Paul McCarthy workshop

As part of my new year resolution to paint more I enrolled myself in a workshop by Paul McCarthy. Paul is a wonderful colourist who seems able to make paintings pop.


So here was Paul as effusive as ever but he now doesn't teach much. Sadly economics has made Paul a funeral director (good grief - the most unlikely vocation for our wise cracking tutor).


I've always admired the way his colours go so this time I decided to copy his palette. These are not finished- I will get around it soon but these are works that I'm very pleased with.

Jacaranda season

November in Sydney is glorious with the jacarandas in blossom. Jacarandas make a beautiful contrast with our red tiled roofs. For many seasons I have attempted to paint this but alas the season is short and life becomes accelerated towards the year end.


Here I revisit one of my favourite photos taken when Darling Harbour had a row of jacarandas- since replaced and probably its replacement replaced with the hectic pace of development there.

Headlands

I've wanted to do this painting for the longest time. It is of the cliffs at North Coogee and Clovelly with the world's most scenic cemetery in the background.


I took a photo about 8 years ago and have thus far made 3 attempts. The first two I didn't like and disposed of and finally this one I'm happy with.

Richard Diebenkorn

Our inspiration this week is Diebenkorn who is more famous for his abstracts. However he did a series on figures that are pretty startling in colour.


This painting is more an exploration of colour and how it leads the eye. It's like graphic art which I have done previously. Obvious non literal use of colour. A great candid photo that was cropped to focus on the rock forms going one direction, balanced by the figures going another direction.

Still life ala Giorgio Morandi

We are doing a series based on Ochre's favourite artists. Morandi is famous for his very quiet and limited palette still life of bottles. Here's my attempt. The coffee pot is obviously a psychological outsider to the rest of the pots; intentionally so.

Glorious summer

This is my latest painting which I do like a lot.


It's of North Coogee baths which is sadly no more as those fierce April storms have moved the rocks and altered the baths so that council had to close it for safety reasons.

But one glorious summer day I was there and the waters were so inviting and compelling that it was with great difficulty that I tore myself away.

Great day for Yatching

This painting was done with a palette of blue and yellow, after admiring a work of Luke Sciberra's. It was surprisingly hard to not let the colours become purple.



I actually like this very much as it is much brighter than my usual landscapes. These people were loading a yatch for a party onboard. It was a gorgeous day at Parsley Bay and no doubt they would have enjoyed a great day in the harbour.