Well it is very hot here today and I expect we could get a storm later on, as long as it is not a bad one we need a bit more rain. Managed to do some gardening today but fighting with the wildlife to keep my tomatoes and the heat so it was off to the easel. Pastel Challenge no 6. is a small pot which sits in Monet's studio in France. Love visiting his home and garden as it always gives me inspiration and artist envy. I have painted this on black colourfix paper. The main colours I used were blue greens, blues, red violets and purples so to balance those colours I added their compliment of orange. The edges are always a challenge on black or dark paper but I get around this by using a putty rubber or kneadable eraser and finish this off with my electric eraser. Some tricky bits on the edges I blend with a pastel pencil....never a finger.....Not bad for under 60 minutes

Day 3 is painted from a photo which I took whilst driving thru the catchment area of Somerset Dam west of the Sunshine Coast. I loved the sky as it has so many colours in it. I can see blue, purple, grey, green and dark grey. I have tried to keep the background hills cool and the foreground warm. My focal point is the large tree on the left. Below see my original photo - notice I have changed the photo considerably!

Painting for day 2. This is a scene from the area around Somerset Dam which I took coming home from Toowoomba some years ago. I have tried to address line, colour relationships and temperature when painting this. Below is my set up for this painting. If you are struggling with motivation this is a great way to get started. Prepare some boards, I have used foam core boards from Officeworks. A2 size are $6.00 and are reusable. Don't over tax yourself, start out with a goal of say 3 x 30minute studies per week. You will be surprised at how quickly your skills progress. DO IT NOW!

I prepare my boards a week in advance so I do not spend / waste time fluffing around looking for something to paint. The idea is my boards are ready to go so I can jump in and paint a 30min study quickly so I have no excuses not to do. I am just a little slack in posting my pieces...sorry about that.

 Watercolours are my nemesis.....I have just completed two on-line courses a total of 10 weeks with Chan Dissanayake who is an excellent teacher and fabulous artist and then another 6 week course with a watercolourist who I shall not name, wonderful artist but not good at teaching and their technical equipment had a lot to be desired. Take note that if you are planning on attending an online course check out the teachers reviews. Do not be shy at asking to see a sample of their video and audio quality before you pay for the course.

Exhibition - Last weekend I entered three pastel paintings (see below) into the Pastel Association of Australia Annual Awards held at the Latrobe Art Space Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane. It was a great show, however all prizes went across the ditch to New Zealand artists. Well done everyone. 

My latest painting was titled "Bird Watching" and after completed it was quickly snapped up and SOLD to a couple in Crookwell NSW. The new owners will rename it after their own cat Mr Declan who evidently does this daily.

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