A dozen from 2021

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A dozen pochades from 2021

 

 

 

 

 

A selection from this year, being boxed.

 

 

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Natural arch, Praia Moçambique

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Natural arch, Praia Moçambique, December, 2022, oil on card, 25 x 28 cm - unavailable

 

 

 

 

 

Naturl Arch- detail

This is a revisitation: I painted here in April in 2020.

 

The new Lefranc and Bourgeois paints are working out very nicely. I'm experimenting with an impressionist technique in which brushstrokes are layered in cross hatching over each other, so colours "vibrate".

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Praia Moçambique, forest, December 20, 2021

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Praia Moçambique, forest, December 20, 2021

 oil on card, 28 x 26 cm

 

 

 

 

Praia Moçambique, forest, December 20, 2021- detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It's very hot and so painting in the woods- where there's lots of shade- is the best option.

 

 The year is coming to a close and I'm quite tired, quite in need of different places, and spaces.

 

 

 

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I used the new easel. It is rather good, stable and rapid to set up. 

 

 

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My Videira trip

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View from the Verde Vale Hotel, Videira, oil on card, 24.3 x 28 cm

 

 

 

 

View from the Verde Vale Hotel, Videira- detail

 

 

 

 

 

Near Rio do Sul, oil on card. 28 x 25 cm - available

 

 

Videira

 

 Videira sits in a charming valley. They have made the area along the river where there were railway lives quite pleasant to stroll and have snacks. 

Otherwise, there is the usual Brazillian higgledy piggledy architecture, a big building next to a small and nothing hormonious in the least, all made of ticky-tacky, nothing of distinction. They have built is to that the main street closes the river below from the view of drivers and pedestrians there.

The town seems to be full of young people. It's fairly friendly, though my  hotel was one of the most anonymous I've ever stayed in.

 Everything closes on a Monday.

 I got confused and not quite lost coming back. There are few road signs.

 I returned via Blumenau: the roads are basically a hell, single lane with endless speed checks, roadworks, speed bumps, and often slow because of a single truck trundling at a snails pace, a huge line of cars weary behind. Traffic from Blumenau through to Balneario is even worse, and made more hateful stilll by rain and rotten lighting.

 The trip exhausted me. I'm now wary of doing a second, longer one, to Caixas do Sul, in mid-January. Let's see.

 

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Vargem Pequena, view; soya oil paint

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Vargem Pequena, view, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm - available

 

 

 

 

Vargem Pequena, view- detail

 

 

 

 

 The  Lefranc and Bourgeois oil paint (Titanium white) that came in the post is based on soya oil instead of linseed oil.

 

I hope that doesn't matter.

 

 I'm mixing oil with an Alkyd medium. which speeds drying time significantly; sometimes I also add linseed oil.

 

 This is a new place to work, from a hill. There is a little traffic passing but it isn't too unpleasant.

 

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Praia Moçambique, clouds, paths

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 Praia Moçambique, clouds, paths   AVAILABLE

 oil on card, 26 x 28 cm

 

Praia Moçambique, clouds, paths - detail

Rain spitting, but otherwise an enjoyable session.

That sad atmosphere is so Ardizzone.

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Santinho, sea

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Santinho, sea, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm available

 

 

 

 

Santinho, sea - detail

My first time painting here- it's a little inconvenient to get to.

 

Urban planning and architecture in Santinho and Ingleses is appalling: ugly unmatched buildings cuttng off the sea, a lack of tree planting or integration with nature, and poor general maintenance.

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Praia Moçambique, late afternoon, sea

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Praia Moçambique, late afternoon, sea, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm

 

 

 

 

Praia Moçambique, late afternoon, sea- detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In woodland, summer, Praia Moçambique

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In woodland, summer, Praia Moçambique, November 2021

, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm - available

 

 

 

 

 This picture has some spots caused by damp

 

 

 

 

In woodland, Praia Moçambique, November 2021- detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In woodland, Praia Moçambique, November 2021- detail

 

 

 

Glorious weather, wonderfully warm and sunny.

Perhaps summer has finally arrived?

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Beach, November 2021, Praia Moçambique,

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Beach, November 2021, Praia Moçambique, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm - unavailable

 

 

 

 

 

Beach, November 2021, Praia Moçambique detail

Another day with some sun sneaking into what has so far been a dismal summer.

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A little trip to Brusque

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 A little trip to Brusque

 

 

 

 

Brusque, from Monthez Hotel, oil on card, 24 x 26 cm - available

 

 

 

Brusque, from Monthez Hotel- detail

 

 

 

 

 

 What is Brusque like?

 

 

 It is certainly very difficult to navegate by car with horrendous one way sistems that make it impossible to get from A to B without going via Z. And there are are many many cars. Oh my!

 

 There is a fine bridge and an interestingly ambitious cathedral by the commercial centre, which closes down at night. There is a sculpture park, located stupidly out on the fringe of town.  There are some nice old factories in a sort of Art Deco. The city is quite clean and tidy, but is a little boring, I felt, with not much of a buzz. 

 

 

 

Brusque from the Zoo car park, oil on card, 24 x 26 cm  Available

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brusque from the Zoo car park- detail

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Hill, near Canelinha, oil on card, 22.5 x 21.5 cm - available

 

 

 

 

Hill, near Canelinha- detail

 There are many very steep, rounded hills in Santa Catarina.

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Sand dunes above Moçambique

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Sand dunes above Moçambique, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm  - available

 

 

 

 

Sand dunes above Moçambique-  detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it serendipitous that sand blew evenly across the surface of the picture so the effect is softened?

Well, it seems to work...

 

 

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Canasvieiras, sea, early November, 2021

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Canasvieiras, sea, early November, 2021, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm unavailable

 

 

 

 

Canasvieiras, sea, early November, 2021 - detail 

Finally, after perhaps 8 weeks of rainy days,  some good weather for painting. 

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Praia Moçambique- pine cones

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Praia Moçambique- pine cones, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm - available

 

Woodland- pine cones - detail

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Armação, land, sea, rocks, sky

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Armação, land, sea, rocks, sky, oil on card, 28 x 26 cm unavailable

 

 

 

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Praia Moçambique, Trees on an incline

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Praia Moçambique, Trees on an incline, oil on card, 28 x 26 cm

 

 

 

 

Trees on an incline - detail

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Woodland, Praia Moçambique; rejection from the SSA annual

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Woodland, Praia Moçambique, oil on card,  26 x 28 cm discarded

 

 

 

 

 

Woodland, Praia Moçambique - detail

 

 

 

My four entries into the Society of Scottish Artists were rejected this year- despite having been accepted in previous years. And I'm a "Professional" member of the Society.

 This underscores the arbitrariness of these selection processes, since the pieces sent in were no worse in quality than in previous years- at least not all of them, and there were no new entry specifications implying a change in criteria.

 

 

 

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Dunes, grasses, bushes

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Dunes, grasses, bushes, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm - available

 

 

 

 

 

Dunes, grasses, bushes - detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice painting day. 

 

I work much better after an interval of a couple of days than when working on consecutive days. I paint with immense efficiency after a break. But the next day I'm more hesitant, uneasy. And the third will be quite impossible, with false starts, endless fussing and a cross mood.

 

 

 

 

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Woodland, August

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Woodland, August, 2021, oil on card, 26 x 27.5 cm - available

 

 

 

Woodland, August, 2021- detail

 

 

 

 Painted about a week ago.

 

 

 

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Hummocks, dunes, Lagoa

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Hummocks, dunes, Lagoa, Florianopolis, unavailable

 oil on card, 25.7  x 27.7 cm

Perfect painting weather.

 

 

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