I'm back after a no blogging break.

It is taking me awhile to get used to the blogging and making it a weekly habit. It may be because I am a fairly private person, who doesn't feel the need to tell people what I am doing. It also could be because although I have been busy painting, I haven't been finishing my paintings. I have been chasing the new challenge and going from one painting to the next. Anyway, I have a lot to finish,so I must get onto it this month. In the meantime, what picture to post on the blog. Let me think!

Aha, I love the wonderful effects you can get with watercolour. Back washes used to be discouraged in traditional watercolour practice, times have changed and you can do what you like now, and have such fun with them. Here I have used back washing in the sky, mountains, hills and foreground. I like them. What so you think?

Experimenting with back washes. 

Quick sketch type portrait of my son as a child

Quick watercolour brushwork sketch from life

I did this painting years ago of my son. I had to be quick because he wasn't going to stay still long. I had my watercolours mixed and brushes ready. I took some deep breaths and a moments meditation and a few quick strokes and he was done. Mind you this wasn't the first one. I had a couple of goes, before I was happy with it. Even though he is looking down, I was pleased that I managed to capture his cheeky smile. It's not perfect, but it's a painting that jogs my memories of those happy days. If I wanted perfect, I would have taken a photo! Have fun! Best wishes, Tricia.

A watercolour sketch from the kitchen, of a Japanese Maple, my parents gave me.

I enjoyed doing this sketch from my kitchen table looking out the back window. It was done quickly to record the wonderful colours on a Japanese Maple that my parents gave us.   It is a simple freely painted sketch, but I still enjoy it as it takes me back to a happy times in our first home with a young family in Tamworth NSW.

Small Japanese Maple watercolour sketch

'Bellingen Home' Traditional style Watercolour 2013

'Bellingen Home' Watercolour (28cm x 19cm) 2013

This older style home at Bellingen NSW appealed to me as it had so much character and seemed to have a story to tell of families who had lived in it and still do. It seemed typical of many country old Australian weatherboard buildings of it's day. My watercolour sketch was done on site, sitting under a tree, to get shelter from the oppressive summer heat. The style harkens back to the style of painting I did 30 years ago, and it was comforting to do it. A bit like  chicken soup for the artistic soul! A traditional old style of painting for an old style home. The photo is a little darker than the painting.

It is certainly a contrast to the more abstracted acrylic and oil paintings I have been doing over the last couple of years.

"Turners Light" watercolour

"Turner's Light" is a watercolour painting, that I very much enjoyed doing. In this abstracted landscape I used a very free loose broad brushstrokes and primary colours. I was loosely inspired by Turner's paintings of the Rigi in Switzerland. I love Turners more abstracted free wash style paintings.

"Turner's Light" (23.5cm X 15.5cm)

Turner Inspired Watercolour

This is a watercolour that I called 'Turner Inspired' for obvious reasons. I entered it in the Daphne Young Watercolour Art Prize, and I was very pleased it received a "Commended" Award. I enjoyed making this abstracted landscape using free loose brushstrokes. Mind you, I did a few unsuccessful paintings using a similar technique, before I was happy with the results. That is the thing, when you are being very free, the paintings will not always work, but I am learning all the time, so none of the unsuccessful paintings are wasted, even when I throw them away. They are all part of the creative process, and the development of the painting that does work. I love leaving my paintings open to chance and going with what comes, rather than planning them precisely.

"Turner Inspired" (35cm X 26 cm)

Welcome to my blog.

Hello readers. Thank you for visiting my blog. My goal in making this blog is to let people know more about my art and my art making process, as well as receiving comments, tips and ideas from others. I use various media ie oils, watercolour, acrylic, ink, pastel and mixed media and various techniques to create Chinese and Japanese (Sumi-e) brushwork paintings, representational and abstract painting.