Getting back to the business of painting

The worst thing any artist can do is to stay away from the paint and brushes. The communication flow between brain and canvas becomes broken and it takes a while to get that flow going again.

Recently I saw a photograph of an old Damara man from Damaraland, Namibia, in a photography group on facebook, taken by photographer, Jessie Vermeulen. I took one look at the photo and knew I had to paint it. So I messaged her and got her permission to use the photo.

This was just what I needed to get started again.

Because of this break in communication, it is taking me longer than it should to finish this painting, but slow work is better than no work at all.

Almost there! I just need to finish the mouth and add the finer highlights.

A change in direction

For quite a while now I have been wanting to move my painting into a different direction, one that I loved as an art student; figure studies. I've had this one planned for quite a while now, and I finally got to start it recently.

I started by laying down the tonal values first and you can see the progress below.  It is quite challenging but it is slowly getting there. I will post more photos as I do some more work on it.

The Joy of Giving

At the end of each year we do our secret Santa thing where we get to buy a gift for a co-worker. This year I decided that I would do a small portrait for the person whose name I drew from the hat.

I think I got as much joy at watching the recipient open his gift as he did receiving it.  He is such a humble man and was very surprised that someone would do something like that for him.

Frans, you are a gem here at the office and worth every brush stroke!

The face of joy

After many years I have decided to advertise my paintings on SouthAfricanArtists.com. You need to submit 3 examples of your work when you apply to sell on their website.  I have several paintings lying around, but nothing that I felt would be good enough to submit.  So I started working on some new paintings and finally finished my number 3.

I am very excited to now be listed with many other awesome South African artists.  Click here to view my page.

Joy

Acrylic on Canvas

24 x 28"

The Rhinoceros Painting

Earlier this year I started my Rhino painting, it was something that I had been wanting to do for quite some time. I painted it quickly and rather rough, but I knew that it was not finished yet. I was just not sure which direction to take the painting in, so like many other paintings, it sat unfinished in the corner. 

I finally tackled the painting again and decided to darken the sky and make the colours richer.  I am now happy with the end result.

 Rhino

Acrylic on Canvas

 24 x 24"

610 x 610mm

Time to heal

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted in my blog.  I feel quite sad actually but when I look back to the date of my last post, I remember how ill I was at the time.  My fibromyalgia was at its worst and every part of me seemed to hurt.  My vision would blur most of the time and I battled to do any fine work in my paintings.

So I put away my paint, paper and canvases and tried to get better.  I found alternative treatments to help for the pain and the fatigue and was able to land a job again as Graphic Designer in 2012, but this meant relocating from my beautiful Port Elizabeth to the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg.

With tears in my eyes I packed and moved, making sure my art materials were packed in.  I started playing around with abstract paintings just to get into the feel of painting again.  Though not finished, I like having them to fiddle on when I can't do fine work.

The painting of the Rhino is also painted with large brushes and is quite rough.  The more I look at it, the more I want to get stuck in and refine it. 

So these are my projects that keep me going.  Till next time, have a wonderful week.

I'm inspired by you

One thing an artist needs is to be inspired by other artists.  Some artists are lucky enough to belong to art groups or workshops.  There they will find inspiration and encouragement from other artists.  Many of us often feel that our work is not good enough.  We often need encouragement from other artists.  We need to be able to share our ideas and thoughts and know that we are understood.  I sometimes think that only an artist can understand another artist.  We are all so similar, yet very different.

I don't belong to any form of art workshop or group, but I find my inspiration from my fellow art bloggers.  I read about your painting triumphs, and your battles.  I read your blogs and find myself nodding, going "yes, yes, I've experienced that too".  Every day I come and look at your paintings and drawings.  I feel your pride in your latest piece, and I am inspired.  You are all amazing!  And I thank you!

....~*~....

And to think, all I was going to post today was my new project.  Well here it is so far.

St Francis Bay

My blog has been rather quiet for a while because I went away to visit my daughter in the lovely little town of St Francis Bay.  Most of the homes are only used during peak holiday seasons when the owners come down from Johannesburg and Pretoria to enjoy some quiet time at the sea.  The break was meant to be a time for me to do some serious painting, but the weather turned very cold and the first three days were very unpleasant with the cold, wind and rain making it difficult to do any painting outdoors.  This did not stop me from taking plenty of photos to work from later.

When the weather calmed down and warmed up again, I got to do a few paintings.  This little one was done from the stoep of the house I was staying at.  From certain angles one could even see the waves breaking just beyond the houses.

St Francis Bay has a lovely little stretch of beach where one will find people walking their dogs, or a few people coming to paddle out on their surf skis or canoes.

The life of Art

Hmm, I'm pleased with this part!

Isn’t it funny how many aspects of painting reflect issues in life? I’ve been working on a painting for a while now, it’s a family portrait. Unfortunately the photograph I’m working from is not high resolution, and taken with an everyday camera and flash. They are all wearing white. The reflection of the flash off the white clothing causes loss of detail and not much shading.

As an artist you try your best to make the painting look good, you try to enhance the lighting and the details so that the painting will be so much better than the photograph. Sometimes this is very frustrating and the effort can be quite exhausting.

So you tackle one section or problem at a time. When it works out, you are pleased with the result. I’m at that point now. There are parts of the painting that I am pleased with, it’s nice to work on those sections, I want to stay there, not move on. But, you can’t stay there, they are done, complete, finished, and it’s time to move on to the next challenging section. I know that as I tackle each section and solve its problems, I will feel good, and I will be one step close to completion.

Isn’t that JUST like life in general? It is so nice to do the easy things and not nice to tackle the tough things. Just like when as children, my sister and I had to wash dishes, and one of us quickly blurted out “I’ll wash the plates and cups, you can wash the pots!” No one likes doing the tough jobs.

So now it’s time for me to make the bed, load the washing machine, make breakfast and finish this painting.

Take care!

Okay, I'm lost!

I felt like painting the other day but could not think of anything to paint.  With my father being in hospital, I was not able to focus on much at all.  I am happy that he is now back at home and will continue resting until he is fully recovered.

I started this little painting with no idea where it was going.  Using some bright colours and texture paste I just applied the paint to the canvas.  From the shading and colours that found their way onto the canvas this idea evolved.  So now I have a girl in a hat walking on the grass.  But is the blue part sky, or water?  I have no idea what I want it to be.  So now the painting sits there mocking me.  Laughing at my inability to complete a simple little art piece.

So I have to admit, yes, I am lost.

I am hoping that as I run my errands today, my currently unimaginative brain will come up with a solution so that when I return home, I am able to complete it.  Somehow, even in its incomplete state, I find this little painting quite likeable.

Farewell Golden Bow

Over the last few days I've not been able to concentrate on painting at all.  I've tried to paint, but nothing works out the way I want.  But then that is what happens when we are worrying about someone we love.

My father was admitted to hospital on Tuesday with heart failure, his heart beat is irregular and jumps between 70 bpm and 134 bpm and all this makes him very tired and weak.  The doctors are running several tests and he is receiving treatment. He should be able to come home in a few days time.  We don't always realise just how much our parents really mean to us until something happens to them.  We go through each day just knowing that they are there, we can call them or go see them anytime.  But do we?

That brings me to the painting I want to share with you.  I was commissioned to paint it towards the end of 2010.  The man who commissioned it, wanted to give it to his mother for Christmas. He told me about a racehorse he had bought a few years ago, this wonderful horse had an incredible spirit and did very well in her races.  After an unfortunate incident in which his mother was attacked by burglars in their home, Golden Bow's interaction with his mother helped her recover from this terrible ordeal.  They had a very strong bond.

Unfortunately Golden Bow started developing health problems, I'm not sure exactly what they were, but she was sent from Port Elizabeth, up to Gauteng, where she would be treated.  The painting is of the moment when this lovely lady went to say farewell to her companion, Golden Bow.

What a lovely way for a son to show his mother just how much she is appreciated.

.. ~ * ~ ..

So if you are still lucky enough to have your parents around, give them a call or pay them a visit.

Guilty Pleasures

I read somewhere that Guilty pleasures are the little things that make life just a wee bit better.

Somebody asked me about the painting that's on the easel in the photograph of me.  This is not a painting that I've shown to many people, I've never exibited it either.  It's a painting that I did purely for myself, one of those selfish pleasures of creating something purely for my own enjoyment. 

I'd always wanted to do a painting of a male torso and one day my daughter brought me several pictures that she had cut out of magazines. We chose one and I turned it into my painting.  So there you have it.

Another of lifes guilty pleasures is a nice glass of red wine.  Here in South Africa we are so lucky to have some of the best wines in the world.

Recently I was given a bottle of Hill and Dale Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, 2006.  What a delight to the palate.  The wine was so smooth and definitely something I will look out for in the stores.

when I am busy painting I like to play some of my favourite music and will often pour a glass of wine for myself.  Doesn't that just sound like the kind of thing artists do?   Well, unless I go and get another bottle of wine soon, there will only be coffee or tea to drink while I'm painting.

Speaking of painting, time to get back to that portrait I'm working on.

Odd One Out

This morning I added a photograph of the Cherry Guavas that grow between my yard and the neighbour's.  This afternoon I decided to paint them on a small canvas of 8"x10" (203x254mm). 

They were a lovely distraction from the large portrait that I'm working on and a chance to test out some acrylic retarder that I bought recently.

Acrylic paints dry quite quickly in our hot climate and when working on a large area that requires some blending, it would be great if I had a bit more time.  The Acrylic Retarder keeps the paint fluid long enough to do the blending.

Father and Sons

In the last post I put a photograph of myself working on a portrait of a father and his sons.  I did this painting in July 2010 from a photograph which was taken of the three at one of the Fifa World Cup soccer games in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

This was my first attempt at painting a portrait.  Prior to this I had only done portaits in pencil, pastel or coloured pencils.

I was very pleased with the result and so was the client.

Love to Paint

My name is Vanessa Bentley. I've been drawing and painting since I can first remember. I did art as a subject through school and went and studied art when I completed school as well.

However, getting married and having children slowed my art down. I've been a single parent since 1995 and that also put a damper on my painting. So I have not done many paintings over the years.

My children are now all grown up and over the last few years I started painting again. I will be sharing my past and current work with you in this blog. I hope you will enjoy what I have to offer.