I’m inspired to paint!

Ps I print cropped photos etc on plain A4 as I can have it close to the easel.

silverlining48

Here’s one from me

That's an exquisite study silverlining.. great colours

Lovetopaint when I did the gel printing class we had an exhibition at my local library it didn't cost us anything but time to put it up and take down .

Your work is very beautiful and wondered if could have an exhibition at your local library . I am sure it would inspire others to paint. Do you give lessons ? I am sure people would love to have a go but just need a starting point and learnt basic techniques then just paint their way.

Whiff thank you for all the nice things you have said. I have never thought of showing my paintings anywhere. Never thought anyone would be interested. I give paintings to family and friends. I was asked to go around to help a group of people at a local community centre. I used to do this when I was asked. This last year I have had some health issues and my energy levels have really dipped. I have done half a dozen paintings. However my grandson’s partner has started painting and I have enjoyed helping her. It is great as no more concerns about what to buy her for birthday and Christmas. I always perk up if anyone shows an interest in producing any art so love doing my best to help them discover the sheer joy of it. So pleased you are enjoying discovering this too.

I have a very talented friend who does wonderful paintings and started a group in her village about 6 years ago. I wish she lived nearer because I have only just started and would love to learn more and be there too

The paintings of your grandchildren are really lovely, and am sure will be treasured by the family because it’s so rare anyone gets portraits done nowadays.

My friend will not paint portraits even from a photo , she says it’s too difficult to get a likeness. (I was disappointed as I was about to ask about a portrait of my gc.) [smile).

Lovetopaint037 A lady in my painting group wanted to know why I had used a charcoal pencil to do a preliminary drawing for my latest painting. The only answer I could come up with was "Er, because I felt like it" Another member watched me drawing a tree - "How do you do that?" he asked. The honest answer is that I don't know. I just look and draw what I see, it's what I've done ever since I could hold a pencil. I can offer tips about how to improve some of their pictures, but I'm lost if they want to know what to do with a blank sheet of paper. I do like your painting with the sunflowers!

Thank you Deedas. Those sunflowers were a lucky fluke which has never been repeated. Bought a packet of seeds for a pound at the check out of a garden centre. I just sort of chucked them about at the end of the garden and up they came. So many and so very tall. My grandson was fascinated by them. Love the idea of your answer to the query about why you used a charcoal pencil. Actually it’s the best answer because that is what it is all about. As for the blank piece of paper I remember reading in Winston’s Churchills book about painting that he was all prepared with his new painting equipment but the blank canvas kept him thinking until a friend drove up; strode over and grabbed his brush and made the first bold mark. That was the beginning of his love of painting. When I bought some extra art materials for my grandson’s partner she joked “got all the gear but no idea” but that was not true as she was doing it and enjoying it which is what it is all about. Someone asked how long does it take me to paint a tree. I said it could be seconds or hours. Thinking of trees don’t know if you saw David Hockney’s wonderful exhibition at the Royal Academy a few years ago. He had painted so many trees of all colours simply because he could see those colours. After that I started to really look at the trees when out and yes he was correct. The colours were really there. That is what a great artist does he makes you look and see what he sees.

I didn't see the David Hockney exhibition Lovetopaint037 but I do think he has a wonderful eye for colour. Back in the 90s I suddenly got a mental block about making any sort of mark on a sheet of white paper. I found there were a lot of papers around made with things like banana leaves. The paper was off white or grey, with specks and bits of fibre visible and I found I could work happily with that, because it wasn't plain white! The brain can be very weird!

Amazing how a new art material can encourage when inspiration dries up. Yes the brain is a wonder. I watched Alwyn Crawshaw demonstrating painting and he mentioned the fact that if you imagine something in your head it goes down your arm and onto the paper. Sounds unlikely but I found if I wanted to say draw a face with a particular expression if I made the same expression it would transfer into my drawing. I wonder if your paper was like the kind I had a go at. Pretty sure it was described as an Indian paper. I remember using it a few times as I bought a few sheets. It was very absorbent. I expect you were enjoying the different effects which is part of the fun

this is a painting I did of my grandparents, parents, me and brother from a 2x2inch brown photo taken in the 1950's.. I researched the appropriate colours for that period.. it's oil 24x24 inches

Pascal that is lovely, definitely a keeper.
Those tiny photos were so difficult to see anything clearly. It’s a wonderful family heirloom.

and a live model painting done in the studio in acrylic

etching and oil painting from French olive grove

olive grove painted outdoors in oil

silverlining48

Pascal that is lovely, definitely a keeper.
Those tiny photos were so difficult to see anything clearly. It’s a wonderful family heirloom.

Thankyou silverlining.. that is exactly why I started working on old family photo's.. I doubt if my son would ever look at my saved photos..

To have a painting with parents, grandparents, great grandparents and uncle is such a lovely thing to have.

pascal love your painting of your family. Especially like the olive grove. Also enjoyed the life painting and the etching.
Don’t know if you have ever tried it but if you take a photo of your old photo with an iPhone or iPad or some other camera the results are not only bigger but become very much clearer than the original. Also easier to use as a painting source.

Thanks very much Lovetopaint.. love yours too..
they are photos with my iphone and are fine on Instagram, I don't know quite how they look so faded on this site.. or so small though... they are possible to expand..

pascal love your paintings especially the olive grove . You are very talented.