SELF PORTRAIT

There's nothing to get the painter as challenged as a self portrait. I usually tape some thin string to the mirror I'm looking at, to form a cursor. I align one eye with the centre of the cursor and the other along the horizontal axis. This makes it easy to adopt the same posture throughout. It's always worth looking at the portrait in a mirror to see how it looks. That's the simplest way to check how accurate it is. Another method is to take a photo from a similar angle, then superimpose one over the other in Photoshop, using a 50% mask. Obviously this only tells you how accurate the drawing is, not what a brilliant painting you have created! I checked this portrait using this method. The forehead is a touch too high, otherwise it's not far off. Unfortunately, like most self portraits, it has the artists almost insane stare. I do smile, a lot! 

A TOUGH ONE RE-VISITED

I've stood under this tree on a couple of occasions during the summer, trying to catch the atmosphere of the place plein air, but without success. The issues making it difficult are: no horizon line, no direct view of the sky, reflections in the pond, the tree trunk being in almost complete shadow so having no tonal relief, the tree being close up so one is forced to paint the foliage in some detail, always a tricky thing to do! Oil in canvas 30cm x 40 

Teddington Lock 24cm x 30

Shops near Richmond Green 35cm x 35

NOVEMBER WRAP-UP

I've spent the past 10 days in the studio working up paintings of local scenes. 

Sleeping fan

So called, due to a figure on the right of the cricket screen, laying on the ground, fast asleep. This is Putney Heath in the summer. Oil on canvas 24cm x 60.

Boathouse sunset

Oil on canvas 30cm x 40.

Farm buildings - winter sunset

I got my palette knife sharpened for this one and really had some fun trying to capture the shaft of light. Oil on canvas 24cm x 30.

Hotel Splendide - Lobby

Oil on canvas 24cm x 30.

Shop reflections - Richmond

Oil on canvas 24cm x 30.

Tree on Richmond green

Oil on canvas 30cm x 40.

Waterman's Green slipway

Oil on canvas 24cm x 30.