Thoughts and Work in Progress

Snow Leopard Study

Ive just had a couple of days of Wildlife Painting which always makes me happy !!
I finshed a small Snow leopard study which I am quite pleased with, so thats drying now. This was done on a new canvas, Winsor and Newton Professional.
Its ok but I would have to pick my subject if i was going to use it again. I found the paint soaked in a lot so you had to put a lot of layers on. Perhaps I am just spoilt with my Harris Moore ones !! 

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'Russian Wolf'

The Aluminium Wolf is starting to take shape and I am enjoying the aluminium. Surprisingly the paint sticks to it really well.
I didn't prime it first as i thought if I do that I'm just painting on gesso !!
I thought the surface would be quite unstable when I  painted on it but no its brilliant !! Although again i would have to pick my subject for it.
​ With the Russian Wolf I thought the colours would work with the aluminium . 

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I also painted the underpainting on a large commission which I cant show as it's a commission and also a tiger which will be for the Exhibition of Wildlife Art if I finish it.
I also have a massive canvas waiting to be painted on,  titled 'After the Snow' !!! cant wait to start that !!! I'm trying out a smooth gesso board again....this is a different style of painting to my usual style, things don't smooth out the same but get better the more layers you put on. I know how i want it to look but it's if I can get there with it.....its a painting of lemurs called 'The Three Amigos' !! 

'The Three Amigos'

'The Light'

I was watching a discussion on a facebook art site this morning about hyper realism and people slating it yet again saying that they may as well just put a photo up. Well...No !! If you can't see the difference between a photo and a painting then you shouldn't be judging the work. An artist puts more into a painting, yes they are using photos for reference but they put more into it than just copying the photos. It makes me so mad when they slate realism. I would much prefer to look at a painting where I can see what it is....to me a painting has failed when you have to explain what it is !! 

The Black Lab Zoom class will start in a couple of weeks too......this will be all about the blacks. We are going to totally change the background and make it dark dark dark.....playing with edges and contrasts . The most important part of this will be towards then end where we put our own interpretation on it. 
This is my favourite part of painting....yes you can go with the reference for so long but there comes a time when you have to take over and go with your gut. You can only get so much off your reference the rest is up to you !!

​The Exhibition of Wildlife Art is fast approaching too, this is why i wont be doing any new zooms in July, I have to get things ready for this exhibition. Fingers crossed we have an actual live exhibition !!