Yarramundi

This is a spot where I go fishing from time to time. Just down stream from the Yarramundi Bridge over the Nepean River. There's a new concrete bridge here now but it wasn't that long ago that an old wooden bridge provided access across the river.

Painted on Canvas 24"x18" using oils, this is one of the first paintings that I've done paying attention to the little I've learned about composition. Even then, I can see composition 'rules' being broken in this painting, but it's a step in the right direction.

Sycamore Gap - Study

This one was painted as a gift for my friend Al, (Skid Solo) it's a quick sketch done in oils on A4 canvas sheet. This is a part of Hadrian's Wall in the UK, not to far from where Al lives.
I need to confirm whether or not the wall is visible on the left hand of the painting before I complete.

Richmond Bridge

This painting was inspired by the Richmond bridge in Tasmania. Painted on Canvas 24"x18" using oils.

"The Richmond Bridge is a heritage listed arch bridge located on the B31 ("Convict Trail") in Richmond, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) north of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. It is the oldest bridge still in use in Australia."
Source Wikipedia

Lonely Point Ridge

This one came straight from my imagination. The idea is an old fire trail or road looking down a cliff to the water below.

Painted on oils on 18"x24" canvas. I'm having difficulties capturing the light effects on camera, will need to practice with different camera settings to get a real life feel to these photos.

Study

Quick study done on A4 canvas sheets. I wanted to practice flowers a little more with this one. I really like this little study, only problem with it is that I'm too scared to try it on a larger canvas as I don't trust myself to recreate the feel.

Flowing Wild Flowers

Looking through my previous painting, i noticed I tend lean to the darker more mysterious colours and themes. I thought I would brighten it up a bit with this painting. This one really pushed me, done "alla prima" i often thought I bit off more than I could chew during this painting. First time painting in pink and blue flowers, and first attempt at a sunset. Towards the end of the painting I was exhausted (approx 6 hours of standing time went into this one).

Painted in oils and on canvas measuring 24" x 18".

What Light Yonder

The painting has been done in oils and is on 24"x18" canvas.

I'm happy with the tones in the sky as it's close tho what i had envisioned in my head, unfortunately the result is a little lost in the photo, I like it more in real life. I muddied the left tree a little, but think i redeemed myself if only a little on the right side tree. The grassy hill is an improvement over the last painting (at least i hope it is) but i'm not overly happy with the bushes and the composition problem may be here somewhere?

Morning Mist

The painting has been done in oils and is on 24"x18" canvas.

I like the background misty trees and blending.. I could have had better definition on the shrubs/bushes in the middle of the painting focusing more on the light source and varying colour. As i was painting I was torn between a stream/waterfall or beaten path. I think indecisiveness has resulted in a waterfall that is not quite correct and the splash on the front rock seems to be a little exaggerated given the slope of the hill. Nevertheless, it's my favourite painting to date.

P.S

Some of the white specs you see in the sky (on the outer edges of the blue area of sky) is light reflected off the still wet canvas...

Study...

Oils on A4 Canvas sheets.

I wanted to practice different trees and work on my layering.. in particular the background trees being lighter cooler values and the foreground trees being darker and/or warmer colours to suggest distance.

Now winter nights enlarge

The painting has been done in oils and is on 24"x18" canvas primed with black gesso. I'm really enjoying the black canvases, so much so that I've got a couple already primed and ready to go.

This one was a Bob Ross inspiration that i felt like attempting. I had to redo the old church as my original attempt made it stand out too much for my liking. The new version looks much better but unfortunately, as the canvas was dry, I was unable to blend the snow in the way I had originally envisioned. Overall, I'm still happy with this little night scene.

Study on Hardwood

My parents had an old print that had faded and washed out but it was rather nicely framed. This is another little study this time on 14x11 inch hardwood. The hardwood was coated in white gesso and then painted in oils.

Critique

I enjoyed painting on the hardwood surface but was surprised by how easily brush strokes were left in the hard wood, This is most evident in the sky. In hind site, I should have used a blender brush to soften the effect.
I need to go over the boats when the paint dries a little to define them and the shadows a little better. I'm much happier with the layering of the trees in this last painting unfortunately the effect has been a little lost with the photo. That's a little deer in the middle of the grassy paddock. Overall, I'm happy with the slow progress and definitely see the trees as an improvement in this painting.

Study - Under Painting

Here's a little study I did a couple of nights ago. This one was really just to practice under painting. I painted the A4 canvas sheet in Black Gesso and painted the pebbles in acrylics. I wanted to give the illusion of the pebbles under the water as well as allowing the sun to filter through the trees. Very rough but really just focusing on techniques here rather than anything else.

Sandy Lake

In my latest oil painting on 45cm x 60cm canvas I wanted to try my hand at mountains again and also take another opportunity to practice my layers with trees.

Critique
I'm making a little progress on the layering of trees but still have a tendency to muddy them up a little. I was looking at some landscapes the other day and I thought of a couple of things that may assist so I'm looking forward to the next attempt.

I'm happy for the most part on the way the mountains came out, but I feel the next painting i can be a little less heavy handed to produce a more realistic finish. The cottage came out ok but i could have focused on the bank of the lake and get a smoother transition to the shore line. The sandy beach looks great if it was a beach LOL... i should have toned it down a little more to depict a lake shore a little better.

All in all, I'm happy with the painting. Still see tons of room for improvement and I also see improvement in every painting, so on to the next one.

Oh yeah, this is also my favourite cloud to date.