Bad hair day

45cm x 20cm  watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper

I find chickens very comical in the way they look and move. They seem to be able to morf themselves into some pretty amazing shapes.  This was a playful attempt at that aspect of their make up. There were no hidden motives or adgenda's here ladies, just plain old fun!    sold

The Rooster Rules Okay!

Watercolour on Saunders Waterford 300gsm.

This cocky little fellow just fell off the brush one day.  I love that when it happens, I was painting really fast which helps combat timidity and dithering - always the death-nell to loose and free water colour.
I finished this piece off with a few quick strokes from a charcoal pencil. It has a fresh spontaneous feel which I love, its often elusive to capture, but just great it happens.

Painting not available

Pohutakawa Flower

6x6in. Acrylic on board.

This is probably our most recognized national flower in NZ.  The trees are particularly suited to the coastal environment and thrive around our beaches and coast line.  The trees flower in late December to  January which is appropriate for the Christmas season.  They look amazing in flower, all ablaze in glorious red.

People Watching

6 x 6 Acrylic on board.
I spotted these two enjoying the sun and the locals going past and thought it would make a nice picture. I think it works.
I am experimenting with framing at the present and trying to find the right moulding to suit these small paintings.  I have decided that a plain wide black moulding suits best.  I'll post some samples when I have them ready.

Oil and veges

Acrylic on board 6 x 6 in.  

I am trying to paint these in under an hour, but don't think I have managed to do it yet. There is an interesting dynamic that happens when I am able to paint fast and with a simple abandon. It is still necessary to pay attention to the little details, without getting fussy and slowing the painting process.

Small daily paintings

The Road Home (acrylic) 6 X 6
Sold

I have started doing these small paintings as a way of loosening up and doing some painting on a regular basis.  They are for sale, so please contact me if you are interested in anything you see here. I will be posting them on a regular basis, hopefully.

Aotea Island

Painting not available
This montage acrylic painting is 90x30cm. The right hand side shows the view from the top of the ridge adjacent the bay where we live on this beautiful island. The scene is broken and inter-dispersed with other iconic images of this magical place.  The writing is a poem I wrote specifically for the painting, it reads.

Aotea, island of islands, of secluded little bays and hidden secret places,
Pristine long sandy shores and wetlands that team with life.
Her mountains clothed in cloud, and gullies very deep, all tattooed with shady paths
and mossy stone filled streams.
Cliffs of timeless granite seem to hold you in place, aloft here on the ocean 
away from the cities frantic pace.