Gossip

I have been taking a more relaxed approach to oil painting recently, in that I have been very frugal with the images and the paint,  just to obtain a basic painting, no frills, fancy impasto or glazes. It's almost a back to basics approach. Normally I am very fond of impasto and thick paint, but for the moment, I am happy to allow the gesso to be the background and little detail on the painting. Perhaps it's a transition period? Maybe I am heading towards abstraction, lol. The painting below is three young ladies on a beach having a gossip. Oil on gessoed board 6x8 ins.

Yellow surf board

Yellow surf board. A surfer waiting for a bigger wave, not satisfied with the one he has just let go. I kept the background pretty mute and concentrated my colours in the fore area. A bit of impasto for the surf but the paint is relatively fluid for the water. It's a pretty limited palette I guess, cad yellow pale, ultramarine blue, titanium white and a touch of cad red for the figure. Oil on board 6x8 ins.

josephmahon.faso.com

Colours.

I have always been interested  in Impressionism and the Impressionists, not only the wonderful paintings they produced, but the theory behind the style. The style opened up a whole new way of painting and loosened up the previous rigid conservative and conventional way of painting. My own little effort is of two figures going for a swim. I just placed colours side by side with the hope of creating a harmony or vibrancy with a little blending here and there. Oil on linen on 6mm mdf 7x5 ins.

Winter sunset with sheep grazing

This is a painting from a few months back. I kept the paint quite fluid in this case, though I normally like a more textural effect. It's a scene back from winter last year near to where I live. Near sunset and sheep grazing in a field. Oil on board 6x8 ins.

josephmahon.faso.com

Sunbather

Another painting on the reverse side of a watercolour sheet. Sunbather, loose and impressionistic, with no hard edges. 7x11 ins on Fabriano artistico 300lbs paper.

josephmahon.faso.com

All is not lost

Sometimes, no a lot of times in watercolour, a work just does not work. An expensive watercolour sheet wasted? Not me, I have second go on the reverse side of the paper, so at least I can console myself that all is not lost. The results can be liberating, in that, one is no longer worried about ruining an expensive sheet of paper, but can relax and let go as it does not matter now, the sheet was heading for the recycle bin anyway. I currently use heavy 300lbs paper, so this is possible.

The figures below were painted on the reverse side of a failed watercolour, so it's now a keeper.

josephmahon.faso.com

Wrangler

 This little painting is another study in acrylics using a limited palette. Some subjects suit this type of approach. The colours used ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and titanium white. I kept it pretty loose, almost watercolour like, adding a few dark accents with thicker paint near the completion of the work. Acrylic on board 6x6 ins.

josephmahon.faso.com