painting, while in plein air it is more unpredictable which makes it even more thrilling :-) As replied to Douglas, not sure if I'm officially fully back as it is still pretty hectic but still hoping to get more time to paint. Hope your well.

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  5. I hope you have time to get back to it soon, but selling, buying, packing, unpacking,are all very demanding. But congratulations on getting a new house. I hope you find one you really like.
    Doug

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    1. Thanks Doug. It is still early days and we haven't moved yet but hopefully it will all be sorted in the next few months. Hope you're well.

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