farmhouse near st saturnin

farmhouse near st saturnin (oil on linen 60cm x 40cm) David Atkinson

This is a ruined farmhouse that I have painted, drawn and made etchings of over the last few years.  This painting I really struggled with.  It's a bit bigger than I have been working on lately, and it just died as I painted it.  I reworked it several times, introducing random elements to disrupt the surface and keep me interested.  As a result, it has ended up with a lot of paint on the canvas!

back outside...

Villars (oil on wood 30cm x 30cm) David Atkinson

The weather is getting better, so I am getting outside to paint more.   This painting took an hour or so, working on an earth red ground.  Good fun, helped by the fact that I was sitting next to cafe and so had a ready supply of expresso.  The owner(s) of the house (there seemed to be at least three)  came across a few times to check on progress...

white pot II

white pot II (oil on board 30cm x 30cm) David Atkinson

I'm not really sure that this is finished really, but it might be.   I am experimenting with different approaches to still life, as can be guessed from the very different approach to the one earlier in the blog.  Here, the composition is more dynamic and the space is built up using individual brushstrokes.  I think that I am using these paintings as a means of exploring different ideas that I can bear in mind when I get to painting outside again - which I hope will be very soon.

white pot

white pot (oil on wood, 30cm x 30cm) David Atkinson

I sometimes like the challenge of painting something really simple.  This is really simple - in terms of colour, form and composition.  The trouble is that you can't hide mistakes or weaknesses with a bit of fancy brush work!

near Villars

landscape near Villars (oil on linen, 40cm x 40cm) David Atkinson

This is a painting made in the studio, compiled from paintings and drawings that I made outside.  I have pushed elements around and layered and scratched and scraped the paint, all things that are difficult to do when working outside directly from the motif.

Bowls

bowls (oil on board 30 cmx 30cm) David Atkinson

This is much the same process as the lily, below.   Happily, ceramic bowls don't wilt.  These particular bowls were thrown by Liz, my partner, and have not yet been fired so they are beautifully pale and mat.

lily

lily (oil on board 25cm x 32cm)

The weather is a bit rough to paint outside at the moment, so it's still the studio for me.  I don't often paint still lives, but it is nice to have a lot of control over lighting, set up and everything else.  To say nothing of being comfortable with a cup of coffee.  I like lily's, not just because they are beautiful (which they are) but also because they have clear, architectonic structure that is very satisfying.  They also, of course,  have symbolic connotations of purity and death which makes them even more interesting as a subject for a still life.  I never know how far to push this kind of painting;  this one has had a couple of sessions, and I could go on refining it forever, but at some point the painting dies if you are not careful.  Just like the flower.