Driven to Abstraction!

Volare - acrylic on paper 38 x 28cm

Some Tuscan Rainbow Moments

In Jean's Garden - Watercolour CP paper

These are my additions to Ronell's Flying Pictures Sketchbook. The book is now with Casey in France. Ronell's theme is Rainbow Moments so these are some that sprung to mind. Above, a corner of a friend's garden here in Tuscany. The Rainbow Moment is actually when that old bell calls us to lunch!

First Scarce Swallowtail on our lavender

Our lavender bloomed on the terrace for the first time this year and attracted our first Scarce Swallowtail butterfly. Apparently this butterfly is so named because it is scarce in the UK, not here in Tuscany.

My Summer Desk - Acrylic, pencil & Stabilo fine liners

We are each attaching our own choice of paper to the concertina sketchbooks and it can be a challenge to carry an image across two different grounds. I resorted to an acrylic undercoat to try to pull this one together.

You can see the entire contents of Ronell's sketchbook, get a preview peek at what Casey is adding and follow its journey on the Flying Pictures Project blog.

Composition Exercise Evolves in Acrylic

Acrylic on Oil Sketch Paper 13.5 x 25cm

I'm really happy with this one! As far as composition goes, I just went for what felt right.

The reason I'm happy with it is because I just sat down and painted it, no pencil or charcoal lines, just straight in with the brush. I know there's nothing new about that approach but it's a first for me. The result was some less than real proportions but it's more painterly, isn't it?

I really enjoyed this limited palette. First the entire paper was covered with Yellow Ochre and then over-painted with Titanium White, Payne's Grey and Mars Black.