Thursday, July 29, 2010

Meadows in the Tweed Valley



Meadows in the Tweed Valley
30 x 41 Oil/Linen

This is one of my favourite places and I have painted it many times at different times of the year and day. It's very close to my friend Jasmin's home in Biggar, Scotland. I would love to take a workshop here some day, so anyone interested let me know! Maybe next year.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Wren at Dusk



Wren at Dusk
8 x 12 Oil/Panel

I have been working on this one for a while, trying to get the landscape to fit well with the wren.

I was just signing it this morning as I listened to the BBC Radio 4 PM programme, and there was a report on a ceremony in France to bury the last of the unknown Australian soldiers from the First World War. Relatives read out letters received from some of the soldiers and they were so moving, bringing tears to my eyes and I couldn't see to sign my painting.

As I looked at my painting of a bird in a tranquil landscape, I couldn't help but be aware of the sharp contrast in my life to those who go to war to enable me to stay at home in the safety of my studio and paint birds and landscapes. It would be good to be able to give something back....

Sunday, July 18, 2010

For the love of Hummingbirds



Everyone loves hummingbirds. When I first came to New Mexico I was captivated by these beautiful energetic and feisty little birds. Here is a short video for those who miss them (Michael), those whom have never seen them in action and especially for you Dad.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Nuthatch with Cloud



Nuthatch with Cloud
12 x 10 Oil/Panel

This is a variation upon a previous painting, using the same nuthatch image as the previous etching. I am trying to find ways of incorporating my landscapes, albeit subtly, with my birds. I find it so hard to know when a painting is finished.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Nuthatch - Sitta europaea - Etching



Nuthatch 5 x 4

For Sale on Etsy or email me.

If you have been following my latest posts, you know that I have been working on this nuthatch etching. I am the having the best time and learning so much. I can't wait to start my next bird, but I haven't decided which one to do yet... any suggestions?

Monday, July 12, 2010

My other side







When I go out painting with the 'plein air master' (My husband, Barry McCuan!) I tend to do pastels. Somehow I just like the results more and actually would really like to scale up some of these abstracts into large oil paintings. What do you think? I think they would be fun to do! The above pastels are no larger than about 6" x 4" and inspired by water and a trip to the Hill Country, near Fredericksburg.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Autumn Sentinels



Autumn Sentinels
9 x 16 Oil/Linen

New Mexico is glorious in the autumn and every year I am drawn to paint these beautiful trees. This painting I think is freer than usual. I found myself enjoying the brush strokes more than I usually do. What's happening?!!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Another wonderful evening etching.




I have been working on this new plate for a few weeks now. We only go to etching once a week on Thursdays and usually after running around Santa Fe doing errands first, so we usually arrive late afternoon and work until 10 or 11. It's hard to go home and thanks to Eric, who always has some food cooking, we can stay the whole evening without interruption! I decided this time to methodically etch a plate without aquatint or dry point. So the bottom photo displays a steady progression of the results of adding the wax ground, etching the lines, cleaning the plate and printing the plate, then adding another wax ground and doing the whole process again and again. I think it helps with a greater understanding of the process. So many times in the past, especially with aquatint I have ended up with the plate being too dark and I have had to burnish a lot. I like this method, it has a little more control. I think it's almost finished, but I need to just darken the shadows and add a few more highlights.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Russian Night at the Taos Art Museum



Above Rutland Water
10 x 11 Oil/Baltic Birch Panel

This is a little painting I have done for the Russian Night fund raiser for the Taos Art Museum. Hopefully it will sell, raising money for the museum and for me!!! I rarely donate all of a painting anymore because in the past I have done this many times and don't even receive a thank you!! In addition artists' can't write it off. Not a good policy to have I think. Maybe this sounds uncharitable, but I have been inundated with requests for free paintings and it just gets old after a while!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Recovery Day





I have been taking it easy this last couple of days, getting over having my wisdom tooth pulled. What a relief to have it gone! Oh the pain! Anyway, things are much better now and I have been enjoying lazing about doing drawings, preparing for new paintings and etchings and learning my civics for my Naturalisation (I suppose I better start spelling it with a zee!!) interview on 13th July.

The lovely duck is called Ducky. Bonnie very kindly let me use her wonderful photos of Ducky to work from. I am planning on doing a larger painting of Ducky. He has so much character. Bonnie was very attached to Ducky.

Lately, I have been doing some sheep paintings, which are almost finished. One of them I am submitting to the Russian Night in Taos. When I was home last summer I found this wonderful field, high above Rutland Water. The sun was almost setting and I managed to take a lot of amazing sheep photos... I will post one.. it was a glorious English summer evening... I couldn't believe my luck. I was on my way to see my friend Melanie, in Cambridge and got very off the beaten track and nearly ran out of petrol. I had no idea where I was or if there was a garage nearby because it was late on a Saturday evening! Thankfully there was a little village garage still open. I really must get an iphone or sat-nav (really want the iphone) when I go back to the UK so that I can keep a track of all these wonderful places that I find on my painting travels. This will be handy for when I start taking artists around the UK to paint!!