Well, I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last put something up here but life kinda got in the way – birthdays, holidays, family visits, speaking engagements, not to mention false starts or interesting and enjoyable distractions! Hopefully this will be the start of a more sustained and disciplined approach. I do feel with this little oil painting of a local view that I have discovered a systematic approach that will yield better results if I just keep working at it.

Recently I’ve been studying the beautiful paintings of Jennifer McChristian, a Canadian artist. She emphasises the crucial importance of getting the values right (i.e. the tonal values). It’s something that I’ve always known is much more important than colour, but the way Jennifer approaches it is in a very methodical way, creating a little tonal sketch first, then working from that in the painting. So I thought I would take a leaf out of her book and see if it had any “value” for me! As I worked on the painting, I began to feel I was onto something in a way that I’ve not fully grasped in practice before. I’m excited because I see the way ahead beginning to unfold and I’m really motivated to “stay with the programme” and see where this takes me! Onwards and upwards!

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“Values are critical. This can’t be overstated. If you don’t get the value relationship right between your color masses, it just won’t work” – Jeff Mahorney