Cowgirls Ready For The Ring

Oil painting on board 6in x 8in.
These two were preparing to enter the exhibition ring at a beef cattle covention I attended recently.  The cattle and handlers were very well rehearsed, some lovely animals were  on display.

Reluctant Showgirl

Oil painting on board 6in x6in.
This young boy is having trouble getting his lovely young heifer to lead into the Dairy show ring.   He is becoming quite flustered and red faced with the effort.  This painting was inspired by a visit to the 2016 Gloucester agricultural show.

Cowgirl Besties

Oil painting on board  6in x6in.
These two were so great together at the local agricultural show.  Must have practiced a lot.  I so enjoyed their performance in the dairy ring,  just had to paint them.

Dairy Show Girls

Oil painting on board 6in x 6in.

I have painted a number of works inspired by a visit to the dairy ring at the local agricultural show.  This young girl and her well presented heifer were so in sync.

Mothers Little Helper

Oil painting on board 6in x 6in.
Could not resist painting the close connection between these two, such a treat to watch the interaction between cows and their calves.

Calf With An Itch

Oil painting on board 5in x 7in.
Another painting of Elly having a good scratch.  This is my favorite painting so far in this calf series.
Elly is definitely not a three legged calf, her back leg is obscured by her front right leg which it often is from this angle.

Calf With A Twist

Oil painting on board 6in x 6in.
Another bendy calf in my calf series.  I just love the shapes these little calves can twist themselves into and I also enjoy trying to capture some of that movement.  Again, focus is on a painterly approach.

Calf Resting

Oil painting on board 6in x 6in.
Another small oil study to add to my series of calf paintings. I really love the turning shape of this pretty calf.
My focus here is on achieving a painterly look, interesting brushwork(using my favorite Rosemary & Co brushes) and using appealing color combinations.

Calf With Butterfly

Oil painting on board 6in x 6in.
Recently I have been painting a series of small calf paintings, capturing them in as many different actions as possible.  I felt this would be an interesting challenge and allow me to experiment with shapes, brushwork, etc.
The calf depicted here is Elly who is very curious and playful.

Portrait of Lucy

Oil painting on board 8in. x 6in. SOLD
Portrait study of a pretty heifer calf named Lucy.

Shady Ivory

Oil painting on board 8in. x 8in.  A loosely rendered study of a black and white cow named Ivory, obviously having a good scratch in a cool shady spot.
I love painting movement, it allows for experimentation and creates such interesting angles and shapes.

Paint Horse Foal Painting

Pretty Baby-Paint Foal Portrait. SOLD
Oil painting on artist board 9in. x 12in.  Such a pretty foal just had to be painted.

Playful Pig Painting

Playful Pig.  Small oil painting on board 6in. x 8in.  SOLD
I have been too unwell to paint much lately so depicting this funny little pig cheered me up.

New Calf Painting

New Calf.  Small oil painting on board 6in. x 8in.
For me this painting was all about the great shapes and tonal values produced by the way this little fellow is lying down.  When I am choosing a subject to paint these are the elements which excite me the most, as I can experiment with creative brushwork and backgrounds.

Bonded-Cow And Calf

Oil painting on hardboard 6in. x 8in. SOLD
Finished this small painting a month or so ago, entered it into an exhibition recently and it sold on opening night.  I enjoyed playing around with shapes and colours.
I have been too unwell lately to paint a lot so it was nice to finish something, at last.

Lioness And Cub

Oil painting on board 9in. x 12in.
Could not resist capturing in paint such a wonderful moment in nature.  You can really tell from her eyes that she means business when it comes to protecting her cub.
I decided to use softer pastel colours to portray the gentler aspect of this scene, such a powerful creature can carry that cub ever so carefully, amazing creation.

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

Oil painting on artists board 12in. x 16in.

This painting is a follow on from my smaller oil sketch on paper. I decided to focus all the attention on the action and power of this unfolding drama by eliminating the background information, and surrounding the tiger with the colour of energy, red, and using strong value contrasts.  I also tried to make the brushstrokes energetic and varied the edges to portray movement.  The green is used to provide some relief from the dominant warmth of the scene.  This painting is all about drama.
A big Thank You to photographer Gary Jones for providing such inspirational reference material for me to be able to paint this work. http://www.portraitsofnature.co.uk/section704920.html

Prince Charming In Disguise.

Oil painting on board 8in. x 10in. SOLD
Could not resist painting such a charming frog(maybe he really is a prince in disguise).
I really love all that colour, gave me a real boost.  I also enjoyed cutting in around all the negative shapes made by the frangipani buds.

Tiger Chasing Prey

Oil painting on paper on board 8.5in. x 11in.
This oil sketch was done as preparation for a larger oil painting which I hope to do in the near future, if my health allows. It has been a real struggle to keep painting lately but I will persevere.

Firestorm!

Oil painting on canvas  16in. x 20in. SOLD
This painting was purely experimental.  I wanted to try a larger painting using some of the technique I have been using on my smaller paintings, with particular attention to painterly brushwork, bright colours and an abstract background.  I am happy with the result.