Alfarnatejo – White village

Andalucia is famous for its white villages.  This one is Alfarnatejo, up in the mountains behind us.  In the middle of summer the glare is blinding and in the winter it is freezing.  All year round a good subject for practicing those “urban landscapes”.

Watercolour 60cm x 40cm

Musical Legs

Some paintings flow and others are a real struggle.  This one was definitely in the latter category.  I find that, in watercolour, one of the hardest things to do with any success is a dark background.  Not enough paint and it ends up "washy", too much and you get that horrible shine on the last edge to dry.  It also means that you have to work very quickly or leave terrible light patches in subsequent coats.  Oh well perhaps a light setting next time.

Watercolour  40cm x 30cm.

"Twisted"

It has been a while since I added any to the goat collection so here is the latest addition.  This goat lives just down the road so will be available for future sittings.


Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

"Cello"

"Cello"
I could not decide whether to do another Red Shoes painting or a musical theme, so I thought why not both!


Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

A Break In The Rain

"A Break In The Rain"

More rain here this last week but one of my favourite times is when the clouds start to break and the sun emerges to pick out spots of landscape.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Violin

"Violin"
The violin is such a lovely item in it's own right that a painting probably cannot do it justice.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm.

Western Concourse, Kings Cross.

The new extension to Kings Cross station, London.  We often hear the saying "they don't build them like they used to", well that does not apply here.  This fantastic structure was added to the station and gives a perfect blend of the old and new.  More images of the structure can be seen here if you want to see what it should look like without the artistic licence and see how it was constructed.  A work of art in it's own right.

Watercolour 60cm x 40cm.

Kings Cross, London.

"Kings Cross, London".

A painting from a trip to London last year.  Didn't see the old style buses in suitable locations so the modern version had to do.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm.

Tapas At Dusk

"Tapas at Dusk"

I thought I would try something a little different from my normal paintings.  I recently bought a large squirrel mop to be more bold and impressionistic and this is the first effort with it.  The brush holds lots of paint and water so it is easy to get that blending in of the washes but also keeps a good point to do the details.  I am looking forward to trying more of these works.

 Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Stretch

"Stretch"
This painting was quite a tester as fabric is always difficult in watercolour.  I could not get a very good photograph which showed the subtle colour changes in the detailed areas, but you can come and see it "in the flesh" at the next exhibition!

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Rain at Casa Roble

"Rain at Casa Roble"

Catching up with using some of the reference images taken through the winter.  This old finca is situated near Sabar, Andalusia.  The painting was started with a large brush (40mm) and lots of water.  Detail put in with a No. 10 round.  Aiming for the "watercolour, painterly" effect.

Watercolour  60cm x 40cm

"The Shoe"

Another painting which "went its own way" during its creation.  I had my intentions of what I wanted at the start but it seemed to have a will to go somewhere different.  Never mind I will just have to have another go and keep it on track next time.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Sunshine In The Rain

I enjoy painting figures but do find them quite a challenge.  I am constantly trying to go for the overall impression and not get into too much detail whilst still achieving that "painterly" effect.  I do not want a photographic outcome but a watercolour painting.

The development of this painting can be seen on the Painting Demo Page.


Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

"These Shoes Are Killing Me"

I have found that I prefer images of dancers who are not actually dancing far more than during a performance.  I like the practice sessions and preparation which seem to be more natural and expressive, maybe because of the lack of posed positions which are essential to the performance.

Watercolour 60cm x 40cm

The Lady in the Hat

Not many paintings turn out just as I intended them to go from the start but this one came quite close and I enjoyed producing it.  There are things I would change about it but, as always we move on and never "correct" things.  Instead we tell ourselves that the next one will be the best ever.  Its what keeps us going - seeking that elusive great artwork.


The Lady in the hat.

Watercolour  40cm x 30cm

"Ready?"

When watching the TV series "Show Me The Monet" it soon became apparent that for an artwork to be selected by the judges it was essential for it to have some emotional impact or a story to tell. This image may have a story to some people but not others.  The image used for reference was in black and white and therefore contained far more than 50 shades of grey.


Ready?

Watercolour  60cm x 40cm

"The Older Woman"

This painting is not the result which I set out to get - again.  I was after a loose, impressionist style with lots of lost edges and an almost abstract quality about it but it is so easy to get bogged down in detail.  I feel that it is overworked, the colour could be better and it is getting too "real" but I still like it.  The story and viewers imagination carries it forward so I decided to share it.


"The Older Woman"

Watercolour  60cm x 40cm

"Hairy Beast"

Today I finished the last painting before the Christmas break.  When visiting friends last month they expressed a like of Highland cattle so I thought I would have a go.  It turned out to be a lot harder to do long hair than the smoother coat of the goats I normally tackle.  These cattle also differ in that their eyes are quite expressionless.  However I do love the nose and eyelashes.

"Hairy Beast"
Watercolour  40cm x 30cm

"Rastovines Twin"

This latest painting is a second version of a piece produced a while ago.  Produced for somebody who saw and fell in love with the original at an exhibition in Riogordo.



"Rastovines Twin"
Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

A Dull Day?

Having had so much rain over the last month it seemed appropriate to use the weather as inspiration for a painting.  I don't think that I like this one but decided to post it anyway.

"A Dull Day?"
Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

SLAP Challenge contribution

This is my latest painting produced for the Axarquia Art SLAP Challenge.  This months task was to produce a painting in a maximum of 1 hour.  Although not finished I was happy with the outcome for the time taken.  I did not include the time taken waiting for areas to dry before continuing.

"Eggsactly 1 Hour"  Watercolour 30cm x 20cm

Kme Shoes 5 - "A Bit of Seam"

The latest (and last for a while) in the red shoes series, "A Bit of Seam"  Despite the rumours I don't have "a thing" about red shoes in any other way than I find them a great subject for painting.  I love the contrasts both with the reds and darks and the reds and highlights on the shoes themselves.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Kme Shoes 4 "Cheeky"

After finishing this painting I was thinking what name to give it and thought that "Cheeky" was a little more catchy than "Two bald blokes looking at a woman lying down".

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

"Looking at her"

My latest painting pictured here is to accompany an earlier work which showed a sitting female. This one is of her being watched... prior to.....what?

Watercolour 60cm x 40cm

Kmw Shoes 3

Back to the shoes.  Number three of the series.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

What colour is a goat?

I love to paint goats.  They are full of character, mischief and variety.  What they do lack however is much variety outside of a narrow colour range.  My goal for this piece therefore, was to put more colour back into it to produce a more attractive painting rather than an accurate representation of the original animal.
"The Colour of Goat"  Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Must be Me!

I started this piece in response to an art challenge on "shootandpaint.blogspot.com" run by Ria Hills in America.  The challenge was to paint a self portrait in a maximum of 30 mins.  Having started with good intentions it soon became clear that I would not leave it alone when the 30 mins was up.  So I carried on until I was happier with the outcome.

It is a strange experience painting yourself as you only really look that closely at small bits i.e. when shaving or getting something out of your eye and not see the overall form.  Thank goodness for laptops and webcams which were great for this task.  The laptop sits in front of a window so the strong light came across at a convenient point to break up the surface and cast some strong shadows off my wrinkles!

I will not be able to submit the outcome for the challenge but it was certainly a challenge of a different type.

"Like Father, Like Son"

I have taken a welcome break from painting during August as we have had visitors for the month.  The high temperatures we have had this year (of up to 43C) make it difficult to work with watercolour for most of the day.  The break was enjoyable but I am now keen to get back to producing some artwork.  This first effort is of a father and son enjoying a quiet moment on the beach at Torre del Mar.

Watercolour 30cm x 20cm

Kme Shoes 2

Number 2 in the red shoes series. This time attempting to be less defined and a little looser than the earlier work. It is surprising how difficult it is to get the result to be a "free" painting. Getting the lost edges to merge more and more into the background as they go away from the focal point of the shoes took far longer than the shoes themselves. I have seen the effect I want on lots of oil paintings but not very often with watercolour. Will try again with number 3.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Is painting easy?

Along with millions of others I have always been impressed with the work of Renoir but never appreciated the difficult circumstances under which he produced his works in his later years.  All those reasons we invent for not producing our best work seem a bit pathetic when we see that Renoir can't even pick up his own brush!


 

"Over There"

I produced this small painting last night in response to Ria Hills "Shoot and Paint Challenge".  As it was for July and the celebration of Independence Day the American flag was central to the theme.

Watercolour 20cm x 20cm

I find that taking part in the various challenges set on art blogs can be a great way to widen my experience and tackle subjects which I would not normally choose to paint.  I often look at the topic and think "I don't fancy that one" but give it a go anyway.  If it were easy it wouldn't be a challenge would it!  The outcome is not intended to be an exhibition piece but the activity itself is the important part - a little "art training" which we all need if we are to develop our skills.

Kme Shoes 1

This picture has been submitted to the Axarquia Art SLAP challenge - "Seeing Red".  Each artwork has to have red as the predominant colour.  You can join in the challenges by following the links here.


Waterclour 40cm x 30cm

Bailarin

The last of the new paintings produced for first showing at the Riogordo Museum Exhibition.  The show finishes this Saturday, so last chance for locals to take a look.




Watercolour 60cm x 40cm

Arabic Market, Granada.

The narrow walkways of the Arabic Market in Granada are a mass of colour and scents.  The goods from each shop spill out into the alleys making it difficult to identify the extent of each trader.

Trying to simplify this scene for a watercolour but still capture the colourful chaos proved a real challenge.

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

"Suspicious"

Another new painting currently on show at the Riogordo museum.  I never tire of the endless material available from these great animals.

Watercolour  40cm x 30cm

"Learning"

The second painting of Plaza Constitucion, Riogordo.  On show at Riogordo Museum until the end of June.


Watercolour 30cm x 20cm.

A small painting produced in response to the Axarquia Art SLAP Challenge.  The little girl played in the sand for ages without a care in the world.


Watercolour 17.5cm x 12.5cm

Plaza Constitucion - Riogordo

Plaza Constitucion, Riogordo.  Another new work currently on show at the Riogordo Museum.

Watercolour 30cm x 20cm

Aloof - New painting

A new work currently on show at the Riogordo Museum.  Due to the facial expression I called this one "Aloof".


Watercolour 40cm x 30cm

Private viewing - Art & Soul Exhibition

After the painting planning and preparation for this show, it was so pleasing  for it to culminate in a very enjoyable evening on Saturday.  We were both pleased to meet many new people as well as catch up with old friends and supporters.  Spending the time at home producing artwork can be quite isolating and it as always exciting to share the results of your efforts with fellow artist and the public.  Our new pieces were well received with many positive comments which is so encouraging.  We both enjoy our art and enjoy sharing it with others which we believe is the most important thing to aim for and is reflected in the work produced.  Painting to sell or what you think will sell is restricting and stifles the creative process.  With the present economic situation, particularly in Spain, it is difficult to achieve sales so it was encouraging to sell one artwork before the show opened and SIX during the evening.  The exhibition is open for the month of June so we look forward to seeing how it goes.

My Blog has been a bit quiet of late as I wanted to keep new pieces for the opening but I will post them over the next few days.

If you are intending to visit the exhibition please note that the museum have changed the evening opening times since the publicity material was printed.  The new times are 5.00pm - 9.00pm.

Art & Soul Exhibition - Riogordo

Please feel free to come along to the opening of our latest exhibition "Art & Soul".  This is a joint show with myself and Bob Woodhouse.  If you can't make the opening on Saturday the show runs for the whole of June.  Over 50 artworks on show so worth the trip!

A bit more SLAP

Nigel Short
Chair with Mobile Phone

I have today added another contribution to the Axarquia Art Slap Challenge - "To produce a painting in the style of Vincent Van Gogh".  This one is an updated version of Vincents original.

Vincent Van Gogh
Chair With Pipe and Tobacco

As smoking was the norm in the 1880's but frowned upon in modern times I have substituted the pipe and tobacco for a mobile phone.  I couldn't bring myself to get the perspective "wrong" again so there is a bit of difference there too.

Nigel van Short

The Church at Auvers

Over the past weeks I have been producing some watercolour paintings for an upcoming exhibition.  It was a nice opportunity to take a break from those works and participate n the Axarquia Art Challenge.

The topic for the month is "To produce a painting in the style of Vincent van Gogh"  The purpose of the challenges is to encourage artists of all abilities to move away from their familiar work and try new approaches.  Taking on this challenge certainly did that for me.  I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the whole experience of doing this.  I thought that it would be a lot easier than it was as it looks an easy style to emulate - not so, at least for me.  First task was to decide what to do, so off to Mr Google to research some Van Gogh images.

Periana Church

I was rather taken with the image of  The Church at Auvers so that was chosen.  An image of the local church in Periana would be my reference photograph.

I am no art historian or have much knowledge of painters work so I had both images on my computer screen and for each stage I looked across to see how Van Gogh had done it.  That's where the challenge started! - sketching it out.  

I tend to work in watercolour in quite a precise manner (even if I slap on the paint afterwards) and had to keep correcting myself trying to get the perspective correct, the lines straight and the correct information in the picture.  

Then it was time to start with the messy sticky stuff - oil paint, so different from watercolour.  Having very little experience of working with this medium may have been an advantage here, but again I found myself trying to be too particular.  One of the things I could not achieve was that "chalky" look to the painting similar to Van Gogh's original.  Anyway, a very enjoyable two hours was spent applying paint and trying to get the same style of outcome as the original but without much success.

Periana Church,  Nigel van Short.

The value in doing this was what I got out of it rather than the outcome itself but i decided to post the experience here in the hope of encouraging others to try their hand at online challenges.  You may find it is worth the effort and the outcome is the fun of doing it and not an exhibition quality painting.

If you would like to participate in the challenges visit the Axarquia Art SLAP Challenge page here.

Calle Aroga, Riogordo

A new painting for the Axarquia Art SLAP Challenge - A view of my house/from my house.  This was the view one chilly Sunday morning looking down the street

Watercolour 40cm x 30cm.

Riogordo Church from Calle Agua

Watercolour sketch of Riogordo Church seen from Calle Agua.

I find these small sketch paintings very good for trying out areas of my artwork that I am less familiar with.  I also like being able to sit down and complete a piece in  one sitting then move on to a new work.  I think there will be more of these to come.

Watercolour 7" x 5"






"Just love how the shapes resolve into a lovely peaceful landscape. Deceptively simple, understated, and just....beautiful"!!!  - Yvie Stewart

"lovely water color. Perspective is great on this" - Anita L Gordon-Palmer

Back to Back Caprine

"Back to Back Caprine"

Back to the goat painting again but they are always a favourite subject.  The endless colour variety and character of these animals provide a continual source of inspiration.  These two were seen just up the hill from our house, along with loads and loads of others but it is still possible to pick out the distinctive ones. If they are too far away to get good pictures for reference material the solution is to take the dog for a walk. The goats are fascinated and come up close for a good look at the dog. Great animals, I never tire of capturing them in Paint.

Watercolour 60cm x 40cm


"A really fine painting. I like the quck touch and the movement, and that you have not panted all the area. Super". -  Erik Morsing

"I am such a fan and being a goat person I always love to see yours" -  Lanita Reitsma

"another great one. Goats don't nearly get enough credit. I esp. like how you got a very good rock effect with just a few slashes of color. Very skillful". - Claudia